His chances of getting back to his territory without another confrontation with the nest would be much better if he left Glenda behind. He stared at her sleeping features and that strong urge to protect her remained. She’d be helpless and quickly recaptured. He wouldn’t allow that to happen.

He debated whether he should leave Glenda at least for a little while and seek out the Vampires. However many there might be, they’d have to spread out to search for the two of them if they wanted to be effective. It would leave the Vamps at a disadvantage, and he could attack them in smaller numbers, cut them down. The hunters would become the hunted.

Glenda made a soft noise in her sleep and he instantly discarded the idea. What if she had a nightmare and screamed? Humans tended to do that. The sound would carry and draw the Vampires right to her. She’d be alone.

He tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer, until she was pressed along the front of his body.

He inhaled her scent and his dick responded by hardening. Lust rolled through him and he stopped breathing through his nose. Having sex with the sun down and while they were vulnerable would be stupid. That was one thing Veso wasn’t. He’d be damned if a bunch of bloodsuckers tagged him with their drugs because he was otherwise occupied and distracted.

Veso moved his arm, sliding his hand from her waist, up her back, to play with strands of Glenda’s curly hair. His body had been fooled into believing she was his mate. The tender emotions surging through him had to be a result of the blood exchange forced on them. They might fade, he hoped they would, because he had no idea what he’d do if they didn’t.

His clan would never accept her. Decker might have left with his most trusted enforcers but that didn’t mean things had changed. At some point Decker would return, and he’d left enough of his devoted elders and clan members behind to assure someone would attempt to kill any human in their midst. They only tolerated Kira because she was at least in part VampLycan, and her father had some kind of leverage against Decker.

The desire to brush his mouth over Glenda’s lips had him pulling back, pressing his spine tight against the side of the hole he’d dug. It would be a mistake to seduce her. She’d claimed they would be a train wreck. He hadn’t enjoyed the comparison but he’d understood why she made it. They were from two different worlds and species. He wouldn’t fit into her life and no one would accept her into his.

He thought of his father next and cringed, imagining his reaction if he introduced Glenda as his mate. Memories of his childhood still filled him with bitterness. He hadn’t understood why his parents had argued so much and lived apart. Mates were supposed to be close and love each other. His tenth birthday had killed his youthful dreams of being part of a happy family. That’s when his mother had told him the truth.

No. He needed to resist Glenda and avoid making the same mistake his father had. She would never purposely trap him, but the result would be the same if she got pregnant. He snarled, still enraged by his memories.

Glenda startled. He saw her eyes open and fear creased her features.

“It’s fine. Sorry,” he whispered.

“Vampires?” She breathed the word.

“No. I was just thinking of something unpleasant.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” It felt bad to lie to her. Mates were supposed to always be honest with each other.

It surprised him when she opened her hand on his chest and lightly stroked him through the ill-fitting shirt he wore. “Bad dream?”

He hesitated, listening. The woods had settled and he could hear small animals moving around. They wouldn’t be if they picked up the scent of a Vampire. Their instincts would tell them they were in danger.

“Veso? Everyone has them. I do all the time.”

“I was thinking about my parents,” he admitted.

“You miss them?”

“It’s just my father now in my life. My mother died.”

“I’m so sorry.” She stroked him a little more firmly.

“I’m not.”

Her hand stilled.

He could just imagine her bad thoughts about him for saying that. He didn’t like her thinking the worst of him. “She lost her true mate when she was a youth, before they matured. Her name was Parma and she was raised in the clan I was born to.” He swallowed, unsure why he was sharing the story with her, but he wanted her to understand.

“She pursued my father from another clan. He said she was beautiful. She was very aggressive about it and he was flattered.” The words got easier to say. “She seduced him.” His anger probably sounded in his voice but he kept his tone soft. “My kind doesn’t conceive unless they’re mated, but my mother was mostly Lycan. You wouldn’t understand this, being human, but Lycan’s can control their bodies and their ovulation cycles. My mother did that, and tricked my father into getting her pregnant.”

“Why?”

“Decker, he was her leader, asked all clan women to breed strong sons to help strengthen his position. More fighters assures a clan’s survival. She didn’t actually want a mate, since she’d lost her true one, and none of the men in her clan trusted her with their seed.” Bitterness sounded in his voice but he didn’t hide it. “They must have known how cold and calculating she really was. They’d seen her grow up. She hid her scent from my father by lighting scented candles and was naked in his bathtub when he got off shift. She’d let herself into his home. He couldn’t pick up that she was ovulating.”

He closed his eyes, unable to withstand seeing pity in Glenda’s face, if that was her reaction. “She got what she wanted from my father and ended up pregnant. I was born to gain favor with her beloved leader.

“My father learned of my existence because she grew tired of tending to a baby she’d never really wanted. She sent him a message that she needed help raising me. He begged her to mate him. He has honor. She refused. He also wasn’t allowed to take me back to his clan, since I belonged to hers already. She’d sworn my life to Decker. My father gave up his status with his clan to live as her full-time babysitter. Decker allowed him to stay but he was never given any status in the clan until after her death. Even then, the clan leader never fully trusted my father.”

She was silent for a while. He figured she was horrified.

“He must love you a lot.”