by R. E. Butler
“When I’m holding my truemate in my arms, I’ll be positive and upbeat.”
“Until then you’re going to be crabby? How’d we get so lucky?”
They reached Heat. Even from inside the vehicle, she could hear the club’s music. The exterior looked like an old bank, except for the velvet ropes, bouncers, and long line of people waiting to get in.
She followed Aubrey and Alaric. Although it would be nice to meet Aubrey’s brother Caleb, Lia was more interested in partying the night away with her sisters. She’d been stuck with her brothers and the NWFA fighters for so long she couldn’t remember what it was like to have a girls’ night out. Not that she was really having one, since her brothers were also there, but it was pretty close, and she was going to enjoy the hell out of it.
Music blasted them as they walked into the club, and it took a moment to get used to it. The club was low lit, with lasers and strobe lights painting the people on the crowded dance floor. She wanted to dance, but first they needed to meet Caleb.
A scent caught her attention, and she paused, inhaling slowly and sifting through the myriad of scents that saturated the air. Her cat yowled as she found the scent that caught her attention. It was a heady cinnamon scent that made her want to rub herself all over the source.
The scent suddenly became stronger, and Lia snarled angrily and rushed forward, finding a human female covered in the sweet cinnamon scent of…her mate? Rage poured from her as she grabbed the female by the throat.
“Where is he?” Lia growled.
The female screamed and clawed at Lia’s hand. “Get off me you crazy bitch!”
Lia let loose a roar filled with possession, and the female’s eyes rolled back in her head. The female dropped to the floor in a heap as Lia released her. She looked to where the female had come from and decided she’d been upstairs on the private floor. Before she could take a step in that direction, pain sliced through her head as if someone had driven a knife into her skull.
She dropped to her knees and screamed as a barrage of images – too rapid for her to understand – flashed through her mind. Flesh. Blood. Darkness. She was aware of Galen kneeling next to her, but she pushed him away. Her mind wanted to shut down, but her cat had other ideas and forced itself forward, pushing Lia to shift faster than she’d ever shifted before. Her beast exploded through her, shredding her dress.
Her claws curled as she shook herself out, scraping against the tile floor. Scenting the air, she could make out the cinnamon scent of her mate more easily and knew he was on the second floor. Without wasting a second, she raced to the stairs and began to climb. People screamed, but they got out of her way and that’s what mattered. She could scent wolves as she climbed, but aside from human, the strongest scents were vampire.
The guards at the top of the staircase stepped aside. She hadn’t even had to flash her deadly fangs to get them to let her by. Did they know she was looking for her mate? She didn’t even really understand it herself because she was the youngest and Galen still hadn’t found his mate yet. What had flashed through her mind before she shifted carried the feeling of dreams, but she didn’t understand them. She would bite her mate to mark him, but there had been a lot of biting in the rapid dreams. Nights filled with bites and blood.
She moved between the people on the floor. Humans scattered, but the supernatural beings didn’t seem fazed by her appearance. Cinnamon scented the air more heavily as she moved toward the center of the open area. She knew the moment she laid eyes on him that he was the one who smelled like cinnamon – her mate. A gorgeous male, with short, dark blond hair and green eyes. Masculine to the extreme, his muscular body stretched the limits of the tailored suit he wore, and his nostrils flared as she closed the distance between them rapidly.
His mouth opened, and his fangs appeared, not as big as hers but lethal all the same. Her mate was a vampire.
And then the female’s scent hit her. He was covered in that human’s scent! The blood on her neck – he’d fed from her! Rage poured over her, hot and blinding, and she leapt at him, knocking him back against the couch and caging him against the leather with her paws.
“Well, look at you,” he said, chuckling. She was aware he waved people away from them. Maybe his guards or friends. She lowered her muzzle and sniffed at his chest, snarling at the scent of the female on him.
“Damn you’re gorgeous, my sweet cat. Now I know why I sent those females away tonight.” His hands cupped her face, his thumbs lightly hooking around her fangs. “You were coming here. My mate, a beautiful saber shifter. How the fuck did I get so lucky?”
She was partly pleased he found her so pretty, but she couldn’t think past the scent of the female on him. She could smell her blood as he spoke. Lowering her paw to his shoulder, she curled her claws into his shirt and ripped it.
He arched a brow. “If you want me naked, you just have to ask sweetheart. But how about we don’t get freaky when you’re a cat?”
She snarled, wishing she could articulate that she wanted the scent of the female off him. The only female’s scent he should ever wear was hers.
“I think she doesn’t like your donor,” Aubrey said. Lia turned her head just enough to see her new sister standing by Alaric.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I can change, how’s that sound?” He tugged on her fangs until she turned her head back to look at him.
Growling in agreement, she eased away from him and sat on her haunches.
“Just give me a minute to meet my sister’s mate.”
Lia realized that her mate was Caleb, Aubrey’s brother, and the master vampire of Belle Terra. She listened as Aubrey introduced Alaric, and then gestured to the back wall where she could see Gretchen and Slade behind a gauzy curtain.
“Galen’s downstairs having a few drinks,” Aubrey said. “He’s a little pissed.”
“Why?” Caleb asked, moving to stand next to Lia. His hand rested on her head, and he lightly scratched her ears, making her purr. She liked that he was comfortable with her in her shift. She hadn’t expected her mate to be a vampire, and she didn’t know what that meant for their future, but for now she was just thankful to be with him.
“Because we’re supposed to find our mates through mating dreams,” Alaric said, “and they happen in age order. Lia is the youngest. Galen has been having dreams but they’re very fuzzy, and he was already distraught about possibly having to leave us to go find his mate. With Lia leap-frogging over him with you, I think it was just too much to deal with.”
Lia looked toward the railing. Her brother was down there. Upset and alone. She yowled softly, and Alaric said, “Yeah, I’ll go get him.”
“Did she just talk to you and you answered?” Aubrey asked with a chuckle.
Alaric grinned. “We’re very close, my sister and I.” His smile disappeared as he leveled a long look at Caleb. “I know you’re the master vampire, but I still expect you to treat my sister with the respect she deserves.”
Caleb’s fingers tightened on her ear for a moment and then relaxed as he resumed petting her. “She’s my truemate Alaric. I would never dream of treating her any way other than like a queen.”
Alaric glanced at Lia and then back to Caleb. “We’re going to rescue my brother and bring him up here.”
“Are you staying here tonight?” Aubrey asked.
“It depends on how long she’ll be in her shift,” Caleb answered.
“A few hours,” Alaric said. “She shifted so fast, I’m surprised she didn’t pass out with the stress.”
“We can meet up tomorrow evening. Come up to the penthouse at ten.”
Aubrey blew a kiss to her brother, and Alaric gave Lia a little wave before they turned and headed toward the stairs. As they left, a tall, well-dressed male appeared.
“I heard there was a tiger up here. I had no idea people were telling the truth.”
“It’s very true. This is my mate, Lia Carmichael. Lia this is my right-hand man, Nash.”
Na
sh, a vampire, tilted his head with a smile. “Let me guess. An outfit and a steak dinner?”
“Bring them downstairs. If anyone needs me, you handle it. I’m going to take my mate to our chamber for the rest of the night. Bring the car back after sunset and have dinner for my new family ready in the penthouse at ten.”
Nash took notes on a phone, his thumbs clicking rapidly as he made little humming noises of agreement. “You got it. It’s nice to meet you, Lia.” Nash flashed a brilliant smile at her, showing a deep dimple in one cheek.
Caleb growled suddenly. “Don’t. Flirt.”
Nash’s eyes widened, and the smile slipped. Then he shook his head. “I was just being nice, calm down. I’ll be back with her dinner and some clothes in an hour.”
If she could, Lia would be grinning like a fool because Caleb had gotten jealous because of Nash’s innocent smile. At least she wasn’t the only possessive one in their relationship.
“Come on, sweetness,” Caleb said, looking down at her with a smile. “We’ve got a few hours to kill.”
They walked to the stairs together, and he kept his hand down, resting it on her neck as if he couldn’t go a minute without touching her. They moved underneath the stairs to a security door where one guard stood. Caleb used a thumbprint pad to unlock the door, and the guard held it open for them both.
They moved down a short hallway to another security door. When it was unlocked, Caleb held it open for her, and she found herself looking down a stairwell. The air grew colder as they moved down the stairs, until they were at the landing with another security door.
“I’m sure you’re wondering about the security. Part of it is because this used to be a bank and the owners took security seriously. The other part is because it’s important to me that my kiss is safe, especially when they’re sleeping. Most of the workers at the club live here, the same way that hotel workers live there. No one can get down here unless they’re part of the kiss. I don’t allow overnight guests unless they’re mates.”
He paused at a door at the end of the hallway and used his thumb to unlock it. “Tomorrow night I’ll have you added to all the security so you can go anywhere you want on any of my properties.” He held open the door for her, and she stalked in, sniffing the air and finding the sweet, cinnamon scent of him everywhere.
“You’re the first female I’ve ever had down here,” he said as the door shut and locked. “I just want you to know that. It’s not that I’m a prude or anything, but my chambers – here and the hotel – are precious to me. I value my privacy, and my homes are my sanctuaries. They’re yours now, too.”
She looked over her shoulder and purred.
He grinned. “Let me give you the grand tour, and then I’ll take a shower and put on something more comfortable.”
The main room had a large sectional sofa, with a huge flat screen TV hanging over a gas log fireplace. Bookshelves were built into the wall on either side of the TV and were filled with books and curios. She rubbed against the couch lazily as she moved to what looked like curtains hanging against one wall.
“You’re probably wondering what’s up with the curtains, since we’re underground. I don’t get to enjoy the sun anymore. You’re talking to a guy who used to spend his entire summer outside from dawn to dusk. When that was taken from me, I always regretted not seeing the sunrise anymore. When I moved in here, I had this installed.” He lifted a remote from a holder next to the curtains and pressed a button. The curtains slid back and revealed what looked like an enormous picture window. She could see, though, that it was actually a screen.
“What do you like? The sunrise over the ocean?” He clicked a button, and the screen lit up with what he had described, the sun peeking over the horizon. She sat down in awe and watched as he continued to click through images. The sunrise over a mountain range, golden beams of light filtering through dense woods, white sand glistening with morning light.
She purred.
“I have static images, but I also have movies of an entire day of sun from sunrise to sunset.” An image appeared and he pressed another button, and she could practically feel the heat as a sun appeared in a dark sky and slowly began its ascent.
He cleared his throat, and she looked up to see he was frowning, his brows drawn. “I’m going to, uh, shower and change.”
He slipped the remote back into its holder and disappeared. The tour was over, it seemed, almost as quickly as it started. She debated following him to see what was wrong, but she had a feeling that he needed a few moments to himself so she explored the area, rubbing her haunches here and there. She was aware she was marking her territory, but she hoped he didn’t mind. She couldn’t bear not having her scent in his home.
Their home, he’d said. She liked that. She hadn’t had a real home in a long time. Caleb was her mate. He accepted it easily. He hadn’t questioned who or what she was, he’d simply known when they met. Finding her truemate rocked.
She heard the shower come on, and the chance to see her mate naked and covered with water overrode her intention to let him have some space. Naked. Mate.
Yum.
Chapter 4
Stripping quickly, Caleb tossed his clothes in the trash. He hadn’t realized that scenting the donor on his clothing would upset his mate. In turn, it had pissed him off. If he’d fed first-thing when he woke, then he would have been able to wash off that scent, but he’d put it off. He didn’t like that his mate had been angry, and he didn’t blame her. If he’d found her smelling of another male, he would have been on a destructive rage to hunt down the male who had touched her.
He entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stared at himself in the long mirror over the black marble sinks. He’d never really thought of himself taking away the sunshine from someone else, but he wanted to spend eternity with Lia. That meant she’d be tied to the darkness. It had never occurred to him that his mate might have a family she was close to, who would age and die without her.
Steam wafted by him, and he shook himself out of his musings. He wouldn’t be changing his mate tonight, and there was plenty of time to talk about their future after they got to know each other. He couldn’t wait to see what she looked like in her human form and to hear her voice for the first time.
He opened the glass door and stepped under the hot spray, immediately grabbed shampoo, and scrubbed his short hair twice with thick lather. Then he moved onto his body, cleaning every inch of himself so the scent of his donor didn’t bother her. The idea of feeding from his truemate while she was still mortal made everything in him roar, a desperate need to claim her and taste her riding him hard.
He was aware when she stalked silently into the bathroom because of their connection as truemates. He could feel her presence even when he was turned away from the door. He turned slowly to face her, only able to see the shadow of her through the fogged glass.
He turned off the water and pushed open the door. She purred loudly, and he couldn’t help but smile. Her eyes were a deep gold, and her mouth parted as she scented the air.
Stepping from the shower, he stood before her. Her gaze raked over him, and the way she purred as she stared at his dick made everything inside him tighten. There was a loud rapping at the outer door, and she snarled angrily.
“I feel the same way, sweetness,” he said, sighing. He grabbed a towel from the rack and secured it around his waist. She followed him out to the door and glared at Nash and two females who held packages. Caleb liked that she was annoyed they were interrupted. He wasn’t too happy about it either.
The females – two vampires in the kiss – waited outside and appeared to be trying hard not to make eye contact with Lia. As Nash bustled back and forth setting up food on the counter and clothing bags on the coffee table, Caleb watched Lia, whose golden gaze didn’t seem to miss anything. She would make an excellent mistress of the city – the mate of the master – when she was turned.
“Do you require anything else?” Nash asked.
<
br /> “No. Thanks.”
Nash smiled, nodded, and headed for the door. The door snicked shut and the automatic lock engaged. He turned and found Lia with her paws on the table, sniffing at the domed platters. She looked adorable.
He moved to the table and lifted both domes. She purred in interest, her whiskers moving as she sniffed loudly. The two platters contained both cooked and raw steaks. Vampires didn’t eat. He was sustained on blood – real or synthetic – that he drank daily.
He lifted both platters and laid them on the floor, sitting across from Lia as she followed, her nose twitching with interest. Her big paw reached out and claws curled into the top of a raw steak as she brought it to herself. She settled on her stomach with a happy purr, turning her head to the side and gnawing on the steak. She didn’t use the big, curved fangs to eat, but used the teeth behind to tear the meat. The fangs were probably for defense, deadly swords he bet she could wield very well.
“About the feeding earlier,” he said, resting his chin on his knee as he watched her eat.
She froze, her eyes narrowing as she growled her disapproval.
“I know, sweetness. I really am sorry about that. I like to drink fresh blood. I had meetings first thing tonight, and I opted to drink just enough bagged blood to take the edge off and feed later. I don’t need to feed from a live donor, and I won’t anymore. I wouldn’t want you putting those beautiful fangs into anyone else’s flesh regularly.”
Of course when he turned her, she’d need live donors, but they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.
“I don’t know how much you know about vampires, so I’ll give you the crash course while you eat. I have to drink every day. Fresh, bagged, or synthetic. I prefer fresh, but like I mentioned, I won’t be doing that anymore so I’ll go bagged or synthetic. Synthetic isn’t too bad. We sell it at the bar and have it available in the hotel. It tastes a bit like hamburger when you’re in the mood for filet mignon, but it sustains us. The sun burns my skin, so I ensure I’m indoors before sunrise. I don’t die at dawn, but I do feel compelled to rest. I’m a creature of the night, tied to the darkness.”