Page 86 of Forbidden Devotion
Sinclair finally hadthe pleasure of meeting Erika, who was a whirlwind of activity. Despite that, she’d wrapped him in a warm, unexpected hug, and he’d liked her right away. She was calm, organized, and getting shit done. An alpha wolf in her element.
Sinclair observed both Mitchel and Ramsey staying out of her way, letting her manage things. And she was damned good at it.
While they’d slept, Erika had organized a system to triage the injured, begun a public post for people to list the missing, added another rather depressing post of the deceased, and coordinated with the local news to counter the false information humans had been given with correct information. And if that wasn’t enough, she’d drafted a proposal to extend the Peace Accord to humanity.
The woman was on fire.
Sinclair’s parents joined them after their visit to check on Nathan. They extended an offer of cooperation from the Vampire Council to the werewolves and asked if there was anything they could do to assist. Erika wasn’t shy about putting them to work.
Life in the supernatural realm would go on. There was no call to retaliate against humanity for what had been done by a select few. This wasn’t time for war. It was time for compassion. The individuals responsible for the violence were dead, and the rest of the species deserved a fair shake.
The demon Andrealphus, who’d spread the lies that prompted the attack, was still at large. Though a warrant was issued for his arrest, it would be next to impossible to track down a demon. They had access to realms neither vampire nor werewolf could enter.
Sinclair and Mitchel had already stayed a day longer in Oak City than they’d planned. Neither of them had the proper skill set to be of further use, and besides, the supernatural machine was running fine without them. They just needed to collect Nathan, Charlie, and Eleanor and head back to Borson.
Head back home.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
Article by Supernatural Times Reporter Keller McCray
The Supernatural Realm’s Outreach to Humanity—A Call for Volunteers
Alpha wolf Erika Silveris in the planning stages of a massive outreach program to humanity. Volunteers are requested. It’s essential we spread truthful information to our worldly neighbors in a timely fashion.
If you’re interested in helping, please reach out to Ms. Silver promptly. Skills needed: media relations, social media managers, content creators, marketing specialist, advertising agents, photographers, graphic designers, and video editors. Our first priority is to spread accurate information.
If you don’t have experience in these fields, that’s all right. Please do sign up to help anyway. Contact Ms. Silver with your skill set, and she’ll put you to work straight away.
All supernaturals are welcome to apply, regardless of species. This is the time to unite.
* * *
Mitchel
The first thingMitchel did upon arrival at Borson was collect all Sinclair’s things and move the vampire from his tiny closet of a dorm room to their peaceful cabin in the woods.
Sinclair was thrilled with this upgrade, although it did make his walk to campus longer. Having Sinclair in his living space made the cabin even cozier. Otherwise, it was surreal to be back at home after everything that had happened. Going back to regular life so soon after tragedy felt disorienting, and he was glad to have the comfort of Sinclair by his side.
Sinclair’s PhD advisory board offered to give him time off to recover from the ordeal, and while Mitchel thought that was a great idea, he’d also supported Sinclair’s decision to refuse the offer. Mitchel had to admire his work ethic and also suspected it was part of Sinclair’s process of dealing with the trauma.
As the weeks passed by, Mitchel stayed occupied with projects at the old church and their cabin. Keeping busy helped, and the dorms were always in need of something. He refurbished Sinclair’s old room and turned it back into the storage closet it was meant to be, and he finally got around to cleaning out the chimney so they’d be able to light a fire when winter set in properly.
They spent many an evening in conversation, coming to know one another better and better.
Mitchel hadn’t overcome his hesitancy over the claiming bite. Not because he didn’t want Sinclair as a mate—he did very much—but because he’d never gotten the information he needed to be sure it wouldn’t hurt Sinclair. What if it worked differently with a vampire?
What if it was dangerous?
Sinclair was adamant that he wanted to take the risk. He said nothing that felt so right could be a danger for him, but Mitchel wanted to be sure.
It was getting harder to resist with every passing day, and the call of the full moon would be on them in a few nights. A mounting need grew inside Mitchel. He worried he wouldn’t be able to stop himself this time.
“Do you want to run with us again?” he asked Sinclair one evening as they settled into bed.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Sinclair rested his head on Mitchel’s chest.
Mitchel tugged the quilt over them and wrapped an arm around Sinclair’s waist, tugging him close. “We should talk about the claiming bite.”
