Page 52 of Craving Her Vampire

“Tell her not to hit on men who are not single,” I say.

Micah looks over his shoulder, smirking. “Yes, love.” He shakes his head and turns back. “Did you hear what she said?”

“Yes,” the woman whispers robotically.

“I agree. Do what she says.” He moves away, and she slides across the wall. “Go.” She frowns and looks around. We watch her stumble away, heading to her friends. Micah guides me up the stairs with his hand on my back as if nothing happened.

“You aren’t mad, are you?”

“No. I would fuck you against the wall if we didn’t have a room full of people around us and waiting for our arrival.” I smile.

The smile is wiped off my face as we step into the space to the left of the stairs.

Holy shit. My teeth want to emerge, and I’m ready to defend myself.

The room is filled with shifters and vampires. All beautiful. All staring at me. All silent. Micah’s hand pushes me slightly behind him, and a warning growl emerges from his chest. It bounces around the quiet room, penetrating the sounds of the club. His fangs descend, and I fist the back of his shirt.

A woman rises from her seat. She is stunning. Her long black hair shines even in the dim lighting. Her body is curvy, displayed in tight jeans and a tank—a panther shifter.Dangerous,my coyote whispers. She walks lightly forward, her eyes locked on me. I ignore my inner voice and step around Micah. I lift my chin; I will not cower.

She stops two feet away, her eyes traveling over me. “I like her,” she says, and I jerk. “You are beautiful. The bond is to be defended no matter what. Most of us in this room have had bad experiences with coyote shifters, but you are not them. You are one of us now. We are your family. We know how importantfound family is, as most of us don’t have the best blood family.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Harmony.”

“Daisy.” I clasp her hand, dazed. I’m touched. I assumed I would have to work hard for their approval.

“The men outnumber the women in the family. We are thrilled to add to our ranks,” she informs me. She squeezes my hand and then lets go. “These are my mates.” She motions to the men behind her and the numerous bracelets on her wrist jingle. “Jax, James, and Blue.” She points to each and I nod. They are very hot. The man called Jax has to be the Alpha. My coyote whines, sharing her opinion of his status, leery of being around an Alpha again. Blue has the same energy, but James is different. He smiles easily.

“Micah, put your teeth away,” Ryker says. “Do you know I have cameras over every inch of the club? I also have it on my phone. It is excellent quality.” He holds a phone up, shaking it.

Oh, fuck.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to clean up blood again,” Bash says. His arm is around Marie and she smiles at me. A diamond bracelet winks in the shifting light as she places her hand on Bash’s chest.

“I definitely don’t want to fuck with you,” a gorgeous blonde says. “My name is Penny.” She waves; her watch is diamond-encrusted. Dragon. Very dangerous. She’s sitting on the lap of a dragon, his twin on the other side of her. Their power and beauty are blinding.

“Lace is with Sally,” a woman says. She is holding Ryker’s hand. Serenity invited Lace over. “Gabby, Steph’s sister, is with them. Sally is entertaining her.” Her loose blonde curls bounce around her face, which she brushes back with her hand, the bangle bracelets on her wrist clanging together.

“Honestly, I was hoping for some blood,” another man says before he takes a bite of a sandwich. He is what I would call fuck-hot. “Name’s River,” he says. Wolf. My animal is more at ease with him since he is closer to my size. “I don’t like coyotes,” he states, and Micah snarls. “But I like anyone who gets violent to protect their mate. Welcome to the crew.” The man beside him hits his arm.

He sighs. “Shit, River. I’m Kerian. This is our mate Ava.” He runs his hand down Ava’s hair.

“Hey,” she says. Her pretty brown eyes crinkle. “Saphira told us how beautiful you were.” I tilt my head in Saphira’s direction. She smiles my way tentatively.

“Thank you,” I whisper. All my defenses have crumbled in the face of such a welcome. I don’t know if I should trust their words. I look at all of the women again, sensing nothing but openness, and realize every one of them is wearing some kind of adornment on their arms. I suppose that is what seals their acceptance. They all know I steal; the news has spread. All of them are willing to allow me to take their possessions. Like Sally, I need to take their things to show them how much it means to me and my acceptance of them. I never thought I would steal to make the mark feel included.

Fuck, I don’t have pockets in this dress. I’ll have to get creative.

“Can we let them sit,” Quin growls. “Shit, Micah, sit with your mate. No one is going to hurt her.” Micah takes my hand as the others find their seats again. “This is my mate, Stephanie.” She is tiny, especially compared to Quinn. Her black hair falls around her face, and she also has a pretty watch on her wrist.

“Nice to meet you,” she says softly. Micah pulls me down to his lap as he sits beside Quinn at the end of the U-shaped couch.

“You, too,” I respond. I lean back on my mate, and he wraps his arms around me, holding tight.

“Bishop, I thought you were staying home,” Micah says. The dragon underneath Penny shrugs.

“Penny wanted to meet your mate,” he replies. “They know. We told everyone before you got here.” I am missing something, and Penny notices my confusion.

“I’m pregnant. My mates think that means I am incompetent and need to be stuck in the house for the whole pregnancy.” She glares at them. “I convinced them they are misguided.”

“Congratulations,” I say. A baby dragon. How did I end up around all these people? My life has taken a drastic turn.

---