Page 216 of Volik

I will not make Volik look weak.

The wall of towering vampires shifts, and one man steps forward.

He’s as tall as the rest of them. His horns glint in the moonlight. His mouth is pulled into a grin, putting his fangs on display.

He looks like he’s in his fifties. But if this is who I think it is, he’s in the five hundreds.

“Nepos!” He steps up to Volik and grips his shoulders in both hands.

“Uncle.” Volik lifts a hand to his uncle’s side but doesn’t remove the one on my back.

It’s a little awkward. Standing this close to them with Volik keeping his hand on me. But I’m glad he does.

His uncle nods as he looks up at his nephew. “Your parents would be so happy for you.” He nods again and gives Volik’s shoulders a shake. “I am so happy for you.”

My throat tightens, and I’m careful to keep my fangs from my lips as I struggle through a swallow.

A single tear rolls down the older vampire’s cheek, visible to me in the dark. And as he pulls Volik into a hug, I sniff against my own building tears and notice the other scents. They’re faint. Hints of moss, pine, berries, and other things I can’t place. But nothing smells burned, not like when I’ve scented Volik’s tears. And no one’s scent is intense enough to compete with the mint rolling off Volik. At least not to my nose.

Volik slaps his hand down against his uncle’s back. “We are happy to be here.”

His uncle pulls back, one hand still on Volik’s far shoulder as he turns to me. “Call me Uncle.” Then he lifts the arm closest to me and pulls me in to join them. “We greet family with hugs.”

I try not to cry as I’m squeezed into a hug.

My face is pressed into the space between their chests. Volik’s arm wraps tight around my back, and his uncle crosses his arm over Volik’s.

Volik lets out a low purr, and I know it’s because he can smell my tears.

His uncle chuckles. And I let myself feel all the emotions as I lift my arms to hug them both.

It’s laughable, the way my hands hardly reach to the middle of their backs like this.

I’ve never felt so short in all my life.

And then someone presses against my back.

Volik grunts. And tipping my head forward as far as the big bodies allow, I look down at our feet. And the feet of so many people are surrounding us.

The pressure increases around me. And the mate bond in my chest flares. It feels like a protective energy, pushing out against my skin, keeping me from getting crushed.

Another body crashes into the giant group hug.

My feet are the only ones that move from the impact, and I can’t stop the little sound of surprise that leaves me.

Volik’s body heats in reply. Then a pulse of gravito thrums out of him, powerful enough to force everyone back a step, breaking up the hug.

There are more chuckles and thudding back slaps, but I’m no longer being squished in the middle.

And when everyone takes another step back, Volik pulls me in front of him so our bodies are flush. “Everyone, this is Nix. My mate.”

“Hello.” I lift a hand. “Thank you for having me.”

There’s a collective hum of greetings. Then, one by one, they approach and introduce themselves. Some with handshakes, some with more hugs.

There are so many names. Too many to remember. But they’re all friendly, all welcoming.

A man, just over six feet tall, stops before me.