Blood Mate: A Paranormal Romance (17 page)

Jett walked to the window and
put his hand against the tinted glass. The glass felt cool to the
touch, but he could feel a slight vibration, a ripple through the
glass. Jett pressed his fist to the glass, and raised his head with
a proud smile.

He felt the pressure against
his fist, and nodded. He always bumped fists with his Enforcers
after a successful mission.

He would bump fists with them
one last time.

When the last ripple subsided,
Jett closed his eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”
For
all you've done. And for coming to say goodbye.

Jett stared out the window,
taking in the view of the bustling city below. People were beginning
to stream out of office buildings. The roads were snarling with the
evening peak hour jam. It was the end of the day, and people who
worked during the daylight hours were knocking off work and making
their way home.

Others were getting ready to
go to work. The neon signs above the blood bars across the city
winked on. Enforcers on night patrol would be signing in soon. They
would be meeting with their team leaders for the night's briefing
before setting off.

Life went on. Death went on.
There were still rogues in the city. People were still getting
attacked and killed.

His job was to protect the
city. Hunt down the rogues and destroy them, before they took
another life.

That was his job. His job was
filled with danger, violence and blood. But that was the life of an
Enforcer. He would continue the fight. Continue their fight.

Jett grabbed his jacket and
locked up his office. He would come back to his office tonight,
probably around two or three in the morning. On the way to the lift
lobby, he heard some voices and laughter coming from the training
rooms. A new batch of Enforcers had just started their training
program. The training for Enforcers was grueling, and the Council
members were always betting on the number of Enforcers who would drop
out of the program before the final test.

There would always be brave
young men and women, humans and paranormals who would step up and
sign on to be trained as Enforcers. It was their city, and they
would serve and protect it.

Jett walked out of the PAC
Headquarters and went to his car. Snapping on his shades, he started
the drive home.

Home was no longer that small
bachelor pad near the city center. Home was now a little further
away from the dark heart of the city. It was a white single-story
house in a quiet suburb.

He had been outvoted by Bryn
and Nana on the issue of housing.

Bryn had explored his bachelor
pad and asked tentatively, “This...is your home?”

“
This is my apartment,”
he'd answered simply. “I have a few. They're all rented out.
This is the smallest one. I don't need the space. I only come here
to shower and sleep. And I don't sleep that much.”

“
So...this is not really
your home,” she'd murmured.

“
I don't have a home.
Just a place to crash.”

Bryn had stared at him for a
long while. Then she declared, “You do have a home—and a
family!”

Nana had said the same thing.
She had told him, ordered him to rent out his apartment and come live
with them in the house. “You're not a single man anymore. A
family home for a family man.”

And that was that.

Jett parked his car in front
of the house and surveyed the neighborhood. Everything looked
peaceful. Lights were on in some of the houses, and he heard dogs
barking and a wolf howling in the distance.

Even before he neared the
front steps to the house, he knew that he would find Nana bustling
around in the kitchen, preparing his dinner and getting Bryn's
breakfast ready. Bryn would gobble down her breakfast, kiss them
both then dash out of the house.

Nana was happiest in the
kitchen. Jett had made sure she got her dream kitchen. He'd built
her a brand new kitchen, and extended the living room. The bedrooms
had been extended as well. Nana had complained that her bedroom was
now as big as her kitchen, but Jett could tell that she was
delighted.

This was the family home.
Nana didn't want to live in a tiny bachelor pad in the middle of the
city. She wanted the family under one roof, in a quiet neighborhood,
where her great-grandkids would have space to run around and play.

Jett blew out a breath. With
Bryn's recent promotion to Senior Enforcer, and his own demanding
job, Nana would just have to wait a while more for those
great-grandkids to arrive. But that didn't stop her from planning
and hoping. Jett would do anything for Nana. He had the entire
house renovated, refurbished and reinforced, and made it as
comfortable and safe for them as he could.

This was his family. Their
safety was his number one priority. He had added reinforcements to
the windows and doors, and installed state of the art security
systems to the house.

And he made sure that not a
sliver of light could penetrate their bedroom window through the
automatic shutters.

No sunlight would touch his
Bryn while she was sleeping.

A family man.

Jett never thought that term
would apply to him.

He never thought he would have
a family. But now he had. He had two beautiful, amazing women in
his life. These two fierce, feisty women understood the darkness and
dangers he faced. They understood what he was fighting for, what he
was fighting against. And they would stand and fight the monsters
together with him. Bryn had taken to calling Nana “The Vampire
Slayer”. He had two warrior women in his home. And he loved
them both so much.

Every day, without fail, when
he got home, he would go to the kitchen and kiss Nana resoundingly on
the cheek. Then he would go to his bedroom and kiss Bryn softly on
the lips. Even before she opened her eyes, she would wrap her arms
around his neck and sigh contentedly.

He was the first thing she saw
every evening when she woke up, and he saw the deep love and joy in
her eyes when she gazed up at him. She was his, completely,
eternally. She belonged with him, in his grim violent world, and in
his wild dangerous life.

Quietly, Jett opened the door
and stepped across the threshold.

“
I'm home.”

End

About the Author

Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring
paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances.
She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and
writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to
follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or visit her blog for the latest
news and updates.

Blog:

nataliekristen.blogspot.com

Twitter:

@NatKristenBooks

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/NatalieKristenBooks

• MATE seriesALPHA MATEBEAR MATEVAMPIRE MATEWOLF MATE
  
• Copyright © 2014 Natalie KristenALL RIGHTS RESERVED
  
• This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the p...
  
• *****
  
• CHAPTER ONE
  
• CHAPTER TWO
  
• CHAPTER THREE
  
• CHAPTER FOUR
  
• CHAPTER FIVE
  
• CHAPTER SIX
  
• CHAPTER SEVEN
  
• CHAPTER EIGHT
  
• CHAPTER NINE
  
• CHAPTER TEN
  
• CHAPTER ELEVEN
  
• CHAPTER TWELVE
  
• CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  
• CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  
• CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  
• CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  
• CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  
• CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  
• CHAPTER NINETEEN
  
• About the Author