Her Brother, Her Mate

I pull my phone from my pocket, dialing Cathal’s number.

“Greetings my fanged friend.”

“He was here,” I hiss through the line, glaring at the warning clearly intended for me on my bathroom wall. She was never his. She is mine.

“Who?”

“Your apprentice. He was in my office at the club.”

“Bloodlust? Or the cigar club on North Beach?”

“Bloodlust,” I hiss. Cathal sighs heavily.

“I’ll send a troop there. I thought you were residing on the young alpha’s territory? Why are you at your place of work?”

“I need you here. He placed some kind of ward in my office. I can exit but my employees won’t be able to if they enter it.” I avoid answering his questions, shame still filling me from my fight with Simone’s twin.

“Curses,” Cathal spits out like the word “curses” is a curse word itself. “I will accompany my men. Did you alert Parker already?”

I resist the urge to g***n. “No, but I will.”

I mist to exit my office, alerting my men of the intrusion and warning them from entering. They look at each other nervously, and I suspect my head of security gave them strict instructions to keep me safe in his absence, and Simon will likely chew them out for not following through. I will have to speak with him and tell them it was my doing. I told them to remain downstairs and snapped at Stephan prior to that. I didn’t give them the opportunity to voice their opinions.

I mist and travel the entire club, using my senses to try and detect any other foreign presence. I don’t find anything. Just my normal, colder-blooded employees and the vendors delivering alcohol for the evening.

I’m dreading making this phone call. I have to call Parker before Cathal shows up, but I’m dreading the judgment I’m sure will come from him, his mate, and the rest of his pack. More than anything, I’m scared of facing Simone. Not only did I attack her brother unjustly, and poisoned him in my crazed, possessive state, but I also went off her pack’s lands, back to my nightclub when she’s been so worried about my safety. What do humans say? Three strikes and you’re out? That’s three strikes right there. Losing her would end me.

Her conflicting emotions are still reaching me through the bond, worrying me more. She can reject me, but once a vampire starts the ‘mating’ process, or imprinting as most older vampires call it, it is permanent and for life. She can leave me, but I’ll never leave her. She is it for me. Forever.

The bond isn’t fully formed, but I feel it solidifying every day. Every time we converse, cuddle, and joke around, especially when we make love, the bond grows stronger and stronger. Now that I have her, I don’t want to lose her. She is my love. My one and only.

I need to make this right.

Dialing Parker’s number, I steady my nerves, readying in my mind what I want to say.

“Vincent?” Parker answers quickly. His voice sounds strained. “Where are you? Simone just went to check on you and you weren’t there.”

I sigh. I hope she’s not there with him right now, but that’s unlikely. Wolves’ hearing is good, not as good as a vampire’s, but still enhanced by their DNA. If she is close by, she will be able to hear, and then she will worry. I don’t want her to worry. I don’t want to be the cause of any more negative emotions.

“Are you alone?”

“I am now. I just left the apartment to see if I could call you. Simone is worried but….” he lets his sentence hang in the air, making me feel like trash. She is worried about me, but she’s still upset. I can feel it in the bond.

“I’m at my club. I think you should come and meet me here, Parker. Now.”

“Why? What are you doing there? What happened?” he throws question after question at me in a hushed, panicked voice.

“He was here. That vile fae. He broke into my office. Cathal is on his way but you should be here as well.”

“Did you see him?”

“No. He must have left recently, though. His warmth was still lingering, and the b***d was still wet.”

“B***d?!” he exclaimed in a hushed tone.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Just come. And…..can you do me a favor?” I am nervous to ask, but I need to make things right. I can’t stand feeling Simone’s disappointment in me.

“What’s that?” he sighs in an exasperated tone. I can picture him running his fingers through his hair like he usually does when he’s stressed. A habit he used to do a lot around me, back when I would still come on to his mate. I grimaced thinking about ever liking anyone but my Simone. It now feels like my life began when she came into it. Everything before was irrelevant.

“Can you bring Casey? I would like to apologize. Speak to him without Simone here.”

Parker is silent for several seconds, “I think that’s a great idea, Vincent. Yeah. I’ll do that. Do you want me to tell Simone anything? She may be upset, but I know not finding you in the suite sent her into a panic. Want me to be the middle man for you?”

My slow-beating heart constricts hearing I made my love feel all those emotions.

“Can you tell her….tell her I will be home to her soon?”

I know the packhouse is not my home. It may never be my home after the stunt I pulled today. But, Simone will always be my home. I’ll be content as long as I’m with her if she allows me. Home is where the heart is, and she is my heart.

“Yeah. I’ll tell her,” he sighs, and I’m about to hang up when he stops me. “Vincent, you still there?”

“Yes?”

“Shoes.”

“Pardon me?” I scrunch my face in question, my mind going back to my Tom Fords in my toilet upstairs. I liked those shoes.

“Simone likes shoes. Loves them. If you want to get back in her good graces, get her shoes. It may work even without you making up with Casey. The more expensive, the more forgiving she will be.”

“Shoes?” I chuckle. Surely it’s not that easy.

“Shoes. I’d tell Carli to help you, but she’s ready to kick your a*s too right now. I wouldn’t trust her. Maybe Elena or….”

“I can get her shoes,” I smile into the receiver. I’ll buy her all the damn shoes in Miami if I have to, but I have good taste. I’m sure I can handle picking out a couple of pairs of shoes. Maybe matching handbags and accessories to go with each one? If shopping is the way to win her over, that’s too easy.

Parker chuckles, “We can go together. I defended you, along with half the men there at the training grounds. I’m in the dog house too.”

“Why would you defend me? I acted atrociously.”

“Man, any of us would have acted like that if our mate was in the arms of another guy. You didn’t know he was her brother. I thought your actions were pretty tame, considering the circumstances. Do you know how bad I wanted to tear you limb from limb all those years ago? Your a*s is lucky I was on Carli’s s**t list back then or I probably would have.”

“You could have tried,” I chuckled.

“Yeah, you’re not as prissy as you look. That was an eye-opener today,” he laughs, “I’ll be there soon. With Casey.”

“Thanks, Parker.”

My hopes are lifted. I hated him when we first met, and for many years after, but now I’m really starting to like Parker. I think I can allow him to be my alpha, I chuckle thinking to myself.