by Crissy Smith
She stood slowly. “I’m sorry,” Angel said as she walked closer to Alex.
“Just…please…” he begged.
“They call my kind Day Walkers,” Angel admitted in a whisper.
“I don’t… What does that mean?” Alex questioned just as softly.
“It’s what mythology would compare to a vampire—although the culture we live in has almost everything wrong about us.”
“V…am…pire?” Alex managed to stutter. “But…” How could that be? Vampires didn’t exist. Surely someone would have spoiled that secret.
“And you, Alex Wilson, are my mate.”
He blinked at her. He hadn’t heard that right, had he? No, he really had to be losing his mind. But maybe… After all, he could shift into a wolf, and before they’d gone public no one had thought that was possible.
“I didn’t expect that. Alex?” Chase spoke.
Alex heard him but it seemed so far away. He couldn’t catch his breath and his hands were shaking. Angel was a vampire? She was truly remarkable.
“Alex?” Chase called again.
He softly laid his palm against Angel’s cheek. He’d just kissed her. Been having dreams about her the last two nights and had never expected something like this. “Amazing,” he murmured.
Angel’s eyes widened but a smile ghosted across her lips. “That’s what I thought the first time I saw you.”
“Let’s give them some privacy,” Chase said.
“Okay,” Kayla agreed.
Alex and Angel didn’t move away from each other as Chase and Kayla left the kitchen.
“What does this mean?” Alex asked quietly, still in awe.
“There’s a lot I have to share with you. I know you don’t understand, but you have to trust me,” she replied.
Trust, it seemed like such an easy thing to ask for. Could he give her that? What about the whole mate thing? “You called me your mate.”
“Isn’t that what the shifters call the persons they claim as their own?”
“Yes,” he agreed.
“That is what you are to me. As soon as I saw you, I got a premonition that you were the person I was meant to be with.”
“Oh,” he responded, since he wasn’t sure what to say.
She looked disappointed as she took a step back. Alex didn’t want to her to move away.
“You don’t feel it? I could have sworn you did.”
Going with instinct, he grabbed her hand before she could get too far. “What?”
“I thought shifters recognized their mates. That’s why you acted so weird around me.”
Unsure how to explain things, Alex drew Angel back toward the table. This time he made sure she was right next to him. “Angel, shifters choose their mates. Yes, I’ve heard of two, maybe three, people who are believed to be fated mates. Only one of those recently. For the most part, it’s the two people who find one another and perform a ritual that connects their spirit.”
“I see,” she said softly.
“We believe that the mate we choose is our match. The person that completes us. I’ve also heard there is an instant attraction and the relationship evolves from there.”
“So you do feel a connection to me?”
He grinned. “Of course. I don’t understand it, and not being able to scent you really messed with me, but I’ve wanted you from the first minute.”
She rose, only to slide into his lap and straddle him. “So what are we going to do about it?” she asked, pressing her chest against his while gliding her hand down his stomach.
Alex sucked in a breath. “I…”
“Sadly, we can’t do anything now,” she told him. “I can hear everyone in the hall and I believe they are about to demand answers.”
Now that she’d pointed it out, Alex could pick up on the voices getting loud outside his kitchen. “We do need to know if there is more of a threat out there to the Pack.”
“I know. I tried to tell you as much as I could but I do have rules I have to follow. Although I can confess more to you than anyone else.”
“Me?” he asked confused. It took a minute of her just staring at him before he understood. She’d claimed them mates. “Oh.”
“What I can’t tell the others I will share with you. You can repeat that information to your Alpha and we can go from there.”
That sounded like a deal to Alex. “Okay.”
Angel stood, however Alex didn’t let her go far. He wrapped his hands around her waist. “Wait.”
“Yes?” She peered down at him.
He didn’t know how to ask for what he wanted. Instead he pushed out of the chair to take her mouth.
There was no hesitation in her response. When they broke apart he grinned. “I had to taste you one more time.”
“There will be a lot more than just one,” she declared, slipping her hand into his while pulling him toward the door.
Alex opened the door when they reached it, amused to see half the house standing there talking.
“Maybe we should all go into the den?” Kayla suggested.
“Good idea. Alpha Shawn is waiting for us,” Justin, Angel’s brother, agreed. “Angel and I will tell you what we can.”
Turning to glance at Angel for confirmation, who nodded at him, he led the way. He guessed they were going to do this now.
Angel hadn’t released the hold on his hand.
A few of his friends cast surprised looks their way but no one asked any questions. Chase smiled brightly at him before throwing him a wink.
Alex would have to talk to his best friend about everything. Chase now knew Angel’s secret and, if it was so important that it not be revealed, Alex would do his best to keep her safe.
Justin sat in one of the large overstuffed chairs and was glaring at their linked hands. Guess I’ll have to deal with her brother too.
His sister was also going to have to be one of the first he spoke with. Cassie nudged her mate, Max, nodding in his direction. Max only shrugged in response, getting a glare from Cassie. They hadn’t been together long but Alex was still a little jealous about the ease in which they’d settled into their relationship.
He could only hope that if things worked out with Angel, he’d be as lucky.
“Angel?” Justin called.
Beside him, she took a deep breath. “Here’s what I can tell you.”
Chapter Two
Angel was more nervous than she’d ever been in her life. After all she’d revealed to Alex in the kitchen, she should be calm while explaining everything to the people in the room. They’d all helped her capture Emilio, proving they were good people. Plus, they were shifters, so being different themselves, they should understand the need for secrecy.
The fact that they were Alex’s family and closest friends was what actually scared her. If they had issues with what she was they could stand between her and her mate.
She’d spent her entire adult life fighting for the people in the room. Shifters, humans and Day Walkers all needed someone out there making certain that they were safe. Like every group of people, the paranormals had the good and bad. Angel’s job was to stop any bad from hurting people. It was something she’d been trained for from the moment she could walk.
As the oldest Salvatore child, her future had been decided when she was born. While her brother had received a good education and been able to concentrate on his art, Angel had always had responsibilities to the organization.
She wasn’t jealous of her brother’s freedom, well not much anyway—she liked what she did, even though she was lonely.
Glancing at the man next to her, she had to wonder what the future would hold for the two of them. Hopefully Alex could accept her as his mate and they’d somehow be able to manage around her job.
It was easier to look at Alex as she spoke. His was the only opinion that mattered to her. “As I told you before, I work for an organization that polices non-humans. Before the shifters went public, our number one goal was to kee
p the paranormals of the world secret. Since you have all announced your presence, we try to keep your kind safe while still hiding the others.”
“And by others?” Alpha Shawn questioned.
She clenched her fist, bracing for the reaction. “Justin and I are Day Walkers.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Max asked after several moments of silence.
Angel jerked in surprise when Alex covered her hand with his. Grateful, she smiled slightly at him before addressing the Alpha in training. “A Day Walker is the closest thing to what mythology calls the vampire.”
The gasps were expected.
“I’m sorry, did you just say vampire?” Cassie Wilson demanded as she jumped to her feet.
Angel wasn’t afraid of the pretty wolf shifter but since she was Alex’s sister, Angel really wanted Cassie to accept their bond. “I can tell you that almost everything people believe about our kind is untrue.”
“Do you drink blood?” Cassie challenged.
Since Alex stiffened next to her Angel knew her desire for a calm conversation wasn’t going to happen. “We do.”
The room exploded. Questions were shouted out as several of the shifters moved quickly to place their mates behind them. Looking up, Angel tried not to let her hurt show.
The Alpha of the Pack was closest to her, standing in the middle of the room and trying to calm everyone down. Max had pushed Cassie against one wall while using his body as a shield. Chase and Kayla warily looked around while Alex was now up from the couch with the entire length of it between them.
Raising her gaze to the most powerful man in the room, she met Shawn eye to eye. He turned to his Pack members. “We need to hear her out,” he insisted.
“You knew about this!” Max accused.
It was a good thing she wasn’t a shifter when Shawn let out a low, spine-tingling growl. All shifters in the room dropped their gazes and she could even feel the power radiating from the Alpha.
“I’m sorry, Alpha”—Max dropped down to one knee—“I was out of line.”
“Raise, my son,” Shawn ordered gently. “Everyone sit back down and listen.”
As they moved to follow the Alpha’s direction, Angel’s heart broke with the distance Alex put between the two of them as he returned to the couch.
“Yes, I am aware of what Angel and Justin are. I have been since Marcus came to live with the Pack and informed me of his previous profession. This information is to be kept as a Pack secret. You’re complete obedience is required or you will deal with me,” Shawn stated firmly. He peered back at Angel. “Please continue.”
“Because of what history has twisted about Day Walkers,” Angel told them, “it is impossible for our kind to be revealed. We would be wiped out of existence without thought. That’s why the Guardians were originally founded. At first our ranks were only made up of Day Walkers but over the years we’ve added other shifters, and even humans, to our goal of protecting those who don’t know the real dangers out there.”
“Kind of like the Wolf Council?” Max commented.
Nodding, she agreed. “We work closely with your council on matters that have to do with wolf shifters. The newly founded Shifter Coalition has also given us more options to expand our help.”
She chanced a peek in Alex’s direction but his entire posture was closed off to her. He sat hunched into himself with his jaw clenched.
“I can’t believe you never told me.” Kayla pointed at Angel’s brother.
“I couldn’t!” Justin exclaimed. “It’s against the rules.”
“So why are you telling us now?” Max inquired, suspicion tainting his tone.
Since Angel didn’t think Alex would appreciate her revealing their destiny to everyone, she went with a second truth. “My boss and a few others are on their way to pick up Emilio. I’ve reported in everything that has happened and was given permission for you all to be brought up to speed. Working with Alpha Shawn, we hope to be able to prevent your Pack from being harmed because of a few rogue agents. They’ve targeted your family and we have to stop them.”
She didn’t mention the only reason Caspar had allowed her to share the information so soon was because she’d claimed Alex. Since they were close to her mate they’d benefit from Alex’s connection to her.
“The first thing we need to do is send out the guards we have available into town and have them start patrolling. We don’t want to cause a panic,” Max spoke up.
“Why don’t you call Jacob and the two of you work out rotations?” Shawn asked Max. “Chase, I need you to contact Kurt Moore with the council. They need to be aware of our situation. I don’t know if he had any knowledge of the Guardians so for now, keep that under wraps.”
“Yes, sir.” Chase rose. “Are we to remain here?”
Shawn nodded. “At least until the other Guardians arrive and I get to speak with them.”
“What about me?” Alex asked from where he still sat.
“I hate to impose on you further, but can you make up a few more guest rooms? The Guardians will have traveled far in a short amount of time and will probably appreciate some time to rest.”
Alex nodded sharply before fleeing the room.
There was no doubt that he was trying to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. Tears threatened to fall as a feeling of devastation overwhelmed her.
“Thank you for trusting us.” Shawn stood in front of her, pulling her attention to the large man.
“I only did what I thought was best for everyone,” she responded sincerely.
“I know it’s not easy.”
Angel rose. “I didn’t expect any other reaction. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like some air.”
She didn’t even wait for the Alpha to agree. She quickly made her way over to the sliding glass doors and pulled one open. Stepping out onto the beautiful wood deck, Angel stopped to appreciate the large space. She didn’t have an area like this at her residence. It reminded her of television shows and movies were family gathered. A spike of jealousy shot through her. Alex had family and friends that surrounded him. She ached to be part of his world there.
The dark color of the deck flowed from one beam to another while the entire surface gleamed in the sunlight. A huge barbeque pit was located on one side while a long picnic table dominated the middle. Closest to her she could see a stack of toys inside a box that must belong to the children of Alex’s brother Jacob.
She stepped out, before closing the door behind her. The Texas heat had already warmed the area. Lifting her face to the sky, she soaked in the rays. The day before, she’d gotten to see the entire Wilson ranch while they’d been searching for Emilio.
It was a lovely piece of land located on the edge and inside the canyon. Angel had never seen such a beautiful property and would have loved to get a personal tour from Alex.
All she could do was give Alex time while praying he’d eventually want a relationship with her. If Alex rejected her she would move on and be alone for the rest of her life. She was used to being on her own but in the back of her mind she’d always held on to the fact that she could meet her mate.
Alex was everything she could have dreamed up. With him being a couple inches taller, she’d loved it when he’d pinned her to the wall and their bodies had fit together. His expressive deep-brown eyes flickered with gold when arousal hit him.
It was his body, though, that had filled her fantasies for the last several nights. Since she worked with heavily muscled, military-trained men, she truly appreciated Alex’s compact, athletic build.
A warm breeze carrying the scent of horses lifted her hair from her back. Angel wasn’t used to be around the big creatures but she’d had the urge to visit them since she’d arrived. Well, no time like the present.
After slowly walking down the wide steps, she felt the first touch of grass under her feet and smiled. If Angel ever got a home of her own she wanted acres and acres of grass. She still remembered the garden that had b
een one of her favorite spots in her parents’ house.
Even though she hardly ever visited anymore, Angel would always cherish the few short years that she’d lived in the big rambling house.
Taken for training at seven years of age, most of Angel’s earliest memories were of the compound. Almost thirty years she’d stayed in the same small one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment located in the large structure claimed by the Guardians.
She’d never had a real home. Even her family treated her differently than they did one another. While her parents remained close with her brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, there was a noticeable distance with her as the oldest Salvatore child.
Even though Angel knew her parents loved her, she had grown so far apart from them. Being on the Wilson ranch, and seeing the affection and loyalty that the entire Pack had for one another, was a reminder that she’d never belonged anywhere like that.
Pushing the longing aside, she strode toward the large barn. The doors stood open already so she was able to slip inside unnoticed. She scented two shifters close by but managed to avoid coming in contact with them.
A neigh had her popping her head up from where she was pressed against one of the stables. She peered over the door with caution, unsure what she’d find. Her breath caught as she stared in amazement.
The beast was magnificent. Dark brown hair gleamed in the light that came in through a small window. Looking up at the huge brown eyes, Angel felt the power radiating from the animal.
Holding up a hand, she called softly to the horse. Wow! Barely able to keep standing still she waited in excitement until the mare had brushed up against her palm.
She jerked her hand back before reaching out once again. Cautiously, she patted the neck of the large animal.
There was no way she’d step inside the enclosure, although she really wanted to. Leaning forward, Angel watched as the horse sniffed her. Before she knew what was happening, the mare had her nose buried in Angel’s chest.