by R. E. Butler
Bri wasn’t worried about vampires. She was worried about being alone. “I wish Daddy had a mate.”
“He will, when the time is right,” Debbie said.
When the meal was over, Debbie sent her and Elsa off to play. Bri sat down on her bed with her favorite stuffed wolf and said, “You’re lucky you have a mom at home.”
“I heard there’s a magic spell you can cast for a mate. Your dad should do that.” Elsa opened the lid to the toy box and pulled a doll from the depths.
“What?” Her ears twitched. Spells were real?
“Yeah, I heard Mommy talking to Seya last week about not finding her mate, and Mommy said she should spell for him. I guess all the wolves have a necklace of some kind in a box.”
Bri thought real hard and remembered seeing a wooden box in her dad’s closet when she’d gone in his room to get a long-sleeved shirt to use as a paint smock. Which he hadn’t appreciated since it was an expensive shirt.
“What kind of box?”
“I dunno. Can I have this doll? You don’t play with her anymore.”
“Sure,” Bri said.
As they played, her mind spun over the possibilities. Was there a necklace in that box? And could she use it to bring a mate for her dad, a female who would be a mommy for her?
Smiling to herself, she couldn’t wait for Elsa and Debbie to leave so she could find that box and change her world.
* * *
Ryde opened the door to Bri’s bedroom and looked in. She was asleep, a sweet smile on her face. Another day had come and gone. It was past 1 a.m., and he knew he’d broken another promise to her. But the perimeter alarms had gone off in the afternoon, and he’d spent the entire day scouting with his best hunters, trying to discover who had breached their borders. Whoever the intruder was, they’d avoided the cameras.
It was daylight, so he knew it wasn’t the vampires because they couldn’t handle the sunlight. It had to be a wolf or another shifter. Humans didn’t mess with territories; it was foolhardy and even if they were weak, they usually weren’t stupid enough to traipse into predator territory. The logical suspect was a rival pack testing the borders for weaknesses, and there was only one pack strong enough to potentially come against him: the Falherron Pack, led by Alpha Rodrick. He was a giant asshat who’d been part of Ryde’s pack at one time and had tried to take over. Ryde had nearly killed him, and he’d scooted out of the pack with his tail firmly between his legs.
He’d amassed a large pack in the years since his expulsion, but they were a roaming pack without a home territory. Two years earlier, Rodrick attempted to come in and challenge Ryde, but they’d been pushed back at the border and defeated. The perimeters were being tested once again, and it made sense to assume that Rodrick was the one doing so.
He so fucking didn’t need this right now. Between the in-fighting of the pack and this new threat, he couldn’t forget about the vampires, either. There were a lot of reasons to be wary of vampires, chief among them that they kidnapped wolves for their blood, which was more sustaining than human blood. Since a wolf of any sense wouldn’t volunteer to become a blood donor to a vampire, they had to abduct them, and that always ended in death for the wolf. Their blood was too rich and too irresistible, and the vampire would kill them in a frenzy. He’d seen the bodies of wolves dumped along the pack border when he was a pup. The great war had ended in a stalemate, each side agreeing to stay in their own territory, but from time to time a rogue vampire would go looking for a meal, or a wolf would want to hunt a blood drinker for sport.
His mood darkened as he stared at his innocent daughter. Debbie had left a note for him on top of the plate of food from the dinner he’d missed, saying Bri had been upset once more by his absence. He knew she didn’t understand, but he had to ensure her safety. The borders were being monitored, and he’d stepped up security around the homes. If someone did come into their territory, he would know it. During the daylight, they only had to worry about wolves, but at night, they also had to worry about vampires. Someday, maybe the vampires would all be wiped out and he could cross that off his list of things to worry about when it came to Bri’s safety.
Closing the door silently, he headed upstairs to his suite on the third floor. As he stared at the empty bed, he considered calling for some company, but his wolf wasn’t interested in random tail. Once more, he thought about finding a mate. He could use the help with Bri. Eventually Debbie was going to want to stop spending her days at his home to be with her own mate, and he’d have to find someone else to raise his daughter. Unless there was suddenly peace in his world, which seemed unlikely.
Stripping, he climbed into bed and turned off the lights, burying his face in the pillow. He drifted off to sleep, his mind on his and his daughter’s future.
* * *
Dominique woke at sunset and stretched with a yawn. She’d slept fitfully, not finding her usual rest as the sun rose and ended the day for her kind. Her mind had turned often to the ball and the thought of her sister forcing her to mate. Being in power like her sister, she could pretty much do whatever she wished with her people. Natasha ruled through fear and intimidation, and had the staff to carry out her desires. If Dominique balked against taking a mate, it wouldn’t surprise her if Natasha chained her up until she agreed.
She slipped from her bed and pulled open the curtains that covered the large picture window. The sky was a glorious sight, turning from peaches and pinks to navy blue. Stars sparkled in the darkness above the setting sun, and the three-quarters moon was visible. For a moment, she considered leaving. Packing a bag and heading out of her sister’s territory. Just as swiftly as she thought of it, she dismissed it. Natasha would never let her go. She’d send hunters for her – the best of the vampire guards – and they would find her, no matter where she hid. Then she’d really be in trouble.
The only choice she really had was to pick a male of her own before the ball. Someone who was strong and powerful, and wouldn’t mind that she could handle a blade and take care of herself. It would be helpful if he was sexy, too. If he marked her before the ball, then her sister would have no choice but to accept it. Even a mistress as powerful as her sister couldn’t break a mating.
She dressed and ate her meal in the dining hall, then spent several hours working in her office and dealing with coven issues. There was a knock on the door, and a young female walked in and handed Dominique a note requesting her to dress for their last meal of the day.
Dominique looked at the female.
“What does she mean ‘dress for the last meal’?”
Erica said, “The mistress is wearing one of her ball gowns.”
“Good grief, whatever for?”
“I’m not certain.”
“Are there guests?”
Erica shrugged.
“Well, damn. Thank you.”
Erica left and Dominique looked at the note and then crumpled it and tossed it into the trash. She left her office and headed to the throne room, where she found Natasha sitting on the throne and staring at her phone.
“Is there something special happening that I need to dress for? And why did you handwrite the letter instead of texting me?”
“It’s very gauche to invite people to special meals over text,” Natasha said, glancing over her phone.
“Says who?”
“Me.”
Dominique ignored the urge to roll her eyes. “Anyway, is something special happening? Are there guests?”
Natasha lowered the phone, her mouth turned down. “You don’t know what today is?”
Dominique’s mind blanked. “No. What is it?”
“The anniversary of Father’s death.”
“We’ve never had a special meal on the anniversary of his death.”
“It’s been twenty-five years. You reminded me of him last night when you asked if he’d be proud of us, so I checked the date with the archives and it’s today. You’ll attend the meal in our father’s memory in our dining hall,
along with the coven’s top advisors.” Natasha gave Dominique a look of superiority. “You always were a little self-absorbed. I suppose I’m not surprised that you don’t know the date of our father’s passing.”
Dominique bit back the snarl at the insult, not pointing out that Natasha had needed to research the date herself. “What time?”
“4 a.m.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Of course you will.”
Turning on her heels, Dominique walked back to her office and closed up for the evening. Although it was only 1 a.m., Dominique needed to take the time do her hair and makeup, and choose a dress, because Natasha’s special meals were always an over-the-top affair.
Once she was in her room, she stripped from her clothes and headed into the bathroom. After a long, hot shower, Dominique dried herself off and then plugged in her hair dryer. Running her brush through her long blonde locks as the hot air dried it, her mind turned once more to Dominique’s insistence that she be mated soon. She wondered how she could tell if a male wanted to mate her because he liked her or because he liked the idea of how close she was to her sister. Granted, she and Natasha weren’t besties, but she was her chief advisor, and along with being her right hand for many matters, she had her sister’s ear.
A decade before, Dominique had seen a little girl in the mansion courtyard who had bruises on her arm. When she’d asked her what happened, the girl confessed that her father had hit her and her mother. Dominique had gone to Natasha immediately and asked her to set the mother and daughter up in one of the mansion’s small homes that they used for their staff, to allow them to heal and feel safe again, while the father was dealt with. Natasha didn’t usually do things that didn’t benefit her in some way, but she’d seen how much it meant to Dominique, and had allowed her to punish the male severely and protect the girl and her mother.
But no matter that she had the ear of her sister, Dominique couldn’t seem to dissuade Natasha from forcing her to take a mate.
She hung up her towel and strode to the vanity in the corner of the bathroom. As she sat on the padded stool to brush her hair, something glinted at the top of the ornate mirror. She reached for it, finding a beautiful necklace with an emerald medallion. It was heavy and warm in her hand. The gem was the same deep green as her own eyes.
She smiled as she unhooked the clasp, thinking it must be a gift from Natasha. Leave it to her sister to say “sorry” with a piece of jewelry. Dominique had a bracelet and several rings that Natasha had given her after arguments in the past, but this necklace far outweighed anything she’d been given before. It was stunning.
Lifting it to her neck, she smiled at her reflection as she closed the clasp and pressed her hand to the medallion that hung several inches below her collarbone. Her whole body jolted suddenly, her heart pounding and her fangs descending as a strange howling wind rushed around her. Her vision sparked and dimmed, and she felt herself falling. She opened her mouth to scream for help when everything went dark. Her last thought was that perhaps the necklace hadn’t come from her sister.
Chapter 4
Ryde rolled over with a growl, his wolf clamoring under his skin. As he turned in the big bed, he felt something warm next to him. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at the most beautiful face he’d ever seen in his life. The female was stunning on a hundred different levels, from her perfect bow-shaped lips to the emerald eyes that blinked at him in confusion. She smelled like wild flowers and sunshine, and his wolf let out a happy growl. The instant connection he felt to her, as if he’d been missing a limb and suddenly found it, meant she was his true mate.
I must be dreaming.
Or dead.
Because he was very certain that he’d gone to bed alone. And he sure as hell wouldn’t have gone to sleep with this sexy female next to him. He’d have stayed up until dawn to make sure they were both sated.
He opened his mouth to say something when she purred like a damn tigress and pressed her lips to his. It took only a heartbeat for him to slide his arms around her and draw her closer, delving his tongue into her mouth. He ran one hand down her back and she arched with his touch, her responsiveness making him crazy. He cupped her ass, taking only a second to appreciate that she was naked, then slid his hand between her legs.
She moaned, her nails scratching their way down his back as she writhed in his hold. He sank a finger into her, marveling at how wet she was as he ran his tongue along hers and sucked on it. His tongue hit something sharp in her mouth and he jerked back from the kiss, tasting blood.
It was then that he saw sharp, pointed fangs in her mouth. He snarled and rolled from the bed, his claws unsheathing from his fingertips.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded, his beast urging him to climb back into her embrace.
She rose to her elbows, her long blonde hair falling over her shoulders and cascading onto his pillow.
“I could ask you the same thing. And where am I?”
As her gaze moved around the room, his was riveted to her breasts. He hadn’t even gotten to kiss her nipples.
Damn it. Focus!
“You’re a vampire. How did you get into my room?”
He slashed the air with his claws and let out a low growl. He felt positively torn in half. Part of him wanted to throw her out of the house, but the larger part of him – the roaring, demanding wolf – wanted her to stay right where she was, in his bed.
Then he noticed the necklace.
Straightening from his defensive crouch, which he was chagrined to realize hadn’t worried her a bit, he stared hard at the medallion. It was his mating necklace.
“Where did you get that?” He pointed at her chest, his claws receding as a strange rightness settled over him.
Her fingertips grazed the surface of the medallion, a beautiful, natural emerald pendant that had been given to him when he shifted for the first time. All wolves were given a necklace when they shifted to be used on the off-chance that they didn’t find their true mate among their own people. The spell, which was carved into the inside lid of the wooden box the necklace was stored in, was supposed to be used by the male or female when they were ready to settle down.
He hadn’t cast a spell. And even if he had, he certainly wouldn’t have thought the spell would bring him a vampire – a wolf’s natural enemy – for a mate.
“Well,” she said as she sat up, seemingly unconcerned that she was naked, “I thought my sister gave it to me because we had an argument. It was hanging from my vanity, and the stone is the same color as my eyes.” She looked around the room again. “You’re a wolf?”
“I’m alpha. And that’s my mating necklace.”
“How did I get it?” She tilted her head and looked so sexy. He wanted to do lots of dirty, wonderful things to her.
“That’s a good question. I’m Ryde Mitchell, and you’re in my home, in my pack’s territory.”
She licked her lips slowly and rose to her knees. Her body was spectacular. Free of hair, her bare sex was visible and so damn enticing. Her ivory skin was lustrous, and she was curved in all the right places. She fit against him so perfectly, her softness to his hard planes.
“My name is Dominique Tremaine. My sister is the mistress of the city of Arbor. Where is your territory?”
He stalked to the window and drew back the curtains. In the distance, he could see the walled vampire city. “Just outside of the neutral territory.”
“Ryde.” She said his name softly, like a whispered promise, and his wolf rioted, wanting to return to bed. “How did I get here?”
“The necklace brought you here, but it shouldn’t have. I didn’t cast a spell for you.” He arched a brow. “Why aren’t you scared?”
She hummed. “I don’t know. When I passed out in my bathroom, I woke up here in bed with you. I felt safe. I don’t know how to explain why I’m not afraid, except that I feel connected to you. You’re my true mate.”
“You can’t be my true mate.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re immortal and I’m not.”
She hummed again. “That’s easily fixed.”
He blinked and shook his head. “No, it’s not. This is not how my night was supposed to go.” He stormed to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans, which he jerked on. Stuffing his erection into his pants, he tried not to groan at how uncomfortable he was. He knew a great way to relieve the tension, and it involved the sexy vampire in his bed.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Stay the fuck put. If you leave this room, my people will kill you.”
Her eyes narrowed, the green eclipsed by silver that made her look entirely too tempting in her fury. “Don’t threaten me.”
“It’s not a threat, it’s the truth. You’re in our territory. My people kill yours on sight for this. And yours return the favor.”
“I didn’t ask to be brought here!”
“I didn’t ask for you either, bloodsucker. Don’t leave.”
He stomped away and slammed the door behind him. His wolf wasn’t interested in him leaving, but he needed to get some space between him and the tempting vampire. His instincts were roaring at him to return to the room and claim her, but there was a problem with that.
They’d both wind up dead.
* * *
Dominique was a little pissed. Well, that was an understatement. She was as pissed as she’d ever been in her life. Just who the hell did that alpha wolf think he was? She’d put on a necklace and woken up in his bed. She was the one who should be upset. But with her mating instincts flaring, all she wanted to do was consummate their joining. Then they could talk. She was willing to overlook the fact that he wasn’t a vampire, so why couldn’t he overlook her immortality? Sure, she’d have to share blood with him, transforming him into a hybrid, but it would only make him immortal; he’d still get to keep his wolf and he’d live forever. Which, hello – she was a catch. He’d be lucky to have her by his side for all eternity.