By the time the first snow stuck to the ground, she was living with her vampire in every way that mattered. It was also around that time that Zia reluctantly broke the news of her relationship to her mother.
“…avampire,Zia?”
“Yes,Anne,”she replied, watching her mother’s expression on her phone’s screen warily. Harlan sat just out of sight on the couch beside her, his thigh pressed against hers while he leaned over the coffee table and worked on cleaning every part of a wicked looking bolt gun. It was a wordless gesture of support that made her chest swell with warmth.
“But—” For once in her life, Zia’s mother apparently didn’t know what to say. She looked entirely flummoxed until, with a small furrowing of her brow, she asked, “Yourboss?”
She tried not to squirm. Tucking a curl behind her ear, she stuttered, “Uh, yeah. Mr. Bounds. Harlan, actually. I’ve mentioned—”
“Zia Alexandria Serafina North, you are not telling me, your mother, that you started an intimate relationship with your vampire boss.” Her mother’s voice rose in pitch and volume as her temper flared. “You arenot.”
If she could have melted into the couch, she would have. Since that wasn’t possible, Zia’s body decided the second best option was to simply start crying. It didn’t matter that she felt exactly zero guilt or shame about her relationship. All that mattered was that her mother was upset.
“Anne,it’s not like that. Harlan and I are so happy together. Please don’t make it out to be something predatory when it’s not.” Zia blinked hard, trying to force the reflexive tears back.No waterworks! If you start crying, she’ll really think there’s something to be upset about!
“He’s a predator,Zia! Of course it’s predatory!”
“That’s not fair. You haven’t even heard everything I have to say!” She sniffed hard and firmed her jaw. “This isn’t some fling. We’ve been together for two months already. Harlan’sitfor me.”
“How can you know that? Didn’t you say he was almost the same age as your father and me? Zia, he’s so mucholderthan you. That kind of unevenness in a relationship is unhealthy.” Her mother’s face pinched. “Your father is going to be upset.”
“Dad doesn’t care about who I date,” she shot back, unwilling to take that particular guilt-trip. “You know that as well as I do. The last time I talked about a boyfriend, he zoned out so hard he missed dessert. Dad would rather chew glass than talk about my relationships!”
“That was when you weren’t dating a vampire twice your age, who happens to be yourboss.”Her mother’s face flushed. Worry made her tone harsh when she demanded, “Zia, what are youthinking?He will use you up and leave you heartbroken! Men like that don’t justdatewomen like you.”
Harlan set the parts of his gun down on the polished coffee table with a dull thud. Zia made the mistake of glancing at him when he straightened.
His expression had hardened into something ice cold.
She tried to subtly shake her head, conveying that she was fine and that he didn’t need to interfere, but it was no use.
In one swift movement, he plucked the phone out of her hand and angled himself into the frame.
“Good evening, Mrs. North,” he murmured, voice pitched to what Zia had come to think of as hisI’m warning you not to fuck with mecadence. His eyes glittered with a deep, dark anger that made the animal part of her brain want to run and hide.
Zia shrank into the couch cushions as her mother’s mouth opened with an astonished gasp. Before her mother could get a word in, Harlan continued, “I understand that you have some concerns about my relationship with your daughter. I will handle those now.”
Recovering a little, she managed to reply, “Oh? And how are you going to do that?”
“By telling you that I made itveryclear to Zia when we started our relationship that it would never affect her position as the estate’s rosarian.” A corner of Harlan’s lips quirked — such a subtle smile that it took Zia’s trained eye to catch it. “That will change, of course, when Zia officially becomes my wife under the eyes of the law. Then she willownthe garden.Thatis whatmen like medo withwomen like her,Mrs. North. Wemarrythem.”
It was Zia’sturn to gasp. Flushing to the roots of her hair, she hissed, “Harlan, you can’t just say things like that to my mother!”
He didn’t look the least bit chagrined. “It’s the truth. You are mine. The paperwork and the vows are just a formality.”
Well,shemight know that, but her mother didn’t. Going by the astonished look on her face, it appeared she was having some trouble processing this news. Her voice was faint when she asked, “You want to marry my daughter?”
“Iwillmarry your daughter.” Harlan clicked his tongue against his fangs. “It is as good as done. Zia is my anchor, Mrs. North. She is mymate.If your concern is that she will not be taken care of, then rest assured that I have the means to keep her comfortable for the rest of her life.”
His expression sharpened with a raw sort of aggressiveness when he added, “If it’s that you think I do not love her, then you are simply fucking wrong.”
Her mother’s eyes flicked to Zia. The blood began to drain from her face as she absorbed the seriousness of the situation, as well as the sheer intensity of Harlan’s expression. “Zia, what about…”
Dread was a lead weight in her stomach. This wasnothow she wanted to broach the subject of bonding with her vampire. Zia held up her hands in a stalling gesture and hoarsely begged,“Anne,please don’t worry about that.”
Harlan aimed a frown at her. His eyes narrowed dangerously when he asked, “Worry about what?”
“Noth—”
