“Did you fight Maku to make that happen?”

“No. Peva worked her mate magic.”

His mother laughed. “Ah. That always works. Now you have a mate who will be able to make you see reason too. It’s impossible to remain stubborn when the one you love expects compromise. You will want to give it to her.”

“You lead Dad around by his nose.”

She chuckled. “It’s not that body part I grab when I want him to follow me down any path.”

“I was trying to be polite.”

“Your manners have already improved. I like seeing this new side of you.”

Drantos scanned the area again and lowered his voice. “Thank you for backing me up with Dad. I know this can’t be easy for you either, as my mother.”

She leaned in closer and reached up, laying her hand on his shoulder. “She’s not the mate I would have chosen for you but that’s not our way. You felt something for this Dusti and the bond was there when you touched her. I’m grateful you found her and didn’t have to settle for something less. It happens and it’s always sad to see. That would have broken my heart. You deserve a true mate, and the love that goes with it.”

“Dad is worried that our children will be weak. I tried to tell him that won’t happen but I can tell he’s still apprehensive.”

She released him and waved her hand in the air, a gesture to state she wasn’t concerned. “Let them be healthy and give me lots of grandbabies. That’s all I ask. Your bloodlines are strong and she’s not fully human. I have faith it will be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“You do need to speak with her about how life here is different from the world she came from. One day your father will wish to hand over leadership to you. That means you’ll need her to stand strong at your side. I know you could handle it alone but the women prefer being dealt with by another woman.”

“They would hurt or even kill her if she fought one of our women.”

“She won’t have to do things my way. I’m more hands-on than other clan leaders’ mates. I enjoy a good fight. Teach her how to earn their respect and it will never come to violence.” She paused. “You said she’s more Vampire than Lycan?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a pity.”

“Why?”

“It’s possible that carrying your young enough times could activate the Lycan traits to emerge, if it were the stronger of the two. That would have meant she had a chance at shifting in the future.”

“She needs my blood sometimes.”

“Does she have fangs?”

“No.”

She suddenly grinned. “She could use her ability to drink blood as a weapon if she had them. It would weaken her opponents if she bit them, while making her stronger.”

“I never want my mate to have to do that.”

“We’ll discuss this later. It’s time to cook. Go to your Dusti and show our people your love for her, and hers for you. No one will dare go after her. They’d have to fight you.” She winked. “None in our clan are that stupid.”

He made it to Dusti’s side and was about to take a seat when motion out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Marna ran into the clearing, her eyes wide, and the youngster appeared afraid. She waved her arms, too out of breath to speak.

Drantos straightened and rushed at her. He was the first one to make it to the seven-year-old.

“What is it?”

She pointed toward town. “Trouble,” she panted.

He crouched, gently gripping her thin arms. “Calm and tell us what is going on.”

The girl caught her breath enough to speak. “A human stopped in town. He saw one of us running in shifted form and Lake wasn’t able to wipe his memory. The human wants to call the state troopers to report it and came to use the store phone. Lake is stalling him so he doesn’t go to another town to use theirs.”

More of his clan had surrounded them, including Dusti. He sensed her right behind him. His father growled low.

“Lake is one of our strongest with human minds. The human must be immune. We need to prevent him from telling anyone what he saw or others will come to investigate. Our clan will be at risk. I need to kill him.”

Dusti gasped. “What?”

Drantos released the girl, stood, and faced her. “There’s no choice, Dusti. My father is right. Lake is a first generation with strong Vampire traits. He would have erased the man’s memory and given him a new one if it were possible. We can’t allow this human to tell others what he saw. More of them would come.”

She scowled. “You can’t just kill someone. He might have a wife and kids. I’m sure he has family.”

“We need to be safe.”

“She’s human,” someone muttered. “She’s siding with them.”

Drantos snarled, glaring at the men around them to identify the source. He found him and flashed fangs. The man stepped back, sulking out of his sight. Drantos looked back at Dusti.

“This is our home. Our children play here. Hunters will come. We’ve seen this happen before. In nineteen seventy-one someone reported seeing one of us and thought it was a bigfoot. A bunch of drunken hunters trespassed on that clan’s territory for months. Four VampLycans were shot, one nearly died. And the world is easier to share stories with now. All those humans came from one town. Imagine what would happen if they used the internet. They could come from all over the world. We can’t allow this human to tell others. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“It’s a law to protect our secrets from the world for a reason.”

Dusti nodded. “I get it. Let me take a crack at him though.”

“You can’t wipe his mind.”

“I don’t need to. Just let me talk to him. If I can’t spin this, he’s all yours. I get it.”

“You can’t tell him the truth.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” She peered up at him in a way that tugged at his chest. “Please let me talk to this guy. I think I know how to handle this mess.”

“He saw one of us.”

“I know. Take me to this guy. I have a plan.”

“What is it?”

“I need to find out what he saw and get a look at him first.” She reached out and gripped his hand. “Let me at least try.”