Veso Read online

“I have a job for you, Glenda.”

  “Okay.”

  “Find and make us something to eat.”

  She frowned. “Why me? Because I’m the one with the boobs?”

  “Fine. I’ll make us food and you go search the outer shed for anything we can use.”

  She sighed, her expression softening. “I’ll take kitchen duty.”

  She amused him. “Good. I eat a lot. We need our strength. The Vampires wouldn’t have touched the human’s food so there should be some in the pantry. We could be miles from anything. We’ll take some supplies when we go in case we’re out there all night. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked out the back door and circled the shed. There didn’t seem to be any traps, and he had to snap the lock to gain entry. There wasn’t much inside except gardening tools.

  His thoughts kept returning to Glenda. He’d overheard most of her conversation with the Vamp. She was some distant descendant of the master. The asshole seemed hell bent on forcing her to birth a daughter. It meant she’d remain in danger of being taken again as long as the bastard still lived. At first he hadn’t really cared what her future held. He’d planned to warn the other clans that they were at risk of being kidnapped the way he had been. They’d change security procedures to prevent it from happening.

  But Glenda’s future bothered him now. It infuriated him, thinking about her being in danger. The master would change his plans once he realized he wouldn’t be getting his hands on a VampLycan again. He could decide to breed Glenda with a Lycan, then breed her child with another master Vampire, to get his so-called strong-blooded queen.

  Just the thought of some Lycan rutting on Glenda had him snarling under his breath. He’d hunt the mangy mutt down, tear him apart, and make a rug out of the Lycan’s fur for Glenda to walk on in front of his fireplace.

  Wood snapped and he looked down, realizing he’d broken the hoe he’d been trying to fashion a weapon from. He dropped it and reached up, rubbing the tense muscles along the back of his neck. He had actually pictured Glenda inside his cabin, his home.

  It’s the blood exchange, he reasoned. It accounted for the possessive way he felt about her. He’d never heard of a mating bond forming by injecting blood into a couple. It should be temporary…but what if it wasn’t?

  He closed his eyes, letting that possibility sink in. He would be mated to a human. He’d have to take her home to his clan.

  She’d be treated badly as his mate, at best. He’d have to fight to keep her safe and protect her at all times from enforcers like Nabby. That mean bastard would kill her on sight. Hell, if Decker returned to power over their clan, he’d order Glenda killed, and every VampLycan in the clan would be forced to try to take her life. Decker hated everything human.

  “Son of a bitch,” he snarled, opening his eyes.

  All the scenarios played out in his mind. He’d have to track and kill the master Vampire. The nest he’d been taken to hadn’t held any of the Vamps who’d attacked and drugged him. It meant there might be a larger nest to deal with. It was possible that the old mine had just been a holding facility for their prisoners. He didn’t want Glenda in danger, but he also wasn’t about to leave her alone while he dealt with the problem. She wouldn’t be safe unless he was around to protect her. The only other option was…

  Shit. I have to take her to my den.

  He tried to imagine how she’d respond to being locked underground and left there while he hunted down the Vampires. She would probably try to escape—and that would leave her smack-dab in the middle of VampLycan territory. Best case, they’d capture her, wipe her mind, and send her home. The master would recapture her if Veso hadn’t killed him by then. Worst case, someone from his clan would kill her. It was a hell of a situation.

  He left the shed after packing a few things that would help them survive in the woods and entered the house. The smell of beans and corned beef had his stomach rumbling. The sight of her cooking made him pause. She turned her head and smiled.

  His dick stiffened. He wanted her more than food. Just from the simple domestic sight of his woman preparing him a meal.

  “Whoever lived here really liked refried beans and corned beef hash. They were stockpiled. I used three cans of each,” she informed him. “I hope that’s enough.”

  He managed to nod and set the wrapped bundle down next to the door, closing it behind him. She faced the two large pans she had cooking on the stove, stirring them with a wooden spoon. The urge to stalk closer and pull her into his arms surfaced. He resisted.

  “Almost everything in the fridge is expired, including the milk. I hope you don’t mind beer, water, or soda. Those are your only drinking choices. Oh, and I found a shotgun. I didn’t touch it. I don’t know if it’s loaded or not.”

  That got his attention off her ass. “Where?”

  “In the pantry. It’s leaning up against the wall in there. How weird is that? There’s a box of shells on the floor next to it. That’s an odd place to keep a gun.”

  He stomped over to the narrow door she’d pointed to and yanked it open. He leaned in and spotted the shotgun. He grabbed it and checked. “It’s loaded. The poor bastard never even got off a shell.”

  He bent and scooped up the box of shells, studying the other shelves. There weren’t any spares. He carried the weapon and box to the small table, putting them down.

  “What does that mean? What poor bastard?”

  He found Glenda frowning at him. She turned off the flames under the pans.

  “The owner of this cabin is dead. He either wasn’t able to reach his gun to shoot at the Vampires before they attacked or they caught him unaware before he knew he wasn’t alone anymore.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “That death smell I picked up? Someone is buried behind the cabin.”

  She paled.

  He regretted telling her but they were leaving soon. “I haven’t smelled any blood inside the cabin. They probably killed him outside. There wasn’t any damage to the doors but I doubt he locked them. It’s a remote location.”

  She just stared at him.

  “What?”

  “You sound so cold. You’re saying a man died, yet you’re wearing his clothes and about to eat his food.”

  “Life can be harsh. So can death. I didn’t kill him.”

  “You suck.” She spun away and opened the cupboards, lifting out two plates. “That poor man.”

  “Let’s just eat and get going or we might be recaptured. Those bastards already shot me with drugs once. I don’t want to give them the opportunity to do it again.”

  That seemed to calm her. She dished out a huge plate of food and served him at the table. “What do you want to drink?”

  It didn’t matter to him. “Whatever is cold. I don’t care.”

  She yanked open the fridge and removed a soda, bringing it to him. She returned with a big spoon. “There you go.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m glad you at least know that word,” she muttered, stalking back to the stove to fix her own plate.

  “I have a lot on my mind.”

  “Don’t we both.” She came to the table with her plate and got another soda from the fridge, finally sitting across from him once she’d retrieved a second spoon. “It’s hot.”

  He dug into the food, rather than lunging across the table to take her to the floor. He wanted her bad. His dick remained hard and the urge to strip her naked again was stronger than his desire to eat. He lifted the spoon and dug in, substituting one hunger for another.

  “What’s next?”

  “We pack some supplies and get going. It’s best if we put as much distance as we can between us and that nest. We still don’t know where the master sleeps.”

  “You’re sure he wasn’t at the mine?”

  “He would have come after us if he’d been there. I don’t think he was though. The truck they drove me in was gone. I’m guessing he took it. He’ll be close, since he needs to keep