Chapter Ten
“An entire town? Just gone?” Randall Rogers frowned as he looked down at the tablet before him. They had moved inside and were currently seated in a small conference room.
Corbin studied the mayor and could see a familiar resemblance between him and Voshon. The woman named Angelina stood behind the mayor. Her eyes had widened at the announcement as well. It was apparent that even though they knew the lycans’ presence was near, they hadn’t realized how much danger they were in.
“Lycans are desperate at the moment,” Corbin said. He leaned back in his chair and glanced over at Voshon who sat next to him to his right, and Nezera sat on his left. The mayor had given them a chance to present their case and the reasons why they were there. Now it was up to the mayor to decide. “These animals don’t care about anything but themselves.”
But if he chose the wrong answer, Nezera would step in to correct him.
“How? How could they decimate an entire town? People just want to live in peace.” Randall ran a hand along his jaw. He sighed and scrolled to the next page. Nezera had put a slide show on her tablet that revealed information on the last town that had been wiped out. Only half of the humans had survived the change, the others had perished.
“I’m sure you do. That’s what we all want,” Corbin said truthfully. They had never wanted the war. When vampires decided to present themselves, they wanted to live in peace and not have to hide anymore. The humans forced their hand to war, even after vampires had given them plenty of warning that they wouldn’t be the victors. “We are here to help. One way to defeat the lycans is to keep them from growing in numbers.”
“And you are sure that we are next?” Randall passed the tablet over to Angelina.
She must be in charge of securing their town. A frown appeared as she scrolled through the photos.
“Yes, sir,” Nezera replied. “My warriors are ready to come and secure your town to keep all men, women, and children safe. We want you to be able to sleep at night, sir.”
“But once you do this, what will keep you from attacking my people? Turning us?” Randall asked.
“I present you the word of our warden and the future queen of vampires. We are here for protection only. All that we ask is that, until we have defeated the lycans, everyone stays close to home. No one is to leave the safety of the town,” Corbin explained. He ignored the comment about them turning humans. It was an insult to his kind, but he wouldn’t address it. He motioned to Nezera. “Captain Galca will work with your town’s guard to ensure everything is smooth and to your liking. But we will deal with the lycans.”
“And afterwards? Once the threat is gone, then what?” Randal shot off.
The mayor was not beating around the bush, and Corbin appreciated it. He had worked with plenty of humans, and some were timid when it came to vampires, but not this one.
“Then we will work together to find a way to keep your people safe from another pack trying to claim you,” Nezera said.
“So vampires would take over, huh?” Randall arched an eyebrow.
“Uncle, they are only here for the protection of everyone. We have to choose the lesser of two evils, and right now, vampires are on our side.” Voshon pushed back from the table and stood with his hands resting on it. He moved his locs out of his face. “I know it’s hard to trust them, but now would be the time.”
“Do you trust these vampires you have brought to our town?” Randall wanted to know.
“Yes,” Voshon answered without hesitation.
Corbin’s heart skipped a beat at his human’s answer.
Voshon turned to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “He hasn’t given me a reason not to, and I’ve met with Stormey Jaymes. I know we can trust her. She trusts these two, then we can, too.”
Corbin bit back his surprise at the mention of Stormey. It was well known that the mate of the future queen was well respected amongst humans. But to hear him speak of her with such admiration, Corbin should have asked Stormey to come with them.
But Hegna wouldn’t have wanted her mate anywhere near lycans without her being present.
“You will still be in charge of your town. We are not trying to overthrow anyone,” Nezera said. She motioned to Corbin. “We are here to truly help. We are not the bad guys in this situation.”
There was a pregnant pause. Angelina handed the tablet back to the mayor. He took another look at photos and shook his head.
“You have brought my nephew home to help us, and I’m thankful for that. The townsfolk of Buxby need your help. Whatever you can do to save us, we will appreciate,” Randall said.
He scooted the tablet across the table to Nezera. He stood, and Corbin followed. He offered his hand to Corbin. He reached out and shook the mayor’s hand.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure Buxby remains safe,” Corbin said.
“See that you do. Angelina is in charge of the town’s guard,” Randall said.
“Then we will need to start planning immediately. Is there somewhere we can go and discuss?” Nezera asked.
“Yes. The town’s guard office is a few doors down. We can meet there,” Angelina said. She headed toward the door with Nezera in tow.
The two women disappeared from the room, leaving Corbin, the mayor, and Voshon.
“Thank you,” Voshon said.
Corbin turned to him. He couldn’t help but reach out a hand and run a finger along Voshon’s smooth brown cheek. He closed the gap between them and cupped Voshon’s face.
“You are my mate, and I will protect your hometown and family. I care deeply for you,” Corbin murmured. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Voshon’s lips.
A cough reminded them that they were not alone. Corbin lifted his head, a small smile playing on his lips. He’d almost forgotten the mayor had remained with them.
“Please. Take him to see his family,” Randall said.
There was something in his eyes that Corbin couldn’t read.
The older man moved over to the door. He paused with his hand on the handle. “Thank you for bringing Voshon home.”
“But of course.” Corbin nodded to the mayor. Once he had left the room, Corbin turned to Voshon and took his hand in his. “Voshon, let’s go see your parents.”
Voshon grew nervous as they approached the door to the house he had grown up in. Corbin walked beside him. Not only was he nervous about seeing his parents again but introducing them to Corbin. He hadn’t even been gone a week, and so much had happened in such a short time.
He reached out and took Corbin’s hand in his. Corbin’s eyebrows jerked up high. He didn’t say a word but held on to Voshon. They arrived at the door, and Voshon rapped a few times then pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket. He inserted the key and pushed the door open.
“Pops? Ma?” he called out.
He entered with Corbin behind him. Their vampire guard detail would wait outside. Cesar stated he and his men would check the perimeter of the neighborhood to ensure all was well.
“Voshon? Is that you?” his mother exclaimed. Her voice came from the kitchen.
He toed off his boots, and Corbin did the same. He released Corbin’s hand and turned just in time to see his mother flying out of the kitchen. Her eyes were wide and her grin big. “Oh, my baby!”
Voshon chuckled as she slammed into him. She wrapped him up in a strong hug. He encircled her with his arms and gave her a tight squeeze. His father came from the kitchen with a surprised look.
“I missed you so much. How are you home?” Gardenia cupped his cheeks and studied him. Her gentle hands were heaven on his skin.
“Let me at him,” Lucas said gruffly.
Gardenia backed away to allow Lucas to hug him. It felt good to be around his parents again. He pulled away from his father and suddenly felt shy. He’d never been nervous to introduce his parents to any of his boyfriends. His parents had always been accepting of him.
“How are you, son? Who have we got here with you?”
Voshon swallowed hard and reached for Corbin’s hand. He drew him to his side. Corbin had stayed behind him while he had greeted his folks.
“Ma, Pops. This is Corbin Apostu. My vampire mate,” Voshon announced.
Gardenia came to stand in front of Corbin. She studied him slightly and took his hand from Voshon’s into hers. She offered Corbin a wide smile.
“Thank you for bringing him home,” she said.
“I can see where Voshon gets his good looks from,” Corbin said. He flipped her hand over and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
His mother’s smile widened. “A handsome couple you two make.”
Voshon rolled his eyes at how his mother was reacting to Corbin. It was weird how he didn’t have a jealous response when it came to his mother, only Angelina. He shook off that thought. He had to discuss with them why he was really home. As if reading his mind, his father beat him to the punch.
“If you are here and bringing a vampire to town, something must be wrong,” Lucas said.
Gardenia’s smile disappeared. “Well, if we are going to have that type of discussion, it could at least be over dinner. Come. I’ll make your plates.” She spun around and disappeared into the kitchen.
They followed her and entered the kitchen. Voshon beelined it to the sink and washed his hands. His mother flew around busying herself with making their plates. Corbin kindly declined food but did accept a glass of water from her.
They all sat at the table. Dinner was superb, as always. It wasn’t much, but his mother could always stretch a meal from nothing to something. Gardenia had made a hearty chicken and vegetable soup and thick toasted bread. They ate in silence for a few moments, then his father broke it.
“So why is the town in arms? Why are the vampires here?” Lucas asked.
Voshon glanced over at Corbin who nodded slightly.
Voshon placed his spoon down and wiped his hands. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have, but it was necessary. He wanted to just bask in the fact that he was home, but for now, he needed to make sure his parents were going to remain safe.
He went into detail on the lycan plans to attack the town. He hadn’t wanted to worry his mother, but she needed to hear the information. His father, like his brother, listened first before interrupting.
“What did my brother decide?” Lucas asked quietly.
“He accepted our assistance. An entire pack of lycans would be too powerful for a small town to handle. We will step in and take care of them,” Corbin said. He took a sip of his water, placing the glass back down on the table. “Have no fear, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. You will remain safe here in your home.”
“And our boy? Will he be able to remain here with us?” Gardenia reached out and took Voshon’s hand.
Voshon gave her a squeeze.
“Once this is over and the town is safe, I will be going back to Black Hollows with Corbin,” Voshon said.