Matt: Tales of the Were (Redstone Clan Book 5) (4 page)

“I heard she was murdered,” Morgan said softly, her words bringing it all back in a flash. The pain of losing the woman who had been at the center of his young life. The pain of seeing his baby sister suffer the loss. The pain of knowing there was nothing he could do but avenge her death by finding the ones responsible.

“We caught the bastards who killed her. Her spirit was given justice. But nothing can bring her back. We all still miss her. Every day.”

Morgan’s soft hand covered his on the table, surprising him. “I know the pain of loss. I’m sorry.”

And then, he realized what she must have gone through. She’d lost her entire family at a young age. She hadn’t had a Clan left to go back to, but somehow, Marc LaTour had found her and helped her. He’d taken her under his wing and paid for her schooling, encouraging her to do whatever she wanted with her life.

Matt shifted his hand under hers, turning it up and interlacing their fingers. “That goes both ways. Marc told me a little bit about your background, and I’m sorry for what you went through.” He let that sink in a bit before he went on. “But things really are different in my Clan. In most Clans, Tribes and Packs nowadays—though, there are a few throwbacks.” She pulled her hand away, and he let her go. “At least let me try to prove it to you.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “All right, I’ll bite. How? Are you going to parade a bunch of your women in front of me to tell me I’m wrong?”

Matt sat back in his chair, looking at her. “I could do that, but I think you need to hear it from the women you unknowingly insulted. Just how much do you really know about Jenny and her family?”

She returned his appraising look. “Jenny is the ostensive leader of her family here. She’s single. The girls are relatives. I don’t know the relation, exactly, but they’re all unmated. I’m assuming that’s why you let them come here to work.”

“Let?” Matt scoffed, truly amused. “There was no
letting
about it. Jenny wanted something new, and it was her decision to come.” His voice lowered. “She’s a widow, Morgan.” He saw the surprise, quickly veiled, on her face. “Her mate died in an attack linked to everything that happened last year. There’s been some unrest in Las Vegas. We tried to keep it quiet, but there was a vampire uprising…” He trailed off, waiting for her to indicate whether or not she’d heard about it.

“Marc briefed me after it happened. A guy named Raintree tried to unseat the Las Vegas Master, Antoinne de Latourette. Apparently, the plot was foiled by a female bloodletter named Miranda van Allyn.” She recited the facts coldly, and she apparently didn’t have the whole story.

“Miranda is quite a woman. A business owner. An educated woman. And my brother’s mate.”

“What?” Morgan looked truly shocked. “But that’s forbidden.”

Matt tilted his head. “Not really, as it turns out. It’s not common, but there are a few vampire-shifter couples now. Some of the bloodletters, if they’re old enough to have fought Elspeth the last time, say there were such matings back then. The theory is that they’ll be needed if it comes to all-out war with the
Venifucus
again.”

He named the ancient group who once supported the fey sorceress, Elspeth, known as the Destroyer of Worlds. The organization had survived the centuries with one goal in mind—freeing Elspeth from the prison of the farthest realms to which she had been banished so long ago.

“We’re still keeping it as quiet as we can, but most of our Clan knows, as do most of the bloodletters left in Las Vegas. Master Antoinne—we call him Tony, when he’s in a good mood—came out and declared himself on the side of Light, and made every bloodletter in his domain swear fealty to the Lady and Her Light, or leave. The few that didn’t want to cooperate were hunted down and staked by Tony himself. It’s been a rough few months back at home.” Matt ran a hand through his hair. “The reason I’m telling you all of this is so that you know how Jenny’s mate, Ray, died. He helped us fight and paid the ultimate price for his support.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Morgan’s voice was subdued.

“The four younger girls with Jenny are her daughters. The two older women are her sisters. And you’re right. They’re all unmated. Ellie and Jemma, Jenny’s younger sisters, owned a coffee shop, which they gave to Jenny’s son, Robert, and his mate, Jilly, as a wedding present while they joined Jenny in her new start, hoping to support their older sister through this time of grief. I’m not sure if you realize how it is with wolves. Often, when one mate dies, the other follows. But we’re doing everything we can to keep Jenny here with us, for her children and the rest of her family. She is well-loved and respected. She was a gourmet chef. Trained in Paris. She worked for one of the big hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, serving their high-rolling clients while her mate was a construction foreman for one of our wolf Pack teams. They were a core pair in their Pack and losing Ray was a blow not only to his wolf Pack, but to our Clan as a whole. We love Jenny, and we will protect her and support her as best we can. She wanted to leave Las Vegas, and it was her idea to volunteer for this project when I mentioned her situation to Atticus.”

“He didn’t tell me any of this,” Morgan admitted, blushing slightly. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“Don’t be. Atticus kept it quiet out of respect for Jenny’s situation, but I think you need to know that not all Clans are like the one you came from. Talk to Jenny and her family. I think they’ll tell you what Clan life is really like.” Matt leaned forward. “We’re not meant to roam alone all the time, Morgan, even if we are cats. We need the company and care of others like ourselves, from time to time. My offer still stands. The Redstone Clan would welcome you if you ever wanted to cease your loner ways.” He smiled to soften his words and stood, breaking the somber mood that had descended as he told Jenny’s sad story. “But, for right now, I’m going for another piece of that delicious salmon.”

He refilled his plate, spooning up some for Morgan when she eventually joined him. They ate the second helping in near silence as she seemed to be digesting his words, as well. He was going for thirds when the phone in the center of the conference table rang. Morgan leaned forward, hitting the speaker button.

“I saw the light on and figured you were working late again, Morgan,” Atticus said by way of greeting. His voice sounded the tiniest bit chastising—as if he found Morgan working late a lot and was used to teasing her about the long hours she kept.

It was just after dark, and the vampire and his mate had risen for the day. Their home was deeper into the vineyard, but though they couldn’t quite see the house from the business office, the office was visible from the house’s yard. No doubt Atticus had simply gone outside and spotted the lights in the office from his backyard.

“Matt and I were sharing dinner and just about to go over the changes he made to the plans today,” Morgan replied.

“Changes? Yes, I saw your email. Since you’re still here, why don’t you come down to the house? I’d like to see the new plans. Say, in a half hour?” It was more order than invitation, but Matt didn’t mind. He counted Atticus as a friend, even if he had been born in an entirely different century.

“We’ll be there,” Matt answered after Morgan nodded.

With a few more pleasantries, they rang off and began cleaning up the remains of dinner. There wasn’t much left, and Matt wasn’t shy about eating any crumbs left in the serving dishes. Before long, they were ready to roll.

Matt tucked the plans under one arm and headed outside with Morgan. It was a lovely night, the crisp, clear air of the Napa Valley illuminated only by starlight now that they’d locked up the office for the evening. Matt had his laptop in its soft case looped over one shoulder and Morgan had her pocketbook.

“It’s not far,” she said, looking up at the sky. “We could walk, if you don’t mind. I’ve been cooped up inside all day, and it’s nice to be outdoors.”

Matt knew that feeling. His inner cougar didn’t necessarily like being stuck inside all day, either. What he really would have liked was a nice, long run in his fur, but since that wasn’t on the agenda at the moment, a short walk in the starlight would do nicely. He’d have to hoof it back up here to get his car later, but he didn’t mind. Especially if he managed to walk back with the lovely Morgan. Her car was up here at the office, too, after all.

They walked down the gravel driveway that led to the main house. Not many people were invited to the vampire’s lair, but since Atticus and his mate, Lissa, did a lot of socializing and had to drive one of their many cars, the driveway was a necessity. Matt wasn’t fooled by the lack of any obvious surveillance equipment. The bloodletters were notoriously private and protective of their homes. Matt had no doubt they were being watched by robotic eyes every step of the way down the path toward the European-style villa at the heart of the vineyard.

“It sure is pretty here,” Matt said, opening the conversation. They were both cats with excellent night vision. There was no excuse to hold her hand or touch her in any way, much to his disappointment. “Do you get out to run much?”

“Not as much as I’d like, but occasionally, I prowl the vineyard with Atticus’s blessing. He says it keeps the mice down, but I think he just says that to tweak me.” She chuckled, and he could see the small grin on her lovely face in the starlight.

“I have no doubt of that. Since he found his One, Atticus has been full of laughter. It’s a good change for him. Marc, too. And, especially, Sebastian.” Matt named the three bloodletters he was closest with from the Brotherhood that had congregated in the Napa Valley. “I’m happy for them.”

“I have to agree. Mating has been good for them, though it certainly hasn’t mellowed them. If anything, they’re hyper-vigilant now.”

“They have to be,” Matt agreed. “They have mates to protect. Nothing is more precious than a mate. Especially when you’ve waited so long to find her.” He cleared his throat, knowing he’d sounded a little too wistful there, for a moment. “I see it with my brothers. All four of them have found their true mates now. They’ll do anything to protect their ladies and vice versa. The mate bond is a special, rare thing.”

“You said one of your new sisters-in-law is a bloodletter. What about the others?”

Matt liked the very real interest in Morgan’s voice.

“They’re all pretty formidable. Grif’s mate, Lindsey, was born human, but her grandfather was a Native American shaman. It’s a complicated story, but in some kind of shamanistic ceremony, the Goddess’s Light turned Lindsey into a cougar. Grif had to teach her how to shift, how to be a cat…everything. But she’s doing amazingly well. She’s a strong Alpha female and is slowly learning to fill the Matriarch role in our Clan.” He paused, thinking of his mother again. But he couldn’t dwell on the sadness. That would get him nowhere. “Steve’s lady is pretty incredible, too. Trisha has some amazing magic over water. Her father, it seems, is descended from a water sprite. You know about Miranda, Mag’s mate. And then, Bob found a lady bobcat shifter who is kind of adorable when she’s in her fur. That little stubby tail and her furry ears are cute. We’re taking bets on what kind of cubs they’ll have, when they get around to it.”

“So, only two of your brothers mated shifters?” She seemed interested, which Matt counted as a good thing. At least he had her questioning. Maybe thinking about what she’d seen as a youngster versus what he was telling her about his family. “Is the Clan okay with that?”

Matt shrugged. “Our Clan is kind of huge and encompasses many different breeds of shifters within it. They’re pretty accepting. We’ve all learned how to cooperate and get along over the years. And, universally, shifters respect power and those who wield it for the good of the Clan. My new sisters-in-law have proven themselves over and over again. They are true mates to my brothers, but more than that, the care and love they show my brothers extends to the Clan. None of them had an easy road to mating. They each faced threats of one kind or another. Some of those threats also threatened the Clan as a whole, but they didn’t back down. These ladies wielded whatever power they had for the good of the Clan and to protect their mates, as my brothers did the same. Everyone in the Clan can respect that. So what if Trisha is part mermaid? And accepting Miranda is easy when you see her and Mag together. It’s so freaking obvious they were meant for each other, it’s kind of disgusting.” He made a comical face that earned him a chuckle as Morgan punched him lightly in the shoulder.

He liked the easy camaraderie they’d developed over the past few hours. It seemed so natural to talk to her and laugh with her. Matt suspected there was a bit of being
made for each other
going on here, as well, but only time would tell. First, he had to get closer to Morgan. Close enough for him to know for certain whether or not what he suspected was true.

He wouldn’t leave California this time until he knew, once and for all, whether or not Morgan was his true mate.

CHAPTER THREE

Morgan wasn’t totally convinced that Matt’s Clan was all he claimed it was, but she was at least beginning to think maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt. She had stayed far, far away from shifters since her youth, preferring to go it alone.

She liked Marc and his friends. They had taken her in when she had no one else to turn to. They’d become her family in a strange, undead sort of way.

But, more than once, she felt the call of the wild that Marc couldn’t fully understand. Vamps and weres were both highly magical, but they were different in a lot of respects. Marc and his friends would watch over her when she felt the need to run in her beast form, but they never could quite understand that other part of her. The beast part.

Just as she could never quite understand their bloodlust. She knew it for a real thing that had to be ruthlessly controlled, but she also didn’t fully understand it. And never would. That’s just the way things were, and she had come to a sort of peace with it. The bloodletters accepted her differences, just as she accepted theirs.

But Matt Redstone was like her. More so than any other shifter she’d met since being orphaned. He was a big cat. Moreover, he was a closely related species. A cougar to her Florida panther. The bloodlines had separated hundreds of years ago with the panthers adapting to a small part of Florida.