Chaz (VLG #15)

Chapter Twenty

Chaz was tempted to unlock the door to let himself inside Shoni’s home. He still had the spare key in his pocket. That might frighten her, though. It had been more than ten minutes since Ember had spoken to them. All he could hear from inside was the television. It irritated him that it was loud enough to drown out everything else. He couldn’t hear anything else happening in the condo.

“Do you want me to kick the door in?”

“No.” He glared at Fray. “That will terrify Shoni. She’ll think we’re burglars.”

“Her cousin isn’t going to open the door. She’s obviously planning on ignoring us. I have a mate waiting for me. I’m not going to just stand here all day.”

“She said Shoni was probably sleeping. We’ll wait a bit longer.”

Fray pounded his fist on the door again. “No. We won’t.”

Chaz pushed his body between his twin and the door. “Stop. I don’t want the police to come.”

Anger tightened his brother’s mouth. “The cousin wouldn’t dare.”

“There are other humans living nearby who might hear you if you keep pounding on the door. Stop. Maybe Shoni is in the shower.”

Fray cocked his head. “All I can hear is… is that a gameshow?”

“Maybe. It sounds like it.”

“Why is it so loud?”

“I don’t know.”

Fray grunted. “Maybe she’s sneaking your Shoni out while we’re standing here.”

That possibility hadn’t occurred to Chaz. He spun, rushing toward the backyard. The patio doors were closed, and the curtains blocked any view inside Shoni’s home. He inhaled, not picking up their scents. To be sure, he tried the slider doors. They were locked.

“What are you doing?”

He walked back to Fray, who stood at the corner of the building watching him. “They haven’t left. There are only two ways out unless they go out a window on the second floor. There’s no balcony.”

The front door opened, and Chaz nearly pushed his twin out of the way. Ember stood there, glaring at him as he approached her.

“Damn. Part of me hoped you’d given up and gone away,” she muttered. “You both can come in now. Take a seat at the counter. Shoni will be down in a few minutes after she’s dressed. She was sleeping.”

Chaz entered first, his gaze going to the stairwell. There was no sign of Shoni. Fray came in behind him, strode to the loud television, and found the remote for it on the coffee table. He turned it off. The sudden silence allowed them to hear someone moving above their heads.

Fray met his gaze with a questioning look.

“Shoni’s bedroom,” he informed him.

“I said, take a seat at the counter. My cousin will be down in a few minutes. You didn’t expect her to come down here in her pajamas, did you? Men.” Ember snorted.

Chaz moved to the counter and took the barstool nearest to the stairs. He wanted to be the first person Shoni saw when she came downstairs. The sight of his twin might scare her. He motioned to his twin to sit.

Fray took the other seat. “This place is cramped.”

“Well, we’re only human, not two oversized Gargoyles mixed with Werewolf blood,” Ember muttered. “We don’t take up as much space as the two of you do.”

“We’re called GarLycans,” Fray informed her. He addressed Chaz next. “Didn’t you tell her that?”

“I did, but I also obviously explained what that means.” Chaz kept watching the stairs.

“Why did you have the television blaring?”

“To drown out sounds to prevent you from spying on us while I woke up Shoni. Duh,” Ember answered his brother’s question. “I know Werewolves and Vampires can hear a bat fart from a mile away.”

Fray chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bat pass gas before.”

Chaz glanced up as he tracked the sound of light footsteps moving out of the area above. He tensed as he heard Shoni start to come down the stairs. “Don’t do anything to scare her,” he whispered, warning his brother.

“I can’t wait to meet the woman who finally captured your heart,” his brother softly replied.

“Behave,” Chaz ordered. His brother could act immaturely at times. He also had a habit of purposely embarrassing him, too.

Shoni appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was brushed into a ponytail, but it was apparent that she hadn’t showered since it was dry. She wore an oversized gray sweatshirt with black leggings. Her cute little feet were bare. She immediately looked at him with her big gray-blue eyes.

Chaz wanted to rush to her, but he remained seated. “Hello, Shoni.”

“You’re supposed to be in Alaska.”

Her calm words and expression slightly confused him. He expected Shoni to be surprised or even shocked to see him. “I…” He wasn’t sure what to say.

“He missed you,” Fray bluntly stated. “I’m his twin brother. My name is Fray. It’s nice to meet you, Shoni.”

Shoni glanced at his brother sitting behind him before returning her full focus to him. “Am I pregnant?” Her hand went to her stomach.

Chaz was the one who felt shocked. She shouldn’t have known to ask or remembered that it was even a remote possibility. A thought occurred to him, and it had him off the barstool and in front of her in a flash. He instantly regretted it when Shoni flinched back, almost stumbling. He’d scared her. Humans couldn’t move that fast.

He loosely put his arms around her to keep her from falling. One of his hands ended up on her lower back. “You’re immune to mind control and only pretended for Garson that his eyes were working on you?”

She didn’t try to get away from him. Shoni lightly rested one of her hands on his chest and the other on his upper arm. “No. I forgot everything, but Ember just filled me in. The memories started coming back fast once she did. I think I remember everything. Then again, it’s hard to tell since I might still have blank spots.”

“I’m sorry that Garson wiped your memories. I didn’t tell him to do that. I found out after the fact and was pissed,” he admitted.

“Did your plan work to stabilize that pack, or are more of them going to show up trying to kill me?”

“They pose no danger to you anymore. I helped their new alpha weed out the troublemakers who might have targeted you.”

“That’s good to know.” Shoni licked her lips. “Am I pregnant? Is that why you’re back? Just tell me.”

“I don’t know. It’s still too early to determine, and I’d have to smell your bare skin to see if your scent has changed,” Chaz admitted.

Shoni suddenly twisted her head, exposing her neck. “Sniff me then.”

“Don’t expose your throat to non-humans,” Ember suddenly interrupted. “That’s an open invitation for them to bite you.”

Chaz turned his head, glaring at Ember. “Leave us so we can talk in private.”

“Not a fucking chance in hell.” Ember glared at him.

Shoni leaned to the side, pressing against his forearm. He looked down at her to find her staring at her cousin with a frown. “I’ve got this.” Then she looked up at him as she straightened. “Is that why you’re here? To smell me?”

“I made a mistake, Shoni. I thought I wasn’t ready for a mate, but I didn’t count on how you’d make me feel.” He swallowed hard, choking up a bit.

“You want me to be your mate and go home with you?” She suddenly reached up, her hands hesitating near his face. “Can I take these off? I like looking into your eyes instead of seeing my face reflected in your sunglasses.”

He lowered his head a few inches to help her, and she took that as giving his consent. Shoni carefully removed his sunglasses. Chaz tensed a little, hoping the sight of them wouldn’t alarm her. They shouldn’t if all her memories had returned.

“There you are.” Shoni smiled. She held his sunglasses out to the side. “A little help here, Ember?”

Her cousin stepped closer and took his sunglasses from Shoni’s outstretched hand. “Sure. I’d be happy to hold his damn sunglasses so you two can gaze into each other’s eyes.” Her sarcasm could be heard. “I’m glad to be of service.”

“Thanks.” Shoni didn’t look away from him. “Are you sure you’re ready to get married? I mean, mated. Your people don’t have weddings, right?”

“Right. We mate.”

His twin loudly interceded. “Mating means hot sex, a little bite, and you’ll most likely get to see Chaz’s wings. I’m mated, and I can tell you that my Len enjoyed the hell out of bonding with me. Gargoyles need a lot of bonding with our new mates in the beginning, so expect tons of sexy fun in your near future.”

Chaz twisted his head to shoot a glare at his brother. Fray just grinned.

“Is that true?”

He focused back on Shoni as she peered up at him. “That’s the condensed version, but yes. I would never hurt you.”

“I know that.”

“You’re way too trusting,” Ember muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Shoni tore her gaze from Chaz and shot her cousin another frown. “We’re trying to have a moment here. Back off.”

“Fine.” Ember retreated away from them by going into the kitchen. “Don’t mind me trying to look out for you.”

“I appreciate it, third wheel.”

Ember laughed at Shoni’s flip remark. “Want a drink, twin? You can take off your sunglasses, too. I won’t scream or use Shoni’s chopsticks to make a cross. I know that shit won’t work to repel you from her home.”

Fray laughed. “I’d like a drink.”

Chaz felt frustrated as he stared down at Shoni. “Can we go upstairs?”

“Sure.” She turned in his arms.

Chaz let her go. “We’re going upstairs.”

“We heard,” Fray let him know. “Just remember I need to get back to Len soon. Don’t start your bonding right away. You should do that in Moe’s territory. I’m sure he can find a remote cabin for you to stay in with your new mate. He owns enough of them.”

Chaz twisted his head. “There’s no way in hell I’m taking Shoni near a bunch of Lycans until our bond is complete. I won’t risk her putting off the calling and having to kill horny Lycans for coming after my mate. Moe would never forgive me. You may have risked that with Lenore, but I won’t. Go back to Moe’s. We’ll join you there in a few days.”

“The calling?” Ember moved next to the counter to scowl at him. “What is that?”

“My brother can explain it to you. I’m taking Shoni upstairs now so we can have privacy.” Chaz looked at Shoni. “Let’s go.”

“We drove your rental car here. Mine is still at the hotel,” Fray reminded him.

“Have Ember give you a ride.” Chaz motioned for Shoni to head toward the stairs.

Shoni went upstairs with Chaz right behind her. His gaze went to her behind, but the oversized sweatshirt hid it from his view where it hung to her thighs. He could hear his twin and the cousin talking.

“Are they going to fuck?” That was Ember.

“Probably,” Fray responded.

“Who is Len?”

“My mate. She’s human.”

“Who is Moe?”

“Our uncle. He’s a Lycan alpha of a pack located almost an hour from here.”

“Great. I like packs. Vampires are another story.” Ember sighed. “Are you hungry? I just got off shift and haven’t had my dinner since we had an emergency come in. Here’s some advice. Never buy food-scented toys for your kid if you own a dog. They eat them, and then we have to get them out since trying to shit out doll parts can cause bowel obstructions.”

“That’s… disturbing.” Fray sounded disgusted.

“I’ll give you a ride to the hotel after we eat. What is the calling?”

Fray began to explain how women put off a strong scent that made males extremely horny when they began to bond with a Gargoyle. It was nature’s way of making sure their bond was fully formed.

Shoni reached her bedroom, and Chaz closed the door behind him, ignoring the conversation going on downstairs. “I missed you,” he blurted.

She turned to face him. “I thought about you,” she admitted.

He was tempted to confess that he’d been in her bedroom the night before but decided that was something he’d share with her once they were mated. He just hoped she’d agree to become his and accept his claim.

“I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy if you come to Alaska with me.”

“I am a little afraid,” she admitted. “I mean, of giving up everything I know. Then again, I know you’d be worth it. It helps that Ember told me that she wants to come along. Would that be allowed by your people?”

“Yes. I’m certain Lord Aveoth would grant permission for Ember to live at the cliffs.”

“Lord Aveoth.” She licked her lips again. “Is he your boss?”

“Yes.” It was a term he knew she’d understand. “He rules our clan. His mate grew up believing she was completely human. I think you’ll like Jill.”

“She’s not completely human?”

He shook his head. “Her father was a VampLycan, but her human mother never knew that. She just thought he was an asshole human who abandoned her when she got pregnant and sent bad males to threaten her to keep their daughter a secret. Jill assumed her father belonged to a crime family until she was kidnapped by her grandfather and brought to Alaska. That’s when she learned about VampLycans and our clan.”

“That sounds like an interesting story.”

“I’m sure Jill will one day share it with you.” Chaz held out his hand. “I can ask Lord Aveoth to allow me to stay here if you need more time to decide whether you want to bond with me. He’s a good leader.”

Shoni took his hand, gripping it. “Do you love me?”

His heart pounded inside his chest. “Yes,” he admitted. It wasn’t as hard to say as he thought it would be.

“That’s all I need to know.” She stepped closer, almost touching him as she peered up into his eyes. “I feel the same way about you. It’s crazy that it happened so fast, but there’s been nothing normal going on since we met.”

He smiled and lightly put his other arm around her waist to draw her closer. “I would apologize, but I’m grateful that you came into my life.”

“Me too. I could have done without being kidnapped and watching you in action at your job when you need to kill bad people, but I don’t regret meeting you either. Even with all that bad stuff. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” She released his hand and reached up, cupping one side of his face.

Chaz tilted his head to press his cheek firmer against her palm. “I’ll make you happy.”

“We’ll make each other happy. What changed your mind about not being ready for a mate?”

“You did. I missed you.” He choked up again. “My brother also called me out on being an idiot. He was right. Our mother’s death showed me how a male suffers when he loses a mate. My father lost his will to live. It made me never want to love someone that deeply. I’d rather take that chance over walking away from you. I’d regret that for the rest of my very long life. I also won’t allow anything to happen to you. My mother was a Lycan who loved to fight. You don’t have any urges to walk into a nest of murderous Vampires to kill them, right?”

Shoni’s eyes had widened. “No. I hope never to meet a real Vampire.”

He smiled. “Not all of them are bad. I’d never allow anyone to hurt you.”

“I believe that.” She caressed his face. “Let’s do this. What’s required to mate? I know you’ve mentioned it before, but I want to hear it one more time to be sure I’ve got the gist of it.”

“We have sex, and I bite you. My body also has to be in flux. That’s kind of a half-shifted stage. I’ll look like this, but a few of my Gargoyle traits will also show.”

A flash of fear flashed in Shoni’s eyes.

“I swear it won’t cause you pain. The biting happens when I get you off.”

“I trust you.” She took a deep breath. “I need to put my condo on the market and quit my job.” Then her features showed worry. “Do you guys have real estate sales where we’re going? Hopefully I can get a job there.”

“There are no human jobs where we’re going. I have plenty of money. Our clan is wealthy. You don’t need money or to work. Our world runs differently in Alaska than yours does here.”

“You make it sound like we’re moving to another planet.”

He chuckled, pulling her flush against him. “It kind of is, but I think you’ll like it there. We don’t live close to humans. They’d see us flying in the sky when we patrol our territory if we did. The VampLycans are our only neighbors.”

“Right. You can fly.”

“I’ll have a harness made for you. I think you’d enjoy soaring like a bird with me through the air. The views are superb in our territory.”

Her eyes widened again. “Really? That sounds incredible.”

“It really is. We’ll figure out what to do with your condo later. You really don’t need to worry about money. Our clan is exceedingly wealthy.”

“May I ask how?”

“Gold.” He winked. “Our clan has been in Alaska for a few hundred years. Let’s just say we were smart when gold was found there, and the clans had many more advantages over humans in finding and obtaining it.”

“Wow.”

“I’ll show you some of the caves we store it in if you’ve ever dreamed of seeing literal tons of gold. To us, it’s just a means to ensure our clan is always able to buy the things we want from humans.”

“I’m suddenly imagining a dragon’s lair with piles of treasure.”

He laughed. “It’s not that pretty since I imagine they’d have jewelry and precious gems. We only store raw gold. I love the things that you say. You always surprise me.”

“Are dragons real?”

He shrugged. “I’ve never seen one or talked to someone else who has seen one. There is lore about them, though. It’s possible.”

“Scary.” She suddenly smiled. “I’m glad that Gargoyles are real, or you wouldn’t exist.”

“I might mostly take after my father, but I’m a GarLycan. I’m proud of my Lycan heritage from my mother, too.”

“Sorry.”

“Never apologize. This is all new to you.”

She went up on her tiptoes. “Kiss me.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. Chaz took Shoni’s mouth, already addicted to her taste as he reacquainted himself with her lips and tongue. Desire surged brutally through his body, his cock hardening, along with the urge to tear her clothes off her body. He just wanted her naked under him. To be inside her.

A loud banging on the door had him snarling as he tore his mouth away and glared at the closed door.

“I’m stopping you right there,” his annoying twin stated from the hallway. “You’ll start bonding and spend days in her bed. Not here. Let’s go to Moe’s territory first. I told the cousin to start packing. You help your mate do the same. We’re leaving in an hour.”

“Damn it,” he muttered, staring down at Shoni. He released her, stormed to the closed door, and yanked it open to glare at his twin. “I told you that I’m bonding with Shoni here.”

“It’s best if we return to Moe’s pack. I called him and said you found your mate. He has a remote cabin you can use. You won’t have to worry about her putting off the calling and drawing Lycans there. Moe will order them to stay far away while you bond.”

“We’re fine in Shoni’s home.” Chaz scowled at his brother.

“I’m sure her cousin will love hearing you two fucking non-stop for days.” Fray rolled his eyes. “It’s best if we just go now. Ember won’t have to stay in the same cabin as you. Moe is willing to put her up in his guest room at his home. I told him about her. It’s best if we stick together in one place. Think with your head instead of your dick. Won’t you feel better being in a safe location instead of being surrounded by humans?”

Chaz debated. Shoni’s neighbors were very close to her home. “Fine.”

Fray nodded. “We move out in one hour. I’m going to help Ember pack.”

Chaz closed the door and returned to Shoni. He pulled her back into his arms. “Is this okay with you?”

“Yes. My bosses aren’t going to be happy about me quitting without giving notice, but you’re my priority. It also helps that I won’t be looking for another job. It’s not like I’m going to need a good reference. What do I pack?”

“Everything important to you.” He shifted gears, trying to get his body under control since they weren’t going to have sex. His twin would make certain of that. “We’ll ship most of it to Alaska, but pack enough clothing to last you for a week. That’s when we’re supposed to return home.”

Shoni clung to him for a few seconds more but then dropped flat to her feet and inched away. He hated to release her. “I can do that. Will we need furniture, too?”

“Not unless you really want to take it with us. I’m sure I can hire a moving company to drive it to the edge of our territory, and then we can fly it to the cliffs.”

“That sounds like a huge pain.” Shoni turned, seemingly examining her bedroom. “Pack light. Got it. I’m not overly attached to any of the furniture. Who knows? Maybe the next buyer for my condo will like it better if it comes totally furnished. That’s got to be a selling point.”

“You don’t have to sell it.” Chaz didn’t want her to feel as if she was losing everything by being with him.

She turned back to him then. “My future is with you. We work with a lot of realtors at my job. I know exactly who to call. She’ll handle the sale even if I’m in another state. I’m putting it up on the market.”

“Whatever you wish.” Part of him felt relief, though. Shoni was completely devoting herself to their future.