Chapter 27
“Your dad looked pretty good, don’t you think?” Zev asked as he drove down the familiar roads leading to their cabin.
“Yeah, he definitely did. The attending doctor told me they were keeping him for another couple of days because of the exhaustion and dehydration, not the concussion.” Jonah raked his fingers through his hair. “As soon as he feels better, I’m going to let him have it. I don’t know what he was thinking, driving himself that hard. I think he hadn’t slept in days.”
Zev reached across the front seat of the truck and squeezed his mate’s arm.
“I’m pretty sure he was thinking you were a mess and he needed to find a way to help you. Sounds like a pretty good dad thing to do, if you ask me.”
Jonah didn’t respond, he just grumbled quietly.
“I’ll take that as a sign of agreement. In fact, I believe those little grumbles actually translate into, ‘Oh, you’re absolutely right, Zev. You’re the most brilliant, perceptive man I’ve ever met. Thank you so much for gracing me with your infinite wisdom.’”
One side of Jonah’s mouth turned up. “Was that supposed to be an impression of me? Because I’m pretty sure I don’t sound like a cross between a woman and a hyena.”
Zev laughed, but he didn’t have a chance to launch a defense, because just then they turned into their driveway and saw Leah Harrison’s car parked under their carport. Leah was standing next to the car along with the black-haired vampire Zev had seen the previous day, and a small, brown-haired shifter who Zev quickly realized was the human form of the brown wolf who had helped Jonah in the fight with Jimmy and his gang.
“You ready to meet your aunt, Blondie?” Zev asked, pulling in next to Leah’s car and turning off the truck’s ignition.
“Yeah, I am. Not for the same reasons I had before, ’cause I don’t feel like I’m crawling out of my skin anymore, but…yeah, I wanna meet her.” Jonah turned to Zev. “Do you think she knows who I am, Pup? Do you think she’s always known?”
Zev took a moment to think about Leah. They weren’t contemporaries, but he knew the woman fairly well. He’d spent a lot of time with Toby as a youth, and even more since he and Lori had gotten married. So, yeah, he felt like he knew Leah Harrison. And what he knew, he admired.
“Yes, I think she knows.” He nodded. “I think she’s probably always known.”
“Then why didn’t she ever say anything? All those years she saw me at soccer games, baseball games, school carnivals. Why didn’t she tell me?” Jonah’s frustration came through in his voice.
“That’s not a question I can answer, Blondie. But it looks like you have your chance to find out. Come on, let’s get out of this truck and get some answers.”
Zev stepped out of the truck and walked over to Leah, noticing that Jonah was heading straight for the front door. He didn’t know whether his mate was anxious about finally meeting a maternal relative, or whether Jonah was upset with Leah for keeping her connection to Joan Smith under wraps for all these years. Well, either way, he knew that his mate just needed a few moments to pull himself together, and then the man’s natural curiosity would come to the forefront, motivating Jonah to talk with Leah. In the meantime, Zev would just have to get everyone inside and settled. That should buy Jonah enough time to get his emotions under control.
“Sorry to keep you all waiting. We didn’t realize you’d be coming by this morning, and we needed to go into town to check on Jonah’s father.”
“That’s all right, Alpha. I know you weren’t expecting us and that you’ve probably got a lot going on today, but I hoped you could spare a few minutes.” Leah’s voice shook slightly as she spoke. Zev had never heard the strong female sound frightened. Leah Harrison was usually a force to be reckoned with. It was one of the things Zev had always admired about her and a big reason why he had always supported his sister’s relationship with Toby Harrison. He’d figured a man with Leah for a mother would treat his wife like an equal, something that couldn’t be said for a lot of shifters. Though he certainly hoped strides were being made in that direction, at least in his pack.
“It’s always nice to see you, Leah,” Zev said as he pulled the female in for a brief hug. “You know you’re always welcome here.” When he looked up, he noticed that the two males hadn’t moved from the car. They’d also been completely quiet, just as they had during their brief encounter the previous day. Plus, the vampire was once again out during the day. Yes, he was standing in the shade. But shade wasn’t night. “What’s the deal with them?” Zev asked Leah, tipping his head toward the males.
Leah immediately stiffened and raised her chin, a determined glint in her eye.
“They’re with me. That’s their deal. Is that going to be a problem, Alpha?”
Zev was taken aback by the angry, defensive tone. He shook his head and spoke slowly, carefully measuring each word. “It’s not a problem, Leah. But I’d like to go inside, maybe get a drink and something to eat. Don’t your guests want to join us?”
Leah looked truly surprised by that response. “They can come into your house?”
Zev smiled and nodded. “Of course they can come in.” He walked over to the two males and held his hand out. “Zev Hassick. Welcome to the Etzgadol pack. I’m grateful for your assistance yesterday. My mate was in danger, and from what he tells me, it could have been very serious if you two hadn’t jumped in.”
From the looks on their faces, the two males were just as surprised by Zev’s polite behavior as Leah had been. The shifter stepped forward. He cleared his throat, blinked away tears from his coal-black eyes, and held out his hand, putting it into Zev’s and shaking it.
“It was our honor, Alpha. We only wish we could have been there sooner. I’m Ethan, and this is my mate, Miguel.”
It seemed as if the small shifter held his breath after that introduction. And the vampire, Miguel, had his arms hanging by his sides and his hands clenched in fists, as if he were primed for a fight. Hearing that the two men were mates was a surprise. Of course, Zev had smelled their interwoven scents the previous day, and there was only one possible explanation for that phenomenon. All right, then, another gay shifter, and this one was mated to a vampire who could somehow tolerate at least some vestiges of sunlight. Would wonders never cease?
“Nice to meet you guys. Let’s head inside. I imagine being out here during the day is uncomfortable for Miguel, even if he is standing in the shade.”
Ethan swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, thank you, Alpha.” His eyes still looked a little wet, which his mate must have realized, because the vampire immediately wrapped a long, muscular arm around Ethan and stroked his waist.
“Thanks for your hospitality…” Miguel hesitated, and Zev almost laughed. Vampires were so very different from shifters, and the whole pack structure was something completely foreign to their kind.
With all the traveling into big cities he’d done over the years, Zev had met more than his share of vampires. In the beginning, he’d made an effort to find the local coven whenever he’d arrived in a city, seeking permission to remain in their territory for a few days. But he soon realized vampires weren’t like shifters—they didn’t take ownership over certain areas of land, didn’t have designated leaders, and most certainly didn’t call anybody Alpha. He guessed it was the latter issue that was making Miguel’s words stick in his throat.
“You can call me Zev, Miguel. No need for formalities. Let’s head inside where you’ll be more comfortable.” Zev walked toward the front door. “How is it you’re out before night, by the way?”
He didn’t mean to be nosy, but he couldn’t help but ask, since he’d previously thought vampires and daylight were a nonnegotiable don’t-mix.
Miguel looked at him carefully before he answered. “I think the explanation that’ll make the most sense to you would be to say that it’s because of my mating bond with Ethan.”
Zev hesitated. No, that didn’t make sense. Then again, a shifter mating with a vampire didn’t make sense either. Speaking of mates, it was time to focus on Jonah, not deviations in vampire behavior.
He reached for the front door and held it open for the visitors, pointing toward the living room.
“Go on and have a seat. What can I get you to drink?”
Leah immediately got up from the chair she’d just occupied.
“Oh, I’ll take care of drinks, Alpha.”
Zev shook his head and waved her back to her chair.
“Please sit down, Leah. I’ve got this.”
Once everybody had placed their drink requests, Zev turned to leave the room and found himself looking into the coal-black eyes that were the center of his every fantasy. Just the sight of his mate made Zev’s heart rate increase, his breath come faster, and his dick harden.
“You ready to join us, Blondie?” he asked quietly, putting one hand around Jonah’s neck and the other on his waist. He stroked his mate’s skin softly as he spoke. Jonah took a deep breath and nodded.
Zev turned back to face their guests, keeping his hand on Jonah’s waist.
“Jonah, you remember Toby’s mother, Leah Harrison.” Zev tilted his head toward Leah. “And these two gentlemen are Ethan and Miguel.”
Both men got up and walked to Jonah, but when they got within arm’s reach, Ethan put his hand on Miguel’s arm and stopped him. He looked up at Zev, but kept his head lowered respectfully.
“Alpha, may we approach your mate and shake his hand?”
Zev almost laughed at the formality of Ethan’s request. Sure, shifters could be ass-backwards, and he knew the Etzgadol pack was more forward-thinking than most, but it had been many years since a shifter had dominion over his mate’s body to such a degree. Jonah must have been just as surprised by the request, but he handled it with his usual sense of grace and decorum.
“He’s my mate, not my fuckin’ keeper. Now get over here and give me a hug. You boys saved my life yesterday. Don’t think I don’t know that.” Jonah bridged the distance between himself and the two males and pulled each of them into a hug. “Hey, Zev, bring some chips or something too, would ya? I’m hungry.”
Zev grinned and nodded as he walked out of the room.
“I don’t know about that.” It sounded to Zev like Ethan was responding to Jonah’s comment. “I’ve never seen a shifter change forms as quickly as you did yesterday. Something tells me you would have been fine even without our help.”
A deep sense of pride flowed over Zev. He’d known that his mate was a strong man, but hearing that he was also a strong wolf felt good. Jonah truly was amazing.
Zev was still in the kitchen when he got the call from the pack member he’d tasked with meeting Dirk Keller and the other males from the Miancarem pack. He put some snacks together and loaded them onto a tray along with several bottles of water and cans of soda. He’d just set the tray down on the ottoman in the living room when the doorbell rang.
“Leah, I know you wanted to talk with us, so I apologize for the interruption, but that’s Dirk Keller and his men. I need to fill them in on what happened yesterday.” He couldn’t help but notice the disappointed look on Leah’s face, and he didn’t understand the cause until he noticed that Ethan and Miguel had gotten up from their places on the loveseat. “Oh, I didn’t mean you have to leave. In fact, I hope you’ll stay. Miguel and Ethan were there yesterday, so they might be able to share some details I missed. This shouldn’t take terribly long; then Dirk will be on his way, and we can talk about whatever it was you came here to tell us.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Leah said. “We’d be happy to stay.”
Zev walked over to the front door and opened it, seeing Connor, his pack member, along with Dirk Keller and five other males.
“Thank you, Connor,” he said. “I appreciate you taking the time to meet Alpha Keller and his men and guide them here.”
“Of course, Alpha.” Connor nodded. “If it’s okay with you, I need to go pick up a few things at the store and bring them home for Mary, but then I’ll be back to help with whatever you need.”
Connor’s wife was pregnant with their second set of twins and she’d been on bed rest for over a month. From what Zev had heard, she was taking it well, but things weren’t easy with two other little ones at home.
“Of course, Connor. We’ll be talking for a while anyway, I’m sure.” Zev then turned to greet his visitors. Dirk Keller was a good fifteen years older than Zev, but the other Alpha didn’t match up to Zev in height or strength. “Dirk, thank you for coming.” He shook Dirk’s hand and then greeted all of the other Miancarem males.
“You’re welcome, Zev.” Dirk nodded and got right to the point. “Now, what’s all this about some members of my pack causing trouble?”
“Come on in. Have a seat and I’ll explain,” Zev said.
Dirk and his men followed Zev into the living room, but they stopped abruptly when they saw the other people already gathered there. Zev turned around and glared at Dirk.
“Have a seat, Dirk,” Zev repeated. The words no longer sounded like a polite request; they were an order, and Dirk responded accordingly, with his men following. “Let me introduce everyone…”
Unable to keep his temper or anxiety in check, Dirk interrupted. “No need. I know everyone here. Now I’d like to know why you called me here.”
Zev realized Dirk didn’t know everyone in the room, because the man had never met Jonah. But it seemed that the time for social niceties was over. Zev sat on the end of one couch, right next to Jonah.
“I called you here because last night four of your pack members assaulted my pregnant sister and kidnapped her. Then they attacked a human, injuring him significantly enough to require hospitalization. I have no doubt they would have done much more, but these men”—Zev pointed toward Jonah, Miguel, and Ethan—“stopped them, at which point they confessed to having murdered a pregnant female from your pack about thirty years ago.”