Arissa, Harmony, Angie, and Cyrus had become family members, and so had Kelly and Bellamin, due to Kelly’s role as Key Keeper. And now it was Avery’s turn.
A whole damn party in her honor. She hadn’t had one of those since her sweet sixteen, when her high school friends had given her gag gifts at first—from a plastic piggy bank with a few pennies in it to a plastic princess tiara—and then had surprised her with a rose gold watch.
Harmony had asked her what kind of party she wanted, and she decided she’d let Traz choose the theme. She wanted to be surprised.
As they rode up the elevator together, she looked down at her dress. At her request, Traz had chosen her outfit. When she opened the garment bag from the coven’s designer to find a red sundress with a white belt and sandals, it piqued her curiosity.
Traz was wearing a pair of khaki pants, loafers, and a white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. She’d never seen him look so carefree and handsome.
He pressed the stop button for the elevator and caged her in the corner with his arms. “You smell delicious, sweetheart.”
He inhaled at the crux of her shoulder and neck, and her legs went weak. “I wasn’t thinking anything sexy at all, I swear.”
Nipping her neck with a chuckle, he said, “Liar.”
“I’m the only one who knows for sure if people are lying.”
“Well, your body’s betraying you with a delectable scent of arousal.”
“Damn body.” She grinned up at him, hooking her hands on his forearms. “I’m so happy. Have I told you lately how happy you make me?”
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “You tell me all the time, and I love it. You make me happy too.”
He pressed the button for the elevator to continue the short trek to the first floor and then gave her a swift kiss. “We’ll make each other extra happy after the party.”
The elevator opened and she and Traz stepped out. The only thing Avery knew was that they were staying in the club. Mishka had closed it to the public for the night, and only essential coven members were working—he had given everyone else the night off with pay. They walked through the reception area and down the long hall toward the club, passing the coat check where she’d first begun her journey with the coven.
It seemed like a hundred years ago. Not mere weeks.
The club was dark when she and Traz walked into it.
They stopped and she waited, not picking up the slightest sound. There was a click and a bright golden light, emanating from an orb hanging from the center of the ceiling over the dance floor, illuminated the space.
Green grass carpeted the floor, with flowers and trees creating a beautiful scene. They had transformed the club into a meadow and set a long picnic table up in the center, draped with a red gingham tablecloth and arranged with china and crystal.
“Oh, wow,” Avery said.
The family stood around the picnic table, smiling at her and Traz.
Mishka gestured to the bench on his left where a space had been left. “Come and join us.”
She and Traz sat and everyone else did, except for Mishka.
The master of the coven smiled at the group. “When Brone and Arissa became beloveds several years ago, we had no idea if it was a fluke. No vampires we knew had ever found their beloveds. The idea was more myth than truth.” He smiled at Harmony seated to his right. “And then this beauty came into my life. I knew it wasn’t a fluke, that every vampire could find their beloved mate if they were patient.
“And now we’re here. The family has grown by leaps and bounds just within the last year. Angie joined with Vex and Rage, Cyrus joined with Cella, Kelly joined with Bellamin, and now we’re welcoming Avery into the family. Not just as Traz’s beloved mate, but as a member in her own right. A female of my line, and a welcome addition to our group.” He lifted a wine glass filled with SyBl and everyone picked up glasses.
“Avery, I welcome you to the family, not only as a beloved mate, but as a full member. Do you promise to honor and protect the family as if they were yours since birth?”
“I do,” Avery said.
“Then today is the date you join our family,” Mishka said. “May our lives be better for knowing you.”
The family lifted their glasses in cheers, and Avery clinked her glass against as many as she could reach. She took a sip of the chilled liquid and kissed Traz while everyone clapped.
“Did I do good, sweetheart?” Traz whispered.
“I love it so much. It’s perfect.”
He grinned.
Servers appeared, bringing desserts from the restaurant fashioned from SyBl for the vampires and plates of actual food for the others. Avery had her favorite gelati-style frozen SyBl topped with dried blood shavings. Conversation flowed around the table.
Avery leaned against Traz and gazed around the club. It really looked like a park. In fact, it looked familiar.
She rose slowly to her feet and stepped over the bench. She made her way to a weeping willow. When she got close, she could see that someone covered the root ball in burlap and the tree was in a large pot. Flowers and bushes surrounded it, so from a distance it appeared to be growing out of the floor. Ducking under the canopy, she let out a soft gasp as she saw a carving in the tree's trunk.
A crude heart with a capital A and T, separated by a plus sign.
Traz joined her, sliding his arms around her from behind.
“This is like the park I used to go to with my grandma,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “She carved our initials in a tree the last time we were there and said that it would always be our special place.”
“I found the park, or rather what used to be the park,” he said softly. “It’s now a little league field. I would’ve happily driven there and dug the tree out of the ground myself, but it’s all gone. I know it’s not quite the same, but this’ll be our tree. Mishka said we can plant it on his property and visit it anytime.”
She turned in his arms and kissed him. “Thank you. I can’t believe how sweet you are, or how lucky I am to have you in my life.”
“I’m the lucky one, Avery. I was only half-way living when we met. You’re everything to me.”
“You’re everything to me too.”
Traz pushed aside the branches and ushered her out, where they gathered with their friends and enjoyed the night.
How crazy the changes in her life had been over the last few weeks—coat check girl, vampire, lie detector, and she’d be adding wife to the list once she and Traz settled on a wedding date.
Damn, but she loved him.
“I can’t wait to get you home,” she whispered.
“You have the best ideas,” he said, his jade eyes darkening. He cupped her face and whispered, “I love you, Avery. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter of our lives is like.”
She pressed her hand against his. “I love you too. As long as we’re together, it’ll be amazing.”
And she was very certain that it would be.
Coming in 2021 from R. E. Butler
Crave (Vampire Beloved Book Five)
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* * *
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The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume One
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Two
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Three
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Volume One (Books 1 and 2)
Volume Two (Books 3 and 4)
Volume Three (Books 5 and 6)
The Hunter’s Heart (Book Seven)
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The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel
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The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika
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Coming Next in the Vampire Beloved Series: Crave (Book Five)
Tiger shifter Aeryn’s culinary school dream comes true when she accepts a job at the vampire coven’s new restaurant. Her family is worried about her being around so many vampires because her shifter blood is a powerful allure to them, but she’s been promised by the master of the coven that she’ll be safe, and she trusts she will be.
Merrix has only been a vampire for five years, but he loves everything about it—immortality, strength, speed, and an allure to humans that makes him irresistible. Working for the coven’s construction company keeps his nights busy, but his days are lonely, and he hopes he meets his truemate soon. When he goes to the new vampire restaurant with his boss for a performance review, an accident in the kitchen brings the most captivating scent to him, and he rescues the beautiful Aeryn from a newbie vampire.
Working for the restaurant and being seen with Merrix makes Aeryn a target for the coven’s enemies—the First Church of Humanity. When she’s taken, can Merrix get to her in time before the dangerous anti-vampire group makes an example of her, or will their new relationship be ended far too soon?
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