“You’re part of this clan. You’ll make friends and they’ll accept you. We’ll be happy, Dusti. I’ll make certain of it.”

“I believe you. I’m not uncertain about you and me. For the first time in my life, I know what home feels like. It’s here in your arms. It’s just that I don’t know about the rest of your people.”

Drantos smiled. It melted her heart.

“It’s this whole VampLycan thing,” she admitted.

“You’ll adjust. We’re not monsters. Sleep now. You’re tired. We’ll deal with all this tomorrow.”

She nodded and tucked her head against his chest again. Drantos brushed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, then snuggled her closer. She closed her eyes but worry for Bat still bothered her. Drantos rubbed her back, the caresses eventually lulling her to sleep.

Chapter Fourteen

Nightmares woke Dusti a few times during the night. It wasn’t a mystery what caused them. It was tough to wrap her mind around her new mate being punished and the barbaric method used. But Drantos healed at a phenomenal rate every time she checked on his injured back. It just emphasized the fact that he wasn’t human. No normal person could recover that fast.

First his skin no longer appeared split where the whip had struck. Then scabs formed but were gone within a few hours, just leaving angry red lines. Around dawn, those marks were so faint she felt the need to trace her fingertip over them just to be certain her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.

Drantos slept heavily and she still felt anger that he’d been punished for something stupid. VampLycan laws were too foreign to her. It made her worry about what she could accidently do or say that might get him into trouble. She eased out of bed finally and decided to give herself a tour of his house. She put on one of Drantos's oversized shirts. It fell to mid thigh on her.

It was a nice place and well built. She liked the wood beams along the ceiling in the living room and the fireplace was beautiful. It looked as if he’d used river rocks, which ran from the hardwood floor all the way up to the ceiling.

She ended up in his kitchen. It was modern but she was more interested in finding something to eat than exploring the rest of his home. She settled on a bowl of microwavable oatmeal and sat at the counter. Two barstools made a nice eating area that separated the kitchen from the living room.

As she ate, she thought about her new circumstances. Her life would never be the same. She’d agreed to be Drantos’s mate and that meant having to adjust to life in Alaska with a bunch of VampLycans. It was tough to wrap her mind around the reality of them even existing.

Mom, why didn’t you tell us what you were?

There had been no reason for Drantos to lie to her about that. Decker Filmore was a VampLycan and way worse than just a shitty grandfather. He was some kind of supernatural villain. She didn’t blame her mother for running away but she should have told her daughters the truth. It stung and left Dusti feeling hurt.

Had her dad known? How could her mom hide it from the man she loved and lived with? It made her feel as if her entire childhood had been a lie.

The pain settled in deep and she wished her sister were with her to discuss it. What did Bat think about Aveoth wanting to take her as his lover? How was she adjusting? Did she finally understand that Decker Filmore was a complete asshole? Were they okay? Was Bat scared? Angry?

Frustration rose at the lack of answers. She worried about Bat. She just hoped they were safe, wherever they were.

She finished the oatmeal and washed the bowl. Her gaze traveled around the kitchen. It was her new home. She bit her lip and had to admit the roomy log home was way nicer than her crappy apartment back in California.

“Dusti?”

She turned to face Drantos. He was awake, just wearing a pair of low-hipped silky boxer shorts. His hair was mussed from sleep and the expression on his face uncertain.

“Morning.”

“You look so sad.” He closed the distance between them, studying her eyes. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

“I was just thinking about things.”

He reached out and put his hands on her hips. “Do you regret becoming my mate?”

She didn’t have to think about it. Her feelings for him left her no doubt. “No. Never.”

“What is it then?”

“I was thinking about Bat, my parents, just everything.”

He pulled her closer until she was gently resting against his body. “Kraven will take care of your sister. He’ll send word when he feels it’s safe. We have a strong sibling bond, and he knows Bat has one with you. He won’t wish us to be concerned.”

“As if getting a message to us will be enough. I just want this mess to be over.”

“Aveoth is a skilled hunter and you heard him say he will go after Decker. He always keeps his word.”

“I almost feel sorry for the old bastard but not quite.”

Drantos arched his eyebrows.

“That Aveoth guy is pretty scary.”

“Yes, he is.”

“Can you move as fast as he did? I swear I blinked and he was somewhere else.”

“It’s a Gargoyle trait.”

“His skin changed color and texture, too. Another Gargoyle trait?”

“Yes.”

“And he flies? I heard you mention that when we were talking about the plane crash. How does that work? He’s huge.”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“I’m not going anywhere. We have time. This is my new world, I should learn about it. Those GarLycan things are our neighbors, right?”

Drantos took her hands and backed up, leading her into the living room. He had her take a seat on the couch and he lit the fireplace. She liked the way it made the room feel cozy as he sat next to her.

“Gargoyles can blend into their surroundings by camouflaging their bodies to appear rock-like, and they can harden their skins into rigid outer shells. It makes fighting them really tough when you can’t pierce their skins easily. They also become denser when they do that. I don’t know how it really works but when Aveoth sprouts his wings, his skin takes on a kind of less dense structure.”

“He sprouts wings?”

“Yes. I’ve seen him do it when we were younger. They are concealed near his shoulder blades. In human form you can’t see them. The skin seals to look perfectly normal on his back, but these flaps open and his wings elongate and expand outward.”