Chapter 10

Zev seems to have successfully wooed Charlie. Not officially, I've been told, but they're married, and Charlie and her daughter, Nia, are moving into our house, so it seems official enough. My brothers and I are even assembling furniture for Nia's new room. It's a confusing situation, but I haven't bothered to press Zev for more details because I can't get Naomi out of my head.

I have no recollection of how our bodies became entwined a few nights ago, but what I'm sure of is that I have never had a better night's sleep in my three hundred years. When I woke up and realized what had happened, I knew how I was supposed to feel: ashamed, apologetic, and fearful that I had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. However, none of those feelings were present. I felt whole, at ease, and hungry. The desperation for Naomi to press her soft, supple body against mine for even one more second was maddening.

But then she did. She tucked herself against me and laid her head on my chest. I expected my draxilio to purr the way he does when I kill. That steady purr of approval is the closest thing I have to experiencing deep, unwavering happiness, and I assumed the only way to reach that feeling was to continue giving the beast what it wants. I was wrong. When Naomi let go of her fear that we'd made a mistake and let me hold her, it was almost as if the beast inside me stilled. He didn't know what to make of the tenderness of the moment. Truthfully, neither did I.

I experienced sex and other forms of physical intimacy with human women after we landed here. That stopped after Luka's eyes turned red while having sex with Harper, almost ending their relationship.

But the sex I had was absent of tenderness. It was cold. Transactional.

Nothing happened with Naomi beyond snuggling in her bed, but it felt like the most significant nothing I will ever experience.

After my draxilio's initial shock faded, what took its place was a serene concession. It was new. It pleased him. And the only thing he was sure of was that he wanted more of it.

More, he groaned inside my head as Naomi placed her hand on my stomach. More, he repeated when she let me stroke her silky hair.

I didn't argue. More is all I want too.

Clearly, I'm failing at hiding my happiness, because my brothers won't shut up about how weird they think I'm acting. Zev even had the nerve to suggest I may have found a human mate. They don't seem to find humans and their many odors as repulsive as I do, because they give me odd looks whenever I point it out.

"Very well, you shall be alone forever," Axil mutters with a dismissive wave. "It happened for each of us, but I'm sure it won't happen for you."

The focused attention on my marital status agitates me enough that I tell them to fuck off as I stomp out of Nia's new room and slam the door closed once I reach mine. I have no idea what will happen with me and Naomi in the future, and frankly, I don't want to think about it right now.

I've only just had my first cuddle. Why must I already consider whether she's my mate? She's a vampire, and I am draxilio. Is it even possible for us to be mates?

More, my draxilio pleads.

Not now, I send back. We'll get more later. I hope.

Eventually, Zev asks us to leave, as he, Charlie, and Nia are having a family date. I'm irritated that I'm being asked to leave my own house, considering I'm the only one that still lives here, but he is still in the process of making Charlie his mate officially, so I relent and follow Axil to his and Vanessa's house.

Vanessa isn't feeling well, which has been a common occurrence lately, so she remains in their bedroom while Luka and his two sons, Hudson and Cooper, gather in the living room. Axil brings a tray of toast and ginger ale to their bedroom and returns several minutes later to say he's going to lay down with his mate and asks if we can go to the grocery store to buy the foods Vanessa has been craving.

Luka wholeheartedly accepts this request and volunteers the four of us to go.

"I will drive," he says as we get to our feet.

"No. I'll drive." If I'm to be part of this adventure, we're taking my car.

"Why?"

"Because your car is older and has a strange smell."

"I have two boys," he replies. "What do you expect it to smell like?"

I can't pinpoint exactly what the smell is; I just know it's unpleasant. "My car is also nicer. We're taking mine."

He rolls his eyes but puts his keys back on the front table by the door.

The boys sit in back, and Luka starts fiddling with my Spotify radio stations once we pull out of the driveway. I smack his hand away and return it to my favorite instrumental hits.

"How can you listen to this?" Luka asks, disgusted.

Cooper chimes in from the backseat. "It's boring, Uncle Kyan." My poor nephews. I pity them for being forced to endure the grating racket of Luka's nineties rock bands.

"It calms me," I tell them. "It allows me to decide how I'm feeling, rather than a singer telling me how to feel with their lyrics."

"You think The Beatles are forcing you to feel a certain way with their songs?"

Ugh, here we go again with The Beatles. It's not that I dislike them; I just don't revere them the way Luka does, and he has always seen my lacking mania as a personal flaw.

I let out a heavy exhale, which tries my brother's patience even more.

"Then how do you justify…" Luka trails off as he scrolls through my playlists, "this."

He switches it to Dolly Parton's greatest hits, wearing a smug expression that I'm tempted to slap. The boys start laughing as Dolly reaches the chorus of "9 to 5."

"What is this?" Hudson asks. In the rearview mirror, I see his scrunched-up face and shake my head.

"Dolly Parton doesn't tell anyone how to feel. Her lyrics either tell a story or reflect part of her soul," I explain. "And if she weren't aging at the rate of an average human, I'd suspect that she came from the stars, just like we did."

"Oh yeah?" Luka asks through a deep, mocking chuckle. "Why is that?"

"Because she's the only good one on a planet of almost eight billion people. This has been proven on multiple occasions." I turn on the cool air, as this subject is making me heated. "If you have only one truly good human for every eight billion, then something is off. Either she isn't one of them, or the species is evolving too slowly and is ultimately doomed."

I watch as Hudson considers this, then begins bobbing his head to the music.

"And there is no chance that Dolly is evil and exceptionally skilled at hiding it?" Luka posits. "Lots of humans have that ability."

Given what I know about Dolly, I confidently reply, "No. No chance."

As we go through Axil's grocery list, I notice Hudson and Cooper sneakily adding bags of chips and frozen pizzas in the deep corners of the cart. Luka sees it but does nothing. When Cooper puts in a bottle of ginger ale for Vanessa, he tucks a candy bar behind it.

"I didn't realize we were shopping for the apocalypse."

Luka looks amused. "It is fine. They work hard in school and never get into trouble. They may eat whatever they wish."

"Why are you the only one among us still refusing to use contractions?" I ask.

He scoffs. "It is not proper. I like the way I speak."

That may have been true on Sufoi, where anyone combining words was seen as a lazy pauper, but that rule doesn't apply here. "I admit, I was resistant at first, but since I've made this change to my speech, my employees don't give me as many odd looks."

An aisle over, I hear two women talking.

"Did you hear about that missing priest?" one asks. "Apparently, he had been accused of sexual abuse by several minors, and the church has been trying to cover it up."

"Seriously?" the other replies, aghast. "That's terrible. Can you imagine? I'd scratch his eyes out if he did that to my kid."

"I know. I hope they never find him."

I can't suppress the smile that stretches across my face. The work we're doing matters.

When Hudson passes me, I grab his shoulder and whisper, "Get me a bag of Starbursts. I think Charlie has been getting into my stash. Make sure it has the orange ones on the front or I don't want it."

My nephew looks at me like I'm an idiot. "They all have the orange ones."

I don't pay attention to the latest candy trends. How am I supposed to know?

Then Luka utters six words that leave me stunned, with my mouth hanging open in the cereal aisle.

"We have missed you, you know," he says, looking at his two boys walking in front of us. "You seem so busy lately. Is everything okay?"

"Of course," I tell him. "Work has been busy. I'm fine."

"My kids want to see more of their uncle. Right, boys?"

Cooper looks over his shoulder and nods.

When Hudson returns with my candy, he asks, "Do you have the day off today, Uncle Kyan?" He looks at Luka, his expression seeking approval. When Luka nods, Hudson asks, "We're going to a movie later. Wanna come?"

Hudson has always been my favorite of Luka's sons. Harper has told me repeatedly I shouldn't have a favorite, but I don't give a shit. It's the truth, and I can't deny it. He has the strong moral compass of his father and the endless curiosity of his mother. That combination is what makes a man unstoppable in what he's able to accomplish, and the older he gets, the clearer his potential becomes.

Since they've made so many recent trips up here from their home in Salem to follow the progress of Vanessa's growing fetus, Hudson has seemed eager to spend more time with me. It crushes me to deny him that, but I simply have too much going on to spend hours in a theater when I could be tending to the many tasks I've put off at the office, working with the recruits in the basement, or, possibly, enjoying the feel of Naomi's magnificent breasts pressing into my side.

"I'm sorry, Hudson. I won't be able to make it to the movie," I tell him. "But maybe in a few days we can go for a flight up to the Canadian border and back. Would you like that?"

"That is too far," Luka says in a stern tone.

Hudson rolls his eyes. "Dad, come on. It's not that far."

Hudson is right. Luka is far too protective. His son is sixteen. He needs to start learning how to exist on his own.

"A flight to the border and back would take less than an hour," I note.

Luka shakes his head. "Harper would be worried sick the whole time. I cannot allow it."

"Then you should come with us, Dad."

My brother crosses his arms as he sighs heavily. Eventually, he gives in. "Okay, but no stopping. We go to the border and right back."

Cooper's eyes light up. "Can I come too?"

"No," Luka says immediately. "You stay at Axil's and look after your mother."

My phone vibrates.

Thea: Friendly reminder that we have an interested buyer coming to meet with us on Tuesday to discuss his proposal. I just sent you our conversation dating back to last March when he first reached out. Take a look and let me know what you think. I have a good feeling about him.

I'm skeptical about anyone who promises a bottomless bucket of gold in exchange for full control of my company, but Thea mentions this guy every chance she gets, so I'll hear him out, despite having no intention of selling.

On my way to the office soon. I'll send my thoughts upon review.

We finish shopping, pay for our items, and head back to Axil's. I pull Hudson aside and offer him five dollars to bring the Starburst to my house next door, open it, and take out the orange ones, leaving them in a pile on the nightstand in my bedroom. He nods eagerly and races out the side door. Then I quickly slip out the front and start driving to the office before Luka can scold me for working too much.

Upon reviewing Thea's email, I see she's not only forwarded their correspondence over the last several months but also provided links to this man's social media profiles, as well as articles highlighting his string of recent acquisitions. He's a smart investor; the proof of that is clear in the consistent success rate of the companies he buys. I'm not certain this is the right move for us though.

Even if he bought a forty-nine percent stake in the company, I would still have to listen to his opinions on hiring policies, staffing changes, budget projections, and sales strategies. I barely have the patience to tolerate that from Thea right now, and she doesn't even have an ownership stake.

My COO cares about the future of this company, and despite reaching revenue goals year after year, I can tell we're nearing the ceiling unless we get a large cash infusion to really transform the products and services we offer. I have more than enough money to provide said infusion, but Monroe Media Solutions has never been my passion. It's always been a cover for the business I conduct in the basement, and it's the only way I was able to buy the building. This building is zoned for offices not a covert UFO monitoring operation...and definitely not a training facility and dormitory for shifters to practice fighting.

Ultimately, I humor Thea and send her some vague but positive notes on the potential buyer we're going to be meeting with before I take the elevator to the basement.

Andrei tells me about the various sightings he's seen over the last twenty-four hours, but all of them have been cleared.

"Nothing concerning," he vows. "There weren't even two that had matching descriptions."

"Good work," I tell him before opening the hidden door to the hallway.

Julian greets me and tells me that Yvonne is sleeping, and they're all trying to be quiet so as not to disturb her.

I pat him on the shoulder and whisper, "I'm glad to hear that. She needs to get more sleep."

"Yeah, she's a machine." He pauses, looking nervous. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I nod at Rex and Owen as I pass them in the kitchen. Rex is busy mopping the floors while Owen is working on prepping meals for the rest of the pack.

"Where's Derek?" I ask as Julian leads me to the room they share.

"He's cleaning the training room."

A proud grin tugs at my lips. I made it clear to them when they were hired that part of their job was to keep this place clean and feed themselves. They needed to split the chores evenly and take turns. Groceries and household cleaning items would be delivered weekly, but everything else was up to them.

Derek, the youngest of the pack who had never previously lived on his own, asked why Yvonne wasn't going to be cooking and cleaning for them, to which I replied, "Because that's not her fucking job."

I was worried that she'd feel pressure from them to participate in these chores despite my warning, but they've left her alone in that regard. From what I've heard, they include her in their meal preparation. They often include Andrei as well, even though his work is completely separate from theirs.

"What is it?" I ask as I sit on the edge of Derek's bed across from Julian.

He scratches his cheek, then rubs his hands against his thighs, as if physically trying to psyche himself up for whatever he's about to say. "It's not that I'm ungrateful for the opportunity you've given me, sir."

My teeth clench. He wants to leave. I feared this would happen after the first live target was destroyed. Training together in sparring drills and scorching dummies is not the same as killing a real person, and I knew at least one of them would struggle with the reality of what's expected here.

"It's just, I grew up in the South."

I'm not following.

"My mom took me to church every week, and what we did to that priest…" He trails off, cracking his knuckles over and over as if unsure what to do with his hands. "It's hard for me to reconcile my upbringing with my role here. I know that man deserved what he got, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it when it's my turn to lead the chase, you know?"

"I understand." As I consider how to respond, I remember something from his intake form. "May I ask, Julian, where is your mother now?"

His mouth twitches. "She passed when I was fifteen."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I tell him. I wish I could offer him something to indicate I understand his pain, but never having had a mother, condolences are all I can offer.

"Yeah. Car accident. Drunk driver." He scoffs. "This college girl hit her. Didn't have a scratch on her when she was pulled from the wreckage. Why does it always happen like that?"

Does it? I have no knowledge about drunk driving accidents, only that they seem wasteful and completely avoidable. "It shouldn't," I reply. "That should never happen."

He shrugs, trying to fight back the emotion that fills his eyes.

"You went into foster care after that, correct?"

Julian nods, staying quiet. I would guess it's a subject he's reluctant to delve into.

"Well," I begin, "this isn't a prison, Julian. I hired you for a six-month trial period, during which you would live on-site and allow us to monitor your health while on the wrathenol. Nowhere in the contract does it state that you're required to kill anyone. I won't make you do that if you don't feel comfortable with it. The contract expires in two months' time, and at that point, all of you are free to live on your own. You'll still get injections before assignments we take, but the need for constant monitoring will cease. If you decide not to renew, you're obviously free to go."

"So I don't have to participate in taking out the targets?"

"No. You don't even have to be present for them."

He jerks back. "Really?"

"Really."

"What's the catch?"

His question makes me laugh. "You're letting us inject you with my DNA. That's the catch. We had no idea what it would do to you guys when we started this experiment. It could've hurt you, or worse. I hoped we'd reach the place we're in now, with minimal reactions, quick recoveries, and the ability to breathe fire, but I'm not forcing anyone to become a killer. The first one always sticks with you, and for some, it gets easier after that," I explain, picturing Axil, who didn't like what we did on Sufoi, but could handle the mental weight of it. Then Zev pops into my head––brilliant, sensitive Zev. "And for some, it's a rain cloud above your head that follows you wherever you go.

"What I want," I continue, "are the right people in this pack to help me achieve my goal. My list of targets is quite long, and the more news I watch, the longer it gets. But I don't want to be the reason for any additional pain in your life. You've been through enough already."

Julian purses his lips as he ponders this.

"Think it over. I will respect whatever decision you make."

We bump fists, and I get up to leave.

"Would it be possible to get a copy of that target list?" he asks. "I think if I had time to learn about their past crimes, it wouldn't be so difficult for me when it's my turn."

This is a pleasant surprise. I thought I would have an email from him in the morning letting me know he has no plans to renew the contract and would like to opt out of the chases. Showing them the target list wasn't part of my plan. It seemed optimal for them to learn about a target's past immediately before the chase began, to keep the feelings of rage fresh and right on the surface, but if it would help them prepare, I'm happy to provide it.

"Are you sure?"

It takes him a minute, but finally he nods.

"Certainly. I'll give Yvonne approval to provide all of you with access." When I reach the door, I pause to face him. "I don't know how much you and the other recruits have shared about your pasts, but it might be beneficial to discuss them."

If I were in his place, I'd be a closed book. Vulnerability usually only leads to pain, but they have more in common than they may realize. Every one of them came from a tragic situation that left them isolated and alone.

"Yeah?"

"There's a reason you're all here together."