On Saturday, as we strolled to the club, he fished his phone from the pocket of his jeans, looked at the screen and held it to his ear, whispering to me as we walked, “It’s Bryce.”
“What’s up?” Hunter said into the phone. “Hard at work on the weekend?”
I couldn’t hear the reply but Hunter looked pleased. “Ah, I see. Good job. So his last name isn’t Fuckface after all. I’m surprised. One second.” He pulled the phone away briefly and said to me, “Bryce’s private investigator has a name. That vamp scum is Conrad Marchand. We’ll find out more soon enough.”
We stopped at a crosswalk waiting for the bustling traffic to heave forward at the change of lights. Thinking of Conrad still being somewhere unknown to us, I tensed up, but I took a deep breath and calmed quickly, feeling safe next to Hunter’s imposing frame and bulging muscles.
He held the phone back to his ear and nodded, mumbling inagreement. Turning to me again, he said, “Bryce wanted me to let you know, he’s almost done with interviews for that job. He’ll make a final decision on Monday.” Still talking on the phone, he winked at me.
That wink, along with the fact that Bryce hadn’t brought up my dancing at the club again and didn’t seem to care, renewed my hope about working at Midas. Though I didn’t just want the job because Hunter and Bryce were such close friends, and I was beginning to share a small part of their closeness with each other.
Trying to put Conrad and the Midas job out of my mind, Sunday rolled around, and I was at the shelter, setting out art supplies and about ready to start teaching the kids as usual. Except Franco was hanging on the periphery—Hunter had insisted—casually watching videos on his phone.
Just before the students were scheduled to arrive, Beatrice, the very sweet shelter superintendent and one of the rare humans I’d met in the city, strode over, looking excited. “Do you have time to meet someone?”
“Oh. Okay, sure. Who is it?”
Her eyes gleamed as she answered, “My son, Sebastian. He’s just moved here from New Lincoln. He’s a reporter, going to start work at the news station. I’d like him to make some new friends.”
A potential friend, especially a human one, had me curious and smiling broadly. “Oh, definitely. I’d love to.”
“Son!” She called over a handsome man who’d just entered at the other end of the room. He was a good height but not overly tall for New Nebraska, at around six feet, with very dark hair, almost black, and a toned body pushed tight against a black polo shirt. As he walked over, I had a chance to look him over.
He was actually pretty hot. And I found myself flustered I’d even thought it. Hunter had obviously sneaked through the defensesI’d put up over the years, though I was still coming to terms with my attraction to him. And Bryce, too. But now this guy? And a human. Maybe there was hope for me after all.
“Hi, Mom.” He bent down to kiss her cheek, turning away from me so I couldn’t get a read on his face. But he seemed nice. “Sorry I couldn’t make it early again.”
“Oh, no worries, dear.” She patted him on the shoulder as they finished their embrace. “You’ve been such a help since you got into town.” She gently turned him toward me. “Sebastian, this is Serenity. Serenity, Sebastian. I don’t think either of you have explored this beautiful city much… hopefully you can do it together?” She bounced up on the balls of her feet, looking really excited about setting us up.
I’d never had anyone play matchmaker for me before. But with my natural desires slowly returning, and Hunter and Bryce not being good choices to get hung up on for a variety of reasons, I was game. Him being human was a huge bonus. Maybe he’d even want to leave New Nebraska with me someday.
I was getting way ahead of myself. But I really did feel this strong pull to him, no matter how sudden and strange it was. And Beatrice was such a sweetheart, her son was sure to be too.
Seeing him up close, his dark eyes looked kind, but they had this odd pink tinge I didn’t know what to make of. Uh oh. They almost looked like vamp ones, when they hadn’t been fed in a long time.
Those pink-tinged eyes swept over me then widened. His neck reddened above the collar of his shirt as his eyes bulged further, a shocked look taking over his whole face now. Then he shook himself out of whatever he’d been thinking.
“Hey,greatto meet you, Serenity,” he said enthusiastically, two teeth peeking from between his smiling lips making me shudder.
Oh fuck. Vamp fangs.
Sebastian
Mom turned me by the shoulders, and I almost didn’t catch the woman’s name as her aura hit me like a Level 10 spell. Her magnetism nearly yanked my heart right out of my chest. Game Over.
“… Serenity, Sebastian,” Mom was saying.
I repeated the name with the beat of my heart. Serenity. Serenity.
“… explored this beautiful city much…”
I knew not to stare, but she practically glowed, angelic and impossible to miss. She even smelled like heaven—sweet and decadent like chocolate. My gaze swept over every inch of her, and the magnetism only compounded, creating a deep ache to get closer. To protect her. To do and be anything she might need. To be one with her.
So, this was why knights bent the knee at the feet of their lady fair. This was why they threw themselves on her mercy and on her enemies’ swords.
Because to even turn my face away would hurt. Because shewas everything good and right in the world. The feelings washed over me until I could no longer deny it: I’d found my mate.
Pure, unadulterated joy spread through my body in warm, honeyed rivulets. Fated mates were so rare among vampires. It was almost a thing of myths and legends. I’d never expected to find one, especially not as a half-vamp, much as I’d longed for that deep, binding love. I’d consoled myself with the fact I could still have a meaningful romance whenever I found the right woman.
