Veso Read online

  “Mine!”

  His arms around her eased a little but not by much. She opened her eyes, staring at the wall across the room. Her lips were coated with his blood, the iron taste of it in her mouth as she tried to catch her breath. Her body felt way too warm, as if she were running a fever.

  She’d just mated Veso.

  He cleared his throat. “Say something.”

  She blinked, trying not to panic. They were mated. He’d seduced her into it. No, she couldn’t totally blame that on him. He hadn’t been fucking her when he’d asked her to drink his blood. She’s the one who’d opened her mouth and shoved it against his arm.

  “Glen?” He lifted his head and she turned hers.

  The sight of blood on his mouth too, his chin, knowing it was hers… “You bit me,” she got out.

  “Twice. I’d have let you bite me but you don’t have these.” He curled his upper lip, revealing his fangs.

  “So we’re officially mated now?” She needed him to verbally confirm it, to hear the words.

  His features softened. “We’re mates. That’s a wonderful thing.”

  He wiggled a little and she lifted up, freeing his trapped arm under her ribs. He bent that arm after planting it on the bed, holding his head up but firmly wrapping his other one around her waist to keep them intimately linked. The fact that his leg still pinned hers wasn’t lost on her too. He probably figured she’d try to make a run for it. She was his though. They were mates. Excitement and fear clashed inside her all at once. There was no going back, no changing her mind.

  “Breathe.”

  “I am.”

  “Too rapidly. Slow it down, Glen. There’s no need to panic.”

  She was. Her heart was racing and her lungs were working too fast. She swallowed, reminded of the blood she’d drank since she could still taste it. It was smeared on her lips, probably her face too. It was on his.

  He leaned in, holding her gaze. “I love you.”

  She searched his eyes, stunned. He looked sincere. He’d actually dropped the L bomb on her.

  “I do. You’re strong, Glenda. Stop looking as if you’re about to faint.”

  “Glen. You said you’d call me that.”

  He had the nerve to smile. “You want to argue now? I just told you that you’re the owner of my heart and always will be. I’m laying myself bare to you. This is where you’re supposed to tell me that you love me too.”

  “I…”

  “I love you. It’s not so hard to share your feelings, Glen. That was my second time uttering those words. You can say them too.”

  Please don’t break my heart one day. “I love you, Veso. I’m just still a bit scared,” she admitted.

  “We’re mates. Love is natural between us. I know it’s not easy to accept. I fought my instincts to mate you at first, not trusting them because of the blood injected into us at the mine. We’ve had time since then for it to have worn off. You just drank my blood because you know inside that you’re my mate. Try to imagine a life without me. I’ll give you a minute to think on it. I’ve done that…and I didn’t like what I pictured.”

  He made it sound so simple. Life never was.

  “Just close your eyes and think ahead five years if I let you return to your world alone.”

  It wasn’t all that much to ask and it beat staring at him, because the blood on his face still made her feel slightly disturbed, reminding her of how she must look too. She closed her eyes, putting herself back inside her apartment. She’d rarely be there because she worked at least six days a week, ten- to twelve-hour shifts she didn’t even get all the overtime pay for. It had been lonely. All those meals she ate in front of her TV and the nights she slept alone. Her life had been sad and kind of pathetic.

  He cuddled her tighter against his body, putting his lips close to her ear. “I’ll always be here for you. We’ll share everything together. You have a mate. Accept that and cherish it. I do.”

  She parted her eyelids, staring at him. “You are evil.”

  “Why? Because I make sense?”

  “No, because you don’t play fair.”

  He smiled. “I’m a VampLycan. I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want.”

  He was honest. She’d always give him credit for that. And blunt. She should be too. “We’re so different. Doesn’t that worry you?”

  “I’ve heard that opposites attract. We’re proof that’s true.”

  “Do you have an answer for everything?”

  “I think so.”

  “Fine. What about all my belongings in Oregon? I don’t even own clothes anymore, just ones Kira leant me. She’ll want them back at some point. I don’t want to write off my stuff. How will I support myself? I have a car. My lease isn’t up for another four months on my apartment. I have some savings but not enough to pay off—”

  “That’s all easy to take care of.”

  “Really? Tell me the wonders of the world, oh great know-it-all.”

  He snorted, smiling again. “I’ll send my father to pack the belongings you want and have them shipped here. I have money, which makes it yours too. He can pay off your car and sell it for you. I’m certain your city vehicle wouldn’t survive one winter here.” He frowned. “I’ll drive you anywhere you need to go that a vehicle is required. You won’t need one of your own.”

  “That sounds so sexist.”

  He grinned. “It’s not. We had to walk to our cabin, remember? No roads.”

  “I’ll want to go grocery shopping and stuff. That means I need a car to get to a town at some point.”

  “Never without me at your side. Humans don’t like us, Glen. It wouldn’t be safe. They distrust anyone from a VampLycan town. They believe we’re some kind of religious cult.”

  “Why?”

  “We keep separate from them except mail and supply runs. It’s always been that way.”

  “To keep your secret,” she guessed.

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t have your dad packing my underwear. Not to mention, he won’t want to do that.”

  “He’ll do it because you’re my mate and your safety comes first. I won’t allow you to return to your home. The master is no longer a threat but that doesn’t mean other Vampires won’t be hunting for you. He was working with their council. It’s possible he shared your name and his plans with them. At some point, they are going to realize he’s dead.”

  “I don’t have keys to my place, which means I have to get another set from the landlord. I have to pay off my lease and give notice that I’m moving.” He had no idea how the real world worked. That was obvious. “Your father isn’t me, so they aren’t going to let him do any of that.”

  “You forget what we can do.” His eyes began to glow.

  “Mind control.”

  The yellow of them faded to the natural color. “Yes. My father can gain access to your home, pack whatever you want sent here, and do so safely. He’ll go in during the day and can handle any humans he needs to deal with on your behalf.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “It is, Glen.”

  “What about my mom? I still call her every so often.”

  “We do have phones in Alaska. Just don’t tell her where you are. The Vamps could use your family to track you.”

  It made her go still inside. “They’re in danger?”

  “Doubtful, especially if they have no information on where to find you. To kill a human in a city draws too much attention so they tend to avoid doing that.”

  “What do I tell her?”

  “That you met the man of your dreams.” He grinned. “I swept you off your feet and I’m incredibly handsome. Any mother would love to hear that.”

  He was impossible—and all hers.

  It hit hard. He really was hers.

  He chuckled. “Breathe, mate. Don’t faint on me.”

  “Fuck you. You’re so bossy!”

  “I can do that.” He kissed her.

  Chapter Tw