“Shush.” He cocked his head. “Someone comes.”

He reached back and gave her a not so gentle shove toward a tree. She didn’t need to be prompted again. She hid behind the thick trunk, immediately wondering where Veso had gone when he didn’t follow. She looked around and her mouth parted in surprise. He was above her in the branches. How he’d gotten up there so fast was a mystery. She plastered herself to the rough bark and stared up at him.

He suddenly jumped and she muffled a gasp. It had to have been a fifteen-foot fall.

A snarl sounded from the other side of the tree, and then she heard a man’s deep voice.

“Goddamn! You scared the shit out of me, Veso!”

“Lavos! It’s so good to see you.”

Glenda peaked from behind the tree. Veso and another man were hugging. That wasn’t something she’d ever expected to witness. The new guy was tall, muscled, and attractive looking. They parted, Veso’s back to her, and she couldn’t miss the big grin on the stranger’s face as he spoke.

“I thought you were dead. Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I shouldn’t have been taken in the first place. The fucking Vamps didn’t fight fair. They buried themselves near our fence, waited until the sun went down, and then attacked. Those bastards drugged me.”

“And apparently cut your hair.”

Veso made a scary sound. “Don’t remind me, Lavos.”

“I’d be pissed too. Where were they holding you?”

“Inside a mine. We need to go back there and kill those suckheads. The master set up a nest and he has soldiers. They’ve been hunting us since we escaped.”

Lavos slid his gaze to Glen, openly staring at her. “Want to introduce me to your friend?”

Veso turned his head. “Come here, Glenda. This is Lavos. He’s a VampLycan too.”

She slowly stepped around the tree. “It’s just Glen. Nice to meet you, Lavos.”

He sniffed, then gawked at Veso. “What is going on?”

“She’s a descendant of the master who kidnapped me. The crazy bastard kidnapped her from her home, and then grabbed me to force me to breed with the human, so she could birth a girl. He wanted to make my daughter his lover one day.”

Lavos’s eyebrows shot up.

“My vampy relative actually considers himself a king, and he said he wants me to birth him his queen,” Glen muttered. “Delusions of grandeur, if you ask me. He’s bat-shit crazy.”

“I agree.” Veso nodded. “It was beyond insulting that he took me to breed.”

That angered Glen. “I’m standing right here. I get it. You don’t like humans.” She shot a dirty look at Lavos. “And yes, he told me you’re half Vampire-slash-half Lycan. I also rode his back when he had four legs.” She stormed up to Veso’s side and smacked his arm. “You seduced me, so cut the ‘humans suck’ attitude! I was obviously good enough for you to nail. It’s getting old.”

His eyes narrowed as they locked on her.

“You could have at least pretended that hurt.”

He glanced down at his arm where she’d hit him, and then shook his head. “It was insulting that the master believed I’d give him my daughter. I wasn’t talking about you.”

“I still don’t know what’s going on but this is amusing as hell.”

Glen and Veso both looked at Lavos’s grinning face.

Veso spoke first. “Has Decker returned?”

Lavos’s expression sobered. “No. He’s never coming back. It’s a long story. Shit hit the fan after you were taken.”

“What happened?”

“Long story short?” Lavos sighed. “The Vampires not only attacked you, but Kira as well. One of the bastards turned her. My brother found her while she was transforming and took her to his den so the clan didn’t kill her. Longer story even shorter, he fed her his blood. She’s now growing claws and okay with the sunlight. His VampLycan blood seemed to activate the dormant genetics she inherited from Davis. My brother had to take over the clan in order to keep Kira safe. He’s our new leader.”

Glen lifted her gaze to Veso’s face in an attempt to judge if that was a good thing or not.

Veso appeared stunned. “Lorn took the clan?”

“He had help, and the support of the other clans. Me, your father, Kar, Davis, and Garson are helping him hold it right now.” Lavos kept his attention on Veso. “Lord Aveoth is hunting Decker. He’s dead if he attempts to come back. Don’t be surprised when you spot our neighbors flying overhead in the dark. They’re patrolling with Lorn’s permission, in case Decker attempts a sneak attack to take back our clan. We also think he’s the one responsible for those Vamps invading our territory.”

“What the hell?” Veso reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Decker sent the Vampire Council after his granddaughter, Batina—who’s mated with Velder’s second son, Kraven—while they were in California. The fucker is working with the Vamps. We found that out recently, after Lorn talked to the other clans since the night we were attacked. We knew Decker was vindictive.”

“Fuck,” Veso growled. “The insane bastard.”

“Always the asshole. That’s Decker.” Lavos lowered his gaze, staring at Glen. “So what’s the story with you?”

“I just want to go home, move out of my apartment to somewhere Vampire safe, and put all this behind me,” she admitted.

“You’re not going anywhere. You belong at my side, where you are safe. Don’t forget the master won’t stop trying to recapture you until I kill him.”

She pressed her lips together, regarding Veso. He was right so she couldn’t argue about her crazy relative.

Veso stared at Lavos. “She’s my mate. Or will be soon. I know she won’t be welcome in our clan, so I’ll stash her in my den until we take out that nest, then contact Trayis to see if he’ll accept me into his clan. Can you clear that with your brother? I just want her safe until that master is dead, Lavos. That Vamp is determined to breed her with one of our kind to make for a strong female child he can raise.”

“Don’t be hasty,” Lavos replied. “Some of our people might shit about you having a human mate, but Lorn loves Kira. He mated her. We need you to help us hold the clan. Not all of them are real happy with the change, as you can imagine.”