Half-breed’s Bargain by Samantha Wolfe
15
VAN
I thought I’d find relief with some distance from Harlow, or at the very least the peaceful forest that surrounds me would do the trick, but no. The farther away I get, the more that pulling sensation in my chest urges me to go back to her, the more my entire body yearns for her. My skin feels tight and hot, and part of me wants to tear off all my clothes to soothe it, since the cool morning air isn’t enough. Eventually, I reach a small stream that bisects the property and kneel next to it so I can splash the cold water on my face and neck. It doesn’t help much, but it’s better than nothing. Then I sit back on my knees and close my eyes for a few moments, focusing on taking slow deep breaths to ease my pounding heart, until two familiar scents find my nose.
“Van?” Mercer says, and I open my eyes to see him approaching me with Ethan by his side.
Both are in their human forms again and dressed in sweatpants. The boys routinely keep stashes of clothing hidden out in the woods. Apparently, it’s a werewolf thing.
“Are you okay?” Ethan adds as they move closer in an oddly cautious way.
“Not even close,” I say as both men lower themselves cross-legged in front of me onto the soft moss along the stream. They're worried and expectant faces tell me I owe them an explanation for what they just heard between Harlow and me.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Mercer asks, his tone slightly accusatory.
I don’t blame him for feeling that way. I had all kinds of opportunities to tell them about what’s happening between Harlow and me, I just didn’t. I let them think what they wanted instead of explaining anam amháin to them.
I sigh. “I didn’t want to worry you over something you couldn’t do anything about.”
Both men’s brows furrow in obvious irritation. I know my answer is lame, but it’s the truth, and I don’t have a better one.
“We’re not teenagers anymore, Van,” Ethan says with a deep frown. “I know you think you’re protecting us by keeping things from us, but we can handle it.”
“I know,” I say as I run a hand through my hair. “But I’ve been trying to keep you both safe for so long, that it’s become my default.”
“Even if we can’t do anything to help,” Mercer adds. “We can at least be here for you like you always are for us.”
Ethan nods. “But how are we supposed to do that if you don’t tell us what’s going on?” He smiles. “You’re our family, Van. Let us take some of your burden.”
My shoulders sag. I can’t do that to them. I won’t. My burden is mine to bear, no matter how heavy it feels on my lone shoulders. I’ll always keep things from them when it’s in their best interest not to know. But for now, I’ll tell them about my relationship with Harlow.
“Anam amháin is the fae equivalent of the werewolf mating bond,” I tell them. “They’re both soul bonds, but the fae version is a lot stronger and far more intense.”
“Really?” Ethan asks, glancing at his mate with raised brows. “I can’t imagine anything more intense than what we share.”
“Your souls only truly touch when you have sex,” I explain. “Which is why the bond doesn’t form until then. With anam amháin, the two souls can touch at will without sex involved, and the bond forms the first time they come in contact.”
“Why didn’t you ever mention it before?” Mercer asks.
“I didn’t think it could happen to me since I’m not a full-blooded fae,” I reply. “I never imagined it was even a possibility, so I never felt the need to talk about it.”
“Do you really think Móira can use it to control Harlow?” Mercer asks.
“I do,” I answer. “And even if not directly, then at the very least, she’ll use our bond as leverage to enslave Harlow to her will. I won’t risk that happening. I need to keep my distance from her as much as I can until this job is over. Each time our auras touch, it binds us even closer together, and resisting is getting more difficult the more time I spend around her.” I shake my head. “I’m afraid if we have sex we’ll be bound so tightly that I won’t be able to walk away when this job is over.”
“Then what you two need is a chaperon,” Ethan says, then nods a head toward his mate. “Sebastian and I can make sure neither of you are alone together.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” I say, ignoring the horny part of me that wants to tell him no.
Even now, I’m still aching for Harlow, and at the moment, I don’t think I could deny her if she begged me for my cock in that sweet, sexy voice of hers. I suppress a shudder and let out a deep sigh. Yeah, I shouldn’t go anywhere near her right now.
“I’m going to stay out here for a while,” I add. “I’ll join you all back at the house when I have a better handle on myself.”
“Understood,” Mercer replies as the two werewolves rise to their feet.
“We’ll try to entertain Harlow until you get back.” Ethan grins. “But something tells me she’ll be entertaining us instead.”
I smile at that. He’s not wrong. I’ve never met a more interesting and amusing woman in my life. It’s a shame she won’t be a part of it after this job for Móira is finished. That thought wipes my smile away in a heartbeat. I don’t want to think about a future without her in it. Just the thought makes me feel empty inside.
The boys leave, and I rise and head deeper into the forest. I wander for hours, trying to lose myself and find peace among the trees, to live in the now like I’ve seen my boys do so many times, but it never quite works for me. All I can do is try my damnedest to ignore the tug in my chest that wants me to go to her. It’s dark outside once again by the time I feel like I have myself under control, and I walk back to the house. I shouldn’t have wasted so much time given the job we have to do, but it couldn’t be helped. My control needs to be ironclad around this woman or I’ll ruin her life right along with mine.
I’m almost home when I hear an unfamiliar vehicle crunching up the long, winding drive that leads up to the house. I never get unexpected visitors out here, so I hasten my steps to reach the driveway before the car does. I pause just inside the trees and peer out to watch a sleek silver Porsche 911 pulling to a stop behind my Mercedes. The driver’s side door opens a moment later, and I’m shocked to see Ameera climb out of the low vehicle. She dressed in a sleek black pants suit with her dark hair hanging around her shoulders. I grind my teeth together, incensed because she’s here as much as by how the hell she knew I lived here. I don’t even have this place listed as my address anywhere.
I storm out of the trees with a low growl that has Ameera whipping around to face me. “How did you find me here?” I ask in a clipped tone that does nothing to hide my anger. I’m secretly pleased that I startled a vampire.
Her surprise morphs into an indifferent mask. “I’m a resourceful woman,” she says as she lifts her chin in an imperious way.
“Answer my fucking question,” I snarl at her as I stalk closer, glaring at her nose to avoid meeting her gaze.
With a loud huff, Ameera strides over to the back of my car, then leans over to reach under the bumper. She straightens and holds something up for me to see. It’s a small black plastic device that I recognize as a GPS tracker. Dios mío, I should have looked for something like it before we left Lynch’s castle, but I was too distracted by Harlow and her distress to think of it at the time. I’m disgusted with my own lapse in judgment.
“Samuel is very tech savvy for a vampire,” she elaborates. “I had him place this little toy under your car for me.”
“Why?” I ask. “So you can keep tabs on me for Lynch?”
“No,” she replies, then crushes the tracker between her fingers. “Because we need to talk.”
I make a scoffing noise. “You expect me to believe that your master had nothing to do with this?”
“Lynch isn’t my master,” she answers with a sneer. “And yes, this has nothing to do with Lynch. He doesn’t know I tracked you here.”
“What makes you think Samuel didn’t run and tell Lynch what you had him do?”
“Because Samuel is loyal to me, not Lynch,” she answers. “He’s my progeny.”
Well, that changes things. If Ameera is strong enough to sire her own vampires now and not only avoid getting slaughtered by her own progeny, but earn his loyalty, then she’s powerful enough to defy Lynch. But is she telling me the truth?
“When have I ever lied to you, Van?” Ameera asks in a soft voice, unnervingly reading me like she always could.
The answer is never, but then again, vampires aren’t exactly known for their honor anymore than the humans they’re spawned from.
“Forgive me, if I’m reticent to believe you,” I answer with a bitter edge to my tone. “It’s understandable given who you work for now.”
Ameera’s eyes turn black in an instant. “I do not work for Randall Lynch,” she says in a low sibilant hiss, her fangs peeking out from her lips as she speaks. “I bow to no one but my sire.”
I arch a brow, unimpressed by her display of aggression. “You could’ve fooled me.”
She growls at me. “That’s the point,” she says, enunciating each syllable.
“Then you better explain before I’m willing to listen to anything else you have to say.”
She presses her lips together and sighs before speaking again. “I’m here on behalf of the Mari Maeștri,” she says.
My eyes widen. She’s talking about the council of grand masters who rule over all the vampires in the world. Only the oldest and strongest vampires sit on the council, and their word is law amongst their kind.
“My sire is a member now,” Ameera continues, her eyes bleeding back to their normal brown. “I was sent to look into Lynch’s behavior and find out if he’s a threat to our existence.”
“Does he know any of that?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “He thinks he won my services from a failed bet with my sire.” She smirks. “The fool doesn’t deserve to be the master of anything.”
I can’t disagree with that, but it’s unimportant at the moment. “What did you want to talk to me about?” I ask, ready to move on.
She glances toward the house. “May we do this inside?”
I flick my eyes toward the house as well. I can hear loud rock music playing inside, which explains why the boys didn’t hear Ameera’s car pull up. Otherwise, they’d be out here confronting her right along with me. I don’t want them anywhere near her, and they’re safe right now since she can’t enter my house without my permission. I’m under no delusion they stand a chance against Ameera in a fight. She’s a formidable vampire. Even Harlow or I would be hard-pressed to defeat her in a fight.
“No,” I answer with a hard glare.
Ameera huffs out an exasperated breath. “Fine,” she says as she crosses her arms. “You can’t steal that ring for Lynch.”
“Why not?” I ask as a sinking feeling hits my gut.
“Because that ring isn’t just any old magical artifact,” she says with a grave expression, “it’s ancient and powerful, and whoever possesses it can destroy us all.”
I remember how the ring’s magic resonated up my arm and had my stomach roiling just from touching it alone, and I know she’s right about its power. As for her other claim, I can’t help but believe her. The thought of Lynch getting his hands on it is only slightly worse than the knowledge that my mother already has it in her possession. And since what she told me changes everything and effects all of us now, I go against my better judgment and do the last thing I wanted to do mere moments ago and decide to invite her into my home to talk.