“Is she your mate?” he asks quietly.
I don’t answer right away. “I don’t know,” I finally admit.
Bryce doesn’t give me a hard time for not knowing. “You know she was a healer before they turned her, right?” his words are quiet. I nod, even as anger burns through me. I don’t ever let myself think about what Sherese has gone through. If I ever let myself fully dwell on it, I’m afraid I might snap. “So, you knowit’s a possibility, right? Even if she wasn’t a healer, just the fact that she was a human before makes it possible. But now...” his voice trails off.
“Yeah.” I don’t say any more; I don’t have to. He knows. She’s a vampire now, and that changes everything. There are times when I think she might be something more than just someone I’m protective of. But then I wonder if I’m just making it into something it’s not.
“I’m sorry, Hunter.”
I acknowledge his words but don’t say anything.What is there to say? He must be able to tell I’m done with this conversation because he changes the subject. “Garrett wants to meet.” I don’t even have to ask what it’s about. Things are getting worse with the vampires.
“When?” I ask.
Bryce shakes his head. “He hasn’t set a date yet. He said they’d be happy to come here, but I feel that we should go to them. They’ve come when we needed them; it’s our turn to go to them.” I nod in agreement. “Of course, that was before I realized Ava was pregnant.”
I study his face for a moment. “We can have them come here.”
He blows out a breath. “I know, but that’s not fair to do. I know they’ve had a few pregnant mates travel when we needed them. It’s our turn to go to them. I just worry about Ava.”
“She’ll be fine,” I say softly. “Your mate is strong.”
Bryce’s face softens the way it always does when he’s thinking about his mate. “Yeah, she is.”
“What about Sherese while I’m gone?”
He meets my gaze. “Garrett requested her presence.”
I go still. “Why?”
“I imagine it’s so they can talk to her and get her knowledge on the vampires.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “No.”
Bryce leans back in his chair. “Why not?”
I open my mouth to tell him that she’s fragile right now, but that’s not even true. She’s still strong, but I think about last night. My gut tightens. “She’s not the cold, merciless killer people think she is. If we take her to another pack, all they know is that she’s a vampire. They’ll treat her a certain way, and she doesn’t deserve that.”
“I know she’s not a cold, merciless killer, but sheisa vampire, Hunter. Garrett and his wolves won’t look the other way on that.”
“And that’s why she won’t be going.”
“She may not have a choice,” he returns.
I stare him down. My voice is low when I speak. “She will always have a choice.”
“And if I command her to go?” Bryce asks.
A slow smile forms. “Good luck ordering Sherese to doanything.”
Bryce watches me a moment longer and then pushes back his chair. “Thanks for staying after. I need to get home. I’ll let you know what Garrett says, and we can make a plan.” He stops at the door and turns back. “And Hunter?” I turn to him. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think there’s any question what she is to you.” He doesn’t look away. “And you’ll have me in your corner if that’s what you both want.” He’s gone a moment later. I, on the other hand, don’t move from the table for quite a long time.
Chapter Twelve
Sherese
I barely sleep that night. Part of it is because I did nothing all day, but the other part is that I was too scared to go to sleep. I was afraid my nightmares would return. I’m up and out of the house early for another run. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to get back to this. It feels good, and it’s something to help me not lose my sanity. It helps me to feel grounded and maybe even a little bit normal. When I get back to the house, Hunter is in the kitchen again. He doesn’t say anything, and I don’t stop as I walk past.
After my shower, I sit on my bed for a few minutes. But it only takes that long for me to realize I will go absolutely crazy if I spend all day in my room again. I head out to the living room, figuring Hunter will be gone for the day. But when I open my door, Hunter is standing there with his hand raised like he was going to knock. “Did you need something?” I ask.
