Wen Read online

  “I know.” Tymber set lunchmeat, cheese, mayo, and bread from the fridge on the counter. “I’m supposed to make sure you tell them you were with Gerri.”

  “Fuck. They won’t take that well.” Wen poured juice into two glasses.

  Tymber met his gaze. “How is she? Did she ever get any bigger?”

  Pain squeezed Wen’s chest. “Not by much.” Anger came next. “She lives in a shit apartment in a neighborhood that reeks of Vamps.”

  “She doesn’t know?”

  “She thinks brick walls and bars on the windows will protect her, even if they really want in. Sure, she made it harder for them, but they could still reach her.”

  Tymber dropped his gaze, putting together six sandwiches on the countertop. Wen got out two plates, then grabbed an unopened bag of chips from his pantry. They sat at the bar to eat a few minutes later.

  Tymber was the first to speak. “I know there’s going to be hell to pay but it’s time you stood up to your parents. You’ve denied what you know is true long enough out of guilt and duty. You’ve finally sought out your little golden locks. She’s your one, isn’t she? Not just some crush you’ve had from boyhood.”

  Wen stared at the sandwiches on his plate. “Father is going to make me kill him. Mother will die too. What kind of fucking choice is that to make? They’re my parents. Father’s an elder. Trayis will have no choice but to punish or ban me from the clan.”

  Tymber didn’t say a word, so Wen finally looked at him. He saw sadness in his eyes.

  “I don’t envy the situation you’re in, Wen. But you’re not the one who’s done anything wrong, so there will be no repercussions from Trayis. Mandro and Elna had no right to do this to you. You are not your brother. It’s cruel, what they’ve done. You’re a good son. Everyone in this damn clan could see how much Gerri meant to you. You were her protector. We all figured you’d go after her the day she hit mating age and bring her back to the clan. Did you know Trayis kept track of her and Carol those first few years, so he could tell you exactly where she was?”

  Wen didn’t hide his surprise. “No.”

  Tymber nodded. “And were you aware that Klentz had spoken to Trayis about you mating his daughter?”

  Wen tensed. “No.”

  His friend smiled. “Klentz knew Mandro was set against it, and he worried your father would ask Trayis to pull rank by ordering you away from Gerri. You never listened to your father back then, but you were in training to become an enforcer. It was right after that bear attack, when your father punished you for saving her life. Klentz asked Trayis to never ban you from seeing Gerri. He knew how deep your feelings ran for her, and that they would only grow stronger as the two of you aged.”

  Wen closed his eyes. “He never said a word. Either of them.”

  “I overheard Klentz pleading with Trayis to never do that to you or her.”

  Wen opened his eyes. “What was Trayis’s answer?”

  “He said he’d never ask one of his clan to deny a mate, regardless of bloodlines or if it pissed off an elder.”

  Wen let that sink in.

  “Klentz also brought up the possible consequences of you breeding children with a human. He knew Mandro would assume your children would be weak if they took after their mother, and he’d use that excuse to get our clan leader to side with him.” Tymber grinned. “Want to know how Trayis responded to that?”

  Wen nodded. It was a valid reason not to mate a human. The clan depended on him to breed strong youth for the next generation of enforcers.

  “Trayis said it’s not strength that makes a good VampLycan, but what is in their hearts. Any child born out of love as pure as what he saw in the two of you could only be destined for greatness. The ability to shift or not wasn’t a concern for Trayis.”

  Wen felt tears fill his eyes. He looked away. “I’ll speak to my parents. It’s time I step out of Gerbin’s shadow.”

  “Yes. It’s about fucking time.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gerri jerked awake. The room was still dark—and she sensed danger. A chill ran down her spine. She wanted to reach for the light on the bedside table but pure fear kept her frozen.

  It only lasted a few heartbeats. She shoved at the covers, rolled out of bed, and launched herself into the nearest corner. Her fists came up as she spun around, prepared to fight whatever it was that woke her. It was so dark in the room that she couldn’t make out much.

  “Easy,” a deep voice rumbled. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

  He was male. She didn’t know who or what he was, but she guessed not human. She did adjust her head a little to track where his voice had come from. He was somewhere near the end of the bed, if she had to guess.

  “You have good instincts, and I like that you were aware when I came in then protected your back. That’s a great defensive spot. I can only come at you from the front.”

  Her mind went over possibilities. “I have permission to be here. You really don’t want to mess with me.” She swallowed, hoping Micah would realize she was in trouble and rush to her defense. It was tempting to scream, but the man in her room hadn’t attacked her so far. He might if she called for help. “What do you want?”

  “I was curious about you.”

  She went over what she knew so far. He’d said he wasn’t there to hurt her. He could also see in the dark, since he knew she’d gone to a corner. “You’re smelling a VampLycan. I’m guessing that you belong to this pack, picked up my scent, and came to investigate what the hell it was that caught your nose? Now you know. I’d like to point out that it’s really rude, no matter what race you are, to sneak into a woman’s bedroom in the middle of the night. Rethink it if you believe that just because I smell like one guy, I’m open to sex. You’d have to kill me, because I’ll fight you—and then you’d die next. I’m protected.”

  He chuckled.

  “I’m not joking.”

  “I know you aren’t. You amuse me, is all. Forgive my response.”

  She relaxed a little since he stayed near the end of the bed, but didn’t she unclench her hands. He was in for a fight if he did try to touch her. It wasn’t one she could win, but she might manage to stay alive long enough for Micah or his parents to be alerted that they had someone else in their home. Hopefully they’d come.

  She wished she could see. “You know I’m human. Will you turn on a light? I’m blind without one; you know that.”

  “I’ll turn on the light. Ready?”

  She nodded. Part of the darkness moved and came closer. He turned on the lamp next to the bed.

  Gerri blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness, then gawked as she stared at the nighttime intruder.

  He hadn’t changed all that much since the last time she’d seen him.

  Shock held her still for a moment, but then she dropped her chin, her gaze lowering to the carpet between them, and she put her hands to her sides. She stepped away from the wall and bowed slightly, staying in that position.

  He came toward her and she noticed the black boots he wore, with black cargo pants. “Look at me, Gerri,” he said.

  She straightened and raised her chin. He wasn’t as tall as Wen, but no one would ever call him short either. Trayis was about six feet four. She couldn’t believe he was in Colorado.

  He smiled. “Do you still paint on canvas?”

  It wasn’t a question she’d expected. “No.”

  “A shame. You had real talent as a child.” He reached out and touched her hair. His smile widened. “It’s as wild as ever. Your mother used to try so hard to restrain those curls, but they always burst out of the braids she wove.”

  Fear came next. “Is Wen okay?” What if he’d come to tell her something horrible? She couldn’t understand why else the clan leader would be there.

  “He’s fine. I ordered him back to Alaska. Tymber sent me a text when Wen arrived home.”

  She breathed out a sigh of relief. Then the next guess on why Trayis would come to see her