by Dakota Dawn
Wanting to know what Zotikos could tell him, he spooned up some stew. He glanced in the direction he knew the porch was in, and then asked, “This isn’t owl stew, is it?”
Zavier laughed and shook his head. “I’d never cook Oscar. He’s a friend of mine. That is beef stew.” At his doubtful look, Zavier added, “I keep some food on hand because I have some friends that aren’t vampires, and sometimes I like a rare steak or burger. Even vamps get tired of eating the same food too often.”
He was relieved and curious all at the same time. One taste of the stew, and he was hooked. It was some of the best stew he’d ever eaten, or he was just starving. He’d give Zavier the benefit of the doubt and say it was damn fine stew. When he was finished he leaned back in his chair and smiled. “That was great.” Keeping the cook happy was always a smart move.
“I’m glad to hear I still have the touch,” Zavier replied with a wink.
Passion swirled throughout his groin. “Oh, you have the touch, all right.”
Zotikos cleared his throat. “Speaking of touch, I think we should get on with this before you two continue reinforcing the mating bond.”
“Mating bond?” Zavier and Renny questioned at the same time, but for two different reasons.
Zotikos chuckled. “I believe so. I’ll know for sure in a few minutes.”
Nervous energy zinged through him. He didn’t know what a mating bond was, but it sounded serious. “What do I need to do?” He hoped it wasn’t anything too difficult. He wasn’t good at pop quizzes. Quinn, his third foster parent, tried to help him overcome his fear of pop quizzes but had failed. She had been the nicest of his foster parents.
“Just let Zotikos hold your hands and look into your eyes. He’s three-quarters vampire and one-quarter elf,” Zavier answered.
“How’s that possible?” Renny asked. His world tilted for a second. How could he have made it this far in life and still be so naïve?
“Elves are very fertile beings. They can have children with any genus. Let’s go to the living room and let Zotikos work his magic.” Zavier stood and motioned for Renny to do the same.
Once in the living room, he opened his senses and closed his eyes. He felt wisdom, comfort, and power roll off Zotikos. When he opened his eyes, he found the older man staring at him.
Zotikos gave him a knowing smile. He held out his hands, palms up. “Place your hands in mine, please.”
The second their hands touched, Renny felt something stir within him. He looked up and was instantly snared by Zotikos’s gaze. His stomach churned and he tried to look away, but he couldn’t. A surge of power sped from their connected hands and raced through every cell in his body. He felt as though his very essence had just been thoroughly inspected. Humans being probed on an alien spaceship popped into his mind. Did that really happen?
A smile curled Zotikos’s lips as he released Renny and stepped back. He turned to Zavier. “Renny is three-quarters human and one-quarter elf. He’s quite impressive.”
Shock roiled in his stomach. He was part elf! It all made a crazy kind of sense. His mom had repeatedly told him he was special and that his dad had been special, too. He had thought she’d just said that because her love was so strong for them.
“Has he given off the glow yet? He should have. The glow is a magic healing power. It will heal his injuries and replenish his blood,” Zotikos said as he rubbed his square chin.
“Twice,” Zavier responded thoughtfully.
“Was it shortly after you met and the first time you mated?” Zotikos asked Zavier.
“Yes, and that’s not all that happened. When we were…mating, his eyes started glowing brightly and beautiful golden flecks appeared in them.” Zavier looked over at Renny. “He still has them. Will they stay or will they disappear?”
He was starting to get pissed. They were talking about him as if he wasn’t standing right next to them. Before he went ballistic on them, their words struck him. Golden flecks. His eyes had always been solid, dark brown. Going to a decorative mirror that hung on the living room wall, Renny stared at his eyes. Holy crap! His dark eyes had golden flecks sprinkled throughout them. They looked like tiny bits of shiny gold trapped in dark chocolate.
As he walked back to the men he heard Zotikos say, “No, they won’t disappear. They are a sign to all that Renny is mated.”
“Mated? Are you sure? I just met him,” Zavier said in a concerned tone. Too concerned, in Renny’s mind.
“Oh, yes. I’m positive. When elves find their mate the bonding starts immediately. You are fortunate to have him as a mate. His blood will strengthen you beyond the normal vampire. Your saliva mixed with his elfin blood will keep him alive for centuries to come. Renny also has the ability to replenish his own blood quickly. That ability will make it impossible for you to drink too much.”
Zavier snapped his fingers. “That must be why he didn’t seem drained when I drank from him. I was afraid I’d taken too much, but he didn’t seem fazed.”
Zotikos nodded his head wisely. “He was named properly. Renny means small but strong. He will also be very loyal to you, and his empathic abilities can come in handy. The negative, though, is that he will put himself in harm’s way if you don’t train him to control his need to save you. Elves are natural protectors of their mates. No matter their size.”
Zavier nodded his head. “We’ve already been through one training session. I hope there won’t be many more.” He glanced at Renny then back at Zotikos. “You say he’s an empath?”
“Yes, he can feel the difference between good and evil. His empathic powers will grow now that he’s mated,” Zotikos responded excitedly.
“That would explain him not being afraid of me and his knowing that vampires were outside,” Zavier stated with a slight nod of his head.
Anger licked every inch of Renny’s flesh. He was hearing answers to questions he’d always had. While he was standing there feeling overwhelmed, they were ignoring him completely. “Stop it.” When both men looked at him with puzzled expressions, he felt like he was about to explode. “I’m standing right here. It’s rude of you two to talk about me as if I’m some ignorant animal.” He shifted his gaze to Zotikos. “You’ve been telling Zavier how lucky he is. Now I want to know what I get out of this deal. Why should I stay here and be treated this way?”
Zotikos’s smile was as patient as if he were talking to a child. That burned Renny’s butt almost as much as the spanking Zavier had given him earlier.
“I feel your resentment and anger. I’m sorry I caused you to feel that way. I’m just not used to talking to someone as young as you.”
Renny frowned at that. “I’m no child. I’m thirty years old.”
Zotikos grinned. “I’m nine hundred fifty-three years old. To me you’re still a baby, but I’ll try to respect your feelings from now on. Truce?”
Renny nodded grudgingly. “Truce.” He looked over at Zavier. “How old are you?”
An impish grin lit Zavier’s face. “Four hundred and twenty.”
Renny’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m mated to Grandpa?” That brought a frown to Zavier’s face. He held back a smirk. In his eyes, Zavier deserved a little prodding.
Laughter spilled from Zotikos.
“Hardly. We can live for thousands of years,” Zavier grumbled. He kept on frowning at Renny.
Once again, he felt no remorse. Zavier and Zotikos had treated him poorly, so he felt justified when he verbally poked at Zavier. Soon he would learn that Renny wasn’t a total doormat.
“Be gentle with him. He’s not accustomed to our ways yet,” Zotikos calmly reminded Zavier.
Renny flushed when Zotikos raised a brow at him. Damn empath must know what I was doing.
Zavier sighed like a man about to embark on a long arduous journey.
“Trust me, you’ll survive this mating, my friend.” Zotikos patted his shoulder sympathetically.
Zotikos turned back to Renny. “You are lucky to have Zavier as your mate.
He is strong, kind, and smart, but you know that, don’t you? Your elfin blood chose well.”
Curiosity once again getting the better of him, Renny asked, “Is being mated the same as marriage? Do you guys have vamp and elf lawyers to settle divorces? This all seems a little shotgunnish to me.”
With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Zotikos explained, “It’s deeper than that. When elves choose a mate, it’s for life. At first sight, elves know their mate and immediately start bonding. You’ll never need a divorce lawyer, trust me.”
He remembered his mom telling him that his father had instantly fallen for her and that she had fallen for him just as fast. He wished they were still alive.
“What happened to your father?” Zotikos asked intuitively.
“I don’t know. All I remember is my mom crying and saying someone had killed him. We moved to a new city the next day. I was so young I’m surprised I even remember that. I guess I can because it was so painful for my mom. It’s my first memory.” Renny quickly searched all of his memories that were related to his dad. “Once when she was real sick she had a bad dream. When I got close enough to wake her, she sobbed and murmured ‘my mate, they drained his blood.’ When I woke her and asked her what she’d meant, she said she’d just had a nightmare and not to listen to her ramblings. I always wondered if she’d been talking about my dad.”
“It sounds like your father could have been murdered by a vampire addicted to elfin blood.” Zotikos’s face turned stern. “You must always be careful. Let Zavier protect you. Your blood will give him the strength to do it.”
He shivered, and Zavier stepped closer to him and held his hand.
“I’ll see what I can find out about your family. What’s your father’s name?”
Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he answered, “Rafferty Woolsey. Did you know him?”
“No, but I’ll see if I can locate any remaining relatives of yours.”
“My mom never mentioned him having any family.”
“Sometimes foolishly proud families will turn their backs on a family member mated to a human.”
Renny’s heart sank. “Oh.”
“Don’t be sad, Ren. He may be able to find a few kindhearted relatives of yours. Do you have any questions for him?” Zavier asked.
He nodded. “Where do elves come from?”
“We are magical beings created by a powerful entity just like every other creature on the earth. We’ve all been here for so long no one personally knows the being that made us. Like all other species, we have good and bad people. Some are more powerful than others, but one thing we all do is keep our supernatural abilities hidden from the humans as well as other creatures.”
“Does a full-blooded elf have pointed ears?”
A smile ghosted Zotikos’s lips. “Most of them do.” He stroked one of his rounded ears. “We halflings usually don’t.”
Zavier caressed his ear and a shiver of desire shot down his spine and sparked a flame in his groin. Heat infused his cheeks as his cock stirred.
Zotikos’s expression softened. “I best be on my way. You two need some time alone. Give me a call if you need any help.”
A mixture of emotions swamped his system. Part of him wanted to know more about his father’s people, but another part of him needed to be alone with his sexier-than-sin vamp.
They all stepped out on the porch. Zotikos hugged Zavier, then turned to Renny. He wrapped his arms around Renny and gave him a big hug. “Welcome to the family.”
A feeling of belonging swept through him. For the first time in his adult life he felt connected to those around him. He glanced over at Oscar, who was perched on a rail, and was surprised by the emotions that swept through him. Oscar felt like family, too.
He looked up at the brightly shining sun and then cut his eyes to Zavier and Zotikos. “Why isn’t the sun hurting you?”
“That’s just a myth. We are nocturnal, but the sun doesn’t hurt us any more than it does a raccoon.”
“Oh.” Renny was struck by how much he still needed to learn. He was a baby in his new world. It was scary and exciting as well. Just meeting Zotikos made him feel closer to his father’s people. Closer to being part of a family again.
“Don’t worry, with time all your questions will be answered,” Zotikos said kindly. He then turned to Zavier and said, “Remember to call if you need any help.”
“Thanks. I’m sure we will.” Zavier patted Zotikos on the shoulder and then took Renny in his arms.
Renny sank into his embrace. He relished the love and protectiveness he felt coming off Zavier, and soul deep he knew he always would.
Zotikos nodded to Oscar and then simply turned into mist. The mist swirled around them then disappeared. He realized it was going to take some time to get used to his new family. Time seemed to be something he was going to have plenty of. He looked up at Zavier, and his heart thrummed happily. Zavier winked at him, and he was glad he had hundreds of years to get to know and love his mate.
* * * *
Oscar watched Zavier and Renny go inside. His heart sang with happiness. Zavier had found his mate. The second he’d seen Renny in the woods he’d known the small, totally scared man was special. Now he knew just how special. Mates were precious.
Life was good.
After taking flight, he circled the house several times. A movement at the edge of the yard caught his attention. A poisonous rattlesnake was slithering toward the cabin. Anger ruffled his feathers as it whipped through his body.
Not wanting to give the snake any warning, he stealthily approached his prey and then swooped down with the speed of a lightning bolt. His sharp right claw powerfully closed around the snake a half inch from its head. Oscar’s left claw pierced the snake several inches lower. With a few flaps of his wings, he was soaring through the air. He carried his squirming prey a few miles from the cabin.
Landing on a massive boulder, he tightened his right claw angrily and released the snake with his left claw. The snake whipped around, trying to get free. He raised his right claw and quickly used his strong beak to sever the snake’s head. The body dropped to the boulder, and he flung the head away. Within a second he took flight.
Until Renny was more powerful and had a deeper bond with Zavier, nothing deadly could get near him. Oscar would make sure of that.
Chapter Seven
One year later
Zavier pulled into a parking space at Slink’s nightclub. He turned off the engine and faced Ren. Pride and love for his mate pulsed through his heart. He wanted to say the words, but he didn’t know how to say them. Taking Ren’s hand in his, he stared at their hands as he rubbed his thumb across Ren’s knuckles. He marveled at the difference in their hand sizes. His hand completely enveloped Renny’s fine-boned one. The sight always triggered his protective side. He loved everything about Renny, from his big heart to his small physique.
They’d been together for a year, and it had been the best year of his life. He’d thought his heart was going to burst with pride tonight when Ren had crossed the stage in his cap and gown to receive his master’s in political science.
School wasn’t easy for Ren. To get his degree he’d spent hours a day studying. Several times over the last year Zavier had found him asleep, using a text book for a pillow. No, school was not simple for Ren. That’s what made today so amazing and rewarding. Ren’s dedication to making a difference had driven the softhearted man to complete his education. He knew his special little mate was going to do great things.
Deciding to bite the bullet, he looked up into Renny’s striking eyes and prepared to pour his heart out. He opened his mouth and started to express his love. “Ren, I—”
“Come on, guys, it’s time to p-a-r-t-y.” Tony’s voice boomed from right outside Zavier’s truck door, effectively cutting him off.
He forced a smile, but didn’t take his eyes off Ren. “We’ll talk later.”
“That’s probably for the best. Tony is
unstoppable when he wants something,” Renny commented as he opened his door and slid out of the truck.
Dreaming of sucking Tony dry, he got out of the truck and looked Renny’s friends over. There was Tony with fake innocence shining in his eyes. Tony’s shirt tightly hugged the muscles of his arms, and Zavier didn’t like how snug his jeans were. Was he trying to impress Ren? Zavier didn’t like the way he looked at his mate. Tonight he’d be keeping an eye on Tony.
Moving on, Zavier watched the way Zac took Raul’s hand and brought it to his lips. They had been a couple for three years, he believed. Raul was running on high. He’d just received his associate’s in performing arts. No amount of acting could hide his love for Zac, though. The two were a good match.
Ellis was inside holding a table for them. Some girl he’d met at Bloodsuckers was supposed to be keeping him company.
A car zipped into the parking lot and into a space. They all watched Ren’s cousin, Reagan, and her mate, Shea, get out of the sports car and join their group. Both women made their rounds hugging everyone. Shea’s fragrance lingered on his shirt, and he smiled as he sniffed. The cute brunette never failed to make everyone around her smile. Reagan was lucky to have such an adorable mate.
Reagan was currently squeezing Ren.
“I’m so proud of you, cuz. Shea and I never doubted you’d make it.” She kissed Ren on the cheek and took Shea’s hand lovingly in hers.
“Thanks. I’m so glad Zotikos found you. You and Shea are the light of my life.” Zavier tugged Ren’s hair. His mate flushed and quickly added, “Zav here is the flame that keeps me going, of course.”
“That’s more like it,” he said into his mate’s ear.
While rubbing his stomach, Raul said, “Let’s go inside. I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Renny chimed in.
He took Ren’s hand as they all entered the club. A rare burger sounded good tonight.
“Does anyone see Ellis? He’s supposed to holding a table for us. A girl named Savanna is with him.” Tony turned and searched the room.