“Then I can tell you the rest,” Zelina said quietly. “I almost died, J.” She got up at Jezzie’s cry, pulling her friend into her arms. “Brian was not human. He was a vampyre, and nothing like the books. He tried to kill me, almost did.” She rubbed the spot on her neck where he had torn through.
“I found her and was able to destroy the fiend. When I smelled her, I knew what she was to us, and I brought her home. At the time, she wasn’t conscious, and when she did come to, we weren’t ready for her to bring in the outside world yet.”
“We had to make sure she chose us before we opened up. Her fear alone after the attack would have had her running from us. We needed the time,” Rion finished.
Zelina liked how they did that, blended and molded until all of them were on the same thought at the same time. Outside of J, she had never had anyone so in tune with her. It was a humbling experience.
“I am so happy you are safe, Z. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.” Tears falling down her face like diamonds, Jezzie pulled Zelina tighter to her chest. Zelina didn’t fight her. She understood the fear coursing through her heart and the thoughts she most likely was thinking. She let her friend hold her until the tears faded and her heart finally slowed down.
“I’m okay, Jezzie. Really I am. With my mates, I’ll never fear again. I’m not lost or gone away from you. I have to admit it is much nicer knowing that you know the truth. I wasn’t sure if I could hide from you all that was going on.”
“Sister from another mister, huh?”
“Always, girl. Always.”
“Alpha, the humans have—”
The shifter who’d barged into the room stopped, nose to the air, sniffing. His cold gray eyes rested on Jezzie for a moment before sliding away to look at a spot over his Alpha’s right shoulder. Black hair, cut military short, exposed a hard face. It couldn’t be considered handsome. One long scar from the left of his forehead down to his chin on the right side marred what might have been an attractive face. Where it came down closer to the left eye, it pulled the flesh taut so that his left eye had a deeper slant compared to its counterpart. His gaze swung back to Jezzie for a heart-stopping minute before returning to his Alpha’s shoulder.
“The two men have cleared our territory grounds. We are secure once more.”
“Thank you, Socha.”
“Socha? Really, no better name than that?” Zelina asked.
“Not his name. It’s a nickname,” Rion responded.
“What? That’s a woman’s name.”
“Tell you later.”
“Socha, this is your Lunar’s sister, Jezzie.”
Jezzie smiled softly to Quin’s explanation of her before standing and extending her hand. “It is nice to meet you, Socha.”
“Andrzej,” he responded to her.
“What?”
“My name is Andrzej. You may not call me Socha.”
“What the hell is his problem?”
“Again, I’ll tell you later,” Rion sighed.
“You are going to let him talk to her like that?”
“Is everyone allowed to call you Z?” Quin cut in.
“Of course not.”
“Then he has the right.”
“I am sorry. I was simply trying to be polite.”
Socha didn’t respond to her.
“I see the name fits, though. Unbending and unmoving,” she muttered to herself and went back to her seat. Socha’s gaze swung back to her, surprised, before she smiled at him. He then stiffened and looked away.
“By your leave,” he said then, bowing before leaving the room.
“I bet you water freezes on his ass.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Jezzie!”
“What? It’s true. He didn’t have to be rude. I was trying to be polite.”
“He doesn’t care much for humans.”
“I didn’t do anything to him. He could have been nicer to me,” Jezzie returned, unconvinced.
“Having your parents killed and then skinned by humans in front of you will do that to a person,” Rion finished.
Jezzie didn’t say another word. Sinking into her seat, she twisted her fingers together. “Oh my God, that’s terrible. ‘Open mouth, insert foot’ moment, I guess. Were they taken by hunters?”
“Yes, but these hunters knew what they were killing. It was a very long time ago, when we tried to live more openly among humans. It is not my story to tell, so I won’t go further than that, but I wanted you to know his actions are in no way personal. All humans, as far as he’s concerned, are enemies.”
“Who can blame him? We know what it’s like, don’t we, Z?”
“Do we ever,” Zelina responded, shaking her head. “Either way, now you know everything that is going on. You know where I am, so we will be able to still see each other and hang out. Nothing has changed, just my location.”
“Yeah, you’re just in the next town over, so it won’t matter much.”
“Next town over! That’s thirty minutes!”
“No biggie, Z, really.”
“Not you, Jezzie. I’m talking to you,” Zelina said, turning toward Quin. “I was over, what, thirty-five miles away, and you smelled me and ran that far to save me?”
“I have a good nose?” Quin replied sheepishly. A red streak showed up on his cheeks, and Zelina laughed.
“He is the Alpha, inaestimabilis. His senses are better than all of ours. Take into account that you are also his mate, you have the end result.”
“Are you telling me I stink?”
“Okay, I suppose that’s my cue to leave. So, um, you guys have a good night. Z, call me later, whenever you are free, and we’ll catch lunch, my treat.”
Jezzie left the room amid the arguing back and forth, closing the door firmly behind her. Knowing her friend was okay, was loved, and would still be with her washed over the tension that was settling in her shoulders. She just couldn’t sit there as if it wasn’t breaking her heart too. Zelina would have more than just her to be with now. She would be surrounded by her mates and clan. She truly wasn’t alone now. Not like Jezzie.
Alone, she let the fear of what she had been told leak through. Sure, she wasn’t ready to run away screaming, but to know that what she read about every day walked the earth was both fascinating and terrifying. As a mate, Zelina would have their protection, love, and lifelong devotion. Other humans were not that lucky. If Brian was any indication, there were some out there who harmed unsuspecting humans.
Biting her lip against the thought that she almost got her friend killed, and the fear in the base of her stomach, she let the chill rush over her and turned. She ran into a solid wall that hadn’t been there when she’d opened the door. He disappeared as if he’d never been there, a blur of movement the only sign she wasn’t seeing things, and came up behind her. Her screech was stopped by his powerful hand covering her mouth. The ribbed flesh on the palm felt like scars against her lips. The scents of deep earth and fresh rainfall covered her, and she inhaled it over the hand holding her.
“Be calm,” a voice said, one that had made her knees grow weak moments before in the room.
Socha was holding her. His body pressed against the back of her, heat engulfing her, his other hand resting on her side, thumb softly circling. He leaned forward, inhaling her scent before his teeth scraped her pulse. Her pussy grew wet, and she clenched her thighs together to hold in the smell. When his nostrils flared again, she knew she’d failed.