Vampire Mine

Chapter Nineteen

“They’re ready for you,” Zach said, motioning to the door.

Sadie squeezed Trey’s hand, trying to steady her nerves. It was time to run with the big dogs. She stole a look at the male beside her. He was equally alert, ready to throw down and kick ass if anyone gave her shit. A thrilling bolt of happiness cascaded over her like a warm wash of morning sunshine.

He loved her.

She’d felt the gravity of the declaration when he’d said it aloud. He meant it all the way down to his very soul. He’d do anything she asked of him, regardless of the cost. That level of dedication deserved equal respect and commitment. She’d prove she was worth the trouble. With time the pack would know she’d do anything for them. She’d offered them her fealty so long as they accepted her place at Trey’s side.

“Why the long face?” She teased him, wanting to lighten the mood. They weren’t facing their deaths. The pack wanted to see her. She needed to answer their questions. “Relax.”

His head turned, his amber gaze loving. “I’ll relax after this is done.”

“Come on, then,” she said, leading him to the door. “It’s time.”

Instead of gathering at the barn, the pack had taken up the area surrounding the swimming pool. They stopped chatting with each other, going quiet as she stepped outside. The sun hadn’t set but it wasn’t of any consequence. It had started to descend, making room for the night. The rays no longer beamed from above, draining her strength and scorching her skin. The fact that she appeared in the dwindling daylight seemed to surprise them. A few whispered to each other, their voices soft in an effort to keep her from hearing.

“She can’t be all bad,” she caught a man saying. “She’s in the daylight for fuck’s sake.”

“Thank you for coming,” she said, wanting to engage them. “I know you have a lot of questions. I’ll do my best to answer them.”

A large male stepped forward. The way the pack moved behind him indicated he spoke for the entire group. “Did you mean what you said that first night?”

“I said a lot of things,” she answered slowly, unclear of his meaning.

“Do you truly mean to accept the responsibilities of the mate to our Alpha?” the man asked. “Are you willing to lay down your life to protect us? No matter the threat? Even if it means giving up what you love most?”

Trey’s hand nearly crushed hers, his body trembling. He still worried for her, afraid of the idea she could be hurt or killed. She held back a wince, accepting the pain. He wasn’t even aware he was squeezing her so hard, locked in his own thoughts, imagining her dead and gone. She wanted to comfort him but couldn’t. If she did he’d seem weak. They had to project a strong image, united in front of the people before them.

“I do and I am,” she replied, staring at the faces studying her.

“And if other vampires attack, you’ll kill them?”

She didn’t hesitate. “In a heartbeat.”

“What about our other enemies?”

“The same applies.”

The male paused, gazing at her. “How can we know you mean it?”

“You can’t.” That was the bitch of it. She’d never be able to reassure them with words. She’d have to use action. “But if you’ll give me a chance, I’ll prove it to you.”

He didn’t stop staring, considering her words. The shifters behind him remained still, watching him closely. She expected more questions but none came. They had to want to know more than this. Why weren’t they bombarding her with their uncertainties? Why hadn’t they started an outcry to find a chink in her armor?

After a moment he said, “Bring them.”

Bring them? What the hell does that mean?

She thought to Trey. “What’s he talking about?”

“Not what,” he thought back, fingers loosening. “Who.”

A male standing at the side gate opened it wide, waving at people she couldn’t see on the other side. Women and children appeared, squeezing into the area one by one. Some of the females carried infants while a few others held the hands of toddlers. The older children gawked at her, eyes bright with curiosity.

She thought back to the first pack meeting.

Women had been there but no children. Come to think of it, she’d rarely ever seen the youngest members of the pack. And why should she? Children were the future. They had to be protected.

This was what she’d be fighting for.

Life with Trey took on new meaning. And it was a glorious thing. She’d protected a coven of scheming bitches, doing whatever she was told. But there had been no real pleasure in it. Here she’d have an actual family, just as she had in her childhood. It was inconceivable. Vampires usually joined covens and roamed the world. They didn’t settle down. For once, she’d plant roots. This would be home.

The idea more than appealed to her.

It suited her to a T.

Once everyone was inside and the gate closed, the male addressed her again. “Give us your word. Swear that you’ll put them before anything else.”

She’d never take a more important vow. “I swear.”

Her lips parted as they kneeled, heads angling to the side. The older children mirrored the actions of their elders while the babes cried out softly and clung to their mothers. All heads were bowed, so she couldn’t see their faces. Concerned, she reached out to their minds, finding that all of them were resolved and accepting.

Accepting of what?

“You,” Trey rasped. The male would never cry but she heard the emotion in his voice. “They’re taking you into the pack.”

It couldn’t be that easy. No way. She hadn’t done anything to deserve it yet.

“You saved the life of one of their children,” Trey thought to her. “There is no greater gift in the pack. When you protected Ava you showed them that you value the same thing. Apparently they’re willing to take you at your word.”

A child—no more than five or six years old—broke position and stood.

Sadie grinned when he scowled, shaking off his mother’s hand when she tried to make him kneel. He was an adorable little thing, still chubby in his youth, maintaining the roundness in his cheeks, his brown hair streaked by the sun. He cocked his head to the side, looking straight at her, resting his cheek on his shoulder.

“Do you really drink blood?” he yelled, like he couldn’t believe anyone would want to do something so repugnant. When she didn’t answer immediately he asked, “What about flying? Can you do that? I heard you could fly if you wanted to.”

His mother shot up, trying to shush him.

“Oh Mom,” he complained, squirming out of her hold. “You said questions are important.” His poor mother looked mortified, eyes darting to Sadie. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” He kept going, embarrassing the hell out of the poor woman. “Why can’t I have a turn? Why does it always have to be grown-ups? It’s not fair.”

She released Trey and phased, appearing in front of the youth. His mother startled, taking a step back. Whispers surrounded Sadie, the accepting pack wondering if they’d made the wrong decision. The child reacted differently, apparently pleased. An enormous smile lit his face, his chocolate-brown eyes excited.

“Wow,” he exhaled. “You can fly. You moved so fast I didn’t see you!”

“I can do all kinds of things.”

“Tell me!” he exclaimed, rushing at her. “This is better than a bedtime story.”

Normally she didn’t touch other people’s children unless she was given permission. Such a thing was considered rude. But since the little boy was coming at her like a steaming locomotive she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t let him fall. That would probably tick the pack off more than her holding him.

Catching him midway, she hoisted him up. Everyone around her was anxious. Their worry ate at her, robbing her of breath. She needed to give them a reprieve, allowing them to become comfortable in her presence. Trey gave her a disapproving look when she turned around and faced him. He didn’t like her doing things unexpectedly.

Barbarian.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” She eased down, taking a seat at Trey’s feet. She faced the pack but talked to the boy, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’ll do my best to answer them.”

“I’m Arkin,” he told her proudly. “Momma named me after my grandpa.”

“I’m Sadie,” she murmured. She didn’t tell him her parents took the name from Hebrew, or that it meant princess. “It’s nice to meet you, Arkin.”

“So how do you fly?”

How did she answer that? Would it freak everyone out?

She’d promised to be honest but could she really share all of her secrets?

The coven has already shunned you. You can’t sink any deeper.

Trey kneeled at her back, resting his hand on her shoulder. Electricity zipped down her back, winding down her spine. His touch exorcized her demons, forcing her fears to retreat. She’d made this decision. This is what she wanted. In order to be a part of the pack she didn’t have to merely earn their trust, she had to give them hers as well.

She gazed at the men and women in front of her.

They were listening, just as keen as the child to know an answer.

“I don’t fly. Not really. It’s called phasing.”

“How do you do that?”

Settling in, she answered his question. He’d chosen a good one. “Well you see,” she said, looking at Arkin, “it starts with a bit of magic.”

His face bunched together, lips pursed. “Magic is for sissies.”

She brought her hand to Trey’s, resting her fingers on top of his. She felt their connection, growing stronger by the minute. “Why do you say that?”

“It’s mostly fake,” he informed her briskly, bored now. “I’ve seen it on TV.”

Her eyes settled on a scrape on his leg. It was nearly healed but not quite.

“It’s fake, huh?” She peered up, meeting the stares of the pack.

They didn’t trust her but they wanted to. She remembered what her father had used to say, chiding her when she’d complained about her studies in her youth, saying that Rome wasn’t built in a day. He loved to quote Roman Emperor Hadrian.

Brick by brick, my citizens, he’d say, brick by brick.

This was the start, the first block in her foundation.

Releasing the child’s waist, she called on her magic, gazing at his knee. Energy buzzed through her, warming her blood, heating her from the inside. Trey knew what she was up to, gave her shoulder a squeeze. She intended to start things off on the right foot. There was no better way than revealing her gift for healing.

A simple touch and the wound disappeared.

The child was amazed. The pack, stunned.

She turned to Trey, giving him a smile. He lowered his head, skimming lips over hers.

Brick by brick, she’d become the woman they needed.

This was only the beginning.