I’m not human.

I love VampLycans now.

Drantos chuckled against her lips. I love you, Dusti.

“This is going to work out.”

“We’ll make certain of it.”

Dusti wasn’t really sure how she’d fit into his clan but didn’t want to share that with him. Drantos brushed another kiss over her lips. “You’re projecting. I don’t mean to overhear your thoughts but it’s going to be fine.”

“It’s just such an unfamiliar way to live. Your rules and world are so different from mine.”

“They will become yours. You are VampLycan, Dusti. You were just denied the knowledge of your heritage.”

She felt anger come through their bond. “It pisses you off?”

“I would have found you so much sooner if you’d been raised in the clans.”

“I would have lived with Decker’s if my mother had stayed, or she would have been forced to mate with Aveoth.” She shivered a little, remembering the fierce and intense warrior. “He could have been my father. How scary is that? Imagine having to face him at every holiday get-together. Talk about a nightmare in-law.”

“He wouldn’t have been able to have children with her.”

“Why?”

“Gargoyles hate Vampires to a level that is extreme. We’re half Vampire but even we’re not fond of the full-bloods. GarLycans tend to avoid mating with us half-breeds because we carry Vampire blood. Even a drop is too much.”

“But he was addicted to the bloodline. I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either but it would be an affront to his clan if he had children with any Vampire blood running in their veins. It’s acceptable in his culture for him to take her as a lover but nothing more. He would have either had to dump her to take a mate or found a GarLycan willing to breed his children without the bond mate.”

“That’s so weird and messed up. What about the woman he took as a lover? She’d just have to turn a blind eye to him screwing someone else to have a baby?”

“Yes.”

“That’s so wrong.”

“I agree but that’s how they live.”

“What if he wanted to mate his lover?”

“He’d have a hell of a fight on his hands to stay in control of his clan if she had any Vampire blood in her veins. They’d want him to step down. They don’t always mate the mother of their children. It’s not a requirement, but a VampLycan would be offensive to his clan if he bonded to her. It would give her status that none of them would wish her to have.”

“That’s so confusing. They’re like friends to VampLycans, right?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it for me.”

“They are willing to join forces with us but we’re not considered totally equal.”

“No wonder my mom took off to avoid that kind of fate. I just wish she’d told us the truth.”

“So do I.”

“I keep thinking about Decker. Where is he, and will Bat and Kraven be safe from him?”

“Aveoth is now aware of what his plans were. Decker no longer holds the advantage and the GarLycan leader knows Bat already has a mate. Your sister is going to be fine. Decker wants her alive, so he wouldn’t hurt her if he’s able to find them. Worst case, he’d turn her over to Aveoth and he’d just send her to us. He knows she has a mate and he’s got honor. It’s Kraven I’m more concerned about. He’d never allow her to be taken without forfeiting his life first.”

“I just wish we could help them.”

“Kraven is more than capable of surviving and staying under the radar. He’ll return when he feels it’s safe to bring his mate home. Have some faith. I do.” He caressed her skin. “Let me distract you from your worrying.”

She smiled. “I love you touching me.”

“I love everything about you.”

Chapter Sixteen

Dusti could relate to being a tourist who’d lost her luggage. She looked the part in her ill-fitting clothes she’d bought at Peva’s shop.

Nothing about that afternoon’s event held a familiar feel. They were in a clearing with thick woods surrounding it and three large fire pits burning. A bunch of strangers milled around. The men were all muscled and big, most sporting jeans and tank tops. The women were tall and seemed to have a “dress for less” fashion sense going on. They mostly wore summer dresses with open backs or sarongs.

“Yeah. I’m totally fitting in,” Dusti muttered.

“Everyone knows you had to buy temporary clothing.”

“As if I’d walk around in nothing but a thin towel wrapped around my torso.”

His eyebrows rose.

“Sarongs. It’s basically what they are.”

A smile curved his lips. “You’d look sexy in one.”

“With my luck, it would come untied and I’d drop it.”

“I’d like that.”

“I meant in front of everyone.”

Drantos put his arm around her. “Just be yourself and relax. You’re nervous.”

“Thanks for not saying no one is going to be judging me. They totally are.”

“We can leave.”

“Yeah. Right. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot with the new mother-in-law. No thanks. She kind of frightens me. Just make sure I don’t end up roasting in one of those pits. What does elk taste like, anyway?”

“You’ll like it.”

“I hope so. Your clan can really eat two of them? I thought they weighed a ton.”

“VampLycans can eat about six times what a human can, and we really gorge at a feast. Think of it like your Thanksgiving holiday, only we do it more often.”

“No wonder you’re all so big.”

“It takes a lot of fuel to shift. We’re also naturally toned.”

“You mean mega-muscled.”

He grinned. “Yes. Relax. You’re really talkative.”

She sealed her lips. He was right. She had a tendency to babble when anxious. He just had a nicer way of putting it. She clutched at his hand as they strolled deeper into the clearing. People stared at her and some even stopped talking. She resisted the urge to drop her chin and lean against Drantos. It might make her appear weak. She lifted her head a little higher and clenched her teeth together.