Civil War.
The words echoed in Jan's head like a church bell. After the horrors he had seen in Europe and the American Race War, he was in no hurry to run into another battle.
He glanced at the Lycan sitting next to him. Ethan also turned to him as if reading his mind. Swimming in the hazel eyes were the same feelings plaguing him: surprise, worry, and fear.
Barely an hour ago, Jan had resolved to enjoy his possibly limited time with Ethan. What would happen to them now when they were caught on opposing sides of the battle?
The warm, large palm clasped Jan's hand, and he squeezed it back. But Lorr touched his other arm, drawing his attention away.
"Jan, maybe this is it ... remember? The bad I t-told you about ... t-the catastrophe that m-may follow your mating," she stammered, tapping her thigh.
Her eyes had grown wide, nearly eclipsing her face. And shivers wracked her body as fear overcame her.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Look at me. It's okay." He cooed, releasing Ethan's hand to gather her in his arms. But the trembling would not stop.
"N-no, no, no. You d-don't understand. I've to do m-more research. Chris, call the jet. I must g-g-go to Massachusetts. They have an old lib-"
Everyone was staring at her now.
"Lorraine, look at me! Deep breaths. In. Out. In and out. That's it. Good girl." Jan placed her head on his shoulder, turning her face into the crook of his neck so she could not see the wolves around her.
His precious niece.
"You're safe. I'm here, and Louie is here. Nothing will happen to you," Jan said softly while he patted her back like a baby.
Though her sire and blood-uncle were warriors, Lorr was not a fighter. And the mere threat of violence was enough to scare her wits away.
Her biological father had held Indri's position over five decades ago. And though Ivan ensured his staff and their families were well-cared for, the man died in the clash when Mistress Celine captured the Russian. By the time they rescued him and tracked down Lorr, months had gone by, and she had encountered some seedy characters in the dark alleys of Washington D.C.
Ivan's guilt at failing her father had driven him to take a special interest in her. And that had nurtured a protective instinct in the vampire, which eventually cemented her position as his daughter. Together with Jan, they sheltered her from the evils of this world and made sure she wanted for nothing.
With her nose always buried in books, she never hunted for food. So if Ivan or Jan did not regularly arrange someone for her, she would be stuck drinking stale blood until she died.
The mere thought of battle must seem like a nightmare to her.
Taking huge gulps of air, the tremors slowly subsided in Lorr.
Zyga cleared his throat. "Not to upset her further, but what did she mean by a catastrophe?"
Internally, Jan groaned, wishing his niece's panic attack had occurred somewhere private. "It's nothing .... just conjecture at this point. Lorr has a theory, but we've not verified anything."
The detailed-oriented researcher in question lifted her head and frowned at him with eyes rimmed red from unshed tears.
"What theory?" Zyga pressed.
Sniffing, Lorr half-turned to him, though she kept her gaze on her fidgeting hands. Then she spoke in a small voice. "W-when I heard Jan may be bonded to a wolf, I started digging through our texts to see if it was even possible. Unfortunately, I found no instance of a vampire bonding to a Lycan in our history. But I did confirm there had been rare cases where Gaia chose a mate for a vampire... which backed the concept that he could've chosen Ethan for Jan."
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Blooded Mate
Fantasy[[MATURE CONTENT]] Pack, family, mate. Loyalty, respect, honor. These are the words that form the foundation of the wolf society. At six years old, Ethan had to choose between his Alpha title and his survival on the night of his father's death. As a...
