Gabe never meant to fall for his girlfriend’s egotistical Alpha male brother, but when his second-self materializes, Gabe has no other choice but to embrace his chosen mate. Soon, Gabe’s future is sealed by fate and blood.
Gideon Barshone is a bleeder mate for one of the most powerful supernatural creatures in the world. Destined to bleed and mate with more than one vampire, Gabe understands his purpose once he and Gideon form their bond, but Gideon’s little sister isn’t happy with the new arrangement. She reminds Gideon of one harrowing fact and Gabe’s obligation to the vampire race is destined to break her big brother’s heart.
Gideon Barshone is a bleeder mate for one of the most powerful supernatural creatures in the world. Destined to bleed and mate with more than one vampire, Gabe understands his purpose once he and Gideon form their bond, but Gideon’s little sister isn’t happy with the new arrangement. She reminds Gideon of one harrowing fact and Gabe’s obligation to the vampire race is destined to break her big brother’s heart.
Excerpt
“Father have you seen Gabe?” Julia
rushed in the living room dressed like a mortal. Her hair was up in a ponytail,
tied back with a poufy lime green hair band. It was sticking up all over the
place thanks to some sort of wet goo.
Seth focused on his golf ball. He
gripped his club a bit tighter and narrowed his eyes. And right when he made up
his mind to swing, Julia darted in front of him and plucked the ball from the
floor.
“What the—”
She held up the golf ball. “Now
that I have your attention, I asked you a question.”
“You had my attention when you
walked in here wearing those dreadful clothes. Which poor street bum did you
strip of his breeches? I need to find him and apologize.”
“Father, you aren’t funny.”
“I don’t think so either.” He
grabbed a handful of dried berries from the teacart and returned to his putting
green. “Go upstairs and change and I’ll tell you where your brother and Gabe
are.”
Julia gasped. “Gabe and Gideon are
together?”
He snatched the ball from her hand.
“Do you want to know where they are or not?”
“For your information, Father, I’m
fashionable.”
“If tacky is the new ‘in’ then
forgive me if I can’t give the latest designers my nod of approval. Once you
dress for success, come back and I’ll tell you where you can find that boring
mortal.”
By the time he ate another handful
of ripe fruit and repositioned his ball, Julia made another clean sweep and
interrupted his game once more. Seth studied her latest fashion choice. Dressed
in a turtleneck and navy dress slacks, she looked more prepared for prep school
than a date. “See there. Was that so hard? Now you’re dressed like a lady.”
He gave himself a proverbial pat on
the back. Gabe would probably think she looked like a prude. Seth needed to
start shopping with his daughter. Maybe if Julia stopped flashing so much skin,
the mortal would quit hanging around whenever he was ‘off’ work. “Honey, I’ve
been meaning to ask you. What is it that Gabe does?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, like a job or school.
What does he do when he isn’t here
with you?”
“He’s twenty-four. He has a job.”
“Did he go to college?” Seth
remembered hearing something about a degree.
“He majored in business, Daddy. He
works for an accounting firm but he wants to start his own business.”
“Excellent,” Seth said, thinking
he’d never be able to afford his daughter’s spending habits.
“I’m glad you approve.”
“Absolutely, darling. If he makes
you happy, he makes me happy.” Seth forced a smile. He’d learned valuable
lessons from his older children. If he didn’t like one of their ‘friends’ then
he would get along with them, even take their side when there were
disagreements. Eventually, his approval would provoke his children into
disapproval and they’d move on to someone else.
He took a shallow breath and tried
to think about that for a moment. Come to think of it, none of his children had
mentioned the dirty ‘m’ word, the one that typically popped up when mortals
became obsessed with their perceived life partners. That could only mean none
of them had found their mates.
A father could drink to that.
He traipsed to the wet bar and uncapped
several blood vials. He always made sure the donor’s name was on the label so
he could determine if one human tasted better than another. “Now, what was it
that you wanted from me?” He poured himself a Bloody Veronica.
“You were about to tell me where
Gideon and Ga—” Julia stopped midsentence and cocked her head. “Did you hear
that noise?”
Seth set aside the small
cylindrical containers and sipped his bloody cocktail. “I was too busy listening
to—”
A low, guttural wind-like howl
resounded in the distance. If the weather hadn’t been so doggone predictable
lately, Seth would’ve banked on a pending storm and a mighty one at that. The oozing
growl intensified. There wasn’t enough kick behind the racket to warrant a
pending wind yet the eerie whines filling the halls suggested someone had left
a door ajar and the weather outside was frightful.
Julia said, “Guess it’s getting
ready to storm.”
“Hmm,” Seth said, paying closer
attention to the volume level as a soft thudding resounded followed by another
series of muted wails and low whimpers.
“Maybe I should call and check on
Mother.”
Seth wasn’t concerned about his
wife. He was more concerned about Gideon. What was that boy up to now? “Where
is your mother?” His wife was more equipped to deal with Gideon.
“She went to a town meeting,” Julia
replied. “She wants to start a program for the homeless children in—”
A hissing sound now filled the room
followed by a whistling racket and another thump. This time it sounded like it
was coming from another part of the house.
Seth went to the window. There
wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out and the
trees were unusually calm.
“Father, Gabe’s car is here. You
mentioned he was with Gideon?”
Seth’s senses were alert then as he
considered the noises he’d heard—thumping, whistling, moaning, and guttural
sounds more reminiscent of pleasure than turbulent weather.
He approached the foyer and stared
down the dark hall leading to the old house. The same noises shot through the
corridor and Seth gasped in understanding. He immediately turned to his
daughter and draped a protective arm around her shoulders, guiding her back to
the living room.
“What do you say we sit on the
terrace and wait for their return?”
“Dad.”
“Don’t “Dad” me. That’s too ‘human’
for my blood.” He cut his gaze at the foyer and thought of a few other things
that were ‘too human’ for his blood. He felt his incisors poke at his gums as
he considered the betrayal in motion. “Yes, Julia. Let’s sit outside for a bit.
It’s a beautiful afternoon and we shouldn’t miss a minute of it. You never know
when your days with loved ones are numbered or when a beautiful day is nothing
more than the calm before the storm.”
