He ignored it and they both continued walking in silence for a few paces as he considered how best he could explain his concerns to his mate. She was his life and he had created a family he deeply loved with her, a family that included Valery as well. Lyn was as wonderful a mate as he'd ever dreamed of but she was far too stubborn for his liking some times, disregarding his opinions on some matters whenever she got an idea. This was like the time she'd decided to go after her brother during a particularly difficult time in his life when he'd almost turned rogue. Richard sighed and raked a hand through his already messy hair.
"Lyn, this is a vampire we're talking about, a very old one from the sounds of it and he..." he paused in frustration as he searched for his next words. "He could destroy her. She would be nothing to him!"
"So what now, are you also getting the urge to rip my head off too?"
Richard stopped in shock, turning around to look at his mate with widened eyes that quickly went back to their normal size when he took in her expression. Relief flooded his system as he realized she didn't actually mean what she'd said and indignation started taking its place.
"As upset as you are with me now, the idea of harming me can't even occur to you," she said, eyes narrowed as she stepped towards him and reached up to cup his cheek. "He's her mate, baby, he will not harm her, at least not physically."
Richard looked into the depths of her brown eyes and felt his agitation ease a little bit. He took hold of the hand on his cheek and kissed her palm, closing his eyes for a second to enjoy her scent up close.
"Ok, so even if I assume that he won't injure her, what about if he rejects her? You've read the reports as well as I, the few vampires mated to wolves were less than thrilled with the idea at first. What if he rejects her, Lyn, she will not know how to deal with her Were instincts then."
"I don't think that would last, baby. He will accept the mating eventually, they all do."
Richard sighed in resignation at her immovable and optimistic view, linking his fingers with hers as he began to walk again. He'd originally headed for Valery's cabin when he'd scented his mate and sought her out to ask how it had gone between Valery and the vampire. Hindsight was a strange thing as he realized that his hopes at the time that both Lyn and Annet would hang around her until they were sure no danger would come to her, were stupid. Lyn strongly believed in private matings and Valery hated being mothered, between the two of them, there was no way his expectations would have been met.
He'd moved quickly after that realization struck him, unsettled and wanting to know whether Valery was ok. The tension between Lyn and him had increased gradually, leading to their little argument. Valery's cabin was near and she hadn't been picking up her phone earlier, worsening his worry. He quickened the pace as the trees parted and he entered the clearing, only to stop short in disappointment, his fear rising steadily.
"She's not home," he said dully as he took in the dark windows. "What if she-"
"What if she's back at his place completing the mating?" Lyn cut him off, her tone insistent but he could feel her sudden worry as well, through their mate bond.
"She would have called, Lyn," he said as he headed towards the house, wondering what to do then.
It was nearing 11pm and there was no word from Valery and he felt his wolf rear up within him as his protective instincts surged.
"We'll have to get a tracking tea-"
Richard was cut off mid-sentence as he picked up footsteps in the forest surrounding them, his Beta instincts kicking in but his eyes, as well as they could see in the dark, barely picked up anything. He quickly maneuvered himself in front of Lyn, who in turn grunted in protest as she took up a defensive stance, ready to shift if necessary.
The footsteps got louder and Richard caught a whiff of blood as he let out a low growl. Whatever this was, he was not going to like it and his feral instincts were in high gear given the frustration he'd been feeling. He was ready for a fight. He slowly advanced towards the source of the footsteps, sniffing as he went along only to stop in surprise, relief and then confusion flowing through him.
"What is it?" Lyn asked, having felt the surge of his emotions.
"It's...Valery," he said, his tone conveying everything he felt at that moment.
Sure enough, a few moments later Valery stumbled into the clearing, completely naked, with dried blood covering her front and all round her lips to her chin. Richard froze at the sight before him, his brain processing the information but his body unable to move. He sniffed a little more and felt the tension in his body ease some when he realized it wasn't human or Were blood but animal blood covering her.
"Valery!" Lyn called out in concern as she ran towards the girl and Richard felt a little guilty that he hadn't done that despite having been closer to her.
"Lyn...Richard," she croaked, her eyes widening slightly in recognition as if she was just then noticing them.
"Come honey, let's get you inside," Lyn said, her hands around Valery, slowly guiding her towards the cabin as she exchanged a worried glance with Richard.
Shaking himself out of his non responsive state, Richard quickly pushed the horrifying image of his daughter covered in blood, her tear-stained face displaying her glazed and unseeing eyes. He headed towards the cabin and got the extra key Valery had given him, pushing it into the lock and opened the door. He went in and switched on all the lights as Lyn helped Valery walk in, all the while whispering soothing words to her as she led them towards the bedroom.
"Let me get her cleaned up, make some coffee," she told him and he set to work, closing the front door and headed towards the kitchen.
He'd been inside the cabin numerous times and he reached into cupboards, taking out cups and coffee grounds as he started the process; anything to do as his mind processed what he'd just seen. The animal within him was agitated and he felt exactly the same: glad that Valery had looked relatively unharmed but unable to get the dead stare in her eyes out of his head. Just what had happened to her? Various possibilities rushed through his head and he started pacing as he considered each one. It was clear she had been in wolf form, but the blood...perhaps she had hunted down, in wolf form, some animal and eaten it. That really was the most likely possibility and while many Weres did that from time to time, Valery had previously expressed disgust at the very idea and that meant that something had happened to the balance she kept between her human self and her beast.
"Shit!" Richard let out in frustration. He'd always had the niggling feeling that this would happen, at the back of his head, every time Valery insisted that having an arrangement with the animal inside her was much easier than accepting it. She'd suppressed her wolf for so long and now came a time when the instinct in her was stronger than her human reasoning; she would not be able to hold back the beast once it decided to break free.
The coffee-maker stopped humming and he grabbed the pot, pouring into 3 cups, pausing before he reached for a bottle of whisky and added some to Valery's cup. From the look he remembered plastered on her face, she would need it. He heard the faint opening and closing of the bathroom door as well as feet shuffling around in the bedroom. Richard needed to keep moving so he made himself busy, fishing through the fridge and deciding to make them all some ham and cheese sandwiches, choosing the most readily available ingredients. It helped keep his mind off the images running through his head and the questions whether Valery would really recover from this, whether she understood it. He'd have to wait and see until she came out of the bedroom.
He was just beginning the third sandwich when the bedroom door opened and he turned around to see Valery headed towards the kitchen, dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants, her dreadlocked hair wet from the bath and held back in a ponytail. She smiled weakly at him, her eyes taking on a gentle look like she was trying to reassure him and headed over to give him a quick hug. His body relaxed a bit when she let go, releasing a great deal of tension he hadn't realized he was keeping in. The dead look was gone from her eyes and while she did look very tired, at least her steps were not dragging and she didn't need support to walk. The sharp smell of blood no longer clung to her though, but she was letting off small emissions of fear which mixed with the shampoo she'd probably used to give off a rather jolting blend. It was time they got down to it.
Richard pulled out a chair for Valery, at the small kitchen table and another for his mate before he placed their coffees and sandwiches before them and decided to lean against the counter-top facing their table.
"So, Valery, care to tell us what happened?"
Lyn turned to give him a wavering look and he spread his hands in a gesture of innocence, silently asking her what it was he'd done wrong.
"No, it's okay," Valery spoke before Lyn could say anything glancing from one to the other. "I probably should talk about it."
"Honey, we're here for you. Don't push yourself," Lyn let out, reaching for Valery's hand and sending her silent strength.
Valery nodded, some of the drops from her wet dreads falling onto the kitchen floor but she barely noticed. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the cup of coffee with her free hand and took a large sip before Richard could warn her of the extra ingredients. As expected, she let out a series of spastic coughs into her hand and Richard winced at his carefreeness; perhaps that hadn't been a very good idea.
