“This is a lot to take in, but it doesn’t suck.”

Kira smiled.

* * * * *

Lavos finished his meal and laughed at the easy flow of conversation around the table. He liked the other clan enforcers, especially Wen. The guy was laid-back with a good sense of humor. He kept feeling glares directed his way and stayed alert, paying close attention to who seemed to hate him. One of those was Mya.

He got up from the table, along with everyone else, to mingle. It didn’t take the woman long to come after him. She stepped in his path, her eyes turning near black and her nostrils flaring.

“You mated a human!” she spat. “I’m insulted.”

“It had nothing to do with you. Instincts won’t be denied.”

“So you just…what? Left for a few hours, ran into a human, and decided to fuck her while you were on duty?” Her claws grew. “You wouldn’t test a mating with me, but you did her?”

Lavos stepped back, not wanting to have to fight her or cause a scene. “She was working for our clan. Not that she knew what we were,” he added. “I’d met her before and was strongly drawn to her. Today just happened, but I don’t regret it. She’s my mate.”

“You bastard! I’m better than some human.” Her fangs extended and she took a threatening step forward.

Trayis, leader of one of the clans, was suddenly there. He gripped Mya by the back of the neck and she froze, her eyes widening. Trayis winked at Lavos, then leaned in, putting his mouth close to her ear.

“What have I told you before, Mya? Don’t be a pushy bitch. Some men aren’t impressed with your aggressive behavior. You snuck over here without my permission but I let it go. I know you want to leave my clan since I keep a close eye on you, but I just had dinner with Lorn. He wouldn’t take your shit either. Go home. That’s an order.” He released her. “Now.” His voice deepened.

Mya fled.

Trayis smiled and held out his hand. “Sorry about her. Every clan has a few problems. You just met one of mine.”

Lavos shook his hand. “Thank you. I didn’t want to have to get into it with a woman but she looked ready to fight.”

“That’s Mya. She cleans up nice in a dress but she’s no lady.” Trayis released him. “She’s been coming on to me for ten years so I know how she can be when she’s after a man.”

“You ever test a mating with her?”

“Hell no. She’s beautiful, but a lot of our women are. I don’t fuck the ones in my clan. I learned a long time ago that no good comes of it, and none are my mate, if strong attraction is any indication. I don’t feel that way about any of them.”

“What lesson did you learn? May I ask?”

“I was sleeping with a woman like Mya once. She kind of unofficially started acting like she was my mate and it caused problems. I put a stop to it as soon as I found out she was using her lover status to bully some of my clan. It’s a good thing you took a mate so fast. Otherwise, that’s likely a lesson you’d have learned as Lorn’s lead enforcer. Some women come after you for the power, and even if you’re just their lover, they’ll try to take advantage of your position to bolster theirs.”

“My mate is human.”

“I know. Congrats.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m actually glad it happened. Not the Mya thing, but you taking a mate while we were here. It proves your brother is nothing like Decker. He’d have killed you both. You for breaking his law, and her just because of her bloodline.”

“Decker had no tolerance.” Lavos sighed. “And not all of our clan will be happy about my mate. Decker poisoned them against humans. We actually have another clan member who recently claimed a human mate. Lorn accepted her, as well. He’s nothing like Decker.”

“Decker thought everyone was out to fuck him over—and he was right. You can’t do that much bad without making a hell of a lot of enemies. You reap what you sow.”

“Agreed.”

Trayis glanced around. “I’ve been watching the faces of your clan. Most seem okay, but that group in the far corner is trouble.”

Lavos knew the ones he spoke of. “They’re elders who were loyal to Decker.”

“Ah. Watch them.”

“We are. Especially since we expect a few of them to raise hell over my mate.”

“They should come live in my clan. That would cure them of being race snobs.”

That interested Lavos. “Why?”

Trayis seemed to consider his words before he spoke. “We joke that it must be something in the water, but we’ve had a higher rate of mated pairs birthing sons in our clan for the past forty years. It’s not as drastic as the Gargoyles. Their daughter birthrate is extremely low. But the men in my clan have learned to appreciate women, no matter what their bloodlines are.”

“Is that why you so easily accept your clan mating humans and full Lycans?”

“Partially. You’ve unfortunately met Mya. Some of our younger unmated women abuse the power they wield over the single men in my clan. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to break up fights when they use the lure of possible sex to pit horny men against each other. It’s like a twisted game for them to see how much trouble they can cause, even if it’s brother against brother.” His tone deepened, anger showing through. “It pisses me off, so I encourage our men to seek out women from anywhere they can. I send the unmated to visit Lycan packs often. If they come across a human mate while they’re traveling, so be it. Every man who finds a mate is one less for Mya and her group of friends to mind fuck.”

Lavos considered everything Trayis had said, filling in the blanks. Mya had been aggressive and wanted to start a fight when she didn’t get her way. He was glad Trayis had stepped in or it might have turned into a scene. “I don’t blame you.”

Trayis smiled, his good mood back. “Elders can be assholes. I might be one, but at least I’m open to change. I want my clan to be happy and don’t give a shit about them all being pure VampLycans.” He jerked his head in the direction of the corner. “Ones like those are toxic to our long-term survival. They didn’t learn a damn thing from the Gargoyles.”

“You mean how picky Lord Aveoth and his clan are about not mating with VampLycans?”