by Lia Davis
"You have three mates?"
Nod.
"Like your mom?"
Nod and pursed lips.
"Wow." He sat back and looked at me. "This is not how I expected this to go."
"You and me both."
Stretching, I looked around his kitchen. He hadn't really decorated. "I'm not sure how to go about this," I said. "We're going to end up having to move in together." I gave him an apologetic look. "But that means all four of us. And my sisters complicate things."
"Plus the fact that you're being targeted," he said.
"You know about that?" Who didn't?
"Who doesn't?"
His echo of my thoughts made me chuckle. "I think if we focus too much on the overwhelming stuff, we are going to lose sight of the fun stuff."
Cocking his head, he smiled at me. "You're astute."
"I'm tired of being worried."
"So, tell me something fun."
"About myself?" I didn’t feel much like a fun sort of person.
He nodded.
"I’m really sarcastic."
"I’d noticed."
"Your turn." Tit for tat, man, this wasn’t a one-way street.
"I like to read."
Snorting, I gave him a wide-eyed look. "You don’t say?"
"A-ha, there's that sarcasm."
Giggling, I relaxed marginally. He wasn't too difficult to talk to. "I'm an Empath," I blurted out. Great. Way to stick to the fun stuff.
"Wow." He raised his eyebrows. "That's really rare. You're an Empath and an Elemental?"
"And a lycan and vampire." I let my incisors slip out and smiled at him, in all my fangy glory.
"I’ll admit. I knew about the Empathy. Anything else?" He looked closely at my mouth. "So, you have to bite me, huh?"
How’d he know? I’d ask him later. "Yeah, but when I do, I’m pretty sure we'll both be okay with it. I won’t do it if it doesn’t feel right."
He sucked in a deep breath. "It's a lot to take in."
"You're telling me."
"Tell me about your Empathy?"
I considered him. Since I knew squat about him, it was difficult to open up and give him specific details about the most private part of me. My Empathy was a vulnerability.
But he was my mate, after all. He'd learn eventually.
"You'll learn more with time, as we learn more about each other, but the gist of it is that I absorb everyone's emotions. And since I am who I am, my Empath powers are a force."
"That's got to be overwhelming."
"My grandfather is also an Empath. He helped me build a wall in my mind when I was very small. I keep everyone else on the other side of the wall. I've learned control over the years. I can take part of the wall down, but sometimes it's hard to put it back."
"You speak of it like it's literal."
"That is a coping mechanism. Picturing it as an actual brick wall in my mind helps me control it."
He whistled through his teeth. "My new mate is impressive."
Smiling, I shrugged. "Thanks. The only problem is that the wall cuts me off from a bunch of my own emotions. So, if I ever seem crass, or heartless, it’s usually a direct result of the wall, but I have to have it."
"Wow. That’s a lot to deal with."
We stared at each other in silence for a few ticks. Intrigued, I tried to think of a way to ask him about himself and his past, but the words wouldn't come.
"What about you?" I finally asked. Great. So eloquent.
"I'm an only child. My family is in the Hightower Syndicate."
"You're connected to Sterling?" Well that tied us together even more. "He only said he knew you, but not how." Given that his last name was Hightower, I should’ve had a clue.
"Yeah, he's my first cousin."
Weird, but okay. We were a small community, after all. "So, we both narrowly missed being the heir of something huge."
"You're telling me. Until Sterling has a kid, I'm next in line."
The ancestors really liked a good coincidence. "Well, let's hope Meda and Sterling live long, healthy lives."
"I second that. I don't want the family business. They can keep it."
Smiling at him, I reconsidered my negativity about my mates. Randell was a good friend, and good for me. And it seemed I had more in common with Fenton than I'd thought.
Maybe it would work out with Kevin.
After I returned the favor and gave him blue balls.
Chapter Seven
It was three in the freaking morning and here my ass was, sneaking into my own dorm like a thief or, in my case, a demon. But whatever. It wasn’t like everyone didn’t already know.
Fenton was…nice. And so different from my other two mates. I enjoyed myself much more than I'd expected. After our Q&A session, we settled and watched a movie--some new psycho-thriller. After that we talked some more, and I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so much. Fenton was definitely a book worm and geek, but he was funny and passionate. I also sensed an inner strength inside of him. It was most likely the power from the Hightower bloodline.
I closed the door to the dorm as quietly as I could, then kicked off my shoes to pad to bed on silent feet. I was halfway to my room when a noise startled me. I cried out and whirled around, calling my water into my hands and dropping my shoes.
"You’re late."
"Fucking A, Randell!" Like a crazy stalker, he sat in the armchair that faced the door. "How long have you been waiting there?"
He stood and advanced on me. With my excellent night vision, I saw his intense gaze and the way the moonlight reflected in his pupils from the window in the kitchen. "Since the sun set and no one informed me that you'd left or knew when you would be back."
Rolling my eyes, I continued my trek to my bedroom, not bothering to close the door with him right on my heels.
To my surprise, my Empathy didn't register any anger. Concerned and annoyed, but not mad. That was interesting.
I turned to face him and studied his features. "You’re okay with me leaving?"
He lifted one shoulder. "I knew you were with Fenton."
"And?" I arched a brow. If he knew where I was, why was he upset?
He let out a growl and closed the gap between us, pulling me into a tight hug. "I’m trying. And with the full moon, it takes a lot of self-control."
That it did. I stood on my toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I’ll shower and reward you for your efforts."
His wolf flashed in his dark depths right before something outside my window caught his attention. He looked over my shoulder, puzzled. I turned my head to see what it was.
In my hurry to leave with Fenton earlier, I'd left the curtains open. Moving to the window I glanced down to the courtyard. Security protocol said there had to be lights on campus for the witches to get around at night. They didn’t have night vision like the vamps and lycan.
A low growl escaped me before I realized it. A preppy blonde girl stood in the center of the courtyard staring up at our dorm, the artificial lights making her blonde hair shine. Randell came up behind me. "What is it?"
"Do you see that girl?"
"Fuck. Is that Calista?"
Instead of answering him, I whirled around and exited my room. "Meda! Ami!"
Randell was right behind me calling out to the sentries. I flew out the door and down the stairs while connecting with my sisters telepathically. Calista is in the fucking courtyard!
By the time I broke through the utility door and out in the night air, Meda and Ami were on my heels. Within seconds they flanked me, and I was a little surprised that Meda didn’t take the lead. Instead she fell into step with me at my side. Ami was on my other side.
By the time we reached the courtyard, Calista was gone. However, her scent lingered in the air. She'd definitely been there.
"Fucking Coward!" I yelled.
Meda growled. "She was here."
"Why? And how did she get through security?" I looked at Meda. "Didn't y
ou do a ward?"
Ami answered that question for us. "She’s a demon with teleporting abilities and has already been on campus."
"Fuck." Meda took the words out of my head.
Just then Sterling caught up to us. He must have heard our conversation or pulled it from Meda’s thoughts. "We have to make sure to include teleporting demons to the wards."
"Yeah. Instead of walls, we’ll need domes over the campus and the estate." I meant it as a joke but Sterling nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing. I might need to get my parents to help. Fenton too."
I sent Sterling a sharp look. Before I could reply, the sounds of growls vibrated in the air and the ground. "What the fuck?"
Randell cursed and pointed to the forest, sucking in a deep breath. "Hellhounds."
I followed his line of sight. "How'd you know that?"
"You're not the only ones that had to do extra studies."
Sure enough, seconds later about a dozen hellhounds prowled out of the woods, stalking straight for us.
I’d never seen them in person and as far as I knew, there weren't any pictures. Poppy had described them to me once when I was little. He hadn't gotten a single detail wrong.
Their black fur shone in the lights surrounding us. Poppy said it would shine with hellfire even in the darkest room. Each hound had red eyes that glowed with intent. They actually glowed with the fire inside the dog, but it made them look purposeful.
Caramel-colored markings highlighted their faces, and a few had a bit of the color on their legs and tails.
If they bit, the fire flowed out of them and into their victim, so it wasn't a bad bite they inflicted. They attacked with the might of hell.
They were nearly as strong as a shifted lycan or vampire, without any of the intellect. Though they were on par with a type of very intelligent canine the humans liked to train. Except they knew how to obey their demon masters at a higher level, following multiple commands.
The fact that Randell knew what they were didn’t actually surprise me. He was in his second year of Demonology, having taken private classes before the University opened. As our sentry, he made sure to learn everything he could about demons, Hell, the vampires, and our grandparents.
"Meda?" I glanced at my sister. She was the Alpha after all.
She shook her head and shrugged. "Not sure. Poppy mostly told us bedtime stories where hellhounds eat people. So don’t let them bite you? Here goes nothing."
She charged forward, thrusting her hands out. Fire flowed from her fingers and formed into a wall. The hounds moved right through the fire like it wasn’t there. They were from Hell, after all.
Ami snarled and moved her hands in circles in front of her, swirling them in different directions. The wind picked up and formed small cyclones. When she pushed her arms out, the cyclones moved toward the hounds.
There'd been few times in our lives I'd seen fierce concentration from Ami. Studying for exams. And fighting. Mostly she seemed to live in her own world.
Her cyclones managed to pick up a few of the hounds at a time and throw them a good distance into the woods. Nice!
Except they came back, faster this time.
I called my water, letting it seep through my pores and flow to my hands and feet. Water pooled on the ground all around me, but still, I added more. Raising my hands in the air, I lifted the water, then made a large circle in front until the liquid formed a large ball. With all my strength, I pushed against the monster-size sphere, tossing it on top of the hellhounds and holding them in it. If I was lucky, they'd drown.
It did nothing but soak them. I finally had to release it, and they shook it off like they'd stepped out of a bath. Bastards! "How in the literal hell do we get rid of them?"
I actually didn’t want to kill them. They were kind of cute in a demonic-monster-dog type of way. "Call Poppy?"
Meda shook her head, then she straightened. "I have an idea." She mimicked the stance we’d all seen mom take right before she used her Alpha power, hands loose at her sides, palms out. "Stop. Sit."
Instantly the hellhounds obeyed and sat down, each of them staring at her as if waiting for her next command. Meda glanced over at me and then Ami. None of the sentries moved. Not even Sterling. Meda frowned. "Should I send them back to Hell?"
"You can try it," I said and looked at the group of animals.
One, in particular, caught my eye. His eyes were the prettiest color teal I’d ever seen, and his markings were a little different too. They were silver instead of caramel. "Wait! Can we keep one?"
Meda and Ami looked at me like I had lost my mind. Hell, maybe I had. But something about that hound said he needed to stay with us. My Empathy might've been influencing me, but I really needed him.
"I mean you can apparently control them. They understand you." I glanced at Randell, who also was questioning my sanity, judging by the expression on his face.
Meda laughed. "Why the hell not? They’d be good watchdogs. Which one?"
"That one." I pointed the teal-eyed, black and silver hellhound. As I did, he turned his head to me and tilted it to one side. He knew I was interested in keeping him. So, I held out my hand, palm up, and bent at the waist slightly. The beautiful hound moved toward me.
"Alright, then." Meda shook her head. "We're keeping him. He stays, the rest of you go back home, to Hell."
Within seconds all of the hounds, except the one I claimed as my new pet, dematerialized.
"Report to Lucifer," Meda called to the disappearing animals.
Bending down to his level and stroking his large head, I smiled at my new pet. "I will have to think of a name for you." A thought made my heart sink. "What if Marvin doesn't like him?"
"We'll see what happens," Ami said, Harper and Noah so close to her they nearly climbed up her ass. I gave them both a scrutinizing look. Noah, then, as well. Okay. I nodded at him, acknowledging him as another of Ami’s mates.
I straightened and patted my thigh for my new pup to follow us inside. He trotted happily after us, wedging himself between me and Meda as we made our way to the dorm door. He even tried to walk between us as we climbed the stairs, but she snapped her fingers and gave him a look. He settled for walking behind us. On the top floor, he pushed past us, trotting inside our dorm first and sniffing the air.
I spotted Marvin on top of the sofa and dread curled in my gut. The white cat lifted his head and eyed the hellhound, then stood and stretched before jumping down onto the floor. He slowly padded his way to us.
When Marvin reached us, he sniffed the air then leaned forward. The hellhound dipped his head and touched Marvin's little pink nose with his own, ten times bigger than the cat’s. Marvin instantly head butted the hound and rubbed against him.
"Well, that is settled. The cat approves!"
Meda laughed and picked Marvin up, carrying him to the sofa. "Crazy fur ball." She sat and settled Marvin on her lap. "You two sure it was Calista?"
Randell and I nodded. "Yes. It was her. She was standing in the courtyard staring up at our dorm."
"Hmm." Meda bounced her legs. "Why send hellhounds? Other than they are immortal and can’t be killed unless you cut their heads off."
"She must not have known that you can control them. Hell, we didn’t know that." I was halfway to a sitting position on the chair beside the couch when a knock sounded at the door. My awareness flared and my body vibrated with desire. Fuck me. Both my other mates were standing outside that door.
I considered not answering. But Sterling probably knew Fenton was out there, because he went to the door and opened it.
Kevin pushed his way inside, and when he rushed toward me, Randell stepped in his path. Oh no, this isn't going to end well. I didn’t say anything to Randell. He knew who Kevin was and wouldn’t hurt him. Kevin was my mate and hurting him would piss me off. At least, I hoped Randell wouldn’t hurt him. What I didn't know was what Kevin would or wouldn't do.
A low snarl escaped Kevin. "Move."
Randell crossed his arms and glared.
Oh for fuck’s sake. I stood and stomped over to them. Then I squeezed between them, instantly regretting the move. Images of the three of us tangled together and sweaty popped into my mind. The images were so vivid I wondered if I'd had a vision.
I pointed at Randell. "Behave." Then I turned and glared at Kevin. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
He flashed me his panty-wetting smile. "Well, love, I saw the fire and thought I would come and check on you."
Meda’s fire-wall.
Fenton stepped closer, eyeing Randell as if unsure if he should get close to the large sentry. "Same here. Are you guys okay?"
Kevin glanced at the hellhound sitting at Ami's feet and frowned. "Where did he come from?"
"None-ya." I unwedged myself from between them, took Fenton’s hand and pulled him to the spot I'd been about to sit in when they knocked. Pushing him into the chair, I sat on his lap.
Kevin and Randell joined us. I pointed to the sofa. "Have a seat."
Kevin eyed me like he wasn’t used to being told what to do. That was too bad. We all had to adjust to this mating thing. I was too alpha to put up with a cocky-ass vampire for a mate. Plus I was still peeved at him for leaving me needy and wet.
Meda put Marvin on the floor and he darted out of the common area and into Meda’s bedroom. The poor thing didn’t like a lot of people around. I could so relate to that cat.
Meda was about to say something when the door opened. Dorian and Peter walked in, glancing around and reading the very full room. They opted to sit at the bar stools at the kitchen island. She watched them for a moment, then said, "Calista is back. The hellhound attack was a failure on her part so she’ll regroup and come at us with something bigger next time."
"Unless it was meant as a distraction or to get our attention." I’d never trusted the bitch from the day she popped up.
"It could be a welcome message," Ami said from the floor where she was sandwiched between Harper and Noah.
"True. We need to keep our eyes open for her and anything out of our realm of norm." Meda stared at the hellhound, who had parked his big ass on the floor in the middle of all of us. He was freaking enormous. "Your job is to alert us of anyone snooping around the dorm that doesn’t belong here." He really hadn't seemed so big outside.