Page 27 of Melissa's Mates (Blissful Bets)

Channing lay down on the mattress for hours. He couldn’t go to sleep. All he could think about was whether or not Melissa was okay. He physically knew she was fine, but not being able to see her made fear consume him. What happened if she got into some type of accident or someone mugged her or broke into her friend’s apartment? The possibilities were endless. Damn it, he hated this.

He told Connor that he wouldn’t see her without him, but the thought of vanishing and appearing next to her teased his thoughts. He was dying to just see her for himself and make sure she was okay. The bond he and Melissa shared pulled at his insides. If he focused hard enough, he could find her.

Conflicted, he rubbed his eyes. The sound of a key sliding in the lock had him sitting up in the bed. A tall blond walked in, his hair in complete disarray. He looked like a punk kid although he had to be in his mid-twenties. Tattoos covered the lengths of his arms, and Channing couldn’t ignore the barbell from the tongue ring he had settled between his lips.

“Whoa, who the fuck are you? Is Connor back?”

“I’m Channing. Connor’s in the room.”

“You’re Channing? Holy…shit, man. That’s fucking awesome. You’re like a legend in the vampire community. Anyone who can scare the hell out of a community of vampires has my respect. They’re really tough.”

“You’re a wolf.”

The blond shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, but my best friend is a vampire. He’s cool. I’m not like most wolves who hate you guys. I’m good with us all mingling.”

“Well, shit, I think that’s a first.” Channing watched the guy walk over to the kitchen and pull out a chair. “So I’m assuming you’re the Londyn Connor was telling me about.”

“The one and only.”

Mesmerized, Channing watched the wolf play with the tongue ring. How could he stand that thing in his mouth? Curious, his mind came up with all kinds of questions. “Say, Londyn, have you ever swallowed one of those things?”

“Two, actually.”

“How do the ladies like them?”

A laugh exploded out of the blond’s mouth. “Oh, they enjoy it just fine, but I don’t need the art to satisfy them. I got this because I thought it would get me to stop smoking. No such luck, but I find it gives me something to do when I’m bored.”

“Interesting. So…” Channing’s heart jumped, making him lose focus on his words. He didn’t think. He felt for Melissa’s connection and disappeared. Opening his eyes, a bedroom came into view. Two sleeping forms were nestled under the covers. Julie had her arm wrapped around Melissa’s sleeping body.

Tears poured from his mate’s eyes even as she slept. A sickening feeling swamped Channing. He wanted badly to pull her into his arms and hold her. But he couldn’t. He needed to leave. Red hair flowed freely over the white pillow, and he bent down and inhaled deeply before he forced himself to go.

Feeling the couch-bed appear underneath him, he opened his eyes. Connor stood directly at the end of the mattress, glaring at him.

“Her pain woke me up. You went to her. What was wrong? Is she okay?”

“Bad dream, I think. Julie was holding her while they slept. That girl has my utmost respect.”

“I’m glad she’s not sleeping alone, but are you sure she was okay?”

Channing exhaled loudly. “She even cries in her sleep. I hope this isn’t going to go on for much longer because I can’t take seeing her like that. If I knew it wouldn’t set us back in trying to win her over, I’d have brought her back here.”

Connor cursed under his breath. A throat clearing had both of them looking toward Londyn.

“That whole disappearing thing was beyond awesome. But let me get this straight because I’m not a dumbass. You’re both mated to the same girl, aren’t you?”

“I knew you weren’t stupid. If you would have been, I wouldn’t have trusted you to stay here.” Connor walked in the kitchen and started the coffee pot. It didn’t take long before the rich aroma made its way to Channing.

“So we have another trio. This is just crazy. Why does this keep happening?”

Channing shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure, but you better watch it, boy, or else you could be next.”

“Hell no. I’m not going to be mated anytime soon. I still have plenty of party years ahead of me.”

Channing laughed and so did Connor. “Let me give you some advice. When it happens, there’s nothing you can do. I don’t care how you feel now. The moment the pull begins, you’ll be lost and instantly in love.”

“Bullshit.”

Connor walked out and handed Channing a mug of coffee. “He’s right, Londyn. You can’t stop or control it. It’s the best feeling in the world. I promise.”

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