Page 31 of Happily Undead in Dark River

I mightn’t have been at his side, but I wasn’t more than a step behind him when he reached the doors of the Meeting House. The group around the front doors nodded at Brody, smiling pleasantly. When Brody had gone past, they all eyed me with curiosity. Some with suspicion, and one woman with all-out hostility. I was almost seared by her death glare. Tex pulled me along behind him through the doors, and away from the weight of so many shifter gazes.

I squeezed Tex’s hand, and he squeezed it back. “That’s Brody’s Mom. She’s intense. And scary as fuck,” he whispered so low it was barely a breath.

“Did I piss in her coffee and not realize?”

Tex shook his head. “She’s a purist. She doesn’t approve of, well basically anything. Not of me. Certainly not of you and her Alpha son.”

I was still walking a few steps behind the Alpha son down the long aisle that ran down the middle of the Meeting House. It looked even more like a church inside, with long benches that ran like ribs down either side of the walkway, curving gently like an amphitheater. At the front, was an aging woman, with wispy grey hair and a familiar grin. Familiar because it was almost an exact replica of Brody’s cheeky smile.

“Alpha,” she said reverently, tilting her head to the side in a gesture between a nod and baring her throat.

“Matriarch,” Brody said, just as respectfully. “Elders,” he said to the other older people sitting along the long table.

They all murmured “Alpha,” and did the same head tilting gesture. With the formalities seemingly out of the way, Brody’s grandmother shooed Brody. “Get out of the way, Boy, so I can see the woman that has captured your interest.”

Brody laughed and moved to the side. The same dark-eyed stare took me in, and I bowed to Brody’s grandmother. “Ma’am, thank you for taking me in.”

The old woman waved a hand. “Pssh, don’t Ma’am me. It makes me feel old. Call me Nell.” She made a humming noise. “You are a beauty. No wonder he has been skulking around the Death Dealers village like a hound dog.” She said it with great affection, and Brody rolled his eyes.

“Nico sends his regards, ma– Nell.”

Nell gave a wistful sigh. “Ah, Nico. So handsome. If I didn’t think my father would have chained me in a basement for a century, I would have been no better than young Brody here.” She grinned. “You tell him I said hello,” she wiggled her eyebrows, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I liked Brody’s grandmother. She was a lot like Brody. I didn’t doubt that she was powerful though; the air around her buzzed with it, much the same way it did with my Alpha.

“Tex tells me you are his Mate,” she said, looking at the man in question. She gave him a huge grin and waved him forward. “Come here and give me a hug. How has your shifting been? Have you been practicing?”

Tex smiled happily, walking around the table to hug the tiny woman. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. There was such an expression of happiness on Tex’s face, that I found myself smiling. He seemed content here.

“It’s been a hectic couple of days. I haven’t let the python out as much as I would like. But I’ll have plenty of opportunities over the next few days to practice.”

Nell tapped his cheek. “Of course. Remember it’s not the python, it’s your python. He is you, and you are him. The sooner you think of yourself as one, the easier it will be to shift between forms.” She looked at Brody. “I heard Lucius took one of the vampires.”

Brody nodded solemnly. “Yes. Angeline, who owned the Immortal Cupcake. She was the life partner of the Doc. They are accusing her of being an accomplice.”

I swallowed hard as guilt chased its way into my heart. Both sets of dark eyes flicked to me. “Ah, Child. There is no need for you to feel so much. You were wronged; any results of that are not your doing. You can not blame the rabbit if the wolf gets a belly ache.”

Someone behind me muttered, “You can if the rabbit was rotten to start with.”

Nell’s eyes narrowed. “Daughter. Is there something you wish to say, or are you happy back there being sly like a weasel?”

Ouch. I mean, I wasn’t sure if that was meant to be an insult or not, but it sounded like the Matriarch was throwing some serious shade.

I looked over my shoulder at the woman that Tex said was Brody’s mother. She was a tall woman, with a long straight nose and thin lips. But her hair still hung to her waist in a long, dark sheet and she was a striking woman. When she wasn’t staring venom at me, that is.

“You know my feelings, Matriarch. I think by sheltering the Death Dealer, we are inviting trouble to our doors. She is not our kind. She has no business here. No place amongst our people.”No place with her son.It was unsaid, but it couldn’t have been clearer if she shouted it from the rooftops.

Nell nodded. “Indeed, I do know your feelings, your prejudices on this issue. Luckily for us all, our Alpha has decided. If you wish you to challenge him on the issue, you have the opportunity right now. If you would rather be a snake in the grass, then continue undermining us all. That is far more dangerous to our People than a single baby vampire in our midst.” She looked at Tex. “No offense about the snake thing.”

Tex snorted out a laugh. “No offense taken, Matriarch,” he said, bowing his head to hide his grin.

She gave him a half-smirk. “She is the Mate of one of our own. She stays.”

Brody’s mother scowled. “He is not our kind either. A two-form. He is not Shapeshifter.”

Nell’s face got scary. Like, Nico-on-a-bad-day scary. She stood to her full height, and her power swelled around the room like a physical force. The crowd shrunk back, and even Brody’s mother lowered her head and tilted it to the side. “You will know your place, Daughter.”

That was it. It was not a threat or an admonishment. It was a fact. Brody’s mother looked up, a snarl on her face. There was a low rumble that echoed off the exposed roof beams. I looked over at Brody and sucked in a gasp. Nell’s power made everyone shrink back, but Brody’s Alpha power made everyone drop to their knees, even Tex. Nell didn’t kneel, but she bowed her head again.

“Enough of this,” Brody said quietly. “Raine is mine.” There was a finality to that statement that echoed around the room. “Tex is also mine. If anyone has any issue with either of these two things, you are welcome to challenge me for the position of Alpha. If not, this is my choice. My decision. And you will obey!” His voice swelled until the final word echoed around the room.

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