by R. E. Butler
Bri, gasping for breath and still giggling, grinned at Ryde. “She’s a wolf now. Tella said so.”
Ryde arched a brow.
Tella said, “I believe the mating bond created some kind of hybrid, not only in you but in her. She howled like a wolf, and when I checked her pupils when she was passed out from blood loss, they were amber.”
Dominique finally sat up and pulled Bri into her lap, giving her a cuddle. “I feel different but the same in an entirely supernatural way. Like I’m still a vampire, but I also want to run around the woods and chase furry things.”
Ryde lifted Bri from Dominique’s lap and hugged her tightly. “Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?”
“I lost Comet in the tunnel.”
Her eyes went luminous with tears and she started to cry. Ryde stifled a curse. That wolf was her best friend.
“No, wait,” Max said, hurrying toward the house. In the distance, sirens sounded, alerting them that the fire department was on the way. Max came back holding a slightly sooty stuffed wolf. “I saw something gray and white on the ground outside the tunnel, but I was too concerned with my family to check it out. It must have fallen out of the tunnel behind you.”
Bri gasped and lurched out of Ryde’s arms. “Comet!”
He made a face at Dominique. “I’ll try not to be offended that the stuffed wolf is getting a bigger hug than I did.”
“You and me both,” she said with a laugh.
The sirens drowned everything out for a moment, and they all cringed at the loud noises that bombarded their sensitive hearing. The sound stopped suddenly, and he was thankful for whoever turned them off. Ryde lifted Dominique from the ground and whistled at Bri. “Let’s get clear so the fire department can do their job.”
The group moved farther away from the house, and he set Dominique on the ground. She swayed slightly and then straightened. “Shifter blood is so powerful. I feel like I could run a marathon or take on a whole army.”
Ryde drew her close. “You did take on a whole army.”
“Oh, right. But I mean by myself.”
“You did that, too, when you went against Rodrick and his people,” Finn pointed out.
She pursed her lips in thought then said, “Well, I feel even stronger now. No one better ever mess with our pack.”
“Damn straight,” Ryde said.
“What happened to my sister’s army?” she asked.
Ryde looked down at her and knew he would never lie. He glanced at Debbie and said, “Keep an eye on Bri. I need to speak to my mate privately.”
“Daddy?” Bri asked.
“We’ll be right back, I promise.” He dropped to one knee and kissed her cheek.
“Pinky promise,” Dominique said. “That seals it.”
He stared up at her. “Pinky what now?”
“Pinky promise,” Bri said, sticking her pinky finger out. “It makes promises more promise-y.”
He held out his pinky and Bri hooked hers around it. “Now,” she said, “promise to come right back.”
“I promise,” he replied.
She smiled in relief. Debbie and Elsa came over, and Elsa sat on the ground with Bri as they checked over Comet for injuries, speaking in whispers with their little heads pressed together. Ryde took Dominique’s hand and walked far enough away that he knew his voice wouldn’t carry to his people.
He’d never had to tell someone he cared about that he’d killed a member of their family. And he still wasn’t sure what it meant that the vampires seemed to think he was their new leader.
Dominique stared up at him. “She’s dead, isn’t she? I can kind of feel it in a weird way.”
“I killed her. I’m…sorry your sister is dead, but I’m not sorry that the threat to your life is gone.”
She blinked rapidly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “She would’ve killed me. When I smelled the other pack on that one vampire’s clothing, I met her gaze through the fighting and I saw it in her eyes. She was going to kill me, you, Bri, and any other wolf she could get her hands on. She would’ve destroyed the whole pack just because a magical necklace brought us together.” She brushed angrily at a few stray tears. “Why am I crying? She wanted me dead.”
He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close, kissing the top of her head and then resting his cheek there. “Because she’s family. Even though things went south between you two, she was still your sister. Do you hate me?”
She shook her head and slipped her arms around his waist, squeezing tightly. “No.” She went rigid and slowly lifted her head until she was staring at him. “You killed her.”
“Yes.” Wariness filled him. Was she going to be angry? He would understand if she was, but he’d been hopeful that she’d see him as a hero for putting down the person attempting to kill her and every wolf in the pack.
“You’re the new master of the city. Holy shit.”
He gave her a wry smile as relief flooded him. “Yeah. How the hell is that possible?”
She shrugged. “It’s how our laws are made. When I was in school, one of the boys asked the history instructor what would happen if a human killed the master or mistress of a city. Since the wording of the law is very ambiguous and simply states that whomever kills the leader becomes the leader, the boy wanted to know if that meant anybody. The instructor said no one could kill a vampire except a vampire, and that our ancestors knew what they were doing when they wrote the laws. I guess they were shortsighted in thinking that someone might rule them who wasn’t of their own kind.”
“I’m a hybrid though.”
“True, but I don’t think it will matter. There are vampires who hate shifters because of the war, and there are those who don’t care one way or the other as long as they’re safe in the city.”
“What if I don’t want to be the master of the city?”
“Then you leave the citizens of Arbor without a leader, and that means any vampire can come in and take over. When that happens, the males are usually all slaughtered, and females and young children become slaves.”
His stomach turned at the thought of innocent lives being harmed. “The army is waiting with some of the males in the neutral zone. We need to talk to the pack first, then figure out what to do with the army.”
“Convene the elders,” she suggested. “Maybe they can come up with a solution. No one has probably ever been both alpha and master.”
“You’re with me, right?” he asked, tugging her a little more firmly against him.
She grinned sinfully. “Forever.”
Chapter 12
By the time the fire was out in the alpha’s house, leaving mostly charred remains, Ryde had gathered the elders for a meeting in Tella’s house. The wise old female was quick-witted and knowledgeable as she sat in on the elders’ meeting and offered her opinion.
“Our people,” she said, taking a sip of herbal tea, “have been at war with the vampires for years. That all came to a head tonight, when the former mistress of Arbor attacked. Now that she’s gone and Ryde is the master of the city, I think we should move the pack into the city.”
Dominique’s eyebrows rose so high her eyes ached a little. “What about the vampires?”
Tella smiled knowingly. She lifted a tablet from the coffee table and opened the map app. Using a satellite image of the area, she zoomed in on the city of Arbor and turned it to face the group. “Half of the walled city is cleared land. If memory serves, they used to farm that land, but it’s been unused for years. The vampires wouldn’t have to leave, unless of course they chose to because they didn’t want to be ruled by a shifter and his mate. But the city is so large, there’s no reason we can’t all live together. And we could continue to use our current territory for hunting grounds.”
Don, an elder, rubbed his whiskered chin. “The alphas could move into the mansion, and we could hire a company to actually move our homes there.”
“Move them?” Dominique asked.
He nodded. “The hom
es are all built on slabs and would be relatively easy to move. Of course, we’d have to clear some of the forest to make way for the machinery, but it would be easier than building new homes.”
Ryde looked at Dominique. “What do you think? Will the vampires stay in the city with us or will they fight?”
“You’re the master. If you say you’re combining Arbor and the pack into one territory, they may choose to leave, but they wouldn’t fight. You think of vampires as these blood-thirsty creatures, but we want the same thing as you – safety and security for ourselves and our families.”
She paused and looked at the group. “But just this morning, we were talking about having a mating-by-combat. Suddenly we’re all one happy group? I don’t understand.”
“The high-ranked males are all standing behind us as mates. You killed our rivals and saved Bri, Elsa, and Debbie. Not to mention any others who might’ve been harmed if Rodrick hadn’t been put down. We’ll have a pack meeting, but Finn said he and the other high-ranked males will stand between us and any males who would attempt to fight,” Ryde said.
Tella smiled. “You won them over by being such a kick-ass female.”
Dominique’s cheeks heated and she smiled. She wasn’t used to people being so complimentary of her skills, since Natasha hadn’t seen her as a force to be reckoned with.
“So we’ll have a pack meeting and announce that we’re combining the groups?” Dominique asked.
Ryde nodded. “It makes the most sense. Arbor is an easily defensible city because of the wall, and it’s the safest place for both of our groups. And since we’re mates, you’ll be the mistress of the city as well as the alpha female of the pack.”
She gave him a half smile. “Yeah. I don’t want to live in the mansion, though.”
Tella said, “We could turn it into a school. Depending on how many children there are between our two groups, I’m sure we could use a larger building anyway.”
“We’ll just have to build a house for ourselves,” Ryde said. “We could stay in the mansion until that’s done.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Bri came into the room, hugging Comet, who smelled like smoke and soot. “Does the mansion have a secret tunnel?”
Dominique smiled and scooted over, making room for her on the couch between herself and Ryde. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.”
“Aw.” She stuck out her lower lip. “It saved us.”
Ryde put his arm around Bri. “You won’t need a tunnel for safety anymore. We promise to keep you safe.”
Dominique nodded. “We pinky promise.”
“What about my brothers and sisters? We’ll all be safe?”
Ryde’s brows rose. “What other brothers and sisters?”
“You’re going to have babies, right? Elsa said that’s what moms and dads do.”
Dominique’s cheeks heated once more as Ryde and the elders chuckled.
He grinned broadly. “We promise to keep you and all your future brothers and sisters safe. Okay, sweetheart?”
“Good.” She yawned and leaned against Ryde, squeezing Dominique’s hand.
“We still need to deal with the vampires and the pack,” Ryde said. “We’ve been talking things over for an hour now.”
“Bri can sleep in my spare bedroom,” Tella said. “You can join her when you’re through with your meeting. The windows are light-tight, too. My sister is not a morning person, and when she comes to visit, she insists I have light-blocking shades and curtains so she doesn’t get woken up by the morning sunlight.”
“Thank you,” Dominique said.
She and Ryde put a protesting Bri to bed, pinky-promising that they’d return before dawn. Ryde shut the door with a low chuckle. “She’d walk right in the midst of the vampire army if we’d let her. I don’t think she’s afraid of anything.”
Dominique stared at the closed door. Her step-daughter – scratch that, her daughter – was tucked into bed wearing one of Tella’s nightshirts and hugging Comet tightly. “I think she’s afraid of losing you.”
“And you,” he said. “I spent a long time messing up being a father. I want to be better for her. And for our future kids. Speaking of future kids, will ours be hybrids or will they not be immortal?”
“My immortality will be passed on to them.”
“Good. But that still leaves Bri.”
“If she mates with a vampire he could turn her.”
Ryde snarled. “I already told her she’s not dating until she’s forty.”
“You’re not serious.”
“Bet me.”
“Men.” She rolled her eyes and then wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s go talk to the vampires and the pack so we can get back to your daughter.”
He nodded in approval. “She’s yours now, too. Not just my daughter, but ours. She called you Mommy.”
Her eyes pricked at the reminder. “I know. I loved hearing it. Kids are so accepting. Adults sometimes need help.”
“And time,” he said, pressing his finger gently against the medallion. “If it weren’t for Bri’s meddling, I wouldn’t know you. I don’t see how, with both our histories and the loss we suffered from the battle, that I would’ve ever seen you as anything but the enemy of my people. I hate what happened to our people because of the former alpha. I wish he were alive so I could ask him why he chose to wage war over an accident.”
“I’m glad she interfered.”
He nodded. Drawing Dominique close, he kissed her tenderly. “My sweet vampire mate,” he whispered against her lips. “I’d be lost without you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
* * *
While she and Ryde had been talking to the elders, the wolves and vampires had been taking care of the dead. Vampires didn’t bury their dead, instead building pyres and setting the bodies aflame. It turned out that wolves were of the same mind, and by the time she, Ryde, and the elders returned to the neutral zone, pyres were burning with both vampires and wolves.
Her eyes stung as she saw her sister’s body near an unlit pyre. Argent, a soldier in the vampire army, came forward and dropped to one knee. “Dominique, I’m sorry for the death of your sister. I told the others to wait until you arrived before she was placed on the pyre.”
“Thank you, Argent.”
“Dominique is my mate,” Ryde said. “That makes her mistress of the city.”
Argent lifted his head and nodded. “Understood.”
She looked at her mate and then at her sister’s body. “Will you help me?”
“Of course.” To Argent, he said, “Gather all the males here in the neutral zone for a meeting.”
“Right away,” Argent replied.
She and Ryde walked to Natasha’s body. Although she knew Ryde had no choice, and that she and her new family were safe because of Natasha’s death, it still hurt to see her lifeless body. Dropping to her knees, she picked up Natasha’s cold hand and squeezed it.
“I hated you for planning to use me to fortify your own power. I wasn’t supposed to be a pawn to you, I was supposed to be your sister. We were all each other had. Why couldn’t you just be my sister?”
She stared at Natasha until her knees started to tingle because she’d been kneeling for so long on the hard ground. Dominique slipped a ring off the middle finger of her sister’s left hand, holding it up to Ryde who stood at her side like a silent, protective sentry. He took it and offered her his hand so she could stand.
“The ring was our father’s. He gave it to her before he went to battle. He said she should hold on to it until he came back for it, but he never did. I think Natasha would’ve always wanted to be mistress, but our father’s death made her more fanatical. She wanted more power, any way she could get it. And wolves were the enemy, period.”
He gave her back the ring and she tried it on several fingers until she found it fit on the middle finger of her right hand. The gold ring had an ornate design and was set with emeralds and sapphires.
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“I’m ready,” she said.
Ryde kissed her cheek and bent, lifting her sister’s body off the ground and setting it gently on the pyre. Argent moved close enough to hand her a flaming torch and then hurried off to wait with the vampires who were gathered in the field. Ryde stepped back and she stood alone with her sister’s body. She was grieving the loss of her only blood family, but as she touched the flame to the pyre, she was opening a new chapter of her life, too.
The wood crackled as the fire spread. She dropped the torch and stepped back with Ryde, watching as her sister’s body caught fire and burned.
“I remember watching my dad’s body on the pyre. Natasha wouldn’t let me outside because the army said it was too dangerous for the young, even though the battle was over, but I watched from my bedroom and cried so hard. Natasha was mad that I watched. She said our father died an honorable death and we weren’t supposed to mourn that but celebrate his life. I just thought all that loss was so awful. I thought I’d never walk outside again without smelling smoke. Every time I saw the place where his pyre was, I wanted to cry, but I held in all that grief because my sister said I should.”
He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “You can grieve as long as you need. I’ll be right here by your side.”
She put her arms around him, anchoring herself to his side, and watched the pyre burn.
* * *
Ryde addressed the vampire soldiers. Dominique was at his side, and mentally she rolled through the names of the males she recognized, watching their faces to gauge how they might feel about having a wolf as a coven leader. She’d certainly never heard of it happening, and she and Ryde both expected people from both sides to leave rather than live together as one group. She thought it was beyond time for their people to stop looking back and holding onto the hatred, and start building a future that would sustain them all.
“Dominique and I are mated, which makes her the mistress of the city as well as the alpha female of the pack,” Ryde said. He waited until the murmuring from the crowd had subsided before he continued. “We’re proposing that our two groups live together in Arbor. The mansion will be turned into a private school for both vampire, shifter, and human children who live within the city. The pack’s homes will be moved to the cleared land near the mansion, and Dominique and I will build a home in that area as well.”