“Howmany?” I asked.
“Tenthousand deaths in America this year. That’s just America. Most of the bodieswere concentrated in one area of the country.”
Iwanted to tell him to stop.
“Here.The Pacific Northwest. Layla’s hunting grounds. My territory! The vampires havegone too far.” His arms were rippling with patches of fur.
Ifelt my eyes go yellow. I stared forward in shock. Again he dodged my questionabout details of his plan to eradicate the vampires, but I didn’t care. I wasdigesting the new information.
Theentire drive to Alek’s property was spent in silence. I wasn’t so sure thiswas a good idea. What if it was a trick? I had to trust that my vision wouldn’tlead me into a trap. Alek lived on five sprawling acres in the small collegetown of Forest Grove. We parked at the closed private property gate and got outof the car. There was no call box and no way of opening the gate.
“Howdo we get in?” I asked Kai.
Kaistood in front of me protectively. “He will have smelled us by now.”
Sureenough, a figure zoomed into our vision from behind the gate. He wasn’t hidinghis vampire powers. It was dark out. I couldn’t make out all of his features,but it looked like the guy from my vision.
“Privateproperty. Please leave. I want no trouble with the wolves.”
Kailooked at me with surprise. This was not the typical vampire we were used todealing with. His voice didn’t hiss, his eyes were calm. He seemed … nice?
“Idid a Native American vision quest and I had a vision of you kissing your humanlover. You were kind to her and different from the vampires we know. We want totalk,” I blurted out. Kai grabbed his forehead.
‘What?’I prodded.
‘Yousound crazy.’
‘Iam a little crazy, Kai.’
Thevampire looked surprised.
“Whoare you?” he asked.
Kailooked at me and shook his head no.
“I’mAurora, the Matefinder. The one Layla wants.”
‘Jesus,Aurora! Why not give him our address?’Kai roared.
Thesecond Layla’s name left my mouth Alek jumped up and over the gate and was inmy face.
“Shhh,don’t speak of her here,” he told me firmly. Kai’s arm came out quicklyblocking him from coming closer to me.
Aleklooked at Kai’s arm. “I told you, I don’t have beef with your kind. Comeinside. Mariam, my wife, is at work.”
‘Hiswife?’Kai sounded interested.‘What vampire takes a human wife? Not a lover, not a blood slave, a wife?’
Ishrugged. It was a short walk to the entrance of his home. It was a cutecottage style home with a lush rose garden, just like from my vision. He openedthe door and asked us to be seated in the living room.
“Areyou two mates?” Alek asked.
“Yes,”Kai told him.
Hesmiled. His skin was pale and his hair was a dirty blonde cropped cut thatextenuated his strong jaw. He was expertly dressed and had a tall, lean frame.
“Ihave always been taken with the idea of werewolves’ mates. It sounds soromantic.”
Kaiand I shared a look. A hopeless romantic vampire? There was a first foreverything.
