Page 99 of Act of Brotherhood
Auberi’s gaze held something close to compassion. “You have vampire in your genetic makeup, but you are not, in the full sense of the word, a vampire.”
Nicolette gave in to the need to reach out and touch the man. She placed her fingers lightly on his upper arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound the way it did. Please don’t be offended. I’m just learning about all of this and I spoke without thinking. I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice guy who just happens to turn into a bat.”
His lips twitched. “I cannot turn into a bat.”
“Oh.” She eyed him. “Can I see your fangs?”
He nodded and showed them off quickly.
“Neat.” She leaned forward a bit. “Will holy water hurt you?”
He looked as if he was trying hard to keep from laughing. “No.”
“Crucifixes?”
Garth smiled slightly. “No. They don’t harm him. Trust me, if they did, I’d have kept one on me at all times long ago.”
She glanced back at Garth as she leaned forward on the seat. “Why? Do you two not get along?”
Striker laughed loudly. “’Tis putting it mildly. They hate one another. I cannae wait to see how this plays out, now that Auberi is the Viking’s father-in-law.”
Nicolette glanced around at them and then stilled, thinking about what Striker had said, and what had been said back at the motel.
Boomer glanced in the rearview mirror at Garth. “Should I pull over? Is this going to end up with her in hysterics or you and Auberi trying to tear each other’s throats out?”
“I’m gonna bet on yes,” said Striker.
“Would someone mind telling me what is going on?” asked Nicolette calmly.
Boomer put his hands up. “Not it.”
Auberi rolled his eyes at the man.
Garth cleared his throat. “Well, uh, you see, for a shifter male, when they…when we…it’s like this—”
Striker leaned forward and patted the back of Nicolette’s seat. “The Viking did what’s called a claiming with you. Means he bit you during intercourse and said the word ‘mine’ to bind you to him. That means, in our eyes, he’s yer husband. Apparently, you bound yerself back to him, because the claim is strong. We can all smell it on youboth. And yer scent is changing as we speak. Means yer with child.”
She said nothing as she took it all in. Wife? Child?
“And that one up there? The one who has issues with the sun? He’s yer father.” Striker leaned back in his seat, lifted his arms, put his hands behind his head and grinned. “There. Handled. Now, can we find somewhere to eat? I’m starving.”
“Nicolette?” asked Garth, his voice low. “Beauty, are you okay?”
They were all nuts. There was no other way to explain it. She lost it, laughing so hard she thought she might wet herself.
When she realized no one had joined in with the joking, her laughter tapered off. A French curse fell free from her lips.
Auberi lifted his brows.
Boomer snorted. “Oh yeah, she’s yours all right.”
She stared at the man they were claiming fathered her. Her hand went to just under her eyes. He had the exact same eye color as her. The more she looked at the man, who didn’t look to be any older than thirty at best, the more she began to see bits of his features that she shared. Another long line of French obscenities came out of her in a hushed whisper.
“I like her!” proclaimed Striker. “Can we eat now? Killing bad guys makes me hungry.”
“I don’t understand. Uncle Landros told me my parents were dead,” she said before taking another deep breath.”
“Technically, Auberi is dead. He’s a vampire,” said Striker. “So that was nae a total lie on yer uncle’s part.”
