“I’ve made friends in other parts of the world. The GarLycan clan in the cliffs is the only one I’ve ever heard of. Lord Aveoth’s clan is thriving. Not so much for pure Gargoyle clans. They’re dying out. They don’t breed with Lycans.”

“I wasn’t aware.”

“They mostly only steal human women to be their breeding vessels. The Gargoyles make the pregnant women drink their blood so the kid comes out all Gargoyle. From what I’ve learned, it’s why so many of them are born male. All the human traits are also overpowered during breeding. Lycan genetics could pass through, but Gargoyle bloodlines still dominate.” Trayis shrugged. “They wouldn’t relish having children who could possibly get traits they hate. We VampLycans get mostly Lycan traits, but I can’t say we got screwed out of the good Vampire powers.” His eyes began to glow. “It comes in handy.”

Lavos grinned. “Yes, it does. Though my mate is immune to mind control,” he admitted.

Trayis allowed his eyes to dim to normal. “Share your blood with her often. It will make her stronger. And especially when she’s carrying your young in her belly. Otherwise you risk having a child unable to shift.”

Kira came to mind. She’d been born too human, despite having a VampLycan father. “So you’re saying…”

“It makes your children stronger in the womb. The down side is lots of boy births. Though, I’ve asked some of my mated couples to try something.”

“What?” Lavos was curious.

“To cut back on sharing blood while they try to get pregnant, wait until the pregnancy takes, then feed the female blood after. That way the sex of the child is already determined. We had four girls born after I asked. It looks promising.”

“Good to know.”

“Unless you want sons. Then feed her blood all the time.” Trayis grinned. “The experiment might be wishful thinking on my part, since I’d welcome more girls being born into our clan, but it’s a learning curve, right? It’s not like we have thousands of years of history to learn this shit from by studying the past.”

“True.”

“I’ll leave you to it and mingle. It was good talking to you.”

“You too,” Lavos admitted. He watched the clan leader walk away and smiled at Lorn when he caught his brother watching him, assuring him everything was fine.

His mind returned to Jadee. He wanted to get back to her but he had a few hours to go. Being social sucked.

Chapter Seventeen

Jadee kept quiet as Lavos walked her home. She’d been worried about seeing Lavos’s older brother again, but there had been no need. Lorn had given her a hug, welcomed her to the family, and had gone out of his way to be friendly.

“What are you thinking about? Did Kira say something that upset you?”

“No,” she stated honestly. “I was thinking about your brother. He was so unfriendly the first time we met. I’m so glad he seemed happy we’re together.”

“Lorn was stressed that day. He also worried you posed a danger to us, and I was being an idiot by not allowing him to attempt to remove your memories. It’s his job to protect his clan first and foremost. He’s genuinely happy that I found my mate.”

“Even if I’m human?”

He squeezed her hand. “Yes.”

“Kira explained about how I could be dangerous if I told anyone that your people exist. She gave me VampLycan 101. It was great. I learned a lot.”

“Uh-oh. What did she tell you about us?” He opened the front door and ushered her in first, flipping on the lights.

She turned and faced him. “It was all good stuff.”

He closed and locked the door, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her forehead and smiled down at her when he backed up a little. “I’m glad to hear that. Did you two get along?”

“Yes. She was an only child too growing up. We hope to become as close as sisters. I’m looking forward to that. I really like her.”

“Good. Lorn and I are very close, best friends. It would be wonderful if our mates are too.”

“I’m so happy I came here, Lavos.”

“I am too.”

“How did the dinner at the lodge go?”

“Better than expected. It looks as if the other clans truly support us. I hope they’ll worry less, now that they’ve spent more time with Lorn and I. We’re not like Decker. One of the enforcers from another clan is even going to stick around for a bit.”

“To watch you guys? Kind of play spy?”

“No. Wen offered to help us. It’s possible some of our people will challenge my brother for leadership. In other clans, that wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, Decker didn’t exactly encourage our clan to behave honorably.”

Jadee frowned.

“The right way to challenge for leadership is for one member to approach Lorn and fight him. In this clan, they might group together and attack my brother to make the odds unfair. He’s tough, but it would be hard for him to win against, say, five VampLycans who ambush him.”

“So what should be a one-on-one fight can turn into a brawl?”

He chuckled. “Yes.”

“That sounds shitty and underhanded.”

“It is. We’re still weeding out who’s accepting Lorn and the ones who are plotting to kill him. But enough about that. It’s a grim subject. Are you hungry?”

“No. Kira and I had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. She eats a lot. I’m shocked she’s so thin.”

He laughed. “Welcome to this world. We all put away a lot of food at meals. She’s becoming more VampLycan every day, according to my brother.”

The thing foremost on her mind popped out. “Does it bother you that I’m human?”

“No.” He answered without hesitation. “Not at all. I worry about you because you’re frail. I won’t lie about that, but you being mated with me will make you stronger.”

“That’s what Kira said. Does it bother you that I’ll never shift?”

He pulled her tighter against him, hugging her. “Never.”

“I was worried about that.”

“Don’t be. That’s silly.” He smiled to soften his words. “I think you’re incredibly sexy just as you are. I’m not so sure I could honestly say that if you were hairy.”