Page 24 of The Kill

Lucian’s lips thin, his expression serious and thoughtful. Seth is curled up at his feet, eyes closed, but he’s far from relaxed. At Lucian’s mention of taking blood from someone else, Seth growls, low and angry. As a wolf, he understands how bad that would be when you’ve found your mate. There’s only one person I should be sinking my teeth into.

Sitting up, I turn to face him so he can see how serious I’m taking this.

“Lucian, the only person I’ll be biting, if she’ll allow it, is my mate.” Rubbing a hand over my gritty, sore eyes, I sigh. “My plan was to drink some fresh blood. I thought it might be better than the bags… but I couldn’t do it.”

Lucian’s eyes meet mine, and he nods once, satisfied I’m being truthful. Seth gets to his paws and moves to the door, scratching to get out. That’s all he wanted to know. Now that he’s satisfied I’m not a terrible person, he’s done. Watching him now, he’s more like a grumpy house cat than a feral wolf. When did that happen?

“She seems nice,” Lucian says quietly, opening my bedroom door to let Seth out. One hand resting on the doorframe, he hesitates. “If you want her to move in with us, I think we can make it work. If it makes you happy, that is. I think she likes you.”

I smother a smile, knowing there’s no faster way to ruin a heartfelt chat with a teen. He likes her. If she wants to, she’ll be moving in regardless of what he thinks, but it’s nice to know she has his vote of confidence.

And she’s my mate, I should hope she likes me at least a little.

“You might be in trouble though; she was not happy about the blood,” he adds, turning my smile into a frown instantly.

I thought as much, but I have no idea how to fix this. We both look to the door where she lies sleeping just across the hall, looking for inspiration.

“Bad?” I ask, wincing when I think of the mess I left behind.

He nods, looking at me with sympathy. “I think she was pissed-off that you weren’t here to talk to her this evening. She’s curious about it. She might not be as against the idea as you think.”

She spent her second afternoon here all alone, with a strange young vampire for company. I had been so determined to show her what life could be like if we were together. But that’s not working, and I’m making a mess of everything I do.

What I need is a grand gesture, and I think I know just the thing.

15

TYSON

“You’ll take care of her, and Noah, won’t you? If things don’t work out between us.”

Lifting a hand to shield my eyes, I stare at the solid wall of muscle that is Matt. He’s the only person who knows where I live, and he’s made the trip here to check on Mandy. Smart enough not to linger at the house where my unmarked mate rests, we’ve moved to the cover of the trees not too far from the property.

Even though I could still hear her if she called, my skin crawls with the need to be closer to her. Leaving to meet her former alpha is going to be almost impossible.

“Of course, but why do you think it won't? I mean, other than the fact that you’re you.” Matt stares at me, hard and knowing. “You can’t even take your eyes off the house. It’s okay to admit you have it bad. You’re mates. It’s normal.”

Admitting it is not the problem. Convincing her that this was the only way is going to be the problem.

“Just promise. Lucian and Seth, too,” I snap. Matt doesn’t take my irritable tone personally, just nods. I roll my shoulders, feeling a little bit better knowing they’ll be looked after. We were hardly best friends, but seeing as I really don’t have any friends at all, he’s it.

When Katya turned Matt in a moment of madness, I brought him here to learn control over his impulses. He picked it up a lot quicker than I did, but I put that down to having two mates providing him with a willing, plentiful supply of blood.

That, and not having a volatile wolf inside him.

I couldn’t leave him to have the same horrendous experience after turning that I did, especially since he would never have come across Katya’s radar if it weren’t for me stalking the Steel pack. Whereas I was left to my own devices, doing things my shifter persona couldn’t even imagine in my worst nightmares, Matt had some guidance to help him through.

“Mandy came here of her own accord. And she hasn’t run screaming, yet. That’s got to count for something?” he offers, being the positive, supportive guy he is.

Will I burst his bubble by explaining that I’ve basically trapped her here by scaring her with tales of dangerous vampires lurking in the forest?

She’s hardly here completely willingly.

I don’t, and, instead, I skirt around the details and play the tension in our home down.

“Just… we’re different. She has Noah to think about it. It’s not just her that she’s making decisions for. And I might not be what she’s looking for. I have to respect that.”

I can’t tell Matt about what’s really going on. He’s that guy: the one who will try to help no matter what you tell him. Whereas, the only thing I really need him to do is look out for Mandy and Noah if I can’t.

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