Balance

by Leia Stone

  The man shrugged. “I would rather her die trying to be saved than waste away before my eyes. I would love nothing more than to watch her be a strong and powerful werewolf. Even if it meant I grew old and died without her. Wouldn’t you do the same for someone you loved?”

  I saw a flash of weakness fall over my mate’s face, but then it was replaced with a cold, hard Alpha glare. Kai gritted his jaw. “No, that’s not how we work. I’m sorry.”

  Kai jumped off of the pick-up truck and I slipped my hand into his as we began to walk away. When we were far enough away that I knew we were alone, I turned to face him. The thick trees surrounded us as I looked up into his eyes.

  “Not what you had in mind when you told the humans about our kind, huh?”

  His deep brown eyes held so much emotion.

  He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. I forgot how weak humans were. Cancer, diabetes, mental illness. We don’t get any of it.”

  Standing on my tiptoes, I kissed him lightly. “Maybe it’s something to bring up with the council.” I raised an eyebrow.

  “What, take in all the terminal cases and change them? Our numbers would blow up. The human government would feel threatened. They only tolerate us now because they need us, and they out number us. You forget that many wolves die in the process of the change. You haven’t seen that. No!” Kai said and walked off.

  I ran after him. “I’m just saying a few here and there wouldn’t hurt. It’s good PR and the decent thing to do.”

  He gave me a side glance and shook his head. “Sometimes I’m not sure if it’s your greatest strength or your greatest weakness.”

  I stopped. “What?”

  “Your heart,” he said seriously.

  I smiled. “Probably a weakness, but I don’t care.”

  He smiled softly and looked off to the side. “The moment the first human died during the change it would ruin all we have built with them.”

  I sighed, because he was right. This relationship we had with the humans was fragile.

  Kai creased his brow. “Alexa wants us to come home. The vampire kid is up and feeling better.”

  Duty calls. I officially decided that I needed a damn vacation.

  *

  Jeremy, Alek, Kai, and I sat around the kitchen table. My mom was back in the guest room with Luna and we were waiting on Earl and Todd. Kai’s dad had gone to Seattle with Shamus to have a meeting about Sadie. Ten females had been taken by the vampires. Ten. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we needed to act quickly. Find Layla and snuff out this fire before it grew. She had an entire bag of my blood now. It only took one drink to make her fertile. I had a million questions about how vampire fertility worked. Was she fertile forever now? I didn’t think so because of what Jeremy said about her needing more blood. Did the men need to drink it? Did they drink off of her? I shuddered at the thought. A knock at the door snapped me back to reality, as Kai squeezed my hand.

  “Come in!” Kai roared and Earl and Todd entered. They were dressed in full army fatigues.

  Earl nodded to all of us and then looked Alek in the eye. “I’ve spoken to the chapter presidents across the country. Most are in agreement that it would be wise to donate blood to the vampires willing to join our fight.”

  Alek looked shocked. “Thank you.”

  Earl nodded. “We can choose to stop at any time. Our goal is to keep humanity thriving for thousands of years to come. Layla and anyone else associated with her will be wiped out. After that time, maybe we can all coexist.”

  Kai grabbed Earl’s shoulder. “Well said. I will get some mobile blood donor trucks up here. Thank you.”

  Earl nodded. Todd had been quiet the entire time, he was staring at Kai with an expression I couldn’t read.

  “Is there a problem?” I questioned Todd. I couldn’t have a loose cannon on our inner circle.

  Earl looked uncomfortable as Todd looked at me. “Is it true that werewolves don’t get sick?”

  I sighed. He must be referring to the commotion with the newswoman. “Yes,” I told him truthfully.

  He froze. “Is it true that a sick human can be changed into a werewolf and be healthy again?”

  Shit. That question was a bit more calculated.

  Before I could answer, Earl put a hand on Todd’s shoulder. “Todd’s brother is in a wheelchair. His legs were affected when he got polio as a child.”

  Todd nodded. “We were stationed with my dad who was serving in the military in Japan. If you could change him, he could walk again.” His face looked hopeful.

  Kai let out a deep breath. “I’m really sorry to hear about your brother. I’m sorry to hear about any human suffering. Werewolves have an intricate political system. It’s what sets us apart from vampires. We don’t change humans for sport.”

  Todd glared at Kai. “I’m not asking you to change him for sport. I’m asking you to change his life. Give him a chance at walking! At a long and healthy life.”

  Earl faced Todd down. “That’s not going to happen, son. Don’t ask again!”

  Todd gave Kai one last long look and then stormed out, slamming the door.

  “I’m sorry about that. He heard about the news and got excited.” Earl twisted his handle-bar mustache.

  Kai nodded. “I’m sorry, too. Our peace with the human government is fragile. I can’t go changing every sick human. Most would die during the change, I’m sure you understand.”

  Earl nodded. “Absolutely. I’m in agreement with you.”

  Jeremy cleared his throat. “Vampires don’t get sick either, why doesn’t anyone want us to change them?”

  Alek smiled. “Because no one wants to be a bloodsucker, kid,” he joked and we all laughed, easing the tension.

  ‘Kai, would changing a few sick humans help boost our image with them?’ I wondered again.

  ‘No, I have been having meetings with the president, the deputy secretary, the CIA. They all have one strong request. Don’t let the supernatural race overpower the humans. Right now they are in a strong position with their numbers and they want to keep it that way. They don’t even know about the witches. If we change one, it will spread like a wildfire. The government will take us out.’

  I groaned. He was right. We had RAIDOS and Layla’s clan against us. We didn’t need any more enemies. Shit, this entire situation was spreading. I was human not too long ago. I understood the desire to want to be healthy, but this couldn’t be the future. Kai was right. If we changed too many, the government would rise up in anger. If too many died during the change, the humans would retaliate. It was a damn shitty situation to be in.

  “So, what’s the next step? My men are hungry to take out this vampire queen and all of her drug runners,” Earl asked.

  Kai glanced sidelong at me. “Layla may not take the bait now that she has a bag of Aurora’s blood. We should think of another plan.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Kai, it’s still a good plan. Of course she will still want me. That blood bag will run out soon.”

  Kai glared at me. “Hear me out. Kat called to thank us for finding Murphy and said there was some retaliation on her pack from our little stunt at the border a few months ago.”

  Yeah, I could imagine there was. We hijacked three busloads full of heroin and sent them up into flames.

  “She said Murphy has been able to fly across the border and get more information. I say we take some of our guys, some of the militia, and go back to the border. Team up with Kat’s pack and see if we can’t stir up trouble and coax Layla out. If we stop her drugs, they will take notice.”

  Alek had been listening quietly the entire time. “You have no idea how deep the queen’s pockets are,” he commented.

  Why didn’t he say her name?

  “So, she’s rich. Big deal,” Earl said.

  Alek grinned. “Kai’s rich. Hollywood actresses are rich. Layla is beyond rich. Her wealth can buy anything. She is worth billions. She has her hand in politics, cosmetics, drugs, land development, prostit
ution, you name it. She can buy humans, she can buy favors, she can buy anything you can’t.”

  For the first time, doubt crept into my mind. I liked thinking of Layla when she was just some vampire bitch bent on making babies for a little power.

  Alek seemed to be in a sharing mood so I decided to ask him the one question that had been bothering me. “Why. Why does she even want to make a baby? She would be a horrible mother.”

  Alek laughed and folded his hands, giving me a look. “Aurora, when you become a vampire there are a few things that you are told that will never change. You will need to survive off of blood. You do not age. You will live forever unless killed a certain way and …”

  I held his gaze. “You can’t have children.”

  He pointed at me. “Yes! So imagine what the millions of vampires around the world will think when the North American vampire queen falls pregnant with a healthy child. When she bottles the cure for infertility and offers to ship it overnight.”

  Kai growled. “She will be the most powerful and the richest vampire in the world.”

  Alek nodded. “Yes, and she will reign queen over all of them. She will control all of the vampire assets in every country. She will be given favors and power beyond her wildest dreams.”

  Fur began to ripple on my arms as I slammed my fist down on the table. “No!” I shouted and Kai looked at me with shock.

  Kai frowned. “Your eyes are green.”

  ‘Good. Let the Devi come forward and kill her,’ I told Kai and realized that slowly the Devi was taking control.

  ‘Then when the Devi is done. What happens?’ Kai asked me with yellow eyes.

  I frowned. I had agreed to help balance Earth. This Devi spirit attached to mine came with an exit clause. When she leaves, I might die.

  ‘I don’t know,’ I told him honestly.

  He growled.

  Everyone cleared their throat and Kai took his attention back to the room. “So, I want to take a team to the Arizona-Mexico border and take down Layla’s drug supply. If that doesn’t coax her out, then we can go forward with the plan to use Aurora as bait.”

  Earl nodded. “It’s better than standing around. I will gather a hundred of my best.”

  Kai nodded. “That should do.”

  Everyone cleared out except for Kai, Jeremy, Alek, and I.

  Kai looked at Alek and Jeremy. “Jeremy, you may stay here with Alek as a guest in my home.”

  Jeremy shrugged. “Can you get a TV and some video games in the basement, at least?”

  Kai let out a genuine laugh and it shocked me how long it had been seen I had heard him laugh like that. My favorite thing was to hear his deep rumbling laugh. This drama with Layla and Devon’s death had taken the happiness out of all of us.

  “Yes, I will get you a gaming set up,” Kai told him.

  “Yes!” Jeremy put a fist in the air and left to go down to the basement.

  “He seems better,” I told Alek. It was just the three of us now.

  Alek nodded slowly. “You’re good people to take in two vampires,” he said honestly.

  “How’s your wife?” Kai asked.

  Alek shrugged, looking resigned. “She’s fine, but I miss her. We talk on the phone. I’m not sure when I will be able to see her again. I can’t risk bringing trouble to her and I can’t protect her from the queen by myself.”

  Kai and I shared a look. One thing about the mate bond and about Kai that I loved, is that when we shared a thought, it was like a click. Like two puzzle pieces came together.

  “You know, I have an extra empty house on the mountain that Aurora’s mother was living in. We can clean it up and you, Jeremy, and your wife are welcome to live there under the protection of my pack.”

  Shock registered on Alek’s face. His mouth opened and he stuttered for a second. “I’m not sure I can accept that,” he said, finally.

  Kai clapped him on the back. “It’s already yours.”

  I chewed the inside of my cheek. God, Kai was such a good man. He opened our pack to humans, vampires, and anyone else in need. He would be keeping them at a distance but close enough to offer protection. My mother would have to stay with us until this was all over, anyway. Even after that, we would need help when the baby arrived. The baby. It was weird to think I might actually be pregnant.

  “Thank you,” Alek said and shook Kai’s hand before retreating to the basement.

  Kai sighed and rolled his neck back and forth, then he met my gaze.

  “I’m going to tell you to do something and I want you to do it,” he said with a serious tone.

  I raised one eyebrow. “When has starting a sentence with that ever worked for you?”

  “Stay back and let us go to Mexico and lure Layla out. We can find where the girls are being kept–”

  I didn’t even let him finish. “No.”

  He sighed. “Yes.” His eyes flashed yellow and he stared me down. When he had forced me to stop driving the car to my mom’s, something went wild within me. This need to break free and now it turned into a need to prove myself to him. To prove what we both suspected. I was more dominant.

  I stared him down and straightened my posture.

  “Don’t do this,” he told me and stared back with yellow eyes.

  “Kai, Gretchen told me that she could see I was already pregnant,” I told him.

  His eyes lit up with joy and surprise, but I quickly got to the point. “I’m not going to be killing vampires while waddling around with my huge baby bump. I want this done. NOW!” I roared and continued to hold his gaze.

  Sweat began to break out onto my forehead. Kai looked strained as well. I held my chin high. I needed my mate to know how important this was to me. This wasn’t just about killing Layla and helping the humans. It was about having a purpose in this world and needing to fulfill it. A purpose that was mine alone.

  Kai bore into my eyes. “If you’re pregnant, than all the more reason to keep you safe!” he roared.

  Mist crept from my skin as the pictures on the wall began to rattle. “Kai! You don’t understand. I’m the only one who can stop her. It’s my purpose. Let me do this!” I felt dizzy with the pressure of his dominance. His upper lip was sweaty and the pictures rattled more. My mate continued to hold my gaze. I felt all of his possessive love saturate my body and I realized now that if Kai has his way, I would be caged in the basement.

  “What’s going on? Earthquake?” My mother’s voice came from the hall.

  Shit! Kai and I broke away panting as my mother came into the room, looking at us with wild eyes.

  “No, mom. It was me. Sorry.” I told her, trying to catch my breath. What the hell was I doing getting into a dominance battle with my mate? Was I stupid?

  She looked confused. “Okay …” She looked between me and Kai.

  “You raised a stubborn woman,” Kai told my mother in a deep voice, smoothing back his hair and wiping the sweat off of his upper lip.

  My mother smiled, nodding. “She was born that way and that stubbornness saved my life.”

  Tears lined my eyes as I smiled at my mother. She may not have given birth to me, I never knew that woman, but this woman before me was my mother. I was stubborn and I wouldn’t have chosen to change anything about my life. Even though I had been through a lot, it made me who I was.

  Kai slipped his hand into mine. ‘Can you give me this one thing? If I don’t capture Layla at the border, I will come home and we will go forward with the plan of using you as bait. I’m your Alpha and your mate. Allow me this one last time to try to protect you.’

  I sighed. ‘Fine.’

  Kai grinned.

  “By the way, mom, I’m pregnant,” I told her, changing the subject to lighten the mood.

  Her eyebrows shot up, mouth hung open. “Aurora! Wow. That’s wonderful. Will the baby be a …?”

  I looked at Kai and smiled. My mom didn’t know about the witch race or that I was the Matefinder. We didn’t want to scare her any more than
she already was. “Yes. The baby will be a werewolf.”

  She looked a little frightened at that. “Oh, well, that’s good. Right?”

  Kai went to the kitchen and held up a bottle of wine. “Let’s celebrate!”

  I smiled.

  “No drinking for you,” Kai told me and I frowned as he handed a glass of wine to my mother. Here we go, he was already taking away my wine. I growled.

  Rebel

  I awoke the next morning and reluctantly said goodbye to Kai and the crew that he was taking to Arizona. He left Max and Jai with me for protection. Both had their smells taken by the witches so they would be good guards for me and the others. I stood next to Max, waving them off and leaned in to smell him.

  Max gave me an odd look. “What? I wore deodorant,” he stated.

  I laughed. Max and I had a rough start and it made our friendship now that much sweeter. I would do anything for him.

  “I can’t smell you. It’s weird,” I told him.

  “Oh, that.” He gave me a small smile. “It’s pretty cool.” He shrugged. Max was normally a vibrant person, always inserting his opinion whether wanted or not. Lately he seemed off.

  “You okay?” I asked as the troupe of cars drove away from the house and off to the airport.

  Max and I were alone now as he seemed to consider my words. “You know in our culture, finding your mate is a huge deal. Huge. It’s everything we strive for.”

  I frowned, knowing where this was going.

  “Max.” I reached out to touch his shoulder. Watching the lines of pain dance across his face.

  He shrugged me off. “No. It’s my fault! How stupid. She’s my mate! I should have had the mating ceremony. Opened our bond. I can feel her a little, but it’s faint and what I feel scares the shit out of me. I feel pain and rage and fear.” His jaw clenched, then he met my eyes. Yellow wolf threaded into his crystal blue eyes. “If Kai doesn’t fix this soon, I’m going rogue. I need to find her. I’m going crazy!” He banged his fists on the sides of his head.

  My heart broke. I was the same way when Kai was taken by RAIDOS after Devon died.