Veso
Page 20
Had they done anything to him while he slept? Bitten him? Used him as a food source? His injuries would have healed within hours.
Glenda opened the door, wearing some human’s clothes. They were huge on her and obviously belonged to a man. The long sleeves of the button-down shirt were rolled at her wrists so her hands weren’t lost in the material. She’d borrowed jeans and had used a belt to keep them up since the waist was too baggy. The bottoms of them were rolled to reveal her bare feet.
She looked absolutely adorable—and that pissed him off too.
“My turn,” he grunted, storming past her and slamming the bedroom door.
The scent of her lingered in the room so he breathed through his mouth as he examined the cabin owner’s clothing. Nothing fit him right. He settled for a pair of sweats that only reached to his calves. He tried on a shirt but it wouldn’t button over his chest. He bent a little to look down his body and the tight arm sleeves ripped at the seams near his shoulders. He snarled, digging his fingers into the tears and yanking the sleeves off entirely.
There was a mirror and he stepped in front of it. “I look ridiculous.” His people would laugh if they could see him.
“Are you okay in there?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong?”
He stalked over to the door and jerked it open. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she laughed, but she frowned instead when she saw him. Her gaze traveled down his body. “Oh. You’re kind of big.”
“Kind of?”
“You look like the Incredible Hulk, minus the green skin.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
She glanced down at the sweat bottoms. “Um… Let me find scissors. They’ll look better if we turn them into shorts. I’ll cut them just above the knee.”
He appreciated her helping him as she went into the kitchen and started opening drawers. She located what she wanted and came back to him. “You should stay in the bedroom and hand them to me through the door. They’ll be easier to fix if they aren’t on you at the time.”
He hesitated. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
He stripped off the sweats then opened the door to find her inches away, waiting. She accepted them and strolled back into the kitchen. He watched through the slightly open door as she removed the bottoms of the sweats. It didn’t take much time before she handed them over.
He closed the door and pulled them on. They now reached just above his knees. He went to the mirror to take a look. The sweat shorts looked better but the shirt still irritated him. He left the bedroom.
“I have a job for you, Glenda.”
“Okay.”
“Find and make us something to eat.”
She frowned. “Why me? Because I’m the one with the boobs?”
“Fine. I’ll make us food and you go search the outer shed for anything we can use.”
She sighed, her expression softening. “I’ll take kitchen duty.”
She amused him. “Good. I eat a lot. We need our strength. The Vampires wouldn’t have touched the human’s food so there should be some in the pantry. We could be miles from anything. We’ll take some supplies when we go in case we’re out there all night. I’ll be right back.”
He walked out the back door and circled the shed. There didn’t seem to be any traps, and he had to snap the lock to gain entry. There wasn’t much inside except gardening tools.
His thoughts kept returning to Glenda. He’d overheard most of her conversation with the Vamp. She was some distant descendant of the master. The asshole seemed hell bent on forcing her to birth a daughter. It meant she’d remain in danger of being taken again as long as the bastard still lived. At first he hadn’t really cared what her future held. He’d planned to warn the other clans that they were at risk of being kidnapped the way he had been. They’d change security procedures to prevent it from happening.
But Glenda’s future bothered him now. It infuriated him, thinking about her being in danger. The master would change his plans once he realized he wouldn’t be getting his hands on a VampLycan again. He could decide to breed Glenda with a Lycan, then breed her child with another master Vampire, to get his so-called strong-blooded queen.
Just the thought of some Lycan rutting on Glenda had him snarling under his breath. He’d hunt the mangy mutt down, tear him apart, and make a rug out of the Lycan’s fur for Glenda to walk on in front of his fireplace.
Wood snapped and he looked down, realizing he’d broken the hoe he’d been trying to fashion a weapon from. He dropped it and reached up, rubbing the tense muscles along the back of his neck. He had actually pictured Glenda inside his cabin, his home.
It’s the blood exchange, he reasoned. It accounted for the possessive way he felt about her. He’d never heard of a mating bond forming by injecting blood into a couple. It should be temporary…but what if it wasn’t?
He closed his eyes, letting that possibility sink in. He would be mated to a human. He’d have to take her home to his clan.
She’d be treated badly as his mate, at best. He’d have to fight to keep her safe and protect her at all times from enforcers like Nabby. That mean bastard would kill her on sight. Hell, if Decker returned to power over their clan, he’d order Glenda killed, and every VampLycan in the clan would be forced to try to take her life. Decker hated everything human.
“Son of a bitch,” he snarled, opening his eyes.
All the scenarios played out in his mind. He’d have to track and kill the master Vampire. The nest he’d been taken to hadn’t held any of the Vamps who’d attacked and drugged him. It meant there might be a larger nest to deal with. It was possible that the old mine had just been a holding facility for their prisoners. He didn’t want Glenda in danger, but he also wasn’t about to leave her alone while he dealt with the problem. She wouldn’t be safe unless he was around to protect her. The only other option was…
Shit. I have to take her to my den.
He tried to imagine how she’d respond to being locked underground and left there while he hunted down the Vampires. She would probably try to escape—and that would leave her smack-dab in the middle of VampLycan territory. Best case, they’d capture her, wipe her mind, and send her home. The master would recapture her if Veso hadn’t killed him by then. Worst case, someone from his clan would kill her. It was a hell of a situation.
Glenda opened the door, wearing some human’s clothes. They were huge on her and obviously belonged to a man. The long sleeves of the button-down shirt were rolled at her wrists so her hands weren’t lost in the material. She’d borrowed jeans and had used a belt to keep them up since the waist was too baggy. The bottoms of them were rolled to reveal her bare feet.
She looked absolutely adorable—and that pissed him off too.
“My turn,” he grunted, storming past her and slamming the bedroom door.
The scent of her lingered in the room so he breathed through his mouth as he examined the cabin owner’s clothing. Nothing fit him right. He settled for a pair of sweats that only reached to his calves. He tried on a shirt but it wouldn’t button over his chest. He bent a little to look down his body and the tight arm sleeves ripped at the seams near his shoulders. He snarled, digging his fingers into the tears and yanking the sleeves off entirely.
There was a mirror and he stepped in front of it. “I look ridiculous.” His people would laugh if they could see him.
“Are you okay in there?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong?”
He stalked over to the door and jerked it open. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she laughed, but she frowned instead when she saw him. Her gaze traveled down his body. “Oh. You’re kind of big.”
“Kind of?”
“You look like the Incredible Hulk, minus the green skin.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
She glanced down at the sweat bottoms. “Um… Let me find scissors. They’ll look better if we turn them into shorts. I’ll cut them just above the knee.”
He appreciated her helping him as she went into the kitchen and started opening drawers. She located what she wanted and came back to him. “You should stay in the bedroom and hand them to me through the door. They’ll be easier to fix if they aren’t on you at the time.”
He hesitated. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
He stripped off the sweats then opened the door to find her inches away, waiting. She accepted them and strolled back into the kitchen. He watched through the slightly open door as she removed the bottoms of the sweats. It didn’t take much time before she handed them over.
He closed the door and pulled them on. They now reached just above his knees. He went to the mirror to take a look. The sweat shorts looked better but the shirt still irritated him. He left the bedroom.
“I have a job for you, Glenda.”
“Okay.”
“Find and make us something to eat.”
She frowned. “Why me? Because I’m the one with the boobs?”
“Fine. I’ll make us food and you go search the outer shed for anything we can use.”
She sighed, her expression softening. “I’ll take kitchen duty.”
She amused him. “Good. I eat a lot. We need our strength. The Vampires wouldn’t have touched the human’s food so there should be some in the pantry. We could be miles from anything. We’ll take some supplies when we go in case we’re out there all night. I’ll be right back.”
He walked out the back door and circled the shed. There didn’t seem to be any traps, and he had to snap the lock to gain entry. There wasn’t much inside except gardening tools.
His thoughts kept returning to Glenda. He’d overheard most of her conversation with the Vamp. She was some distant descendant of the master. The asshole seemed hell bent on forcing her to birth a daughter. It meant she’d remain in danger of being taken again as long as the bastard still lived. At first he hadn’t really cared what her future held. He’d planned to warn the other clans that they were at risk of being kidnapped the way he had been. They’d change security procedures to prevent it from happening.
But Glenda’s future bothered him now. It infuriated him, thinking about her being in danger. The master would change his plans once he realized he wouldn’t be getting his hands on a VampLycan again. He could decide to breed Glenda with a Lycan, then breed her child with another master Vampire, to get his so-called strong-blooded queen.
Just the thought of some Lycan rutting on Glenda had him snarling under his breath. He’d hunt the mangy mutt down, tear him apart, and make a rug out of the Lycan’s fur for Glenda to walk on in front of his fireplace.
Wood snapped and he looked down, realizing he’d broken the hoe he’d been trying to fashion a weapon from. He dropped it and reached up, rubbing the tense muscles along the back of his neck. He had actually pictured Glenda inside his cabin, his home.
It’s the blood exchange, he reasoned. It accounted for the possessive way he felt about her. He’d never heard of a mating bond forming by injecting blood into a couple. It should be temporary…but what if it wasn’t?
He closed his eyes, letting that possibility sink in. He would be mated to a human. He’d have to take her home to his clan.
She’d be treated badly as his mate, at best. He’d have to fight to keep her safe and protect her at all times from enforcers like Nabby. That mean bastard would kill her on sight. Hell, if Decker returned to power over their clan, he’d order Glenda killed, and every VampLycan in the clan would be forced to try to take her life. Decker hated everything human.
“Son of a bitch,” he snarled, opening his eyes.
All the scenarios played out in his mind. He’d have to track and kill the master Vampire. The nest he’d been taken to hadn’t held any of the Vamps who’d attacked and drugged him. It meant there might be a larger nest to deal with. It was possible that the old mine had just been a holding facility for their prisoners. He didn’t want Glenda in danger, but he also wasn’t about to leave her alone while he dealt with the problem. She wouldn’t be safe unless he was around to protect her. The only other option was…
Shit. I have to take her to my den.
He tried to imagine how she’d respond to being locked underground and left there while he hunted down the Vampires. She would probably try to escape—and that would leave her smack-dab in the middle of VampLycan territory. Best case, they’d capture her, wipe her mind, and send her home. The master would recapture her if Veso hadn’t killed him by then. Worst case, someone from his clan would kill her. It was a hell of a situation.
