He tilted his head. “We attended the vampires’ ball together.”
“I came as your date, it wasn’t an actual date.”
“What about the blueberry pancakes?”
I blushed. “It wasn’t meant to be a date.”
He grinned. “It was certainly going in that direction, before all the growling and problematic shifters.”
“You see, you are proving my point.”
“So you want the flowers, chocolates, the romance? I can do that.”
I shook my head. “It shouldn’t be something I have to ask for.”
He frowned. “You are being impossible. Relationships take work, communication, and trust. I can give you what you need, but you have to trust me enough to tell me.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was being unfair. I didn’t need big romantic gestures. I only needed his arms to come home to at night. For someone to care enough to make sure I’m okay, to check in and ask how my day was and make me blueberry pancakes in the morning when I drag myself from my bed.
He was here, he showed up, he was giving all that and I was being a fool for throwing it back in his face.
My heart was ping-ponging around in my chest. One second I’d committed to him in front of his most powerful leaders, the next I was looking for a way to extricate myself from this relationship. I needed to pick a lane and stay in it. I opened my mouth and he covered it with his own, stealing my breath and the words poised on my lips. My mind went blank as a shot of need pulsed through me. After weeks of barely touching, the sensation was staggering. A shiver raced down my spine and settled low. His lips and tongue did a complete exploration of my mouth like he was trying to imprint himself into my flesh. With each sweep of his tongue, he dissolved my doubts and worries until they were dust being carried out of the open window and into the night air. He replaced them with hopes and wishes. He wrapped me in his arms and drew me close. My body went lax and I sunk against him.
“You’ve done this alone for long enough,” he said against my ear before leaning back. “It’s time to let me in and allow me to help you. Together we are stronger. If you need to cry, I will hold you, if you need to scream, then you can do it in my arms. Your enemies become my enemies and we will wage war on them together. If Indigo needs a soul, we will find a suitable source. Starting now, it’s no longer you, alone against the world. I will be at your side.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” I whispered my greatest fear. “I’d never forgive myself.”
He leaned back and his lips kicked up to the side. “I’m stronger than I look. You are offending Keverin by telling him he can’t handle it.”
My mouth popped open and he covered my concerns with more kisses. He buried his hands in my hair and tugged a little, emphasizing his need. “Damn, I missed this mouth,” he groaned. “I know what it cost you to accept that you are my mate tonight, but I have never been happier. You are it for me, Cora. This isn’t a tumble in the sheets, or the thrill of the chase. Have I not proved that to you these last weeks?”
Yes, he had. Even predators who liked the chase would have given up by now, and we’d already had a tumble in the sheets, so it wasn’t that that kept him interested. No, for some unfathomable reason, Hudson Abbot, the Terror of Tennessee, The Principal, had chosen me to become his mate. He had accepted my darkness and even with death as my constant companion, it didn’t scare him. But it should.
Chapter Four
Hormonal teenagers should not be mistaken for possessed ones.
I’d set two broken limbs, treated one suspicious rash, and was readying myself for my final appointment before lunch. Last night, Hudson had retreated to his own room after landing me with the ‘come hell or high water we are in this together’ speech. I was in love with him. That was undisputed, but I worried about the impact of my political ties. Some of the alphas had pledged their loyalty to us as a mated pair, but there were others—like Jessy—who we needed to get on board to make this work.
Rebecca opened the door to my office and I stood from behind my desk to greet a curvy woman and a tiny wide-eyed girl. I’d place her under ten, except the devious glint in her gaze suggested she’d hit puberty. The girl was dressed in a cornflower blue dress that fell to her knees, while the woman was in a simple, yet expensive, slacks and blouse. The jacket she wore was fitted without drawing attention to her body. They had matching honey blonde hair and big brown eyes. The woman wore hers in elegant waves, while the girl had a long braid that fell over her shoulder, but there was no doubting what they were. Vampires. I glanced at my appointment planner. Maggie had failed to mention I had a vampire client today. Normally I marked their faction next to their names so I had an idea of what I might be facing. Vampires made up less than ten percent of my client list. They tend to be more reserved and therefore less prone to accidents, which makes their afflictions more interesting.
Rebecca’s gaze snagged on mine. I gave her a nod, dismissing her. She closed the door and I waved at the two high-backed chairs in front of my desk. “Please take a seat.”
The woman folded herself into the chair and pointed at the one next to her. The child jumped into it and swung her legs back and forth.
“My name is Wendy,” the curvy woman announced with a catwalk-worthy hair flick. “And this is my daughter, Rachel.”
I scribbled down their names on my notepad and raised an expectant brow at Wendy. “How can I help you today?”
Wendy sighed and side-eyed her daughter. “She’s possessed.”
I blinked and my pen paused in its note taking. “Excuse me?”
“My beautiful, calm, good-natured daughter is possessed.”
“And what makes you believe that?”
“She bit the family dog.”
