Chapter 11
Titan
Titan wasn’t surprised that Beatrix made it all the way to the Dapper Dog without a problem. She’d been practicing her flying every night with Arthur. She was much stronger than Arthur thought, but their vampire tended to worry.
Finding an open spot right in front of the bar, Titan parked the car almost at the same time that Beatrix and Arthur landed in the street behind him.
Laughing, they hurried to stand next to his door to properly greet him the moment he was clear of the vehicle.
“That was the best flight so far!” Beatrix exclaimed, hugging him. “I even got a few updrafts.”
“You flew very well,” Arthur agreed, pride radiating from him. “Soon you’ll be better and faster than me.”
If Titan wasn’t afraid of heights, he’d be tempted to buy some kind of levitation charm so he could join his mates high in the sky.
The few times he’d climbed a ladder clearly indicated that he didn’t even like to be a few yards off the ground, let alone hundreds of feet! No, he was content to stay on earth while feeling the thrill of flying through his bond.
“It’s about time you guys got here!” Imani announced from the open door. When all three of them looked over, she made an impatient get-over-here gesture and disappeared back inside.
“Lady Imani is demanding our presence,” Arthur said with a chuckle. Imani might be a young vampire, but she had been surprisingly powerful even before a hobgoblin covered her and her flock in void magic. Now she was untouchable.
Not only was she a force to be reckoned with, but she also cared deeply for their community and did her best to protect everyone.
Historically, vampires didn’t spend much time near each other, especially if they had a flock to protect, but Imani refused to abide by that custom.
She organized the original book club and threw parties all the time where everyone was invited.
And they all adored her for it.
“We better get in there or she might not let us drink,” Beatrix said, grabbing his hand to lead him up to the front door. He was so distracted by the happiness and excitement flowing from her that he didn’t question why book club would cause her this much emotion.
Then they walked through the door and everyone in the crowded bar cried out, “Happy Birthday!”
Titan went still, too shocked to move for a moment, trying to take it all in. The place was decorated with streamers, balloons, and a giant banner that said Happy Birthday Titan.
“What…what’s going on?” he asked, not really comprehending everything his eyes were seeing.
“It’s your surprise birthday party,” Beatrix explained with a little jump up and down. “Were you surprised? I was worried you’d hear all our plans through the link, but Arthur said he could mute it. Are you happy? Do you like it?”
“All the food is vegetarian,” Imani said, rushing up to give him a hug.
“Really?” Titan said, returning Imani’s hug with one arm, then pulling away to look over at a table covered in large containers of food. “Why would you guys do that?”
“Because we love you, dude!” Pike shouted from the back. He stepped forward and thrust a potted plant at him with a bow balanced on the top. “This is catnip. I have several more pots of it if your rescue cats like it.”
No sooner did Titan accept the gift than someone else pushed forward to give him a box wrapped in bright blue paper. So many people pressed gifts into his arms that Arthur and Beatrix had to help him with the overflow.
The next hour went by in a whirl of happiness. Someone gave him a mug of beer, someone else pushed him to the table full of food. Briar asked if he had any enemies she could smite for a birthday present. Cora offered her services as an electrician, and Maddy asked if he liked his new home.
Even his parents were on their best behavior. They hadn’t mentioned New Mexico or being an alpha even once.
It was overwhelming in the best way.
“It’s all real,” Arthur said, coming up behind him and enveloping him in a hug.
“What?” he asked, unsure of what Arthur was talking about.
Beatrix appeared in front of him, burrowing up against his front. “All these people really love you for who you are.”
Sometimes he forgot about the bonds. They’d become familiar buzzing sources of contentment in the back of his mind.
“They don’t care that you aren’t an alpha or that you’re a vegetarian,” Beatrix continued.
“Those things don’t matter to the people who love you.”
Titan’s eyes got hot with unshed tears. He tried to talk, but he couldn’t get any words out of his tight throat.
The three of them stood there, hugging, until more people gathered around them and demanded their attention. This was his birthday party, he couldn’t simply pick his mates up and leave no matter how tempted he was.
“Trixie!” Luis yelled across the party.
Before his mate could tell the wolf not to use that nickname, Briar was there giving Luis a nudge strong enough to make the male stumble to the side.
“Hey, don’t do that,” Briar said. Her tone wasn’t mean, but it was firm. “Her name is Beatrix. Not Bea, not Trix or Trixie.”
Luis shot her an apologetic look. “Sorry, Beatrix!” Then he pointed to where Mikey was working behind the bar. “We got your favorite wine!”
“Aww, that’s sweet, thanks, Luey!” she called back. They all laughed at the face Luis made. He wouldn’t forget to use her proper name again. Wolf shifters loved nicknames but as much as she loved the Lobo Gris pack, his sweet pixy wasn’t interested.
While chuckling at Luis’s expression, Titan noticed the sour look Arthur shot at Briar. Instead of taking offense, Briar beamed at Arthur and shot him a kiss before Memphis picked her up and carried her to another section of the bar.
“What’s between you and Briar?” Beatrix asked before Titan could question Arthur.
“I don’t know what you're talking about,” Arthur said, but Titan could feel mild discomfort and embarrassment coming from the vampire.
“I thought you loved us,” Titan said, giving Arthur his best puppy dog eyes. As a wolf shifter, he was really good at that.
A wave of guilt came from Arthur. Then he shook his head with a little laugh. “Naughty Titan. I’m going to make you pay for that later tonight.”
Titan perked up. “I’m looking forward to it. Come on, Arthur. Tell us what’s between you and Briar.”
Arthur let out a long sigh. “As both of you know, I'm over a hundred years old. Not long ago I needed a new identity. Briar is very good at that and has created them for several vampires. When she asked me what name I wanted, I said I didn’t care as long as I got to keep my first name, Arthur. She thought it would be hilarious to give me a ridiculously artificial-sounding name so she dubbed me Arthur Ashton Bancroft III. That’s why she calls me Mr. The III”
“Was Arthur your original name?” Titan asked.
Arthur’s expression went from annoyed to soft, and Titan felt a wash of feeling along with snippet images of a blonde, tired-looking woman.
“My mother named me Arthur,” he said. “She was romantic and wanted me to act as noble as the legendary King Arthur. She told me to always care for those around me, treat women with chivalry, and protect anyone weaker than myself. At the tender age of five, no one was weaker than me, but I vowed I’d always do as she asked. ”
“That’s so fucking sweet,” Briar said, making them all turn. Memphis cast him an apologetic look. Briar had a good heart but could also find trouble in an empty parking lot. Keeping her safe had to be a full-time job for her mates.
“I didn’t know that’s why you were so set on keeping the name Arthur,” Briar continued. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have made you a III. I’ll stop teasing you now. If it helps, I think you would’ve made your mom proud.”
Titan felt Arthur’s emotions swing from annoyance to fondness. “Thank you, Briar. That means a lot.”
“I want to know everything about your mom,” Titan murmured.
“Same,” Beatrix said.
“Later,” Arthur said. “We have a vampire’s lifetime to share all the details of our lives with each other. Right now it’s about celebrating our most favorite vegetarian wolf. Enjoy the love and devotion of all your friends, Titan. You deserve them.”
“All I care about is that I deserve to have you both,” Titan said and dragged the two of them into a tight hug.
Life didn’t get any better than this.
There are more books in this series. You can find them here.