Page 3 of Mate
Koen.
Koen’s here.
It will be all right.
The Vampyre yanks me in front of him, holding his knife to my throat. I wonder if he means to use me as a hostage, or as a meat shield that barely reaches the top of his chest. “What are you doing here?” he barks.
It’s a fair question. Koen lives several hours away and hasn’t been around in nearly two months, since the day he dropped me off at the cabin, at my request, with a metric ton of supplies, a lingering stare, and a mockingHave fun chatting up the spruces, killerthat didn’t quite match the intensity in his eyes.
“Did you just ask whatI’mdoing inmyterritory? What the fuck areyoudoing, shitdump?” A handful of long, unhurried strides, and Koen emerges from the thicket.
He’s different. From anyone else, yes, but also since I last saw him. His black hair is tied back at the top of his head in an overgrown, unkempt version of his latest cut. He hasn’t shaved in weeks, and I suspect he might be a touch behind on sleep, too. His presence, though, has the usual effect on me: it gives me ballast and bolts me to the ground when I’m on the verge of being spirited away.
Alpha.
His deep scent is unmistakable. Solid and placating. The perfect counterpoint to the panic of the Vampyre.
Who snarls, “I’ll kill her if you come closer.”
Koen, of course, comes closer. With the placid air of someone who has never doubted his ability to hammer the world to his will. “Uh- uh. Serena, he says he’s going to kill you. You cool with that?” His tone is pure intellectual curiosity. Charcoal eyes glow steadily in the night.
“I did run out of instant noodles last week,” I croak. Not my best idea, since the Vampyre nearly twists my humerus out of its socket. But the amused twitch of Koen’s mouthalmostmakes up for it.
“You are Koen Alexander, aren’t you? The Alpha of the Northwest.”
“I sure am. What’syourname, bud?”
“That’s not important. If you come any closer— ”
Koen clucks his tongue. “You gotta tell me your name, or I’ll have to make one up. Any ideas, Serena?”
I clear my throat. “I like Bob.”
“Bob the Vampyre. Love it.”
“That’snotmy na— ”
“It is if the lady says so, shartstain. Wanna tell me what you’re doing in my territory before I rip off your balls and shove them down your throat?”
The Vampyre doesn’t reply but wrenches my arm so violently, my vision spots and I nearly lose consciousness. When I can parse out sounds again, he’s pulling me into his body and snarling, “She might be too valuable to kill, but I can do a whole lot of damage.”
“Go ahead, then.” For the first time since he appeared, Koen’s eyes catch on mine. I read absolutely nothing in them. “This girl can take a lot. Am I wrong, Serena?”
I somehow find the strength to shake my head— a blatant lie. And yet. It might be a pain-induced olfactory hallucination, but I think I smell how pleased it makes him.
“You sure?” the Vampyre asks. “She’s halfHuman, after all.”
“And you’re half jackass. What a stunning coincidence.”
“They all want her, you know. Since that interview she gave, every Vampyre on the continent has been looking for her.”
“Yeah. I’m sure there are plenty of vivisection tables with her name on it.”
“But do you know how much they’ll pay?” The Vampyre’s voice takes on a sudden persuasive bent. “As the person who brings the hybrid to them, I will be able to name my price.”
“Sure. And they definitely won’t get rid of you the second you hand her over.”
The Vampyre snorts. “I’m smarter than that. I’m the first who found her— do you think I’m the only one after her bounty? Others are going to follow. Once they discover that you’re giving her sanctuary, they’ll flock here. Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life protecting a half Human? Let me take her off your hands. Look the other way.”
