Hidden Mate

3

She was shorter than her friend by at least two inches, but she bore a more natural look.

They’re the vampires. Even though supernatural races mixed, we tended to keep to our own kind. At least, in my father’s pack, we did.

Let’s get out of here. Roxy’s discomfort radiated through our pack link. The less we’re around them, the better.

Wait. I had to give her hell as I allowed her to lead us toward the edge of the benches where two men sat across the walkway at a table. What happened to having some sexy time with vampires?

Shut it. She glanced back over her shoulder at them. First off, they’re girls, and I don’t swing that way; and secondly, I’ve never been around them before. Consider my previous statement retracted. Maybe I can find a sexy shifter here.

That was for the best. We didn’t need her inviting trouble into our lives more than we already had. Vampires could be sneaky and tempting. We slid onto the bench away from the others, and I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Those vamps were still watching us.

Holy s**t. Roxy gasped. Look at the two dudes right next to us.

I tried to be subtle and pretended to gaze around the campus. One of the guys ran his hand across his buzzed hair and smiled. He was attractive, but my attention flicked to his friend.

Navy blue eyes met mine, making me uncomfortable. I wanted to run my hands through his shaggy jet-black hair. He nibbled on his bottom lip. A tribal tattoo peeked out from under his shirt sleeve, and I had to fight the urge to walk over and trace it with my finger.

I took a deep breath, and the solid truth hit me hard in my chest. He smelled of summer rain, which smelled even better than normal humans. There wasn’t a strong musky animal smell to him. Dammit, I needed to rein in my attraction to him.

“Sadie.” Brock’s nasally, entitled voice broke whatever spell that was holding me.

When I didn’t respond, he grabbed my arm painfully and growled, “What are you doing out here?”

B

rock’s face turned red. “I told you I’d be by to get you for dinner in a few hours.” He motioned back to the girls’ dorm. “That meant you weren’t supposed to leave.”

I hated being manhandled. “Stop it.” If I didn’t stand up for myself now, it would only get worse.

His silver eyes took on a slight glow. “You disobeyed me.”

“Dude, you’re not her …” Roxy trailed off, conscious of the humans around. “… boyfriend.”

His grip tightened. “Is that what it’ll take for her to listen to me?”

“No, it won’t.” I pulled my arm from his grasp and lifted my chin. “You need to calm down. I don’t answer to you.”

“Hey,” a stern female voice called from behind him, and a sweet scent hit my nose harder.

Brock spun around to face the two vampires heading our way. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, you can.” The gothic one nodded toward the humans. “You need to chill. You’re making a scene.”

His eyes narrowed as he sucked in a deep breath. “I think you need to mind your own business.”

“We only came out here to relax and get some air.” Maybe I could reason with him. A few humans were already glancing our way. “School starts tomorrow, so we wanted to get the lay of the land.”

“Besides, aren’t you supposed to get working in your room?” Roxy lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Why are you even outside?”

“I was getting a few things from the car and noticed you two weren’t in your dorm room where you were supposed to be.” His jaw clenched.

“Nope, we decided to go outside to enjoy the sunshine.” I couldn’t help but glance back at the two guys across the way.

I shouldn’t have. Dreamy looked at me with such disgust.

I couldn’t blame him, though. The fact that Brock manhandled me like I was a piece of property and I kind of let him spoke volumes. I needed to figure a way out of whatever arrangement we had going on here.

“Fine,” he conceded. “Stay away from everyone else.”

We all knew what he meant by that—humans. Slick wasn’t his middle name. “Got it.”

He glanced at the two vampires still standing close to us before walking away. “See you in a few hours.”

“Well, isn’t he just pleasant?” The more natural vamp sat beside me and straightened out her white, flowery dress. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“God, no,” I said a little too loudly. “Don’t even try to curse me with that.”

“Maybe you aren’t as much of a pushover as I thought.” The one dressed all in black sat next to Roxy. “Dude, you’re wearing tennis shoes with that outfit?”

“Don’t get me started.” Roxy rubbed between her eyes with her pointer finger. “I had on sexy, black, strappy heels, but someone convinced me to put on tennis shoes to carry up luggage. Next thing I know, I’m out here.” You don’t think they’ll bite us, right?

I bit my bottom lip, trying not to laugh. I’d say no since humans are present. They did just get on Brock for making a scene. Sometimes, Roxy was a tad paranoid.

True. She glanced at the vamp’s black skirt, which was similar to hers. “You have good taste.”

The main difference between the two outfits was the vamp’s dressy, black tank top.

“My name’s Lillith,” the gothic vampire said, and then she pointed at her friend. “And that is Katherine.”

They were being nice, which caught me off guard. My dad painted them as cold-hearted villains. “Uh … I’m Sadie.” My voice went up at the end.

A predatory smile crossed Lillith’s face. “Is that your name, or are you asking us?”

“It’s her name.” Roxy snorted. “And I’m Roxy.”

“Are you both from …” Katherine paused. “The same area?”

Being around humans could be problematic. “Yeah, we are. Our parents live in the same neighborhood.” It was common knowledge that packs moved into neighborhoods and lived side by side. Most supernaturals bought whole plots of land and hired contractors to build the homes. In our case, my great grandfather had been an architect and builder for hundreds of supernatural families. It was easier to work with our own kind. It’s one reason my family became the most influential pack in America. It also helped that they had a blueprint for every supernatural house or business in America.