Chaz (VLG #15)

Chapter Eighteen

“It’s good to be home,” Shoni admitted, dropping her overnight bag just inside the door.

Ember locked it behind them. “Yes, it is. We won’t have to hear more slamming doors or deal with glares from my former roommate. Thanks for letting me move in right away. I’ll also apologize for the mess it’s going to create when my friend Max and his husband bring my stuff here later today in their truck. The last few days assured me I didn’t want to stay there for the rest of the month Rhonda gave me to get out.”

Shoni turned. “You don’t really own that much, and thankfully, the majority of furniture in the apartment belonged to Rhonda. You giving away your bedroom furniture helps since the set upstairs is newer. I’m sure she’ll realize that her boyfriend is a sleaze soon enough and apologize for kicking you out.”

“I’m not you. You’d forgive something like that. Not me. Our friendship is over. Besides, Max is doing me this huge favor. Giving away my bedroom furniture to them was a no-brainer. I like your taste better than mine. The mattress upstairs is way nicer than the futon I had.”

“That’s sad that your friendship with Rhonda is over.”

Ember shrugged. “I’m too mad to be hurt. She should know me better than that. It was downright insulting for her to think I’d try to steal her boyfriend. I’ve got way better taste.”

“You don’t date. Not more than once, anyway.”

“I can’t help it if men blow first dates with me every time I decide to give mankind another shot. I own a body pillow to snuggle with, an electric blanket to keep me warm at night, and sex toys that get me off. I don’t need a man.”

“I’m still sorry this happened. I know you were happy living there.”

“Mostly because it was so convenient for work. It was nice being able to walk there in under two minutes. That’s fine, though. I’ll be happier here.” Ember turned, her expression becoming serious. “So you’re okay now with coming home?”

“Of course. I just need a couple of days at your place to avoid Marco.”

“Right. Has he texted or tried to call you today?”

“No.”

Ember smiled. “Good. I highly doubt you’ll hear from him again.”

Suspicion filled Shoni. “Did you do something? Threaten him? Have him beaten up?”

“No.” Ember shook her head. “But I have a feeling he will leave you alone. Everyone thinks he’s a huge dick for what he did to you. Regina said that Della dumped his ass. She sent me a text about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Marco feels so embarrassed that he decides to move away. He’s kind of burned his bridges with everyone here.”

“I wish.” Shoni had expected Della to move on to someone else fast. She never kept the same guy for long. “I won’t dread going back to work if I know he won’t be coming in to drop off documents or pick them up.”

Ember changed the subject. “I’m hungry. Do you have anything to eat?”

“I went grocery shopping. I think I must have been depressed at the time because I vaguely remember buying a lot.”

“You’re usually so frugal.” Ember went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Damn! I’ve never seen it so packed.”

Shoni peered inside the fridge, too, stunned. It was overloaded with food, and most of it wasn’t stuff she normally ate. “That’s so weird.”

Ember suddenly turned, peering at her. “You know what? Don’t dwell on it. People do crazy things while stressed. I’ve done it. It’s a good thing. We won’t have to go shopping for a while.”

“True.” Shoni reached around her cousin and scowled as she pulled out a bag of string cheese, studying it. “I can’t believe I bought these.”

Ember snatched them from her hand, putting them back. “Depression shopping is a real thing. You tend to buy what you normally don’t. You have sandwich stuff. Go move anything out of the guest room you don’t want to leave in there, and I’ll make us lunch while we wait for my friends to get here.”

“Okay.” Shoni left the kitchen, grabbed her overnight bag, and went upstairs.

She dropped off her bag in her bedroom and entered the guest room next. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the bed. “What the hell?” Someone had made it, but the pillows were under the covers. Shoni always placed them on top, upright against the headboard.

“I am losing my mind.” She approached the bed, pulled back the covers at the top, and yanked out the pillows. She fluffed them, folded the covers over at the top, and arranged the pillows against the headboard. Moving all the puzzle boxes to her walk-in closet only took about five minutes. The puzzle table fit in a corner of her bedroom.

“Lunch,” Ember yelled from below.

Shoni moved the chairs and then went downstairs. They ate at the counter, keeping up the conversation about who should park in the garage. Shoni normally liked to use her parking space. It was just faster. Ember decided to take the garage.

Her cousin’s two married friends arrived soon after, and all four of them brought Ember’s stuff in from the back of their truck. Most of it was in boxes stacked against a wall in the spare bedroom.

The four of them ate dinner together after ordering Chinese food to avoid cooking, and after the men left, Ember needed to go to work. She was pulling an overnight shift.

Shoni hugged her. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I’ll be home around eight-fifteen. Sleep in. Enjoy your vacation time.”

“I’ll be quiet when I get up so I don’t wake you.”

“Maybe you should slam some doors so I feel like I’m at home,” Ember teased.

Shoni laughed. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ember changed into her work scrubs and left.

Shoni showered and went into her bedroom, getting ready for bed. She planned to watch some shows before going to sleep. Once she had on her comfortable pajamas, she pulled back her covers and turned on the TV. She started to get comfortable and snuggled into the spare pillow on the other side of the bed. She tended to use it to cuddle with.

A faint scent teased her nose, and she turned her face, sniffing at the pillow. It didn’t smell like her laundry detergent, but something far better. She buried her nose, inhaling deeply. That scent…

It was slightly masculine and sexy. Her body started to tingle in intimate places. Shoni jerked her face up, feeling confused. “What in the hell?”

She inhaled again. The scent didn’t change. There was something oddly familiar about it, but she couldn’t place it. Whatever that scent came from, it turned her on. She sat up, staring at the pillow and feeling slightly horrified. Smells normally didn’t make her horny.

“I’m losing my mind.”

She turned the pillow over and buried her nose again. All she could smell on that side was her laundry detergent. She relaxed, getting comfortable as she snuggled back into her bed and forced herself to pay attention to the show on the TV.

I’ve been through a lot. Stress can do weird things to people. Those thoughts comforted her. It’s going to be nice having Ember here. Everything will work out. I’m much better off without Marco.

She watched three shows before starting to feel super drowsy. Shoni turned off the TV and loudly sighed. She was supposed to be married. Marco would have shared a bed with her. She’d wondered if he was a snuggle-sleeper and had worried about if he snored. That would’ve driven her crazy. Now she’d never find out.

I’m better off this way. He’s a dirtbag. Good riddance to him.

It took a while longer, but she finally drifted to sleep. When she did, she dreamed about the super attractive guy from the hotel. Chaz, his name, had led her into his hotel room. Only in her dream, they hadn’t just sat at the little table talking. He’d stood, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to her feet. Then he kissed her.

Shoni melted against him, her body throbbing for him to do a lot more. His kiss made her knees weak, and she’d torn at his clothes, wanting to feel his skin.

* * * * *

Chaz stood at the end of Shoni’s bed. He waited for hours to enter her condo after Ember had driven away. It had been easy to gain entrance since Garson had secretly hidden a spare set of keys. He’d finally heard from the VampLycan the day before, discovering why he’d so abruptly left.

It was a good reason. Lycan kids had been in danger, but he’d still been pissed. He replayed the conversation inside his head.

“It was kids, man,” Garson had explained. “I had to go. We managed to save them and dealt with their shithead alpha. Wendell is no longer breathing. His younger brother is now acting as alpha. One of the kids being hunted was his son, who will one day rule that pack. It’s why his brother wanted the younglings dead.”

“This Wendell wanted to kill his nephew?” Chaz had kept his anger in check.

“Yes. How messed up is that? Ronor, the nephew, is super strong. Stronger than his cousin, who was being groomed to become the next alpha. Wendell was threatening to banish Ronor and get rid of him. The other youths were loyal enough to Ronor to rebel. Then, they had to flee for their lives. Wendell hired a bunch of humans to hunt down the so-called rabid wolves. He was a major fucker. Tymber killed him when we brought the kids back home and put the brother in charge until Ronor is older and can rightfully take his place as the strongest Lycan in that pack.”

It suddenly made sense. “This Wendell wanted Ronor out of the running so his son wouldn’t one day be challenged by his nephew.”

“Exactly. Man, I’m glad we don’t have to deal with that kind of petty bullshit in our clans. None of our leaders would try to kill kids. Well, Decker was that big of an asshole, but he’s dead. It was a nightmare finding all the human hunters going after those kids and having to mind-wipe them. We’re still in the area making sure we got them all.”

“I should have been able to say goodbye to Shoni,” Chaz chided.

“I’m sorry about that,” Garson apologized, sounding sincere. “I hid the spare set of keys to her front door and put them on the center rafter inside her garage. Shoni keeps them in the drawer on the left of the fridge under some dish towels folded there. Just put them back when you’re done. I didn’t have her change her alarm code. I think I found all your stuff, but if I missed anything you hid from her seeing, you can go in to get it before she comes home from her cousin’s place.”

Chaz shook free of his thoughts, watching Shoni while she slept. The urge to touch her was strong enough that he fisted his hands at his sides. He missed her so much that it was a constant ache. Life wasn’t the same since she’d come into his life. They hadn’t had enough time together.

He silently walked around to the side of her bed and leaned over, deeply inhaling her scent. There was no change to indicate he’d gotten her pregnant. Then again, it was still early. It would be better to press his nose directly against the bare skin of her stomach. That would tell him for sure. Enough days had passed that he’d be able to pick it up. He couldn’t risk waking her.

It also means I won’t have a reason to come back once I’m certain she’s not carrying my youngling. That thought also dissuaded him from risking pulling the covers back and pressing his nose to Shoni’s skin. He didn’t want to walk away from her forever yet.

A faint scent of her arousal teased his nose, and his body instantly responded. His dick turned rock hard. He straightened fast and retreated from the bed. His back hit the wall behind him. It made a small noise.

Shoni moved on the bed. Chaz shelled his skin, darkening it to match his black clothing in case she opened her eyes. The only light on upstairs was a tiny one plugged into the hallway outlet. The bedroom was shadowy enough that her human eyesight wouldn’t be able to see him. His sunglasses were on to hide his eyes in case they gave his presence away. Sometimes they could be a tiny bit luminous.

She rolled away, giving him her back, and then shoved at the covers. Chaz was glad his body had hardened since it kept him from moving. Shoni wiggled out of bed and walked unsteadily toward the hallway. She went straight to the bathroom, where she walked inside and flipped on the light.

Chaz unshelled his body as he heard her using the bathroom. He dropped to the floor on the other side of the bed and hoped she didn’t turn on her bedroom light. She’d find him for sure if that happened and she walked around the side of the bed where he hid.

He listened as she finished in there, washed her hands, and stumbled back to bed. Shoni thankfully just climbed back on it, and the mattress made soft noises as she seemed to get comfortable. Chaz held his breath, listening to every movement she made. Once settled, he heard her sigh.

“Great. Now I’m having X-rated dreams just because a guy was nice to me. It was probably the kiss,” she muttered. “Of course, the nicest guy in the world has to live in Alaska. Just my rotten luck.”

Chaz’s eyes widened over learning that Shoni was dreaming about him. He knew Garson had left a few memories of him intact. Her family had seen him that morning at breakfast. They’d witnessed him kissing her. It would have been a lot of trouble to track down each person at the table to erase their minds, too.

Shoni moved around again. It sounded like she punched one of her pillows. “I have the worst luck. I should have asked him exactly where he lived. Alaska is huge.” She grew silent. A good minute passed before she moved on the bed again, sounding restless. “Like he’d believe it was accidental if I ever showed up wherever he lives and ran into him.” She made a snorting sound. “Nothing screams desperation like even thinking about doing something that crazy, but damn, he was hot.”

Chaz had to fight the urge again to go to her. Shoni wanted to see him. He figured it would scare the hell out of her, though, if he just rose up from the side of her bed to say hello. Screaming would probably be involved, and then trying to calm her down from that terrifying shock. It helped him stay down and keep silent.

“Pathetic,” she whispered. “He’d probably issue a restraining order from thinking I was a stalker. I would be. Nope, I need to forget about Chaz. He sure isn’t dreaming about me. Dorks don’t get hunks to fall in love with them.”

Chaz ground his teeth together. Shoni was beautiful and sweet. He knew she deserved him. He was the one who wasn’t worthy of her. It was rough to admit that to himself.

He heard her breathing change as Shoni drifted back to sleep. Chaz slowly lifted off the floor, careful of every movement to avoid making a sound. He peered over the top of the mattress. Shoni lay on her stomach, her face turned away. He got to his feet, watching her sleep again.

He wanted her. The idea of taking Shoni back to the cliffs wasn’t so unreasonable anymore. Especially now that he knew Ember would come along, too. There would be no resentment from asking Shoni to pick him over her family.

Chaz figured that Lord Aveoth and Kelzeb wouldn’t be happy about him bringing home an extra human, but he felt they wouldn’t flat-out deny giving permission. Some GarLycans would love the opportunity to court Ember. It tended to become very lonely during the winter months. It encouraged males to think about taking a mate.

He turned away, leaving before he did something stupid like waking Shoni up. She’d scream, be terrified, and he knew it was all his fault they were in this situation. He’d asked Garson to wipe her memories. Chaz didn’t return the spare keys to the kitchen drawer. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He reset her alarm, locked Shoni’s door as he left, and drove back to the hotel.

The first thing he saw as he entered the lobby had Chaz coming to a halt. Fray sat on one of the couches, obviously waiting for him to return. His twin brother wore sunglasses, a T-shirt, and jeans. The running shoes on his feet looked new.

Fray walked up to him. “You were here according to the tracking app when I left Moe’s territory, but you had left by the time I arrived. I would have followed you to the new location, but you were at a residence. I decided to wait around for a little while first to see if you’d come back.”

“What are you doing here?”

Fray glanced around the lobby. There were only two clerks working behind the desk and an employee mopping the floors. “Let’s go to your room. We need privacy. There are cameras here.”

“You should be with Lenore.”

“Len understands that my brother needs me. And you do. Let’s go talk.”

“Fine.” Chaz led the way to the elevators, and they went up to his room.

Once the door closed, Fray removed his sunglasses, motioning for Chaz to do the same. He took them off. The two silently stared at each other.

“I’ll ask again. What are you doing here?” Chaz broke eye contact to place his sunglasses down on the dresser.

“I’m checking in on you. You’re going to tell me what you haven’t been saying on the phone when we talk and why you keep extending your time here instead of returning to Moe’s pack.”

Chaz sighed. He shouldn’t have been surprised that his twin would hunt him down. He turned his back and walked to the small table, taking a seat. Fray did the same, sitting across from him. Their gazes locked again.

“Spill,” Fray ordered. “No bullshit. No avoidance. I’m done with that. You’ve been acting strange and being too distant. I know something is up with you.”

“I was stabilizing the Lycan pack. It’s been stressful.”

“And?”

“Nothing. I just had to deal with a lot more shit than I expected. I didn’t plan to be here this long.”

Fray suddenly leaned closer, a lot of black bleeding into his eyes. “Let’s talk about the human.”

Anger surged through Chaz. “Let’s not.”

His twin leaned back. “You’re a fucking idiot.” His eyes lightened in color, lots of blue flashing in the now pale shades of liquid silver. “You caught feelings for her. Ones you don’t want to face because you’re a stubborn asshole.”

“I’m not ready to be mated.”

“What if you were ready? Is she the one?”

Chaz looked down, staring at the tabletop.

“You are a fucking idiot. I spoke to Garson.”

Chaz tensed, his gaze lifting as he glared at his brother.

“Garson said this Shoni was in love with you.”

“Her mind has been wiped. What she felt doesn’t matter anymore.”

Fray crossed his arms over his chest, getting more comfortable in the chair. “Idiot.”

“Stop saying that.”

“It’s the truth. You found someone important but let her go because you drag your damn feet when it comes to feelings. This isn’t overly complicated, despite you making it that way. Her memories can be restored.”

All the anger drained from Chaz. “Her life is here. I’m not ready to become a mate or a father. She’s human. We both know what will happen if I mate her. She’ll get pregnant. If not, when we bond… soon after. She can’t control her fertility.”

Fray lifted his arm, cupping his ear. “All I’m hearing are excuses.”

“Fuck you.”

His twin dropped his hand. “You’d be an amazing dad and mate. What else are you going to do when I take Len home? I’m sure as hell not going to let you hang out inside my home to keep you company all the time. You’ll be lonely as hell. Now is a great time for you to take a mate. Our younglings will be close in age when we start having them. That’s a good thing. We always do everything together.”

Chaz scowled. He knew his twin always simplified everything. Real life was much more complicated than that. It was an argument they’d had countless times.

“Give me more excuses,” Fray taunted. “I know you have them. You always do.”

“Fuck you.”

Fray’s features softened. “Losing Mom was devastating. We watched what it did to Dad. Hell, he’s never been the same. I miss hearing his laughter and the way he used to smile all the time. It’s terrifying to see firsthand how a mating can go wrong. I’m sure your Shoni isn’t itching to fight Vampires or will ever demand to be sent on other assignments just as dangerous. Mom grew bored at the cliffs and wanted that kind of excitement once we were grown. She loved playing protector to packs and died doing so. Our mates are human. They aren’t going to want to actively seek danger. We’re not going to lose them.”

Chaz felt a pang in his heart. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“We can keep them safe,” Fray continued. “Happy. Hell, our mates can become best friends. Humans have a lot in common with each other. They’ll be learning what it’s like to live with our clan. Tell me that won’t bond the hell out of them. It’s going to be okay. Trust in that. It’s good for us to take mates.”

“Shoni has a cousin as close to her as we are. Ember made it clear she’d have to go to the cliffs with us if I took Shoni for a mate.”

That seemed to surprise his brother. Fray’s eyes widened, and his eyebrows rose.

“Ember, the cousin, knows about Vampires and Lycans. She quickly realized that Shoni’s memories had been messed with and came here to confront me.”

“Shit.” Fray recovered fast. “What happened?”

Chaz told him everything that had been said when Ember pushed her way inside his hotel room a few evenings before. “See? Things are more complicated than you think.”

Fray smiled. “This Ember sounds like she can handle herself quite well if she faced off against you with a gun and a hatchet. I wish I’d been there to see it. I’m sure Lord Aveoth and Kelzeb would be agreeable for her to move to the cliffs. She already knows more than she should and is immune to mind control. It’s completely justifiable to accept her into our clan.”

“That’s not my point.”

“This Ember will have her pick of prospective mates. There are GarLycans in our clan who would love to find a human to bond with. We also have a lot of VampLycan neighbors who’d feel the same way if she doesn’t like our kind. I don’t see a complication. It’s a plus if this Ember comes with your mate.”

“Damn it, Fray.”

“Stop being a stubborn idiot. You have feelings for Shoni. Admit it. I can fucking see it in your eyes. You’re miserable right now. Why in the hell do you think I drove here and left Len alone tonight? I was tired of you lying to me. I know you too damn well. I could hear how conflicted you feel every time we’ve spoken.”

“Shoni’s memories have been altered.”

“Excuse. They can be restored. Stop being a coward.”

Chaz rose to his feet, angry again.

Fray remained seated. “You can punch me if you really want to. It’s not going to make you feel any better. We both know I’m right. Mom’s death fucked us up. I’ve dealt with that inner fear of one day going through what Dad did when he lost her. You haven’t. It’s a good thing to take a mate. Ready or not. Trust me on this. Len has made me happier than I’ve ever felt. She completes me. Shoni can do that for you. You just need to go with your feelings instead of overthinking everything. What’s your gut say, brother? It’s just us here. Be honest.”

Chaz’s anger deflated as quickly as it had risen. He collapsed into the chair. “Fuck.”

“I knew it. Now, let’s form a plan to get your Shoni back. We can call Garson to return here in the morning. He’ll have her memories restored right away.”

“He’s still busy doing something with two other VampLycans.”

Fray sighed. “Then we do it the harder way.”

“I don’t want to terrify Shoni.”

“We won’t. I’ll stay here tonight, and first thing in the morning, we’ll go to your Shoni. I’ll help.”

“She hasn’t even met you before.”

“It’s time that she did. I’m your twin, and that will make me family to Shoni once you claim her. I’m going to make sure you don’t fuck this up more. We’re getting your mate in the morning.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It isn’t.” Fray grinned. “But it will be worth it.”

“I hate you sometimes.”

“No, you don’t. I’m amazing.”

Chaz rolled his eyes.