Mating Call (10 page)

“Hey, dude.”

“Hey, Dies. Can’t sleep?”

“Nah, I’m too pissed off.”

“Have a fight with Pax over who was gonna do the spooning?”

The brother chuckled. “Well, you’re half right. Enough roast beast for two?”

“Sure.”

“Awesome possum. You do make a mean sandwich.”

“It’s a Southie skill. Go have a seat. I got this.”

“Thanks.”

Jesus.
Those two never fought. All was not well at the mansion when they were on the outs. He threw together two triple deckers and went light on the condiments. It was RB after all. It didn’t need a lot of dressin’ up. It was funny. As he handed Dies a sandwich and sat down across the table, he found himself wanting to tell the male that he’d been mated.
Uh, no.
Never mind how friggin’ sissy it was. No one could know anythin’ about it until Evy was healed. No
Taster’s Choice
moments allowed. End of story.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Viktor walked into the small dining room past the table of late breakfast eaters and into the kitchen. Richard was making some toast.

“Late night?”

The male nodded. “Yep. Maya’s suddenly decided to become a fussy offspring for some weird reason.”

“Let’s hope that luck changes. Listen, I can’t seem to find Dimitri. Have you seen him?”

“You know, he mentioned something about working in the attic.”

“Okay, thanks.”

No wonder he couldn’t find him. The attic was as long as the house and it was full of endless shit. Dimka would be lucky to get out of there alive. He was safer on duty. He took the main staircase, walked by Richard’s suite, and hung a right. He made his way down the narrow back hallway and up an old set of stairs. The second he opened the door, some serious-ass dust moved along the floor. “Dimka? You up here?”

“Down here.”

It figured he’d be in the back. He made his way through boxes, old furniture, and even antique car parts. He found his brother bent over an old box. “This place is a fricking nightmare.”

“Well, we needed storage room for the brothers, so our shit got moved to the back.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Nothing in particular. I try to get up here and sort through stuff once a month. I need to keep the Ivanov flea market in check so we have enough room when new brothers show up.”

“Want some help?”

“Hell yes.”

Viktor picked up a box, put it on an old table that was missing a leg, and opened it. “You know, little bro, what you’re doing here is a really good thing. I should have said so.”

“It’s okay, Viktor. We’re not eight. I don’t need your approval.”

He sighed and pulled out some photos. “Not because you needed to hear it, but because it was the right thing to do. You always do the right thing, Dimka. I envy you that.”

“It’s just common sense, Viktor.”

“It’s more than that. Maybe you don’t realize it because it comes so naturally to you.”

“Maybe.”

He started to look through the pictures, but stopped. He picked up the top photo for a moment, then pocketed it. A weariness came over him and he found himself wondering what he was doing back in this house of horrors that was so full of painful memories. So far he’d spent most of his time trying not to bolt. It struck him that sifting through what was left of the family that banished him was probably the last thing he should be doing. He stood up, closed the box, and started heading for the stairs. He could hear his brother calling after him, but he just kept moving. He didn’t stop until he was back to the second floor and in his own room. He let his enormous weight fall to the bed, exhausted beyond belief. What kind of goddess was she to bring him back here?

Helen knocked on Evy’s door and waited. No answer. Maybe she was sleeping or…well, it was worth a shot. She knocked on Troy’s door.

“Just a second.” She heard Evy’s voice from inside.

Bingo.
She shook her head. She knew exactly what she’d find when that door opened.

“Hi,” Evy said.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Good. Really. Good.”

Troy was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. “Hey, Helen. Thanks for comin’.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

Evy stretched out on the bed so her stitches could be checked. Helen caught her patient’s hand as she reached down to lift her shirt. She held it up and gazed at the lovely band on Evy’s hand. She looked from one to the other and smiled. “Congratulations.”

A panicked look hit Evy’s face.

Troy dug at the carpet with his boot. “You won’t say anything, will you?”

“No, I won’t. You two deserve a fair shot. Now let’s take a look at you and see how you’re coming along.”

She gently took Evy’s bandage off. There was nothing there but a light scar. Even the stitches were gone. “Troy, you may want to have a look at this.”

Evy tried to sit up. “What’s the matter?”

“Hang on.” Troy sat down on the bed and gently ran his hand over Evy’s smooth belly.

He looked up at his mate. “Looks like the meeting’s today.”

Adriana and Richard made their way down the upstairs hallway. Her mate seemed tense, which was odd. He was usually so even tempered. They stopped at Ana and SE’s room to pick them up.

Ana took baby Maya from Adriana. “Hello, gorgeous.”

“So, anyone know what this meeting’s about?” SE asked.

She shrugged. “No clue. It’s definitely odd that everyone was asked to be there, not just the brothers.”

Richard shook his head. “Hell, it’s just plain weird that Troy called it. We can barely get the brother to show up for regular meetings.”

SE smiled. “Word.”

They all laughed.

“That’s Troy,” Ana said.

Adriana couldn’t help but worry. They had finally managed to bring the male into the fold. She hoped everything was alright.

They walked into the drawing room. Ana handed her the baby and joined her fellow warriors. The room was abuzz as the brothers exchanged theories as to why Troy had called the meeting. She looked at their faces. They looked as concerned as she felt. Whatever this was, it wasn’t good.

Troy took Evy’s hands in his. “I know you’re nervous, Ev. Try to remember it’s me they’re gonna be mad at, okay?”

He leaned down and kissed her before taking her hand and leading her down the main staircase. He felt for her emotions and sent some of her fear into the void. He couldn’t do that for himself, but her hand helped him stay calm the way her touch always did. He stopped outside the first drawing room door and took a breath. “This is probably going to get a little loud. Don’t worry. It’s always like that. We just have really big mouths.”

Evy reached up and touched his face. “I love you.”

He covered her hand with his. “I love you, too. We’ll be fine as long as we have each other, okay?”

She nodded and together they walked into the room. There was a collective gasp as the brothers realized Evy was human. He had expected that. He walked to the front of the room and turned to face the whole of the Order. All eyes were on his mate. He felt so bad putting Evy under a microscope, but it was her life, too. She had a right to be there. He could feel her tremble and he released more of her stress. His own eyes found X who nodded.
Here we go.

He cleared his throat. “I asked everyone here to introduce you to Evelyn O’Donnell. Evy’s human. She’s my mate.”

The volume went up instantly as the brothers started a bunch of side conversations. He looked over at Adriana who was standing next to Helen. She liked Evy already. He could tell. That’s why the mates had been invited. Richard put his fingers to his mouth and gave a shrill whistle.

Reyn gave a nod. “Thank you, Richard. Now, look. We have some pretty weighty business to discuss and we can’t hear one another unless we speak in turn.”

Diesel signaled with his hand. “What do the by-laws say about mating with humans? It can’t be that big of a deal, can it?”

Reyn shook his head. “They don’t. We’re in uncharted territory here. What we decide now will likely become law.”

Richard spoke up. “My biggest concern is that she can’t protect herself. She’s not a shifter. What happens if, Goddess forbid, the compound was attacked?”

“She is a liability,” Reyn said.

“Oh, come on,” Troy said. “You have a whole family to protect, Richard. Anyone here who’s mated knows that their female will be their first concern, whether they want to admit it or not.”

Dimitri leaned against the table. “I’m more worried about having her here at the compound. I mean, she’s not mated to you in the same way a shifter mates, Troy. What if she decides to leave? She’d be taking a lot of the secrets of the Order with her.”

X nodded. “That’d be true. But if you knew her, you’d know there’s not a chance in hell she’s gonna do that.”

Viktor put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “When we first arrive, we’re all strangers, Dimka.”

Dimitri brushed his hand off.

Pax crossed his arms. “And just how long have you known about her exactly, X? Troy’s been messing with the human world for who knows how long, which is against the by-laws to begin with. Then he brings her here in secret? He compromised all of us when he did that. The whole thing is so offensive to me, man.”

SE put up his hands. “Hold up. We’ve got two issues here—Troy’s behavior and whether or not we think they should stay. Right now we should be addressing the second issue. His behavior will be dealt with by Reyn.”

“It’s all one issue, as far as I’m concerned. They’re just two very good reasons to ask the brother to leave.” Pax grumbled.

That’s when the arguing started back up. Man, they could be loud. He felt for his mate’s emotions. She was less than thrilled, but holding her own.

He leaned down close to her ear. “They do this over the dinner menu. Trust me.”

She looked up at him and nodded.

Then he noticed something. James was standing at the back toward the opposite end of the long drawing room. Evy caught his eye and he winked. In that moment Troy was so grateful he could have hugged the brother. And hugs were basically his mortal enemy. He wished more than anything that he could take back what happened the day before. He shook his head.
Stupid male shit.

“Look,” X began loudly, “he was mated to her long before they were together. I can’t explain it any more than the next male can. But the brother has loved her for years. I can attest to that. For whatever reason, she was chosen for him. Maybe this should be decided by the Goddess herself.”

Adriana walked to the front of the room holding baby Maya. Everyone quieted as soon as she started to speak. “The females around here usually stay out of politics, but I have to agree with Xavier. He is mated to her because the Goddess intended it. It doesn’t work any other way. I would think it makes sense to summon her.”

The next female voice to speak up startled him. It was Evy’s. “May I say something? The whole time I was kidnapped, I was fighting for something. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I know now it was for our mating. I’ve known Troy since we were fourteen. Until he came here, he never knew…”

Her voice cracked and she stopped. Adriana reached out and put her hand on her shoulder.

Evy started again. “Until he came here, he never knew what it was like to have a real home. He belongs here. I know it and I think you all do, too. I’ll go willingly if it means that he can stay.”

For a moment, everyone stood in shocked silence, including Troy, when suddenly SE started to fall.

Ana’s voice broke the silence. “X!”

X caught him. “I gotchu. Let’s let him down real easy, sis.”

Ana took her mate’s hand. “He’s having a vision.”

From what Troy could see, the brother’s eyes were open and glazed white. Then they started to glow.

“What’s happening?” Reyn asked.

Ana shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s never been like this before.”

A glowing orb of light left each of SE’s eyes and danced across the air, reflecting off the faces of the startled warriors. As they approached, a gust of wind picked up and Troy put his arm in front of Evy protectively. The brilliant lights paused momentarily in front of them before one entered each of Evy’s eyes.

Troy looked from Evy to SE and back again. “What the hell? Did she just intercept SE’s vision?”

Ana helped SE stand. “No. I think maybe he’s been intercepting hers all along. Can you feel how strong her energy is?”

Reyn closed his eyes. “You know, I felt it for a moment yesterday. The pattern of vibration is more like that of the Goddess than ours.”

Ana nodded. “I sensed it, too.”

Troy looked down at his mate and noticed somethin’ strange on the back of her neck. He moved her long hair aside. “Oh, my God. Adriana, her neck.”

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. His mate had been marked.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Troy ran his fingers along the kite shaped symbol. The inside was a deep blue-black with flickering silver stars that almost seemed to actually twinkle.

Adriana looked at the symbol. “Yes, I’ve seen this just recently. I’ve been researching visions all week to help SE. The symbol is called
Lamat.
It means
Way-Shower.
”

Evy turned and looked at Adriana. “I don’t understand. Am I a shifter? A New Breed?”

“No, Evy. You’re something far greater than that.”

Richard came to stand behind his mate. “The Seer.”

Evy stared at the guy. “I’m the what?”

All at once she felt a strange energy ramp up inside her. Her long hair started to blow as if there were a strong wind in the room and the baby started to cry. She heard gasps and turned back to the huge warriors that filled the room. They were all going down on one knee with their heads bowed. If that wasn’t freaky enough, she looked next to her and her mate was doing the same. That was when she felt her legs start to go. Troy caught her as she went down and picked her up.

“Take her to the study,” the one in charge said.