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I laughed a little nervously, but it was also one of relief. Once I sobered, I exhaled slowly and turned to grip the handle of the back door, about to pull it open—
“I just can’t believe how grown up you are, little Ainslee. And you’re mated.” The deep male voice chuckled. “All sorts of surprises coming to Scotland.”
My entire body tensed at the sound of Uncle Adryan’s voice. I felt no fear, knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but the fact that Adryan was here told me my mother had called him in.
It told me the situation had gone from bad to worse.
Da would never have called in help from the outside, especially not even if said help was family. And the fact that I’d just spoken with Da earlier today and he’d been accepting of my mating with Luca told me again that Adryan was here on his own and without the approval of the clan.
Adryan was ruthless, and the fact that my mother had called him told me she’d felt helpless, desperate even. I also wasn’t surprised they hadn’t told me, because they would’ve most certainly thought it would’ve made my situation even worse.
Which it did.
It will.
I tightened my hand around the handle once more before exhaling, letting it go, and turning around to face the most terrifying male I’d ever met—or so I thought, until I’d first seen Luca and knew how powerful he truly was.
But more powerful than Adryan? Was anyone?
I could talk my way out of this, send Adryan home before Luca woke up. Because I knew if it came down to it, my mate and uncle would come to blows. Both were too alpha—as were the majority of males in the Otherworld—but this was personal, so it would be so much worse.
I faced off with my uncle, not having seen him in years. He was still just as terrifying as I remembered when I was a child. Nearly as tall as a fully grown Lycan male, he was also heavily muscled and exuded strength. I knew Adryan had been the leader of the American Vampire Clan for some time now. I also knew, by overhearing Da and Mam talk, that Adryan hadn’t always been so… abrasive and aggressive.
Whatever happened to him in his life had shaped and deteriorated the male he was today.
“Hello, Uncle.”
A grin slowly spread across his face but I wasn’t fooled into thinking it was easygoing. He had his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, his jacket dark and blending with an equally onyx shirt underneath. “Evening,” he said, his straight white teeth and massive fangs flashing in the darkness.
I looked around, even though I knew he wasn’t alone. More than likely the brothers, Kane and Sebastian, were with him. His righthand enforcers were never far from his side, even if Adryan was more than capable of handling his own affairs.
I rubbed my hands down the soft material of the robe, realizing how bare I was underneath. I wrapped my arms around my waist again as a chill settled into my bones, something that had nothing to do with the air outside.
“I just can’t get over how much you’ve grown in the short years since I last saw you.” He shook his head as if amazed. “I remember when you were just a little thing that barely came up to my waist.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets and gestured to me. “And although you’re still tiny, you’re not that little hybrid running around our feet any longer.” He smiled again, and this time it was more genuine and a little less savage.
I loved my uncle and knew he cared for me as well, but that didn’t mean I trusted him or that he didn’t terrify the hell out of me on the best of days.
I cleared my throat and straightened my back, trying to appear stronger than I felt. “While I’m happy for the reunion, I’m a little confused about what you’re doing here.” I glanced around again, expecting others to pop out of the dark. “And I’m really curious how you found me.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew how stupid they were.
Adryan was a renowned tracker. It’s what he did. It’s one of the main reasons he was feared. Because if Adryan was after you, there was no place on earth you could hide. He’d find you always.
“Surely you know why I’m here and how I found you.” He lifted an eyebrow and continued to stare at me, his smile gone.
I licked my lips and nodded slowly, not bothering to affirm that, yes, I did know the answers to my own questions. He held his arms out, and his grin spread across his face again.
The silence stretched out for so long I shifted back and forth on my feet as the awkwardness grew.
