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MY FIRST NIGHT WITH my mate didn’t involve much sleep. I felt bad for Liam trying to sleep in the room next to us. I felt his frustration a few times when I couldn’t block my ecstasy from him. Our twin bond did more than just let us talk to each other silently. We could also feel each other’s emotions if we didn’t shut them down well enough.
Epsilon and Iota spent the night in the tiny houses they’d chosen. The structures sat on the dresser where they could see the entire room. Their windows and doors were closed to give us some privacy.
Freya snorted out a laugh when she picked up on that thought. “Never in a million years did I ever imagine I’d end up like this,” she said drowsily. It was only a couple of hours until dawn now.
“Like what?” I asked for clarification, too tired to scan her mind.
“Alive again and mated to a werewolf,” she explained.
“Loki caused havoc when he unleashed shifters on our world, even if he’d created us to kill the zombies the Viltarans had created,” I mused. “I wonder if Fate planned for us to become true mates even way back then?”
“If she did, then she must be a formidable being,” Freya said with a shiver. “She has a godlike power to be able to see so far ahead and to manipulate everyone to do her bidding.”
“I wouldn’t want that sort of power or responsibility,” I said, feeling sleep pulling at me. “We should get some rest. We’ll need to visit the doc after breakfast.” She nodded, then we shared a kiss and closed our eyes.
My phone beeped three hours later when the alarm went off. Freya and I had a quickie in the shower, then got dressed and headed downstairs.
“I’m glad you two finally got some sleep,” Liam said grumpily as we passed him in the coms room.
“Sorry, bro,” I said with a smirk. “I’ll try harder to block my thoughts when I’m in bed with my mate.”
Uncle Mark had gotten up early to make pancakes. Ike was helping him, along with Alex and Crowmon. The others joined us at the table shortly before the feast was ready. Freya hadn’t eaten food like ours before she’d been turned into a vampire. Everything was new to her.
“Wait until you taste chocolate for the first time,” Gedniah said with a grin. “I am sure you will love it.”
My mate had just poured maple syrup all over her pancakes, displaying her sweet tooth. “I can’t wait to try it,” she said in anticipation.
“Just don’t steal any of Alex’s candy,” Yas warned her from her seat in the living room. “She used me to beat an alpha hole half to death after he stole her food.”
Alex hunched her shoulders guiltily when most of us snickered. “I guess Heath paid for his sins in the end,” she reminded us.
“It wasn’t your fault that the witch killed him,” Uncle Mark said in a gentle tone. “No one blames you for what happened to him.”
Clearly, my little sister blamed herself. Nothing we said would wipe her guilt away. All we could do was give her as much support as we could.
“Are you two ready to go?” Uncle Mark asked when we’d finished eating. He needed to get back to Europe and I didn’t want to hold him up any longer than was necessary.
“We’re ready,” I confirmed.
“We’ll clean up the mess,” Liam offered.
Zeus materialized just behind my mate and grinned up at me. His head cocked to the side and he cut a look at Emma, who was sitting on the back of the couch. The squirrel must have filled him in on who the newest member of our squad was. He lunged forward to engulf Freya’s hand with his mouth before I could warn her.
“Hah! I told you he’d get you when you least expected it!” Alex crowed when Freya gasped in surprise.
My mate pulled her hand out of the Rottweiler’s mouth and made a face when she saw it was coated in saliva. “Thanks, Zeus,” she said in resignation.
“He says welcome to the pack,” Alex interpreted, then looked at Emma. “Okay, have fun,” she said cryptically, then Emma leaped onto Zeus’ back and the pair disappeared.
“What was that about?” I asked as Freya detoured to the sink to wash her hands.
“They’re going to play hide and seek with the herd,” my little sister explained with a fond smile. “I’m glad they decided to be friends.”
“We all are,” Crowmon added. “Now they don’t drive us mad chasing each other around inside the base.”
Freya was picking up most of what we were talking about through our link. She had a lot to catch up on, but I would fill her in on everything.
“We’ll have to test Freya to see what her capabilities are when you get back,” Liam said as we followed Uncle Mark to the door.
“I’m looking forward to it,” my mate said cockily. I knew she was a warrior and that she would excel at all forms of combat. She had far more skill and experience than anyone on our team, including Gedniah. He was just a kid in comparison to her.
“You’d better stand back,” Uncle Mark warned Freya. “We don’t know if you’re still allergic to the sun yet.”
“I’d let you borrow one of my suits, but it wouldn’t fit you,” Yas said, gesturing at her slender form. She usually only wore the hood and gloves when she went outside. They were currently sitting on the coffee table in front of her, in case she needed to grab them in a hurry.
“I have a hunch the sun won’t affect Freya now,” Alex predicted.
Uncle Mark opened the door and my mate instinctively flinched and cowered behind me. “It’s so bright!” she complained.
“Here,” Yas said and picked up her hood. “The lenses are polarized. They’ll protect your eyes from the sun.”
“Sunglasses would be slightly less conspicuous,” Uncle Mark said with a touch of amusement.
“Trust me, she’ll want the hood until she gets used to the sun,” Yas said confidently.
Freya warily put the hood on and immediately relaxed slightly. “That’s more comfortable on my eyes,” she said gratefully.
“Come closer to the door and we’ll carefully test your tolerance for sunlight,” Uncle Mark said.
I stayed in front of Freya to block her from the light that poured through the doorway. We approached it from the side and she gingerly held her hand out. A sliver of sunlight touched her palm and she yanked her hand back in anticipation of pain.
“It’s okay,” I said soothingly when she began to shake in reaction.
“Did the sun burn her?” Liam asked in concern.
“No,” Freya replied. “I just never thought I would ever get to walk in the sunlight again.” She held her hand out again and her skin didn’t smoke. “I’m impervious to the sun now,” she said in wonder.
“Nick will gradually help you get used to being in sunlight,” Uncle Mark said and held his hand out. “We’ll only be out in the open briefly.”
Trusting our boss because I did, she took his hand and allowed him to tug her outside. I kept hold of her other hand as Iota took us to Denver.
