Page 30 of Awakening the Dhampir

I crossed the anteroom and headed straight for the small bar in the living room. Elliott dropped onto the large leather sofa facing the window.

“Whiskey?” I asked.

“Yeah.” A low growl followed his reply. “I should’ve stayed with her, Nathan. My wolf is pissed, and I’m not sure I can keep him from lashing out at everything that moves.”

I poured some of my favorite whiskey in two glasses and strode across the room, handing Elliott his drink. Rather than toss it back like I expected, he stared at the amber liquid like it should have the answers to all his problems. If only.

“You know, it’s only a matter of time before Damon claims her,” I said. “I think Kenrid already has, at least in spirit.”

Elliott growled again. “I know, but I can’t seem to convince my wolf that he has to share. It’s not in our nature. He has no intention of giving her up, either.”

I slumped into the oversized armchair across from him and squeezed my eyes shut. Elliott just confirmed my fears about how quickly Lorna would consume my men. If it were anyone but her, I’d be thrilled that Elliott finally found his mate. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was real or a product of Lorna’s dhampir magic.

That wasn’t right either. Dhampir couldn’t influence shifters. I glanced up at Elliott to find him staring back at me.

“I don’t know what to do, Nathan.” His pleading eyes searched my face for answers I didn’t have. “I want to believe everything she told us on the way to the airport. I’m desperate to trust the sincerity in her dhampir’s eyes when she asked for my help. Dhampir never asked for help. They killed.” He shuddered, no doubt recalling the murder scene we walked in on. “Should I give her the chance to prove herself like Damon said? Will her dhampir prove her worth as our mate?”

I took a long drink of my whiskey, letting the liquor slide down my throat as I tried to come up with a response. The answer he needed to hear might not be what was best for our clan. His wolf needed a reason to compromise, and I needed to protect my people without becoming a hypocrite. I’d never turned anyone away because of what they were. They had to give me a reason to kick them out. Lorna said all the right things. She wanted a chance to prove herself. I’d be breaking the clan’s most sacred rule if I denied her that opportunity.

Sometimes I hated being in charge.

“I think we have to give her a chance,” I replied. “Our clan was built on accepting everyone. But we’re also keeping her away from our vampires for as long as possible.”

“Okay,” Elliott mumbled, then downed his whiskey, like I’d expected earlier.

“With regards to your wolf,” I continued, “even if Damon and Kenrid claim Lorna, that doesn’t mean you can’t have personal time alone with her. You’ve seen how well the sirens manage their harems. You can stipulate that your time is yours, not anyone else’s.”

Elliott snorted. “Wolves don’t belong in a harem, Nathan. I get one soulmate who is mine to love and protect.”

“And what if Lorna needs more than one protector?” I asked. “If the fae discover her, do you really think you can keep her safe? Would you be able to live with yourself if something happened because you weren’t enough?”

A low growl rumbled from Elliott. He didn’t like to be questioned any more than the rest of us, but it was true, and he knew it.

“Think about it, my friend. How many times did we have to listen to Damon’s lecture in the last two weeks about how she needed all of us?” I reminded him and myself. The entire time Lorna was missing, Damon wouldn’t let it go. He insisted it would take all of us to keep her safe. “I don’t always agree with Damon’s black and white logic, but maybe he was right.”

Elliott seemed to deflate, slumping into the cushions beneath him. “Maybe,” he agreed. “Do you mind if I bring the boxes up here and sort through them? I don’t want to take a chance of someone else finding any info about Lorna.”

I nodded and pushed myself out of the chair. Exhaustion almost had me falling over. “Good idea. I’m going to bed.”

Elliott rose as well, then took his glass and mine back to the bar. “See you this evening.”

He strode back to the anteroom, and I heard the elevator door swish open a moment later. I drew in a deep breath and headed for the sanctuary of my bed. We had a lot to do in the next forty-eight hours before Damon and Kenrid brought Lorna to the fortress. Hopefully, Elliott would find something in all that paperwork we’d taken from Conrad.

As much as I looked forward to seeing Lorna again, I dreaded seeing her dhampir. But I couldn’t have one without the other. Didn’t that describe all of us, though? Elliott and his wolf. Me and my vampire. Damon? I wasn’t sure Damon’s demon was any different. Neither was Kenrid. They were what they were.

Maybe Kenrid and Damon were right. If the original dhampir had been raised in a positive environment – like Lorna had – maybe they wouldn’t have become the killing machines we’d always known them to be. Maybe there was hope, and I just needed to set aside my paranoid conspiracy theories.

After I talked to Kenrid about the possibility of a fae spell.

Chapter 12

Kenrid

As Damon pulled into the circular drive at the hotel we’d chosen on the southwestern side of Chattanooga, Tennessee, I pushed aside the memories of the last time we stopped at a hotel with Lorna. It’d be different this time. No one knew she was alive or that she was with us. At least, we didn’t think so.

We were stopping a little earlier than we wanted, but Damon couldn’t hold his human form any longer. He’d stayed in the back as his demon with Lorna sleeping on his chest until well after sunrise. But the tint on Elliott’s windows wasn’t dark enough to hide him. He’d made it way longer than I expected him to. Way longer than any other demon could even dream of doing.

“I’ll try to get us a suite,” I said, pushing open the passenger door and sliding out.

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