She arrived outside the warehouse. Shivering in the cool night air and facing Leigh who waited for her across the street, she realized she’d been wrong.
* * * * *
“You’ve gotten us into some serious stuff here, man,” Diskant told Trey. “We’ve got enough to deal with without worrying about the end of the world.”
Trey agreed but there’d been no way around it. “What would you have me do? Turn my back on my mate? Toss her aside like trash? You’re mated. You know that’s never going to happen. She’s mine. I’m not letting her go.”
“The pack isn’t going to take it well,” Emory said, glancing at Mary. “Remember how they reacted when they learned about my mating? And that was only a few months ago. If you throw something like this on them…” Emory shook his head, sympathetic to Trey for the first time since he’d arrived. “I don’t know what they’ll do.”
“Some of them will leave.” Diskant sighed and dry washed his hand over his face. Tossing his hand to his side, he said, “Other males will challenge Trey as Alpha. It’s something we can’t avoid. Unless we can convince them they place themselves at greater risks if we’re divided.”
“That’ll take some serious convincing.” Emory tugged Mary close, wrapping his arms around her. “We’ll have to approach this cautiously.”
“I’m afraid we might not have that kind of time,” Trey snapped, thinking about the enemy they were facing. “You didn’t see Aldon at full power. He was like a brick shithouse. He put me and Nathan on our asses with a wave of his fucking hand. If it hadn’t been for Sadie he might have killed us.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Diskant questioned. “Show them what your female’s capable of? Even if you do that most of the werewolves will balk at the notion of accepting a vampire as their Lupa. Those who understand her kind will be afraid she’ll try to make your wolf a familiar. And if by some miracle you can get them to give her a chance, your mate will have to fight for her position if any females decide to challenge her for the spot.”
“They can’t say shit once I claim her.” Trey’s throaty growl resonated through the room. “She’s already taken my blood. Once we’re mated no one can deny it. And she hasn’t made me a familiar. I’d know if she had.”
“She’s not a human or shifter, Trey,” Emory reminded him. “There’s a reason we don’t mate with vampires. Have you thought about that? The pack might follow you but not if they think you’re under the influence of a vampire. Even if she hasn’t made you a familiar, they might not believe it. You can’t convince them if they don’t want to believe.”
There was that.
Being mated to Sadie meant she would be able to control his wolf if necessary but any mate could do that. Males and females needed the balance of their mates. It wasn’t unheard of for the balance to shift from one to the other. Most shifters weren’t certain how it worked when they mated vampires—as shifters avoided blood drinkers at all costs—but horror stories had been passed along for years.
It was dangerous business, mating to blood drinkers.
He intended to learn what hold Sadie would have over him, but he had to actually seal the deal in order to understand the eccentricities of their union.
Add it to my long list of shit to consider.
“Maybe I should step down.” He glanced across the way to Emory. “Maybe it’s time someone more capable filled my shoes.”
“Oh yeah, that’d go over well,” Emory laughed, years of bitterness openly on display. “The pack might have accepted Mary but that’s only because Ava made them. And I’ve never wanted to lead the pack. Besides, you know how they feel about me. They still don’t trust me not to lose my shit. They think I’m a basket case. Coo coo ca choo.”
“You need to contact Kinsley,” Ava said, looking to Diskant. “The pack might throw a tantrum but they’ll listen if he can get the prides to back our decision. They know we need the help right now. I don’t think they’ll risk too much with everything that’s happened. Finding a new place to call home will take time. They’ll be alone until they transition.”
The Omega’s face showed his pride—and appreciation—for his female’s insight. “You’re right. I’ll call him. Once he knows what’s going on he’ll be on board. He’s the clearest head of the bunch.”
Ava grinned. “Which is why they’ll listen to him.”
“There’s something else, baby,” Diskant said softly and kneeled at Ava’s side. She’d returned to her seat as soon as Sadie had vanished. Nestled in the chair she seemed smaller, her swelling belly more pronounced. “This doesn’t end by bringing Sadie and Leigh here. We’re going to have to locate your brother. We can’t have the amulet floating around. It’s too dangerous.”
“I know.” The sadness in Ava’s voice seemed to affect everyone in the room. “I agree.”
Mary rushed from Emory’s side and placed her hand on Ava’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay. We’ll face whatever comes together. I’ll be here, right beside you. I have to look after my godchild, after all.”
“We have to establish a place here for Leigh.” Nathan, who’d remained quiet up until then, added his two cents. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her but she’s weak and fragile. A hard wind would knock her over. She’ll need to feel welcome or she’ll wither. She’ll have to know she’s wanted and needed here. She needs to feel secure.”
“Mary and I can do that,” Ava said, softening toward the Beta. “Don’t worry. We’ll make her feel at home. It’s not like the house isn’t big enough for all of us. We’ll be safer if we stick together.”
“You’ll have to do the same for Sadie,” Trey demanded, determined his female receive equal treatment. “Once she turns her back on her coven she won’t have anywhere else to go.”
“She saved my life, Trey.” Ava’s sincerity was evident. “I owe that woman. I’ll do anything to help her. And somehow we’re connected. I want to understand how she knows me so well. I need to know where I come from.”
“I’ll start preparing rooms,” Mary said and patted Ava’s shoulder. “There’s more than enough space to give everyone privacy. This house is enormous.”
“What about the station?” Trey asked, thinking about the firehouse that had become his home. “Someone has to stay on duty. If we abandon it Shepherds will know something’s up.”
“You’re right,” Diskant sighed. “That’s why I asked Nathan to get Caden’s ass here.”
“Him?” Emory’s eyes widened in surprise. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing. “You’re going to ask the human of the pack to watch over our asses?”
“Not necessarily,” Diskant corrected with a sly glance. “I’m simply going to ask him to move his shit into the place and keep things in order for a while. Any Shepherd who trespasses on Cade’s watch will wish they’d been born with brains. He wants a piece of their asses just as much—if not more—than we do.”
“Not if the information we recently received is true,” Nathan said, head bowed, hands clenched into fists. He shook his head as though he needed to get in control of his emotions. “There’s a good chance we’ve got a lead on the men who killed his wife. He’s got first dibs. We swore we’d give him the information as soon as we received it. He’ll want to go after them as soon as possible.”
Shit.
Trey knew Nathan was right. Caden deserved his revenge. The man had lost everything he loved. Shepherds had attempted to lie to the human, telling him shifters were responsible for the death of his wife and unborn child. Cade had started hunting pelts afterward, slaying every shifter in sight. Then Ava had shown the bitter and heartbroken man the truth. It hadn’t been an easy transition but once Cade had gotten jive to reality, he’d wanted the heads of the men who’d killed his family on a silver platter.