Page 20 of Blood Moon
“I was trying to say it nicer,” he grinned, “but I guess calling it what it is, well, that’s probably the best way to accept my behavior these days.” He became more serious. “Listen, none of this will ever be easy on me, but I understand the importance of what’s coming for all of us. I need this night out,” he raised his eyebrows at me hopefully, “just as much as I think you might?”
“You nailed that on the head.” I winked and then jogged up the steps to change into a strapless summer dress and sandals.
If anything, Zane was beginning to open up, and in a way that was—dare I say it?—romantic. This night could wind up being an excellent way to learn more about him or another way to learn what I was feeling about him without our bond.
I knew I needed to keep an open mind. My heart didn’t need guarding, I wasn’t in love with the shifter. I actually think we both held the same mutual thoughts about the other one. We shared the most beautiful and treasured person to ever walk this earth…our daughter.
12
The Cuban restaurant we went to was sectioned off into a lovely, candlelit dining area where you could slightly hear the nightlife from Miami from the open windows that we sat by.
“So,” I said, leaning back and letting the waiter take my plate. “What’s Zane’s history?” I asked.
“Zane’s history?” his face contorted into a confused expression. “What does Elle want to know about it?”
“I don’t know. Before you came into our lives, what was it like for you?”
He shrugged, “I think you might remember the vision of our bullshit life at that academy, right?”
“Yes. How did you manage through all of that?”
“Determination, I guess.” He licked his lips. “I felt my alpha genes present at that place. They were soon magnified after the abuse that shithole put us through. I think that’s why it was so easy to take over Jon’s pack.”
“And when you joined that pack, Jen…” I trailed off, remembering my best friend from what seemed to be a previous life. We both appeared to be average humans before she was ripped out of my life and moved onfakebusiness for her dad. God, I still couldn’t believe she and her family were shifters.
Thanks to her dad for losing his damn mind and conjuring up her dead mom, we had a world of shit hit us sideways. It was hard and fast, just like everything else that had happened when Jen and Jon died.
“Jen,” Zane interrupted my thoughts, “What about her?”
“She was my best friend.” I sipped my mojito. “Well, that was before I learned my life would be an enormous part of the supernatural world and then suddenly found out she was part of it all along.” I felt a tear slip and betray me. I quickly swiped it away, hoping Zane wouldn’t pity me.
“That had to be a bullshit way to find out about all of it,” he said, leaning back for the waiter to take his plate.
“I’m asking the questions,” I smiled, recovering. “What was the deal between you and her? Apparently, she was supposed to get you guys, not me.”
Zane pursed his lips. “I suppose our genetic instincts drove that in us. Alphas pick their mates to help reproduce stronger shifters than themselves. It’s how we keep the shifters strong in our worlds.”
“So, Jen was basically intended to be the mate of a strong shifter, and I fucked that up.”
“Don’t talk like that,” he said. “Ever. Jen obviously wasn’t my true mate. In fact, she and I were more sparring partners than lovers. We never connected, no matter what tantrum she may have thrown about us all bonding with you and the vampires.” His eyes seemed to soften, staring at me peculiarly. “When I first saw you walk in that room, even though I felt your craving for the vampires, I sensed your weakness in that.”
“Nice first impression.” I smiled as I stirred the ice in my glass around with my straw.
“You fascinated me.” He came out of nowhere with that. “I’d never felt fascinated with any female before that moment. I watched your eyes mysteriously take in me, Nakia, and Bren. It was sexy to watch someone I felt a unique power with look so timid in our presence.”
“That’s why you were all in for the bond, then?”
He shook his head, “No. In fact, that’s when I wished I’d met you outside everything we were about to do. It was strange how hard and fast it hit me. I felt more than just needing to bond with you when I sensed your emotions in that room. Then you had to pull that sneaky vamp trick on Nakia and mentally kick him in his arrogant balls.”
“Arrogant balls?” I laughed, my mojito loosening me up. “I didn’t know that was a thing.”
“Shifter talk,” he winked. “But I sensed more than just this human girl who was spelled to pretty much kill her immortal vampires.”
“What’d you sense?” I leaned forward. “I’m intrigued by this human girl now.”
Zane chuckled, “She was angelic past her fear. I wanted her for myself, but I knew that’s not what was best for her.”
“But you hardly knew this human,” I said, acting mysterious about my first impression to Zane.
