Chapter 11

Eleven

Turn my sister into a vampire? I only have to think about it for two seconds before I know how I feel.

“I’m with Damien on this one,” I say.

Never thought that would come out of my mouth.

“Why don’t you ask Kelly what she wants?” Bran says to his brother. “Or do you make all of her decisions for her?”

Damien pushes away from his desk to face his brother. “And if it was Jessie?”

Bran looks over at me. “I’d trust my little mouse to make the right decision.”

The Alpha of the Midnight Pack scoffs. “All three of us in this room might like to think we’d relent to our women, but let’s be honest. When it comes to protecting them, we will not bend. I don’t think you should give Kelly a choice.”

Damien glares at the Alpha. “You don’t have a woman,” he points out. “And no one asked you.”

The Alpha grumbles.

“Why are we against this idea?” Bran says. “Who cares if Kelly is a vampire? I like being a vampire and I know you fucking love it.”

I watch Damien for a reaction because in all honesty, I am a little curious as to why he opposes it. Fine lines appear around his eyes. There is a reason, but he’s not willing to say it.

It does make me wonder what my sister would want. Her future is decidedly up in the air right now, what with Julian and the supposed blood mate certificate. Even if it’s real, I think he might have compelled her to sign it. But it’s still a thorn that needs to be dealt with.

Once it is…what does she want? Does she want to be with Damien for the rest of her life?

I don’t want my sister to become a vampire, but I don’t want her to die either.

“Maybe Bran is right,” I say. “Maybe we should ask Kelly.”

Damien’s jaw clenches. “Oh, should we?”

“And I think you should be the one to do it. But ultimately, let her decide.”

Damien is stoic for several long seconds. I try not to fidget beneath his gaze. “Fine,” he says and starts for the door. “I’ll give her the choice. If this should go wrong, then the guilt will rest on your shoulders, Jessie. I hope you can live with that.”

Bran sighs. “Ignore him.”

“I don’t want my sister to be a vampire, but I’m not entirely sure why he doesn’t want her to be.”

“Because it changes us,” Bran says. “It always does. And he’s probably terrified of what it’ll do to her. If she’ll wake up a vampire and realize she doesn’t need or want him.”

I think I’m beginning to accept the fact that Damien Duval legit loves my sister.

“I need to talk to Jimmy,” Bran says. “Alpha, I’m sure you can find your way out.”

Cal stands. “I’ll be at the Pledge tomorrow. Let me know if you need me before then.” He goes to leave.

“Wait,” I say before I can think better of it.

Both men glance at me. I make an apologetic face at Bran before I make the request because I know he’s going to hate this.

“I need to speak to Cal…alone.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Bran.”

“No, Mouse.”

“Do you trust me?”

He grits his teeth, inhales through his nose.

Cal waits halfway to the door.

“Fine.” Bran’s smile is tight. I might catch hell for this later. “Mind your manners, Alpha.”

“I have more than you do, Duval.”

Bran grumbles. “Come find me later, little mouse. That’s an order.”

I give him a nod and then he’s gone.

Leaving me alone with the big bad wolf.

“That was brave,” Cal says and folds his massive arms over his chest.

“I need to know what that favor is.”

It’s not the most important thing going on right now, but that’s exactly why I have to know it. I hate loose threads and I especially hate secrets and mysteries.

“Jessie.” He sighs and uncrosses his arms. “I can’t?—”

“Yes, you can.”

The Alpha relented with me earlier, which makes me think he might give me what I want now.

And I’m betting that now that the Duvals are gone, Cal might be more willing to share.

“I have a lot going on in my life, Cal. I don’t want that unknown thing haunting me in the back of my mind. Please.”

He turns away from me, rubs at the back of his head. “It’s about my fated mate.”

“Really?”

Cal’s lack of a mate is gossip fodder for Midnight. The Midnight Sun does annual coverage on it, usually around the blood moon.

Midnight’s Most Eligible Bachelor – Will this be the year the Alpha takes a mate?

I’m sure he must hate it.

There’s a lot about pack politics and fated mates that I don’t know and never gave the time to figuring it out. Most of the mates chosen for pack members are chosen based on politics or convenience. There are several mortal families that have been almost universally bound to the pack.

But fated mates…that’s something else entirely.

That’s magic. There’s nothing political or convenient about it.

“What about him or her?” I ask.

“Her,” he says and then turns back to me. “I know who she is.”

“Okay. And what does that have to do with me?”

His tongue pokes at the inside of his cheek, his nostrils flaring. “We don’t like each other.”

“Oh. Ohhhh.” Okay, I’m really glad I asked about this now because I could stand for some drama that’s not mine.

“I know she’s my mate, but she doesn’t know yet and she comes from a family not typically bound to the pack.”

“Complicated. I like it.”

He growls.

Do I need to be worried about his edginess on the new moon?

I would put a billion dollars on a bet that Bran is actually just down the hall listening in to be sure nothing happens to me.

It does make me a little bolder.

“Go on,” I say.

The Alpha sighs. “I’m going to need her to submit to me. Sooner rather than later. My wolf will not wait much longer.”

“I still don’t know how I factor into this.”

He meets my gaze, scrubbing a hand over the blond stubble on his jaw. “You know her.”

“I do?”

“She’ll listen to you.”

“Who—”

Oh god.

Ohhhh god.

“ No ,” I say.

“Yes.”

“Sam?”

He doesn’t deny it.

“Sam is your fated mate?” My voice has turned shrill. “But she’s promised to the Mulligan witches. They’ll expect her to Pledge to them and?—”

“Over my fucking dead body.” This time when he growls, it rumbles deep in his chest, almost animalistic.

“Okay. Okay.” I hold up my hands. This is the oddest shit I’ve ever witnessed. He says he doesn’t like Sam, but the absolute torture on his face right now at the mere thought she’d Pledge somewhere else…

Oh, Sam. Oh, I can’t wait to tell her! Oh, but she is really, really going to hate this. Because she does hate the Alpha. Her dad was the pack’s handyman until Cal fired him for reasons unknown.

Sam’s family is big, tons of kids, and their mom doesn’t work. They don’t have a lot of money. Her dad had a hard time finding a new job. He’d been the handyman for the Pack House for nearly two decades.

I once heard Sam say if she could castrate the Alpha, she would.

“So you want me to talk my best friend into pledging to your house and becoming your mate? The Alpha’s Mate?”

“Yes,” Cal says. “Exactly that.”

I laugh, bring my hand to my mouth. I laugh again.

“Jessie.” His voice rumbles.

“Oh, I am very sorry for you, sir. Because you are going to have your hands full with Sam.”

“You think I don’t know that? Every time I’m around her, I want to strangle her.”

I laugh again. Cal’s shoulders rise with a deep, disgruntled breath.

“Sorry. It’s just…I needed this.”

He glares at me. “I am glad my frustrations amuse you. Now will you do it?”

“I mean…yeah. I’ll talk it through with her. When?”

“I can handle waiting until after your Pledge.”

“I appreciate that. There’s a lot going on.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“You’ll be at the Pledge tomorrow? On our side?”

“You help me with Sam, you’ll get anything you need from me.”

“All right. You have my word on that. And thank you for telling me. Really.” I come around the leather chairs. “You’ve actually been really kind to me and I won’t forget that.”

He softens. I think the Alpha might have a gooey center. If he and Sam can find even ground, she might be the most spoiled girl in all of Midnight by the end of the year.

“I need to get back to the house,” Cal says. “But please, don’t say anything to Sam before I’m ready. I need to prepare for the firestorm. Promise me that.”

“I promise.”

He gives me a nod and starts for the door. “And Jessie?” He looks at me over his shoulder. “My psychic was vague on most of the particulars about tomorrow, but one thing was sure—your sister will die one way or another. At least as a vampire, she’ll come back.”

When the Alpha is gone, I collapse back into one of the chairs.

My head is spinning.

My sister might become a vampire. My best friend is the fated mate of the Alpha.

Just a regular Monday night now.