Page 54 of Mated to the Human: Volume One

Maple sat on the long counter where her food and water bowl rested. Her tail twitched unhappily.

“Shit, I’m sorry Mapes.” Merrick hurried over and pulled the bin of food out from the cabinet beneath the counter, and scooped Maple’s breakfast into it. He scratched behind her ears, earning a half-hearted purr before she started to eat. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you some banana to go with it.”

Merrick turned around to find Ammon already starting the coffee.

“She’s beautiful. She really eats bananas?”

“They’re her favorite.”

“So that’s the way to her heart,” Leander said, walking into the room as he adjusted his navy blue suit coat. “I never would have guessed banana.”

Merrick stared at him. The suit was a touch more casual than the others he’d seen him wear—no vest or tie and the first couple buttons on his perfectly pressed white shirt left open—but come on. “Leander.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have a meeting or something today?”

Leander frowned. “No?”

“Then why are you in a suit? It’s Sunday. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to leave the house, but how am I supposed to cuddle you on the couch in that!”

Ammon choked on his coffee, coughing and sputtering. He held out a hand toward them when they both looked his way. “Don’t mind me.”

A furrow appeared between Leander’s brows as he dropped his arms to his sides. “I could take the jacket off for cuddling.”

Running his teeth over his bottom lip, Merrick tried not to laugh. This ridiculous vampire was his. “Okay.”

* * *

The meeting at the Paranormal Council building was exactly what Leander feared. A hate group targeting paranormals—HAP, apparently—had taken offense to humans agreeing to be mated to paranormals as part of Lenette and the mayor’s unity push. Not only that, but there was suspicion that the city’s police commissioner—Hollis’s uncle—was the one calling the shots.

With a sigh, Leander rested his hand on the small of Merri’s back as they moved toward the conference room door. Merri hadn’t been targeted in the initial round of attacks, for which he was grateful, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was only a matter of time.

Merri hadn’t seemed conflicted when Leander spoke up and agreed he’d like for the hellhounds to provide protection for Merri when he wasn’t there. Even though he had his own people watching Merri’s building, it wouldn’t hurt to have the enforcers on hand when the humans decided to try their luck. He was aware that the inaccessibility of Merri’s building and the added security of his own men watching it was probably the reason it hadn’t happened yet.

He intended to keep it that way.

“Merrick,” Cane Harding called before they’d reached the door.

Merri looked over his shoulder at Cane with a smile before he stepped away from Leander. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Leander said. Lenette caught his eye, motioning him over to her. “I’m going to speak with Lenette.” He’d known her for what seemed like forever, but really it’d only been a century or so, long before there was a Paranormal Council for her to be the leader of.

When he reached her side, she leaned in, speaking so low he doubted even the hellhounds in the room would hear her. “How are things going?”

Meeting her eyes, he let a small smile slip onto his face. “Better than I’d hoped.”

She arched one manicured eyebrow at him. “That’s not telling me much.” She’d heard his dissatisfaction about being chosen to mate, at length.

He sighed, looking over to where Merrick was talking with Cane and Jake. “He’s wonderful,” he said simply. He turned his face back to Lenette. “Thank you for bullying me into this.”

She smirked. “You’re welcome.”

He squared up with Lenette. “Now tell me we’ll bury HAP and anyone else who comes along that might want to hurt him.”

“Oh, I fully intend to bury them.” She lowered her voice. “I put in a call to the seer’s guild with an official request for assistance.”

Leander’s eyebrows climbed up his head. “The mages? Will they help?”

---