Mya
The ride to the airport was tense. Cade drove his Escalade with me riding shotgun; Denver and Starling sitting in the rear being abnormally quiet.
We arrived in Windsor, an hour before the flight. We checked our bags and decided to grab something from the vending machines.
“What’s your poison, Mya?” Cade winked, as he stood taking some money from his wallet.
“Umm, I’ll have a Coffee-Crisp. That should hold me over, oh and coffee, please.”
“You got it, babe.” He came back with his hands full, and we sat together, giving us time to talk. I noticed Denver and Starling huddled together a few rows from where we sat.
Cade shared stories from his childhood, how his father groomed him for Alpha-dom. There was an undeniable bond between the two, well, the whole family. I lacked that from my family; we were never close.
“So, you grew up knowing you’d be an Alpha. That didn’t bother you?”
He mulled over my question, then responded, “Well, I never felt as if it were a bad thing. We all grew up knowing, that we were the future of our pack. Dane, Milo, and I had a different type of upbringing then our friends. At times, it was challenging; I couldn’t run off or hang out late doing crazy shit. But, I wouldn’t change any part of my life.”
“Wow, that does sound amazing, Cade. You have had a great life, and your family is incredible. I feel so lucky to be a part of it now.”
Cade smiled, making butterflies dance around in my stomach and wrapped me in his strong arms. “My life just started darlin,’ the day you came back to this Pack. I’m the lucky one, not only because my mate is home with me, but she is fine as fuck.” I got up to sit on his lap and brushed my lips against his.
“You’ll always be my home, Cade.” I pushed my tongue against his.
“Jesus, are you two going to be this nauseating the entire trip?” Starling asked and made a gagging sound.
Cade laughed as he pulled me up with him. “Come on, our plane is boarding. Oh, and Starling, we’re going to be an annoyingly happy couple for the trip; just for you, Queen Bee.”
Starling grimaced and leaned into Denver, “Doesn’t that fucking figure.”
Even though the flight was only an hour, I fell asleep on Cade’s shoulder, with Denver and Starling sitting across from us. As soon as the plane touched down, my eyes opened. The jarring made me feel nauseated. I have never been a fan of flying.
“You look a bit peaked, Mya that would suck if you were pregnant,” Starling chuckled. “First time with your mate and knocked up.”
“What, are you in kindergarten, Starling? Keep your comments to yourself and your mouth shut,” Cade calmly directed.
Denver grabbed her hand, “She’ll smarten up, Cade. I’m sorry for the way she’s been acting.”
Starling did a double take. “Just who the hell, do you think you are to speak for me, Denver? You do not answer for me! We are fuck-buddies, that’s all. I want nothing from you, but that huge,” and Denver stopped her words as he placed his hand over her mouth.
“Before we get going on our search, Starling, you and I need to talk. Get your bags. We’ll grab a cab; you will stay in your room, understand?” Cade narrowed his eyes at her, he was dead serious. We got outside and hailed down a cab. Cade gave her the name of our hotel and within minutes, we arrived.
We went to our respective rooms; ours had a luxurious king size bed with a bottle of champagne perched in a glass ice bucket. That made me think of only one thing, how much I wanted Cade again. Everything about him stuck a cord with me, his sexy smile, the softness of his hair and his magical hands, mmm, just perfect.
I lay down on the bed, “Cade,” in a low, seductive drawl patting the spot next to me. Only one problem; his shitty mood was messing with my flow of seduction.
I crawled over to where he sat on the bed then began to rub his shoulders. He sighed as I felt him relax under my touch. “Mya, that feels so good,” he groaned, reaching for the back of my neck, and pulling me to him.
“You are the most sensual woman I’ve ever met, and I can’t get enough of you,” he said then licked my lower lip. “The only place I want to be is inside you, every moment of every day.” My heart began beating so hard I thought it might jump from my chest. His lips connected with mine and lit my senses, inciting a growl from Cade.
He grabbed my knee and pulled me around to straddle his lap, grounding the bulge in his pants against me. “You feel what you do to me, baby girl,” he murmured in a husky tone. “You are so close to your heat,” he said, and before I could question him more, we were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Cade swore as he got up, adjusted his pants, and answered the door. I chuckled under my breath at his obvious discomfort. “Laugh now babe, you won’t be later,” he growled with a hint of heat.
A petite young woman stood in the doorway and cleared her throat. Cade drew in a heavy breath, raked a hand through his tousled hair and asked, “Can I help you?”
“I think I could be of assistance,” she adjusted her glasses and gazed around him to look at me. “To you, I’m Karma, my Alpha is Devon Richie. He learned of your arrival in Toronto and wanted me to escort you our Pack Compound.”
Cade smirked, tilting his head. “I appreciate the offer, but we’re here on Pack business, this isn’t a vacation. Besides, I wouldn’t leave you and abandon my mate or my pack.”
“Oh, pardon me; that invitation is for your entourage, too.” She brushed some non-existent lint from her cardigan before looking back at Cade. “I have a car waiting in the front.”
“Is this typical protocol for your pack, Karma?” Cade asked.
“Alpha Devon always welcomes members of neighboring packs to the city. Because you have extenuating circumstances, our Pack wants to be of assistance to yours. Please, follow me, it is less than a half hour to get there,” Karma uttered as she led us back to the bank of elevators.
Denver and Starling met us at the elevator. As we left the building, the driver of a white stretched limousine greeted us. He promptly opened the rear door of the car.
Within thirty minutes, we arrived at a gated community. The driver stopped at a small monitor, pressed a button, giving way to the screeching of the wrought-iron gate. They opened slowly, and we continued up the winding path.
The grounds were exquisite. Adorned with flowers that were fragrant and blooming, beautiful magnolia trees, weeping willows that danced over the car roof, there was so much to see.
“This is your pack’s compound?” Cade asked Karma while looking out the window.
“Yes, it is. The Alpha’s house is large and where his entire family resides. I should say sides, his mates and his own. They have three children, two boys, and a girl.” She chuckled, “And they are very rambunctious.”
“Our present Alpha, Devon has been in place for four years. His grandfather was Alpha before him and ruled the Richie Pack with an iron fist.” Karma paused, looking down at her hands folded on her lap. “Alpha Devon’s father was not well enough to ever become the Alpha. It was common knowledge. When Alpha Devon felt it was time for a change, he took his rightful place. Of course, there was a war, which I’m sure you’ve heard of.”
“Yes, it was rough for your pack,” Cade replied and took in her demeanor. “We reached out to Devon and offered our help.”
“Yes, and noted in our logbooks, Alpha Cade,” Karma smiled. We pulled up to a large southern style home, complete with pillars and large urns that overflowed with flowers. The house was immaculate, as were the grounds on which it sat. “This is the Alpha House,” Karma told us as the driver opened the door. “Oh, I forgot to mention, your sister and brother-in-law are here at the compound.”
“Damn, they made good time.”
“Yes, Alpha, your sister is very anxious to see you and to meet your new mate. Congratulations to the both of you.”
I smiled at her. “Thank you, Karma.” The door to the massive house opened, and a handsome man with chiseled features came out on the veranda. Confidence and power dripped off him, and a dominance matched only by Cade. This was their Alpha.
“Good afternoon, I’m Devon Richie. It’s wonderful that you joined us.” His dark eyes gleamed with mischievousness as he shook Cade’s hand. Devon greeted Denver and Starling, then took my hand and kissed my knuckles.
“Well, this is quite an honor, Cade, you are here with your beautiful mate. Not the most pleasant of circumstances though, but still congratulations are in order.” He patted Cade on the shoulder. “Please, come in,” Devon directed.
“Excuse me, Alpha Devon,” Karma muttered. “If you no longer need me, I will catch up on some of my other work.”
“I thought you would join us for lunch, the more, the merrier.” Devon winked at her. “I would, but, I do have a previous engagement,” Karma blushed.
“You do, huh?” Devon waggled his eyebrows at her, “Well, be sure to give Felix, my best.” He chuckled as Karma turned away. “That girl is a workaholic. I don’t know where she finds time for, Felix.”
* * *
Devon introduced us to Hank, his butler, who led us down a hallway into a bright sunroom. “Hank, please assist our guests.”
A beautiful, lithe woman entered the room. Long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. On her hip, she held a chubby-faced little boy and ushered the two children in front of her to their seats, close to her. “Hello, darling,” Devon greeted her as he brushed his lips against hers.
His eyes sparkled as he took the child into her arms and pulled out her chair. “I would like to introduce my lovely mate, Ivana.” Devon set the boy down in a chair “And our children Klaus, Owen, and Irena.” As he gave their names, he playfully mussed their hair, to the joyful sounds of their little giggles. “My parents, Lizbeth, and Bronson will be joining us soon, as will my brothers, Nico, Darius, and Magnus. We do have a younger sister who is heading home from a vacation.”
Hardy laughter from the hall drew our attention. Cade’s eyes creased as he smiled and got up to greet his sister and her husband, Luke. Willow leaped into Cade’s arm, “Oh my god, you’re finally here.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as tears streamed down her face. Willow released Cade and came over to me, “You must be Mya, my God you are stunning,” she muttered and hugged me. “Welcome to the James’ Gang, Mya, it’s great to meet you, and this handsome guy is my mate, Luke.”
“Hi, Mya, pleased to meet you. Cade, it’s good to see you, bro.” He smiled and gave Cade a one-armed hug. “Hey, Denver, how’s everything going? Did you ever manage to claim that girl, Bella?” Willow choked, and Cade grimaced when Luke mentioned her name, “Oops, my bad.”
“Ah, it’s okay, Luke, it is a private matter that my Alpha thought he should share. Not as if hearing her name shreds my heart to pieces or anything.” Cade growled, “Denver, let it go. We’ll discuss this later.”
As if on cue, a small voice broke the tension. “Daddy, I’m hungry, can we eat now,” with that, our lunch began. “Yes, Klaus, Mother, let me help you.” Devon was at her side, pulling her chair out. His brothers helped their father into the chair next to her, before they sat down. Devon introduced us to his brothers and his parents.
“So, Starling, you’re not mated, why?” Nico asked her, with a huge shit-eating grin.
“That’s none of your business, Nico. Are you offering to mate with me,” Starling eyed him, amusement in her smile as he squirmed in his seat.
“Yeah, I’m offering, but it’s impolite to discuss such things at the dining table.”
Starling laughed, “Trust me, little boy, you have nothing to offer me. It’s probably for the best if you run along and try girls your age before you try to board a big boy’s ride.” Cade’s brows pinched together, letting Starling know that her words were out of line.
“So, Ivana, you must be a busy woman, with three young children,” Cade remarked. “How long have you and Devon been together?”
“Yes, they keep me busy, and slim,” she grinned. “Devon and I have known each other since childhood. Oh, let me tell you, he teased me endlessly when we were kids. That changed when I reached sixteen and Devon noticed that I had grown up, then things got interesting.” Ivana gazed at Devon, who had covered her hand with his, a smirk spreading across his face.
“So, you two grew up together? Did you know that you would be mated someday?” I asked her.
“I think I felt it when I was sixteen and Devon, nineteen. It was a bit of a no-brainer and realized we were True Mates; we have been together for eleven years. However, the mating part—that came later. We weren’t allowed to be alone,” Ivana smiled. “It was for our own good.” Devon and she both chuckled, an inside secret I guess. We all relaxed and shared stories of our youth but, like all good things, it was time to put the niceties aside and get down to business.
“Ivana, have your mother take the children,” Devon motioned for us to follow his butler, Hank. “Meet us in the library, love,” he muttered as he kissed the heads of each of his children.
* * *
“Cade, I took the liberty of having your things brought here from the hotel. We have sufficient room here. You are welcome to use whatever you need and the use of my enforcers.” We gathered in the library, large paned glass windows looked out over the grounds. Devon and Cade sat in two wingback chairs with a small antique table between them.
“This is over and above, Devon. Thank you for your hospitality.” Cade leaned back in the chair. “I would like to return the favor and have you and your family come and stay with us. Of course, the visit would be under happier circumstances.”
“I could use some time away,” Devon smiled at Ivana as she entered the room. “What do you think, Love?” She smiled; it was so clear that they adored each other.
“Can I get anyone a drink?” Hank asked. “Yes, Hank,” Devon answered and asked his mate, “Ivana, the usual for you?” She nodded in agreement and Devon opened a wooden box, revealing cigars. “Cade join me,” and handed a cigar to him. “These are Cubans, the best you can get.
“Excuse me, but where would the washroom be?” Starling asked. “It’s just down the hall, ma’am,” Hank answered. “Second door on the right side,” she thanked him and left the room.
“Dom and Christian, have some interesting information. First, I’ll introduce to you my second, Dom, Darius my third, Magnus my fourth. Jensen, who is my fifth, is due back anytime from a few days away.” Devon made the introductions.
“This is Milo’s family; Cade James, the Alpha of southern Ontario and his mate, Mya. This is Denver, Cade’s third and the head tracker, we are just waiting for Starling, the Beta of the James’ Pack.”
“I’m going to go check on her,” Denver spoke, got up and headed toward the doorway. He didn’t even make it out of the library when Starling met him in the doorway. Nico walked around them into the room, gave her a hard, cold stare, and poured himself a drink.
“Hey, are you okay?” Denver asked her.
“Yeah, I’m always okay,” Starling, muttered as she wrapped her arms around him. “Sorry for holding everyone up.”
“Everyone can wait.” He told her, rubbing his hands up her arms, “What’s wrong, Starling?”
“I’m fine, no need to worry. But, Devon you should have your house fumigated for unwanted bugs.” Everyone looked at her as if she crazy. “You brother, Nico, though he could be a fly on the wall when I used the washroom,” Starling stated, as Nico’s face flushed, and Devon frowned at him.
“It’s not a big deal. Now, Nico knows that when you play with fire, there could be fatalities. Isn’t that right, Stud?” she stated.
“Nico, these people, are our guests, on our land, in our homes. Why do you always go out of your way to disgrace this pack? Get the hell out of my sight; I will deal with you later.”
“Sure, I’ll be waiting,” he sneered and glared at Starling. The look on his face terrified me and made me afraid for her.
“Dom give Cade the information you brought me this morning,” Devon commanded.
“We met your brother. He came to us, letting us know that he would be in our territory.
“We thanked him and asked if there was anything that we could help him with.”
Cade’s eyes widened in surprise. “Did you meet him too, Devon?”
“No, I was away on business, but Dom was in charge at that time.”
“As I said, Cade, Milo came to us and was well mannered and respectful. That is why I offered him our help, although, he declined. He was driving a rental car, mentioning something about Lazarus.”
“I’m sorry, now you’ve lost me. Who is Lazarus and why would Milo be looking for him?” Cade questioned Dom.
“Over the past few years,” Dom began, “We’ve had a rather large influx of vampires in our area.”
“I’m aware of that,” Cade muttered. “But, I’m still not connecting the two parts here.”
“Lazarus is the King of the vamps, his wife or mate is, Morgana. They had Jeslin, their only child, who gave birth to their grandchild, and it’s extremely uncommon for a vamp to procreate outside their race.” Dom noticed the veins in Cade’s arm pop and looked over at Devon.
“Cade,” Devon interjected, “You okay? We can always discuss this later after you’ve had some rest.” Cade shook his head and urged Dom to continue.
“Well, unbeknownst to them, Jeslin was being tracked by hunters. They murdered her while she was protecting her child—a boy, named Draxen.”
“Okay, I don’t understand how the Vampire King’s problems have to do with my brother. I only want to find my brother and bring home, alive.”
“Cade, your brother has partied here quite a lot. I am not sure if you are aware, but he is quite a little freak when it comes to women. They would throw themselves at him; I mean it was unreal how he played the whole thing off. No worries on his end, either,” Dom smiled. Then Devon stopped him in mid-sentence, “Continue Dom, without any added remarks.”
“Right, sorry,” Dom, muttered. “Well, Jeslin, it turns out, was quite taken with him. She had been monitoring Milo, and eventually, they hooked up. More than once, and from what we gathered…”
“What are you saying?” Cade asked Dom, fists bunching together. “Milo got himself mixed up with some, filthy bloodsucker?” Cade’s eyes fell on Devon. “Damn, you’re not shitting me, are you? So, this child, Draxen you think he could be Milo and Jeslin’s, the girl who is now deceased.”
“Yeah, that’s what it boils down to, Cade. Why else would he want to have anything to do with them? I know it’s disturbing but, we think he went to claim his child from the King and Queen.”
“Okay, tell me where the blood-suckers live, and I’ll take care of everything from there.” Shit, this was turning into a hell fest. Cade’s eyes shot over to me as he read my thoughts. The grim line of his mouth, along with his furrowed brows spoke volumes; he was pissed at my summation of the facts.
“Cade, you can’t run in there all haphazard; it requires a considerable amount of tact. You cannot just storm the doors and expect these people to open their arms to you. These vampires have become an epidemic here,” Devon proclaimed. “There is no easy fix. It will require a carefully thought-out plan of action.”
“Devon, I have nothing but respect for you and your Pack. I will give you the benefit of the doubt. We had better figure out a plan, that is conducive to all of us. Because, if we do not figure something out, I will go in there, myself. The longer we wait, the more at risk he will be.”
“Come on, Cade,” Willow remarked. “We don’t know if the child is even Milo’s. Also, you need to consider, that if he isn’t one-hundred percent vamp, then he is a genetic anomaly, a hybrid. If he is half wolf and half vamp, he’s going to be a wild child, not unlike Milo.”
“You’re right, Willow, if he is a hybrid, he could be the only one of his kind. Since their daughter is gone, he would be the last piece of her. Then it all makes sense, Jeslin’s parents would want to raise him as their own.”
“Let’s get you and your pack settled in,” Devon said. “We’ll meet back here in two hours. I will gather my enforcers and trackers. With everyone’s help, we’ll come up with the best plan to put into action.”