12. Chapter Twelve

It was still dark when I woke. Ewan was sprawled across the bed, the Egyptian cotton sheet only covering half his body. His hand was on my back as though he needed to touch me, to know I was there, even while he slept.

The dream had blindsided me. My sister was a wolf. The fucking king had turned her to spite me. Or worse. She didn’t have an alpha husband to protect her. Zeno wasn’t my real true mate, and I knew that we’d grown to hate each other. Still, he had fought and killed for me.

I debated waking Ewan, but he looked so peaceful. A lot had changed for him in a brief time. He’d become a vampire and taken his rightful place as leader of the Taurus pack, lost his father, and married and turned me. Adjusting to his new life couldn’t be easy, especially not with the constant worry I might maul someone.

“Where are you going?” he mumbled when I tried to slip out of bed without disturbing him.

I kissed his cheek. “To get something to drink. Go back to sleep.”

“Fridge,” he muttered.

I strode to the closet. Several flannels and sweaters were on one side, and there was a stack of jeans in a cubby. They were definitely men’s clothes, all sized to fit Ewan.

I selected a checkered black and red flannel that hung down to my mid-thigh, rolling the sleeves to my elbows. On tiptoes, I crept down the spiral staircase and into the kitchen. All the appliances were new and high-end, which seemed ridiculous when most would never be turned on.

Someone had stocked our refrigerator. There were neat rows of glass bottles of blood, and the door shelves held mason jars, like the ones people used for homemade jam. Each item had a printed sticker detailing the contents.

The fire in my throat started as soon as I saw the crimson liquid. I grabbed a bottle at random and scanned the label: BloodXTonic. Good enough, I thought, unscrewing the cap and upending the bottle.

Ewan’s blood lit up my tastebuds. Not nearly as satisfying as drinking straight from the source, but still pretty great. The sour note of the tonic was more prevalent in this form. I finished and ran my tongue around the rim to get the last drops.

Curious now that I’d abated the thirst, I started opening cabinets and drawers. We had a vast array of different sized bowls, all black with the same pattern. There wasn’t a plate in sight. Our silverware holders only contained spoons. I couldn’t decide if this was a joke.

A super intense espresso machine sat on the sleek marble countertop. It had a multitude of options, including a shot of blood. Whoever had that made for us was a genius. I played with the settings, crafting a caramel mocha with two shots of blood and three of espresso, and hit the brew button.

Alcohol had little effect on me, so I doubted the caffeine would either. I had to try, though. Falling back asleep wasn’t an option. I couldn’t stand seeing Bettina like that. My heart ached for her. The full breadth of my memories regarding my sister had yet to surface, but my emotional attachment to this girl I didn’t know was strong.

Was I cowardly for refusing to see the rest of the story? Yeah, probably. Here and now, I needed every ounce of my mental strength. Maybe that was selfish of me. But I couldn’t change the past, only witness the mess I had made as Zosia.

This life wasn’t about me. It was about him—Mat. All the dreams Zosia had showed me before I turned pointed in that direction. Rising with fangs had complicated things, and I didn’t know if these longer memories were messages.

The glitches started. Images flashed in my head: Tish standing in a doorway; Diana and I sitting together by a lake; Stavros’ angry face; Hero and I waltzing around a ballroom; Stavros and I kissing in the shower. None lasted more than a split second. I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed the counter for balance, out of habit rather than need.

It’ll pass. It’ll pass, I chanted in my head.

The next thing I knew, hands gripped my shoulders and then powerful arms wrapped around me. Ewan pulled me against his chest and held me until the chaotic slideshow stopped.

“Do you have, like, a Zara’s-in-distress alarm?” I looked up into his bulging eyes. “Woah. Hey. I’m okay.”

He squeezed me tighter and peppered my face with soft kisses. “Our bond is my alarm,” he murmured.

“I’m fine.” I wiggled my arms free of his grasp and cupped his cheeks. “Once I get my full memories back, these glitches will stop. They’re more annoying than terrifying.”

This was the moment to tell him about my Bettina dream. Ewan would know the ending to my sister’s tragic story. I chickened out. A part of me really didn’t want to learn the truth. What had I done?

Outside, the sun rose. Neither Ewan nor I returned to bed. He drank a bottle of blood marked Pure Blood, found a pair of sweatpants, and then dug his cell out from the couch cushions. The number of missed calls and text messages gave me more anxiety than the memory fragments.

“Duty calls, literally.” He sighed. Gold crept in at the edges of his irises as he caught my eye. “And you look so good wearing my shirt. Do you have anything on underneath?” He shook his head. “No, don’t tell me. I’m not strong enough to handle the truth.”

I still stood in the kitchen, sipping my delicious, super caffeinated beverage. “You’d rather spend the day wondering?” I slid the fabric up my leg with my free hand.

A low growl rumbled in his chest. “You’re a bad influence.”

I hiked the flannel higher. “Isn’t that what you love about me?”

The cell vibrated. “Just one of many reasons,” he teased.

I lifted the shirt, stopping right above the money shot before letting it fall again. “Answer your phone. It must be urgent.”

His eyes cut to the screen. “Walter.”

“Ugh. Put him on speaker.”

Ewan hit accept.

“Finally,” Walter snapped.

Ewan’s hackles rose. I pitched my voice so Walter would hear me and called out, “Do you need something, or are you just so used to being the most important person you know?”

He chuckled. “Most people answer my calls before the first ring ends.”

“An alpha wolf with a liquid diet isn’t most people,” I reminded him.

“Neither is a lady alpha,” Walter fired back.

My eyes met Ewan’s. “You heard from Di-Drake?”

“Yeah. She’s got some very specific instructions for you.” Walter sighed heavily. “You’ll leave at 6pm tonight. That’s 1am her time. She is very new to her position and doesn’t want vampires—or another alpha—seen in her mountains.” As if an afterthought, he added, “She gave us coordinates, too.”

“Whatever is best for Drake and her pack,” Ewan said.

“I’ll let her know.”

Ewan hesitated before hanging up. “Look after my mother today, yeah?”

Walter actually sounded like a gangster when he replied, tone gritty and raw. “You have my word, Ewan. No one will harm a hair on her head. Keep your phone on you. Talk soon.”

Ewan’s face twitched as he glared at the screen, clearly annoyed by the fae’s parting command. I sipped more of my bloody coffee and debated whether to soothe his wounded ego. It was my job as his mate to make him happy and keep his temper from unleashing unnecessarily. This had been established from the beginning of pack life.

So, yeah, a little antiquated.

“He gave you his word. I hear that”s a massive sign of respect in his area of the supernatural world.” I watched him roll his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m a big boy. I can handle a slight without losing my shit.” His grip on his phone worried me.

“Really? You’re about to spend your day at the cellphone store.” I finished my coffee and walked over, placing a hand over his. “And you”re a grown-ass man.” My lips brushed his cheek. “An alpha,” I whispered, nipping at his earlobe. “The King of Wolves.” My fingers moved to his stomach and slid slowly south, palm sliding over the hard bulge in his sweatpants.

Ewan dropped the phone and wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling my hips toward his. He growled when I stroked him through the fabric. I trailed my fangs down his neck, pressing enough to get a small taste of his blood.

His hand shot up, tipping my chin, so I met his gaze. He ran his thumb over my lower lip.

“Best of all,” he leaned in, “I’m your mate.”

My heart swelled. This wasn’t the life with Ewan I had wanted or envisioned, but it was the hand Gaia dealt us. I allowed myself to be happy to be in this moment with him.

Then, his phone buzzed, and the real world crashed in.

“You should’ve let me break it,” he groaned into my mouth.

There were a million reasons for him to answer the call, and a single reason I didn’t want him to.

“I swear to Gaia if you so much as look at that screen–”

A yelp escaped my lips. One second we stood behind the couch, the next he flipped me over the back. My head bounced on the cushions. Ewan cupped the back of my knees, standing between my legs and staring down at me with a wicked expression.

Desire swelled at my core. He was choosing me at this moment, which shouldn’t have made me as wet as it did. Maybe my insecurities were showing. But it had taken Ewan and me a very long time to reach this point.

“My mate is half-naked.” He hiked me higher and hooked my knees over the back of the sofa. “Whispering sweet nothings in my ear.” My shirt had ridden up over my stomach, revealing that I wasn’t going commando. “Sadly, wearing panties, but I’m about to change that.” That sinful expression returned. “Aroused.”

He ran his palms up my thighs, curling his fingers around my underwear and slipping them up my legs. Ewan’s gaze never left mine. Not even when he bent over and pressed a kiss on my inner thigh, hands moving my knees farther apart.

I reached behind me to grip the cushions, biting down on my lip as the anticipation built.

“You are the only thing I want to look at.”