Chapter 2

John placed the last bag that would fit in the boot of Connor's car then turned. Our eyes met and for some reason mine filled with tears. ‘I never got the chance to thank you,' I choked out. I threw my arms around him and hugged him.

He stayed still for a beat before returning the embrace. ‘I'm so glad you made it here safely,' he murmured. ‘And under Connor MacKenzie's protection, no less. I'm impressed.'

I gave him one last squeeze and let him go. ‘And now you're here with me!' I drew back and smiled. ‘Are you going to stay in Alaska?'

His smile faded and the darkness returned. ‘I can't.'

Whatever he was being blackmailed with, it hadn't changed in the few months I'd been gone. Poor man. ‘I'm sorry, John.' I touched his arm lightly.

‘Oh, you've met the help,' Mum remarked, an edge to her voice. What a bitch.

I gritted my teeth. ‘John helped me escape from London.' I managed not to add ‘unlike you', but it was a struggle.

I climbed in the back seat with John so Mum could have the front seat. She hastily repaired her make up; she was wet and bedraggled after the heavy downpour but that didn't stop her putting her best foot forward.

Thankfully the painfully silent drive wasn't too long. I sensed Mum's disappointment when we pulled up to my council-supplied bungalow; where I saw quaint charm, she saw a small home that was far beneath her social station.

‘Better than your old flat, I suppose,' she muttered under her breath. As we were all vampires, we heard her bitchy comment as clearly as if she'd shouted it. Both men politely pretended not to hear while I ground my teeth.

Mum waited in the car for someone to open her door for her. Ever the gentleman, Connor quickly offered a hand to help her out. She smiled brightly, and this time she took it.

I climbed out of the cramped back seat and rushed to the front door, opening it as quickly as I could so that Mum could get in the house without getting any wetter. I winced as I stepped inside; I hadn't had time to clean since I'd come in the day before with a muddy Connor and a very muddy dog. I'd cleaned the bathroom, but the floors in the rest of the house needed a serious mopping. Seeing it with my mum's eyes made me cringe.

Luckily Fluffy arrived to distract me. He barrelled forward, wagged his tail and greeted me with enthusiasm and happiness as if I'd been gone for several days rather than half an hour. I rubbed his head and told him he was a good boy.

Mum came in with Arabella in her arms, not even trying to hide her disapproval as she looked around. Fluffy took one look at the pair of them and let out a low rumbling growl. He didn't like her expression any more than I did. ‘Oh shush,' I ordered him half-heartedly.

My mother reached out, swiped a finger along a windowsill and inspected her finger. Her frown deepened when she saw the dust that now coated it.

‘I haven't had much time to clean,' I said stiffly. I didn't owe her an explanation.

Then I gritted my teeth; I was going to have to be the bigger person. Mum and I would be living together; if I didn't make some sort of effort, the next few weeks would be hellacious. I relented enough to apologise for Fluffy's growl. ‘Sorry about my dog,' I managed. ‘He's usually quite friendly.'

She glanced at Fluffy, then did a double take. Her mouth dropped open for a second before she closed it and blinked rapidly. ‘My goodness,' she said faintly, clutching a hand to her chest like I had a pet werewolf. ‘Where on earth did you get such a large dog? I expected a small one like my precious Arabella.'

‘I brought him with me from London. Some monster had locked him in the commercial bin outside my flat. I rescued him.'

Mum stared at me, judging me, until I grew uncomfortable. Not only was my dog inappropriately large, he wasn't papered and pampered. Arabella had pink nails, for Pete"s sake. ‘Hmmm,' she said finally.

‘Your room is this way,' I said hastily to distract her from making more complaints about Fluffy.

The spare bedroom had a bed, a dresser and a walk-in wardrobe; it was rather plain but luckily it was clean and prepared with fresh bedding. ‘Oh my,' Mum said faintly. ‘It is rather basic.'

Did she expect the Ritz? I bit my cheek and cleared my throat. ‘It's not much but it's mine.' And her comment in the car had been right: it was much better than my miniscule studio flat back in London.

There was a ruckus from the kitchen – high-pitched barking and a kitten screaming. I ran out to save Shadow, but I should have known better because my lynx kitten Shadow wasn't in any danger – he was creating it. All puffed up, with his stubby little tail looking like a pom-pom, he had Arabella trapped in a corner. His claws were extended and his attitude was sassy. Whoops: Shadow could definitely eat Arabella if he wanted to.

I hastily scooped him up before Mum could see him threatening her darling. No doubt Arabella had done something to provoke the fight because Shadow was a chilled-out lynx – unless you were the beast beyond the barrier and then he was a warrior of epic proportions.

I deposited him with Fluffy. ‘Keep an eye on him and don't let him go Rambo on Arabella,' I murmured to my dog. He barked and sat to attention.

I went out to help John and Connor bring in the remaining bags from the sports car then lugged them to Mum's room, stacking them in a row like a mini-Wall of China. And to think there were still twice as many bags at the docks … I shook my head in disbelief at her sheer excess.

I left my mother to potter with her bags and went to complete the next British ritual in welcoming a guest: making them a cup of tea. For her and me, it was our favourite form of familial pretence.

By the time I'd prepared the tea the way Mum required, Lee had arrived with the rest of the bags. A quick glance outside showed the monstrous size of the vehicle that had been necessary. I caught Connor's eye and mouthed a quick thank you. He smiled warmly, melting me with his icy blue eyes.

After we'd unloaded, I snagged him and tugged him into my bedroom. As I kissed him, the reassuring zing shot through me; where once it had been a torment, now it was a comfort.

I drew back. ‘I'm not sure I can cope with this. With her.'

He tucked some stray hair behind my ear. ‘Bunny, you're the law around here. You're strong, fiercely independent, totally contrary, incredibly clever and kind to boot. I am grateful to your mother for birthing you – but say the word and I'll run her out of town quicker than you can say "Fuck awf!" in your cute British accent.'

I grinned. ‘I can say it pretty fast.'

‘I know.'

I blew out a breath; it felt like that was all I'd done since Mum had arrived – deep breathing and sighing.

He was right; she was getting under my skin and making me forget all I'd done, all I'd become. I was a new Bunny, and she didn't know this one; she wasn't going to stomp all over me, like she'd done my whole life. I was going to be polite, respectful – and firm.

I kissed Connor again. ‘You're the best. Do you know whether Mum has found a place for John to stay?'

He shook his head. ‘Not with me, but we have facilities. I'll run him out to Kamluck and set him up in the barracks before dawn. I didn't see a daylight charm on him.'

‘Thanks. You"re the best boyfriend ever.'

He looked amused. ‘I'm not sure the boyfriend label fits me. You'll eventually have to tell her that we're more than that.'

‘I know, but she's ped. It'll take a bit of explaining.'

‘Plenty of peds believe in soulmates,' he pointed out.

‘True.' Although I agreed, I was pretty certain that Mum wasn't one of them. I couldn't recall seeing my parents ever kiss – heck, they barely touched – but everyone's relationships were different; what you saw on the surface might be very different from what went on behind closed doors. I found myself hoping that Mum and Dad were affectionate to each other when they were alone because if they weren't…? I shook my head. To go through life with such coldness was no way to live.

‘I'll grab John after a cup of tea,' Connor offered.

I kissed him more firmly and mentioned out loud what I'd thought earlier. ‘How about we leave John and Mum here, and Fluffy, Shadow and I come and live with you?'

His eyes heated up. ‘Don't tease me,' he growled. ‘I'd love that, but we both know you can't.'

I sighed. ‘I know, but it was worth a shot.'

‘We should go back out there.' Connor was still looking at me like I was lunch. ‘But first, a quick lesson in not teasing me…' His lips touched mine and this time the zing was so hard I gasped. Could he control its force? My head swam and the kiss left me heated and panting.

He drew back and assessed the state of me with a satisfied smirk. ‘Tea time.'

For the first time in my life, I didn't want tea at all.