15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Daisy

I complained when I saw the dark purple, skintight, long dress hanging in the closet.

Micah gave me that look, along with the words, “You don’t need to hide anymore. You have gorgeous, decorated legs and a killer body. Wear the dress.” I put on the dress.

Purple is my favorite color. It had a long slit up the side, and once I put it on, he ran his hand up my leg, and I didn’t complain anymore. I didn’t tell him I always wished to wear pretty dresses.

I expected him to give me a pair of high heels, but I was pleasantly surprised when he offered cute flat sandals. My heart beat hard because of his thoughtfulness; my legs ache in anything other than flats.

I concentrate on our clasped hands as he leads me through the club. Ryker offered a private balcony overlooking the club so we wouldn’t be in the middle of the crowd. The nerves are hitting me hard, and when I get nervous, I show the attitude Micah hasn’t seen yet. I want to fit in with his friends, but I am used to having to defend myself. I haven’t been around many women, and the men I have been in the company of are assholes. This is new territory for me, and I don’t want to offend his friends. I have lived permanently in defensive mode.

My head snaps up when someone runs into us, and our hands break apart. A pretty blonde starts to apologize to me but notices Micah. I watch the change come over her, and her lips curl. She bats her eyes and leans his way.

Listen, I get it. Vampires are alluring. Micah is sexy as fuck; but he is taken.

A haze falls over my eyes. My hand wraps around her throat and I pull her close. “Don’t even think about it,” I snarl. “He’s mine.” She’s human. I don’t care. I don’t give a shit that we are in a room full of people. I push her back, and she hits the wall beside the stairs. I lean close and whisper in her ear, “I could kill you so easily. Be careful who you look at,” I warn. Micah’s hand hits the wall beside our heads, leaning into me.

“Damn, pet,” he chuckles. “I thought I would be the one threatening people.” His hand glides down my hair. “I’m hard as fuck. Let her go,” he commands in my ear.

“I don’t think she learned her lesson,” I snap, before looking into her wide, terrified eyes. I suppose she has a clue.

“Pet, right now, it looks like the three of us are having a kinky moment. Much longer, and we will attract attention.” He gathers my hair in his fist and pulls. “I will reward you later for your possessiveness.”

I sneer, showing my coyote teeth slightly, before stepping back. “Fine.” I move to the side, cross my arms, and glare.

“Look at me,” Micah says to the woman. Her teary eyes meet his. “Nothing happened. If your friends ask, you got lost in the crowd while dancing. Tell them you are tired and want to go home. Do not drive. Call a driver and go the fuck home. You had a great night and will remember nothing else.” He starts to back away.

“Tell her not to hit on men who are not single,” I say.

Micah looks over his shoulder, smirking. “Yes, love.” He shakes his head and turns back. “Did you hear what she said?”

“Yes,” the woman whispers robotically.

“I agree. Do what she says.” He moves away, and she slides across the wall. “Go.” She frowns and looks around. We watch her stumble away, heading to her friends. Micah guides me up the stairs with his hand on my back as if nothing happened.

“You aren’t mad, are you?”

“No. I would fuck you against the wall if we didn’t have a room full of people around us and waiting for our arrival.” I smile.

The smile is wiped off my face as we step into the space to the left of the stairs.

Holy shit. My teeth want to emerge, and I’m ready to defend myself.

The room is filled with shifters and vampires. All beautiful. All staring at me. All silent. Micah’s hand pushes me slightly behind him, and a warning growl emerges from his chest. It bounces around the quiet room, penetrating the sounds of the club. His fangs descend, and I fist the back of his shirt.

A woman rises from her seat. She is stunning. Her long black hair shines even in the dim lighting. Her body is curvy, displayed in tight jeans and a tank—a panther shifter. Dangerous, my coyote whispers. She walks lightly forward, her eyes locked on me. I ignore my inner voice and step around Micah. I lift my chin; I will not cower.

She stops two feet away, her eyes traveling over me. “I like her,” she says, and I jerk. “You are beautiful. The bond is to be defended no matter what. Most of us in this room have had bad experiences with coyote shifters, but you are not them. You are one of us now. We are your family. We know how important found family is, as most of us don’t have the best blood family.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Harmony.”

“Daisy.” I clasp her hand, dazed. I’m touched. I assumed I would have to work hard for their approval.

“The men outnumber the women in the family. We are thrilled to add to our ranks,” she informs me. She squeezes my hand and then lets go. “These are my mates.” She motions to the men behind her and the numerous bracelets on her wrist jingle. “Jax, James, and Blue.” She points to each and I nod. They are very hot. The man called Jax has to be the Alpha. My coyote whines, sharing her opinion of his status, leery of being around an Alpha again. Blue has the same energy, but James is different. He smiles easily.

“Micah, put your teeth away,” Ryker says. “Do you know I have cameras over every inch of the club? I also have it on my phone. It is excellent quality.” He holds a phone up, shaking it.

Oh, fuck.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to clean up blood again,” Bash says. His arm is around Marie and she smiles at me. A diamond bracelet winks in the shifting light as she places her hand on Bash’s chest.

“I definitely don’t want to fuck with you,” a gorgeous blonde says. “My name is Penny.” She waves; her watch is diamond-encrusted. Dragon. Very dangerous. She’s sitting on the lap of a dragon, his twin on the other side of her. Their power and beauty are blinding.

“Lace is with Sally,” a woman says. She is holding Ryker’s hand. Serenity invited Lace over. “Gabby, Steph’s sister, is with them. Sally is entertaining her.” Her loose blonde curls bounce around her face, which she brushes back with her hand, the bangle bracelets on her wrist clanging together.

“Honestly, I was hoping for some blood,” another man says before he takes a bite of a sandwich. He is what I would call fuck- hot. “Name’s River,” he says. Wolf. My animal is more at ease with him since he is closer to my size. “I don’t like coyotes,” he states, and Micah snarls. “But I like anyone who gets violent to protect their mate. Welcome to the crew.” The man beside him hits his arm.

He sighs. “Shit, River. I’m Kerian. This is our mate Ava.” He runs his hand down Ava’s hair.

“Hey,” she says. Her pretty brown eyes crinkle. “Saphira told us how beautiful you were.” I tilt my head in Saphira’s direction. She smiles my way tentatively.

“Thank you,” I whisper. All my defenses have crumbled in the face of such a welcome. I don’t know if I should trust their words. I look at all of the women again, sensing nothing but openness, and realize every one of them is wearing some kind of adornment on their arms. I suppose that is what seals their acceptance. They all know I steal; the news has spread. All of them are willing to allow me to take their possessions. Like Sally, I need to take their things to show them how much it means to me and my acceptance of them. I never thought I would steal to make the mark feel included.

Fuck, I don’t have pockets in this dress. I’ll have to get creative.

“Can we let them sit,” Quin growls. “Shit, Micah, sit with your mate. No one is going to hurt her.” Micah takes my hand as the others find their seats again. “This is my mate, Stephanie.” She is tiny, especially compared to Quinn. Her black hair falls around her face, and she also has a pretty watch on her wrist.

“Nice to meet you,” she says softly. Micah pulls me down to his lap as he sits beside Quinn at the end of the U-shaped couch.

“You, too,” I respond. I lean back on my mate, and he wraps his arms around me, holding tight.

“Bishop, I thought you were staying home,” Micah says. The dragon underneath Penny shrugs.

“Penny wanted to meet your mate,” he replies. “They know. We told everyone before you got here.” I am missing something, and Penny notices my confusion.

“I’m pregnant. My mates think that means I am incompetent and need to be stuck in the house for the whole pregnancy.” She glares at them. “I convinced them they are misguided.”

“Congratulations,” I say. A baby dragon. How did I end up around all these people? My life has taken a drastic turn.

“Thanks.” She smooths her hand over her stomach. “We are thrilled.”

“Saylor is pregnant and she listened to Elijah and stayed home,” Bishop says.

“Saylor has had morning sickness twenty-four seven. She didn’t want to be running to the bathroom constantly. Elijah is being a good mate and taking care of her,” Penny retorts.

“If something happens tonight, your ass can still be turned red,” the other dragon says.

“Laken,” she cries.

“What?”

“We just met Daisy. What will she think?” she asks.

“That I have no problem spanking you for knowingly putting yourself in danger,” he answers.

“Everyone here has turned an ass red,” River offers.

“That’s probably why the lions aren’t here,” Quinn says.

“Quinn, that’s not true,” Stephanie says.

“Believe me, I spoke to Las. Breeane was begging for it,” he says.

“I agree with Penny. Can we stop talking about red asses? Daisy came to meet us,” Harmony scolds.

“Mate,” Blue smirks.

“Of course, you want to stop talking about it,” James says, and Harmony squirms. Jax tries to hide his smile, and she stops, crossing her arms.

“We should stop,” Marie says. “We should get to know Daisy.” Bash glances at her, and her face turns red. She huffs and lowers her eyes. Bash didn’t have to say anything, but his one look said enough.

“See, love,” Micah says. “Nothing to worry about. They are in no position to judge anyone.”

“Vampire, you have lived longer than anyone here. You can’t make us believe you haven’t spanked an ass,” River says, and my nostrils flare.

“Careful,” Micah says, petting my hair. “Daisy doesn’t like to think about me with anyone else.”

“At least we aren’t talking about all the shit that has happened when we get together in a club,” James snorts.

“Or a BBQ,” Harmony mutters.

“Hey,” Penny objects. “She was asking for it. Laken was the one who set her hair on fire.”

“The coyote had it coming,” Laken says. “Shit, sorry,” he says to me. I tilt my head.

“Serenity had the worst experience in Ryker’s club,” Ava says.

“We aren’t going to talk about it,” Ryker says.

“It’s a big deal,” she continues. “Ryker had to turn her.” She leans forward. “This woman who wanted Ryker almost killed her in the bathroom.” Kerian squeezes her thigh, but she ignores him. “She thought Ryker would actually want to mate a coyo—” She stops abruptly. “Oh…shit.” Her eyes drop, and she bites her lip.

“Fuck,” Micah spits. “I know all of you are trying to be welcoming, but you suck at it.”

“It’s alright,” I say, touching his arm. “You aren’t the only ones who have had a bad experience with coyotes. I lived with the worst of them. I did many bad things to survive. I don’t blame you for not trusting my species. You don’t have to censor your stories because of me. I could tell a few of my own.” I settle further on Micah’s lap. “As far as spanking is concerned, I plan to earn a lot from my mate. I won’t blush or stammer if you talk about it. I already informed Saphira Micah is my Daddy. I’m not ashamed of it.”

More silence.

Micah hides his face and laughs in my hair.

“Bash kills people,” Marie blurts out. Bash jerks. “I mean, he kills bad people. Really bad people. So does Micah. And Quinn used to. I think everyone in the room has killed or been close to killing—” She pauses. “Plus, I call Bash Daddy.”

“Woman,” Bash hisses. “Stop saying kill.”

“Fuck, sorry.” She grimaces and falls silent. A minute passes, and then everyone’s laughter rings out. The tension breaks, and a waitress brings in drinks.

I sip mine and listen to the conversation flow around me. Micah holds me close and lets them talk. At some point, I will have to move around the room to get close to the women. I may be excellent at stealing, but I’m not that good. I have to be close enough to the mark to lift their valuables. Even though they blundered their welcoming plan, I don’t take offense and would hate to disappoint them. I have felt real judgment and hate. What they did wasn’t even close.

I am a little let down; Micah said there would be some real excitement. I was expecting that excitement from hitting someone who insulted me. I didn’t get to hit the woman downstairs.

Well, the night is still young.

Everything was going as planned. Everyone accepted me into the group. I was standing on the balcony, finally getting close to the girls. Six out of the seven women had one or more valuable items on their wrists, and my bra was full. Micah had been the recipient of a few hugs so I could use his pockets. After the third random hug, he looked at me with amusement and willingly let me feel him up.

The drinks were going down easily, and my laughter was more spontaneous. I turn my back to the rail and look at my mate. Micah’s legs are stretched out, a drink is held loosely on his stomach, and he is having a conversation with Quinn and Bishop. His hair is falling over his forehead, and I have the urge to brush it back. He’s so fucking sexy.

“You are happy with your mate,” Steph says softly.

“I am,” I answer, staring at him.

“I’m glad he found you,” she continues.

“I am, too.” I watch Quinn stand, put his phone to his ear, and leave the room. I glance at Steph. “You love him,” I say, observing as her attention follows him.

“More than I thought possible,” she says. “Daisy, I hope you know we all are here for you. Anytime you need a friend or help, call.”

“Thanks. Getting used to having someone I can turn to will take time.” I smile. “Besides, Micah.”

“Daisy,” is yelled from the doorway. I see Austin, a packmate, rushing toward me, but he doesn't get close.

Micah is up; his hand grips Austin’s throat and slams him against the wall. It cracks around his body because of the force. Micah’s teeth are down, snarls emerging.

“We may get blood yet,” River says gleefully.

“Shit, easy, Micah,” Ryker says, appearing beside him. Bash moves behind Ryker, and I’m surprised when Saphira steps behind them.

“Who the fuck are you?” Micah asks. My eyes are locked on Micah’s forearms. The way his muscles jump as his hand flexes keeps my gaze transfixed. What is it about tattooed forearms? I don’t know if it is due to the heat rushing through my body every minute or if it’s his power in general causing my reaction.

I shake my head, hoping to clear the absolute desire for my mate. My feet refuse to move, willing Micah to deal with him. “Austin, a member of my pack.” I slip the mask I always wore around them back in place, shoving the fear deep inside. “How did you find me?” I growl, forcing my feet to move closer.

“Jesus, who the fuck is this?” he gasps.

“Why are you here?” I ask.

“Turner has lost it,” he wheezes. “I needed money to leave, so I was hitting up some of the clubs.” He claws at the wall; the only thing holding him to it is Micah’s hand. He stretches, his toes grazing the floor.

“You didn’t know I was here?” I reach Micah, touching my palm to his back, and get distracted again by his hard body. Austin doesn’t take his eyes off the vampire holding him.

“Fuck no. I caught your scent and was curious. I thought I should warn you.”

“Warn me? Why would you?” I frown. Austin didn’t do anything directly toward me, but he didn’t stop the rest of the pack.

“Because Turner has gone off the deep end. He’s looking for you.” He finally looks directly into my eyes. “He’s going to kill you.”

I will get my wish, except it’s going to be Micah who makes someone bleed.

Should I care?