Rune
“Before I let Dread know we’re ready, I think I need to call my parents.”
“Okay.” Vameer faces me as we stand in the empty parking lot of the magic clothes warehouse.
I keep my gaze down, on his bare feet.
“It’s just that when we go… see May, I’m pretty sure our images are going to hit the news feed like right away.”
“Sí, and you don’t want them finding out that way.”
“Right.” I twist the sole of my sandal on the blacktop.
“Rune?”
“Yeah?”
“What is wrong?”
“Nothing.” My voice goes up an octave.
“Mate.” He lifts his large hand and presses his finger under my chin. “Do not lie to me.”
I let him tip my head back, but I shut my eyes.
“Rune.” There’s a hint of a growl in his voice. Not enough to force me to comply, but a warning.
“Fine!” I open my eyes wide. “I’ll look at you, okay? At your big sexy body all wrapped up in this…” I wave my hands around. “Bloody-red deliciousness.”
Seriously, my mouth starts to water just looking at him.
The shirt and pants are tailored to perfection, showing off his massive, cut body. And the top buttons opened… Gods, I want to take a nap on his pecs.
I have taken a nap on his pecs.
And the robe over it…
It shouldn’t be sexy.
It’s just a giant swath of fabric.
But it’s like a frame for his perfection.
The hood is lying flat against his back. But I can just imagine it up. Horns sticking up through the slits Haruto pointed out. Covering his face in shadows.
He looks like… I don’t even know what. Like a movie character from old England who you think might be the villain but is actually the love interest because he’s just so gods damn hot.
I want to climb him.
I want to wrap myself around him.
I want to—
A low rumble fills the air between us.
His eyes widen.
My eyes widen.
I slap a hand to my chest.
“Is that me?” I squeak, feeling the vibration against my palm.
Vameer grips me under my arms and lifts me against his chest. “You are purring for me.”
I grip the edges of his robe. “I’m not trying to!”
Panic is pressing against my throat even as the soothing purr pours out of me.
“You cannot help it.” Vameer’s smile is so smug and cocky it helps to lessen my anxiety.
“Vameer.” I try for a serious tone.
His eyelids lower, and his voice slurs. “Feels so good.”
Then he presses his face into my neck, nuzzling against my skin and breathing deeply.
My core is already throbbing, just from how hot he looks, but now, having my legs spread around him, my body vibrating with a purr, and his breath on my skin… It’s too much.
But we can’t have sex in a parking lot.
“Honey.” I try for reason. “We’re on a time schedule.”
He hums in understanding but doesn’t stop what he’s doing. And I don’t stop purring.
I grip a handful of his hair and pull, trying to dislodge his face from my neck.
Vameer just groans.
And gods dammit. I’m about ready to say fuck it to the plans and test out parking lot sex.
Releasing his hair, I grip both of his horns. Tight. And I slide my hands from base to tip.
A deeper, more powerful purr bursts from Vameer, perfectly in rhythm with mine.
He finally lifts his head, and our mouths slam together.
His tongue licks across my lips.
And someone clears their throat loudly from beside us.
I startle so hard my purring stops.
Vameer’s purr stops too, and he turns his head toward the newcomer. “Druid. I thought you wouldn’t arrive until Rune sent for you.”
“I thought you wanted to be on time to your next destination.” Dread’s tone is unamused.
I wiggle, and Vameer starts to loosen his hold on me.
“Actually, you should keep holding her.”
My brows lift as I look at Dread. “Um, why?”
“I scoped out the location, and higher is going to be better.”
His answer makes me uneasy, but I think this might be one of those times it’s better to go in blind. “Okay, I just need to make a quick call first.”
Dread dips his chin. But he doesn’t step away.
Guess everyone is going to listen while I make the weirdest call of my life.
Vameer moves me so I’m sitting on his hand again, and with some shifting, I pull my phone out of my pocket.
I have my mom’s contact on the screen, but I just stare at it.
Vameer presses a kiss to my forehead. “Mon Coeur, this is happy news.”
I lift my gaze to his as I absorb his words.
He’s totally right.
I’m focusing on the fact that it’s absolutely wild, beyond the realm of any dreams, to find myself mated to a vampire. But he’s one hundred percent right.
I found my mate.
I have a mate.
Someone to share my life with.
I still need to ask what this all means in regard to my lifespan. I think if I kill one of his enemies and grow horns, that means I’ll live as long as vampires do. But we can discuss that later.
“The happiest.” I arch forward and press my lips to his. “Thank you.”
Then I hit call.
It rings four times, and I start to sag against Vameer, grateful I can just leave a voicemail. But then my mom answers. “Honey! How are you?”
Vameer presses his lips together, hard, and I know he can hear what my mom likes to call me.
Sighing, I put the phone on speaker. “Hi, Mom. I’m good. Is Dad with you?”
She hums. “He’s just getting dressed.” I make a face, refusing to ask why he’d be undressed this time of day. But Vameer loses his fight against his smile, so I poke him in the pec.
“Everything okay? We haven’t gotten you on the phone since before your birthday.”
“Yep.” My voice is too high, but she doesn’t seem to notice.
“It’s Rune, she’s on the phone,” Mom says to Dad, who must be dressed now. And I hear her switch it to speaker on her end.
“Hi, Princess.” Dad’s voice is loud as always. “Did you like the birthday bracelets?”
I look at my wrist. “I did, thank you. I’m actually wearing two of them today.”
“Show me,” Dad demands. “How do we make this into a video?”
“Well, so, before you do that…” I swallow. “I just have a little something to tell you first.”
There’s a long beat of silence before Mom uses her cautious tone. Like when she finds a snake in the garden. “You can tell us anything.”
“Yeah.” Dad’s tone is too bright. “We will support you no matter what.”
Mom hums her agreement. “And if it’s a baby, you can always move here.”
Vameer is grinning.
I roll my eyes and blow out the loudest breath. “It’s not a baby. But love that you assume I’d just let the man off the hook.”
“Oh, we would take him to the cleaners. Don’t you doubt it.” I can picture Mom wagging her finger while she says it.
“Anyway.” I lift my voice to cut off whatever other nonsense might come out of their mouths. “I just wanted to let you know that I, um, met… a man.”
“I knew it!” Dad practically shouts.
“If you’re going to yell, stand on my other side. I need to keep some of my hearing.”
Dad grumbles something, and I hear them shift around.
Vameer is still grinning like a fool.
“So, who is he? How did you meet? When can we meet him?” Mom rattles off her questions.
“Well, his name is Vameer.”
“Strong name,” Dad chimes in.
“We met on my birthday.”
“Oh, recent!” Mom adds.
I lift my volume again, trying to keep them on track. “I don’t know how soon we’ll be able to visit…” I move my gaze over to the druid. “Hold on a sec.”
I mute my end of the call.
“It’s your timeline,” Dread answers before I even ask my question. And I notice he no longer has the ax, and he’s wearing an open robe over his pants. But still nothing else. “If we leave now and you keep your visit under five minutes, it should be fine.”
I unmute the call. “You’re at home, right?”
“Yes. What’s going on?” Mom asks slowly.
“Can you see into the backyard? Is it empty?”
“Yes…”
I pull up their address and show it to Dread.
He takes the phone from me, tapping on things, probably looking at a map.
I talk louder so they can still hear me. “There’s no one over, right? It’s just you two?”
“Yes…” Mom says again.
Dread nods and hands the phone back to me.
I look to Vameer and raise my brows.
He smirks. “Go big or go home?”
I grin. “My thoughts exactly.”
“Is that him?” Dad’s voice is loud, like he’s leaning close to the phone.
“Yeah, that’s my guy.” Vameer tightens his hold on me, and I press a quick kiss to his cheek. “We only have a few minutes. But go to the backyard, and you can meet him.”
“Wait, what do you—”
I hang up on my mom.
Vameer kisses my forehead, then lowers me to the ground. “Probably shouldn’t be carrying you for this one.”
“Probably.” I slide my phone into my pocket and shake out my shoulders. “Let’s do this before I overthink it.” Worried that might have come off wrong, I grab Vameer’s hand. “They’ll adore you. And they’ll be happy for me. But it’s still a lot.”
Vameer squeezes my fingers. “You and I are one. I am not worried.”
I start to sigh, swooning over his words, but a purr starts in my chest again. “Dammit!”
A portal pops into existence six inches from my side.
I yelp and step away.
“You’re welcome,” Dread deadpans. And I realize my purring has stopped again. “I will reopen the portal in four minutes. Walk back through when it does. Do not touch the sides.”
I know that druids and their magic are still unknown to the world. And I love my parents, but I’m not about to tell them such a huge secret.
During the Battle of Versailles, Volik made it seem like he was the one who created the wormhole that transported the shifters. And having his brother with me will just reinforce that idea.
I smile up at Vameer. “See you on the other side.”
My anxiety is trying to climb, but my vampire is keeping our heartbeat steady. And if I don’t give myself time to think, I don’t have time to overthink.
I let go of Vameer’s hand. Turn. Take one step. Close my eyes. Take another. And open them in time to see the back door on my parents’ small two-story home start to open.
Tall trees circle the house and the patch of backyard, blocking the view from any neighbors and giving us privacy.
Vameer steps through the portal and bumps into me.
“Sorry,” I whisper and move forward.
He stands pressed against my back, resting his large hands on my shoulders.
The door opens all the way just as the portal disappears with a magical crackle.
My mom rushes out first. “Rune? How did you—” She lifts her gaze to the vampire standing at my back, stumbles to a stop, and slaps her hands over her mouth.
“Holy shit,” Dad chokes out as he stops beside Mom, wide eyes locked on Vameer.
“Mom, Dad, this is Vameer. My mate.” Their gazes shift to meet mine, and I see the moment they register my eyes.
Tears instantly fill Mom’s eyes. “Oh… Honey…” She lowers her hands so I can see her smile. “When…” She blinks, and tears roll down her cheeks.
Dad is silent, standing with his mouth open, eyes darting back and forth between me and Vameer.
“It happened on my birthday. And I’ll tell you the whole story soon.
But we only have like three minutes before we have to go.
” I talk quickly, trying to say everything before one of them snaps out of it.
“After we leave, news will break pretty quickly. But I wanted to tell you first. So… surprise!” I hold my hands up and smile wide enough for them to see my fangs.
Mom squeals and rushes forward with her arms spread.
I step toward her and meet my mom with a hug.
“This is… Gods, it’s more than I ever dreamed for you,” she cries against me.
Mom is the same height as me. Similar body shape. I have her red hair, but hers is lighter now with age. She’s basically me, just older.
I hug her tighter, wondering if my hair will ever change the way hers did.
“Incredible. Just incredible.” Mom pulls back and places her hands on my cheeks. “This is what happened to that Nix girl. Right?”
I nod, emotion thick in my throat at her instant approval and happiness. “Yeah. I’ve met her, she’s great.”
“You’ve met Nix?”
“She’s pretty much my sister now.”
“Because she had the same things happen?” Dad wipes at his eyes as he steps closer. “Can you do that flying stuff too?”
“Not yet.” I smile at the question. “And Nix is like a sister now because she’s mated to Volik. And Volik…” I tip my head toward Vameer. “Is his brother.”
Mom gasps while Dad nods, like he can see it.
Vameer’s heat moves from behind me to my side.
He’s so much taller than me, so they could see him just fine when he was behind me. But now that he’s beside me, they can see all of him.
Eight feet of sculpted man wrapped in a dark red suit. Except instead of a suit jacket, he’s wearing a robe. And instead of a regular belt, he’s wearing a sword.
His long hair catches in a breeze, blowing it back from his face, and gods help me, he belongs on a movie poster.
He looks like royalty.
“There is nothing more precious to a vampire than his mate.” Vameer places one hand on his chest, the other on the hilt of his sword as he dips his chin. “I swear to the fates, I will protect Rune until my last breath.”
“Oh. Oh my.” Mom fans her face.
“Mom.” I try to chastise her, but my voice comes out too breathy.
Because I get it. My vampire is hot as fuck.
Vameer straightens and holds his hand out to my dad. “It is an honor to meet you.”
Dad blinks.
Mom elbows him in the side.
“Yes, well…” He looks a little shaky as he reaches out to take Vameer’s hand.
He looks so tiny compared to my big vampire; it breaks some of the emotional tension trying to choke me.
They shake twice, then let go.
Dad takes a deep breath, then grins. “I’ve had a speech prepared for going on decades. For whenever my princess decided to date someone.”
“Dad,” I laugh, believing him.
“But I don’t think my practiced threats will have the same effect on you.”
“I can act scared.” Vameer says it so seriously, I snort.
“I like you.” Dad turns to me. “I like him.”
I look up at my mate. “I like him too.”
For a split second, the softest purr rolls out of Vameer.
Both my parents sway forward, but their expressions don’t change. And as soon as the purr stops, they sway back.
Uh, what?
“Vameer, Sweetie.” My mom steps into his space, lifting her arms. “It’s so good to meet you.” Then… she hugs him.
My mom pulls my eight-foot-tall vampire into a hug.
I meet Vameer’s gaze as his pulse makes mine jump.
I can feel his tender emotions.
He didn’t expect a hug. Or to be called Sweetie.
My smile is soft as I mouth Mon Amour to him.
He exhales. And hugs my mom back.