“Lorn hates me.”
“He did hate you,” Lavos agreed. “I won’t deny that, Veso. But I told him how we were secretly plotting to take over the clan together. He knows now that you hate everything Decker stood for. You want change as much as we do.”
“The clan will pressure him to shun me for having a human mate.” Veso paused. “I won’t risk her life.”
Glen’s heart sped up. Now Veso was telling his friend she was his mate. Could he really mean it? No. He had to be messing with her. She cleared her throat. “I’ll point out again I haven’t agreed to that.”
Veso turned his head and had the nerve to smile. “She’s in denial—but she’s mine.”
She hit him again, slapping his arm. “You’re such a bully, and so rude. I have a say in this!”
He didn’t even flinch. “Does hitting me make you feel better?”
“Marginally. It would help if you acted like it hurt.”
Lavos chuckled.
“You don’t hit hard, Glenda. You’re cranky and tired. Hit me if it makes you feel better but you’re still my mate. You aren’t returning to Oregon.”
“We’re in Oregon.”
“We’re in Alaska.”
She gaped at Veso, shocked. “What?”
“Alaska,” he repeated. “Not Oregon.”
Lavos cleared his throat. “Um, I hate to break this up because it’s weird, yet amusing, but we should start heading to the lodge. The sun is going down. That normally wouldn’t be a problem but you said you’re being hunted. We need to be indoors or deeper into our territory before the Vamps come out.”
Veso broke eye contact with her and addressed his friend. “You didn’t bring a vehicle?”
“I wasn’t expecting two of you. I drove a quad. It won’t seat three.”
“Tell me where it is and I’ll drive Glenda to my home.”
Lavos shook his head. “No way, Veso. Did you hear me when I said Decker was working with Vampires? He probably told them all about our clan. They attacked a remote section to get to you and Kira, where guards were spread the thinnest. Your home is in that same area. Didn’t you say that master will want to recapture her? Let’s not make it easy on them. That’s the first place they’ll look for her come nightfall. The lodge is where we’ve set up headquarters. She’ll be safest there. Plus, I’m not missing out on witnessing when your father and the rest of the clan gets a load of you and your human mate.” The guy had the nerve to laugh. “The lodge is where we need to go.”
“I’m not his mate,” she muttered, annoyed. They couldn’t even take her seriously, probably because she was a human.
“You are.” Veso shrugged off the pack and tossed it aside. He turned swiftly and grabbed her, scooping her up into his arms. “Let’s go. She walks slow and she’s tired. I no longer have to worry about defending her on my own. We have humans with dart guns filled with drugs looking for us.”
“Shit.” Lavos sniffed the air, glancing around. “Let’s move.”
Glen wrapped her arms around Veso’s neck. She wasn’t going to complain if he wanted to carry her. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. “Since you think it’s fine to be bossy, I can be too. I want food. Real food. Cooked. And a bath.”
“Done,” Veso said. “Soon.”
“Unbelievable,” Lavos chuckled.
“Shut up,” Veso snarled. It made his chest vibrate.
“You’d laugh too if I showed up toting a human mate, my friend.”
* * * * *
It was well after dark before the lights from the lodge came into view. Veso glanced down at Glenda. She had fallen asleep in his arms over an hour before.
Lavos paused, glancing around, and sniffed the air. He turned to stare at him.
“Do you want me to go in first? I texted that we were close as soon as I got a signal on my phone. Everyone knows you’ve been found. I can warn them.” His gaze dropped to Glenda, then back up to Veso.
“I don’t plan to stay long once we take out that nest. I know I won’t be welcome here by your brother or the rest of the clan, not with her.”
“You might be surprised. Stop expecting the worst.”
“Trayis has some men who mated humans in his clan. I know he’ll accept me. My father was from his clan and keeps in contact with him.”
“Don’t count Lorn out, Veso. You’ve never been enemies.”
“We’ve never been friends either. I can’t see him letting me stay.”
“You pretended to like Nabby and those other shits so you could warn us about the crap they planned to do in advance. We saved lives. That’s because of you, my friend. Lorn knows that. I told him everything.”
“Fine, but he still won’t accept my mate.”
“You should actually mate her.”
“I plan to, but I couldn’t while we were being hunted. It was too dangerous.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s just face this. I want it over. Will Lorn support going after that nest? I need help, and I want my father to stay behind to protect Glenda. The master is a threat to her. He needs to die.”
“This master sent his nest to invade our territory and they attacked Kira too. You bet your ass we’re going after those bastards.”
“Good.” Veso paused, glancing down at Glenda. He should wake her before they faced whoever waited inside. “Glenda?”
She didn’t stir in his arms.
He spoke louder. “Glenda? Wake up.”
Her eyes flew open and fear instantly contorted her features.
“It’s okay. I’m holding you. You’re safe.”
She clutched him tighter around his neck. “It’s dark.”
“It is, but we’re deep in VampLycan territory. We’re almost to the lodge. Look.” He turned her in his arms so she could see the lights up the hill.
Her tense body relaxed. “Is that a hotel?”
“No. It’s our clan meeting place.” He gently put her on her feet. “Be brave.” He took her hand. “Don’t show fear. No one is going to hurt you.”
“You’re totally safe,” Lavos added.
“He did hate you,” Lavos agreed. “I won’t deny that, Veso. But I told him how we were secretly plotting to take over the clan together. He knows now that you hate everything Decker stood for. You want change as much as we do.”
“The clan will pressure him to shun me for having a human mate.” Veso paused. “I won’t risk her life.”
Glen’s heart sped up. Now Veso was telling his friend she was his mate. Could he really mean it? No. He had to be messing with her. She cleared her throat. “I’ll point out again I haven’t agreed to that.”
Veso turned his head and had the nerve to smile. “She’s in denial—but she’s mine.”
She hit him again, slapping his arm. “You’re such a bully, and so rude. I have a say in this!”
He didn’t even flinch. “Does hitting me make you feel better?”
“Marginally. It would help if you acted like it hurt.”
Lavos chuckled.
“You don’t hit hard, Glenda. You’re cranky and tired. Hit me if it makes you feel better but you’re still my mate. You aren’t returning to Oregon.”
“We’re in Oregon.”
“We’re in Alaska.”
She gaped at Veso, shocked. “What?”
“Alaska,” he repeated. “Not Oregon.”
Lavos cleared his throat. “Um, I hate to break this up because it’s weird, yet amusing, but we should start heading to the lodge. The sun is going down. That normally wouldn’t be a problem but you said you’re being hunted. We need to be indoors or deeper into our territory before the Vamps come out.”
Veso broke eye contact with her and addressed his friend. “You didn’t bring a vehicle?”
“I wasn’t expecting two of you. I drove a quad. It won’t seat three.”
“Tell me where it is and I’ll drive Glenda to my home.”
Lavos shook his head. “No way, Veso. Did you hear me when I said Decker was working with Vampires? He probably told them all about our clan. They attacked a remote section to get to you and Kira, where guards were spread the thinnest. Your home is in that same area. Didn’t you say that master will want to recapture her? Let’s not make it easy on them. That’s the first place they’ll look for her come nightfall. The lodge is where we’ve set up headquarters. She’ll be safest there. Plus, I’m not missing out on witnessing when your father and the rest of the clan gets a load of you and your human mate.” The guy had the nerve to laugh. “The lodge is where we need to go.”
“I’m not his mate,” she muttered, annoyed. They couldn’t even take her seriously, probably because she was a human.
“You are.” Veso shrugged off the pack and tossed it aside. He turned swiftly and grabbed her, scooping her up into his arms. “Let’s go. She walks slow and she’s tired. I no longer have to worry about defending her on my own. We have humans with dart guns filled with drugs looking for us.”
“Shit.” Lavos sniffed the air, glancing around. “Let’s move.”
Glen wrapped her arms around Veso’s neck. She wasn’t going to complain if he wanted to carry her. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. “Since you think it’s fine to be bossy, I can be too. I want food. Real food. Cooked. And a bath.”
“Done,” Veso said. “Soon.”
“Unbelievable,” Lavos chuckled.
“Shut up,” Veso snarled. It made his chest vibrate.
“You’d laugh too if I showed up toting a human mate, my friend.”
* * * * *
It was well after dark before the lights from the lodge came into view. Veso glanced down at Glenda. She had fallen asleep in his arms over an hour before.
Lavos paused, glancing around, and sniffed the air. He turned to stare at him.
“Do you want me to go in first? I texted that we were close as soon as I got a signal on my phone. Everyone knows you’ve been found. I can warn them.” His gaze dropped to Glenda, then back up to Veso.
“I don’t plan to stay long once we take out that nest. I know I won’t be welcome here by your brother or the rest of the clan, not with her.”
“You might be surprised. Stop expecting the worst.”
“Trayis has some men who mated humans in his clan. I know he’ll accept me. My father was from his clan and keeps in contact with him.”
“Don’t count Lorn out, Veso. You’ve never been enemies.”
“We’ve never been friends either. I can’t see him letting me stay.”
“You pretended to like Nabby and those other shits so you could warn us about the crap they planned to do in advance. We saved lives. That’s because of you, my friend. Lorn knows that. I told him everything.”
“Fine, but he still won’t accept my mate.”
“You should actually mate her.”
“I plan to, but I couldn’t while we were being hunted. It was too dangerous.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s just face this. I want it over. Will Lorn support going after that nest? I need help, and I want my father to stay behind to protect Glenda. The master is a threat to her. He needs to die.”
“This master sent his nest to invade our territory and they attacked Kira too. You bet your ass we’re going after those bastards.”
“Good.” Veso paused, glancing down at Glenda. He should wake her before they faced whoever waited inside. “Glenda?”
She didn’t stir in his arms.
He spoke louder. “Glenda? Wake up.”
Her eyes flew open and fear instantly contorted her features.
“It’s okay. I’m holding you. You’re safe.”
She clutched him tighter around his neck. “It’s dark.”
“It is, but we’re deep in VampLycan territory. We’re almost to the lodge. Look.” He turned her in his arms so she could see the lights up the hill.
Her tense body relaxed. “Is that a hotel?”
“No. It’s our clan meeting place.” He gently put her on her feet. “Be brave.” He took her hand. “Don’t show fear. No one is going to hurt you.”
“You’re totally safe,” Lavos added.
