by Brenda Trim
Just the hint of his name and her mind immediately diverted to her Fated Mate. She missed his scowl and wanted him there by her side to face her family. He had provided her strength at every turn since her rescue and she needed him now more than ever, but he wasn’t with her. And, it was because she’d run away.
She had been blessed with her mate and yet he loved another. He didn’t have to tell her, she felt it through their bond. She also felt his confusion and worry. It mollified her somewhat to know he was worried about her. Perhaps there was hope for them yet.
She took of his clothes and brought them to her nose, inhaling deeply. There were minimal traces of his scent left on the fabric, but it was enough to wreak havoc with her. The mark on the back of her calf had been a constant throb since it had appeared, but right then a stab of agony shot through it.
Ignoring what she couldn’t change, she turned the faucet to hot, grabbed a spare toothbrush her mom always kept in the cabinet, and brushed her teeth. Once that was done she stepped into the tub and took a long shower. The familiar scent of her favorite shampoo was another balm to her battered soul. She picked up the bar of her grandmother’s homemade soap and brought it to her nose. Vampires were highly sensitive to scents and she had missed the honey and rosemary that would always remind her of her grandmother. She had forgotten how good the soap made her skin feel. It felt as if it washed away the remnants of her captivity. Unfortunately, it also washed away all hints of Gerrick.
She cut the water off and stepped out of the tub and grabbed a big fluffy towel. Wrapping her body in the terry cloth, she wiped the mirror clean and glanced at her reflection. Somehow she’d hoped she’d look like her old self in her own bathroom, but the same disfigured monster looked back at her. She dried off and dressed quickly then opened the door. She stopped short when she saw Austin in the same spot. He was on his phone, but he stuffed it in his pocket when she came out.
The smell of her dad’s famous blueberry waffles greeted her as they descended the stairs. That wasn’t a typical last meal for them, but it was her favorite and no doubt the reason her dad had made it and it warmed her heart. Austin laughed when her stomach rumbled loudly. “He still makes the best chicken and waffles in the world,” her brother teased, ruffling her hair.
His body went stiff and she looked up. His eyes were riveted to the side of her neck. She lifted her hand and covered the scars, turning her head away. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Come on before Grandpa and Uncle Keith eat all the food,” his voice was thick with emotion. He didn’t say what he was thinking, but she could see the pity and disgust in his eyes. She couldn’t blame him. It was horrific and would be a reminder everyday of her life. If she could cut the flesh away and live she would, but the damage was too extensive.
As she brought the long length of her hair forward to cover her scars, she was grateful it hadn’t been cut. For whatever reason, the demons left their hair alone and she’d often wondered why. She walked into the kitchen and hugged her dad from behind. “This smells delicious. I missed this more than you know.”
“Does your Papa get a kiss?” came the husky request from behind her. She swirled around to see her grandfather, Theodore, had come home while she was in the shower. Her grandfather had always been a larger-than-life figure to her. He was a wolf shifter and was Killian’s head of security. She had prayed countless times that he would come barreling in and save her from the demon’s lair. Now, after her imprisonment, he paled in the face of Kadir’s strength and she was glad he had not made that attempt.
She tried to hide the anger over being taken from her life as she crossed the kitchen and was gathered into her grandfather’s big arms, but didn’t quite manage it. No matter what she did her anger was always there bubbling below the surface and she had prayed that being home would make it go away. No such luck. There was nowhere she could go to escape it and the futility ate at her.
“Your father has made blueberry waffles everyday hoping you’d come home. We are all sick of them, but today we gladly eat them,” her grandmother teased, winking at her. The female had been a cornerstone in their family for as long as Shae had been alive and her familiar candor dampened her rapidly rising anger. Shae pulled back from her grandfather and smiled at her grandmother.
“I love you, too, Nana,” she said, kissing her cheek. She chuckled to herself when she remembered the last time she was in a store and the humans had given her odd looks when she called her Nana. Philomena didn’t look a day older than thirty and had a body most females would die for. The humans would have dropped dead on sight if they knew her Nana was over a thousand years old and a vampire.
“Let’s eat,” her dad instructed, taking the platter of chicken to the table. Shae lingered by her mother’s side and grabbed a waffle off the platter she carried.
Nibbling on the golden, fluffy piece of heaven, she worked up the nerve to open the can of worms she’d been avoiding. She set her fork down and took a few deep breaths, clasping her hands in her lap. “I know you all have questions about where I’ve been and I’m going to tell you, but please don’t ask me anything until I’m done. I need to get through this.”
Her grandmother grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “No one will say a thing until you’re ready.” The scowl and tone of her voice told everyone at the table that they’d have to deal with her wrath if they opened their mouths.
It was either now or never, Shae thought, and proceeded to tell them about her capture and imprisonment, leaving out the gruesome details and the extent of her torture. It was considerably harder to tell them what had happened and she found it impossible to make eye contact with anyone and found herself focusing on the untouched platter of chicken on the table instead. “They kept me locked up like that in a cage for months in their lair with several other females and that’s why I couldn’t escape or find a way to contact you sooner,” she finished. An anvil of silence descended over the room, making her squirm in her seat. What were they thinking? Did they see the monster she had become?
After what felt like an eternity of silence, she finally lifted her gaze and glanced around the table. Her grandfather sat forward, his face partially shifted to his wolf. “Where the hell is this lair? I will tear every demon and skirm limb from limb.” His voice was laden with his need for retaliation and the ferocity frightened even her. Although scary, she was filled with pride to see this male that she’d looked up to her whole life coming to her defense.
“Add me to that list, Papa,” Austin growled, his wolf at the surface, as well.
“No one will be safe from our wrath,” her father vowed.
“You guys will have to get in line behind me,” her mother hissed, flashing her fangs.
“We will all get a piece of these demons. I’m just glad you got away, sweetheart. By the way, how did you escape?” Nana asked.
Everyone had stopped eating the moment she began talking and Shae picked up her fork, eating again as she answered her grandmother. “Zander and his Dark Warriors rescued me and the rest of the females. I have been at Zeum for the past few days, healing from my injuries.”
“Are you certain you’re completely healed?” Her grandmother swept her hair over her shoulder in a gesture meant to soothe her, but it exposed her scars. Nana’s gasp drew everyone’s attention. Her mother was sitting on her other side and had to stand up to get a look at the physical evidence of how damaged she was.
“Where. Is. That. Lair?” Papa gritted out, his claws digging grooves into the wood table.
“I could tell you, but trust me, there isn’t anything there. Zander and the warriors killed everything when they rescued us and then sent Gerrick and Kyran back the next night to make sure.” Her chest ached at the mention of Gerrick. She wasn’t going to mention her mating to her family yet. That was one too many issues to dump on them at once. Besides, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Gerrick, but she wanted him alive for the time being. Her family needed blood for what she’d been through a
nd would gladly take it out of Gerrick’s hide if they discovered that he’d denied her. She glanced at her grandfather, noting he had yet to calm down. Yeah, Gerrick would be in pieces before lunch.
“I had heard something from Killian about a raid, but had no idea it involved you. I’ll skin that sorcerer alive for not telling me that you were involved,” Papa seethed. “For the first time in my life, I regret not joining Zander’s forces. I could have been doing something to stop the demons.” Shae recalled the stories of how he had been sought after because of how ferociously he had fought during the Great War.
“You’re where you’re meant to be, Ted. She was taken from a parking lot. You couldn’t have prevented this,” Nana replied at the same time she wrapped an arm around Shae’s middle.
“No, but I would have rescued her,” he said, holding eye contact with Shae. He blamed himself for not being there for her. His guilt was a punch in the stomach and more than she could deal with at the moment. Averting her gaze, she caught her father and then her brother’s eyes and cringed when she saw the same remorse reflected there.
She reached across her grandmother’s arm and patted her grandfather’s thick arm. The muscle jumped under her palm, reminding her of the animal that was barely leashed. “Don’t blame yourselves. I can’t stand to see you beating yourselves up. There was nothing you could have done. Hell, the King wouldn’t have found us if Prince Kyran’s mate hadn’t stumbled upon us. Like you’ve always told me, the Goddess never abandons her subjects. I admit that I questioned her more than once during those months, but she was there for me when it came down to it,” she admitted, thinking of how she’d placed Gerrick in her path, “I’m here with you now and that’s what matters.”
“How do we properly thank the Vampire King for giving us our Shae back? You could cook for them, Matt. Would it be appropriate to ask them over for a meal?” her mother inquired of no one in particular.
She laughed at that. Her mom was the first one to take meals to sick neighbors or help friends in need and to her food was always the answer, which was probably why the meals the Queen had cooked for Shae had meant so much. “He doesn’t expect anything, Mom. And, not that you aren’t the best cook in the world, Dad, but the King’s mate is no slouch in the kitchen. She actually cooked every meal I ate at the compound.”
Her grandmother sat up. “Don’t they have servants? That’s preposterous that the Queen would be making the household meals. Surely, the Tarakeshes aren’t struggling for money.”
Shae shook her head. Her Nana had prescribed roles and expectations for the royal family and it had rubbed off on Shae without her realizing it. “No, Nana, they aren’t hurting for money, and yes, they have plenty of servants. But, the rumors we heard are true. The Queen was a human before she was turned into a vampire and because of that she has a unique way of doing things. One of them is that she loves to cook.”
“I can’t believe you stayed at Zeum,” her brother murmured, awe in his tone. “What were the warriors like? After you were taken, I considered enlisting in the training program, but I couldn’t give up the hours searching for you.”
“Sorry to have cut into your free-time,” she teased, sticking out her tongue at him. He chuckled and threw a piece of waffle at her. She laughed and pondered what he’d said. Her brother would make a great warrior. He was built like Papa, tall with muscles on his muscles and a relentless drive. Yeah, the more she thought about it, the more she realized Austin’s strength and dedication would make him a great warrior. Not to mention, females were always drooling over him, swooning over his green eyes and long, black hair, so he was a shoe-in.
“The warriors are a lot like you. Always eating, teasing each other and drinking. And, the unmated ones are just as friendly with the females. You should enlist, you would fit right in.”
“Don’t feed his ego, child. We don’t need him any cockier,” her Nana joked as they all resumed eating. The rest of the meal passed with laughter and them catching her up on what she had missed.
Gerrick was going to be pissed at her for taking off, but she had needed to leave and was glad she’d come home. It had been a few hours and so far she was fine. She loved her family more than anything and would never hurt them. Besides, her mate didn’t get to tell her what to do and it was best that he learn that now.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Shae woke just before sunset after a fitful day’s sleep. Agitated, she sat on the edge of her soft bed and twisted her hair into a knot at the back of her head. Several times throughout the day, she had been forced to beat Azazel or Kadir from her mind and the ordeal had been exhausting, pushing her to her limit. She recalled how Jessie had talked about the archdemons not having the ability to sway Jessie. How the hell she had gotten away from her encounter with Azazel with nothing more than mild buzzing and irritation was beyond Shae. The female was so well-adjusted Shae could throat-punch her.
Frustrated at the lack of answers, Shae stood up and threw on her favorite skinny jeans and a sweater that she had knitted for herself. It was the first one she’d ever made and had been her way of practicing before she made her mom and nana one. She smiled as she recalled the way her brother had teased while she was making it and then ate his words when she was done. He’d loved the final product so much he’d begged her to make him one.
Shoving her feet into knee-high black boots, she made her way downstairs. Sweat dripped down her spine and her heart raced. She wiped her brow and looked around anxiously, for what, she had no idea. All she knew was that the walls were closing in on her and she couldn’t breathe.
“Hey, Fly Girl. What’s up?” Uncle Keith asked, coming down behind her.
“Nothing,” she eyed the stairs and then the door. “Did Papa leave?”
“Yeah, he wanted to talk to Killian before his shift started and your dad is at the store. I was just heading to grab some coffee. Want some?”
“No, I…” She trailed off, rubbing her arms. Her veins were thrumming and her skin felt like it was vibrating.
“You’re scaring me, sit down.” He grabbed onto her arm and tried to lead her to the couch.
“No!” she screamed, breaking away from him. She immediately went into a crouch, ready to take him out if necessary.
“Shae,” her mother called out, rushing into the room. Panicked, Shae headed to the front door, but was tackled on her way there.
“Don’t ever fucking touch me,” she snarled and kicked her uncle in the face.
He flew back and knocked the couch over, but was up the next instant. Blood trickled out of a cut on his cheek. “I don’t want to hurt you, Shae.”
“I just want to leave,” she said, grabbing a fireplace poker as she circled to get to the door.
“Where is it you want to go?” he asked, refusing to move out of her way. She bared her fangs at him and he tricked her by lunging to the right only to dart left when she tried to slip past him. She clawed his arms and he retaliated by punching her in the side, causing her weapon to fly across the room and embed itself in the wall. Traitor, she thought, swinging. Her blow grazed his cheek before she lunged at him where he stood in front of the door, blocking her way.
“Anywhere but here,” she countered and ducked as he threw a fist her way. She may be faster than she used to be, but she wasn’t fast enough and his fist smashed into her left temple. Stars winked in her vision. Damn, the male hit like a rhino and was twice as big as her.
“I can’t let you do that to that to this family again. It nearly destroyed us when you disappeared.” Without letting up, he hit one of her ears, making her momentarily dizzy.
“You don’t know anything about being destroyed,” she yelled as she darted to the poker. She yanked it out of the wall and swung out with all her might. Her weapon connected with his side, ripping across his clothing and flesh. Blood sprayed and he collapsed to the floor.
Shae took advantage and fled when her mother cried out and ran to his side. The sun had not set completely and
her eyes watered and her skin burned as she dashed across the front lawn. Familiar with the area, she darted behind businesses that offered cover from the sun. She kept to the shadows as she made her way across town. She hadn’t planned on attacking her uncle or fleeing, so she had no idea where she was going. She was back where she had been that morning with no money and no phone.
She couldn’t believe what she had done to her uncle. It had been like a switch had flipped inside. Once the rage had taken hold, she hadn’t stopped to think about anything but hurting him and getting away. She may have killed him in a stupid fit of anger.
She didn’t even know why she had been angry. He was only trying to help her and she had lost it completely. As much as she hated to admit it, Gerrick had been right. She wasn’t safe. Hastening her steps, she rushed through downtown traffic.
Abomination, her mind whispered. She truly was a monster. She picked up her pace even more, wanting to outrun the reality of who she was. She put on a burst of speed as tears built in her eyes. She wasn’t even safe to be around the humans that were happily on their way home. The tears fell in a stream down her face as she ran past the aquarium. Unnoticed by the tourists, she quickly passed the busy piers.
How had her life gotten to this point? It wasn’t fair, she’d always been a good vampire, and that only fed her incoherent rage. She channeled that into her legs as she raced on. Where she was headed she had no idea, she only wished she could outrun her misery.
An hour later she found herself near Alkai beach watching a winter storm roll in. Dark grey clouds filled the sky, obscuring the moon. A few moments later, lightning danced overhead, illuminating the area around her. The clap of thunder competed with the sound of the waves lapping at the rocks on the shore and the howling wind. The sight was eerily beautiful, even as she shivered from the cold and cursed herself for not having grabbed a jacket. Her hair blew around her face, as she breathed in the briny, sea air, trying to figure out what she was going to do.