Blooded Mate

Chapter 23 - Forgotten Family

"Let me take a look at your side," Ethan said.

Jan did not move away or nearer to him. Those molten-silver eyes just watched him. So Ethan drew his chair closer to the bed and reached forward towards the pale torso. Ethan lifted the red-stained gauze, holding his breath as if the dressing was attached to his own skin.

Faint ridges outlining the vampire's abs clenched, but besides that, there was no other reaction.

Ethan's jaw dropped, eyebrows rising. Last night the jagged bite on Jan's waist had been deep enough that he could have slid in a quarter without pushing. Now, it was knitted over with soft scabs showing where the gashes had been. If Ethan had not seen it himself, he would have assumed the fresh pink skin was days old at least.

"Looking good," he murmured, admiring the vampire's remarkable physiology.

Using two fingers, he pressed the area around the fading marks, and Jan flinched. Ethan froze, lifting his eyes to observe the vampire's expression. Jan's gaze met his, but his face was blank as usual. It might as well have been carved from stone.

Ethan's focus went back to the injured torso. He removed the dressing from Jan's side as well as the one on the shoulder. Then he settled back in his chair, thinking.

The marks are obviously from a wolf bite, but which wolf?

For a while, he racked his mind, trying to piece together the events of the night before. Deep in thought, fatigue weighed down his body and shut his eyelids. He did not realize that he had dozed off until a tug on his arm woke him up.

Jan was getting up though he still held on to Ethan's wrist. If the vampire was able to move, then the sun must have set.

Ethan blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He had not realized he had been that tired.

Jan rose out of bed, grabbing his shirt, and Ethan stood with him. He watched the vampire for signs of stress. Jan did not keel over, but he wavered, seeming unsteady on his feet. Ethan looped his arm around the pale narrow waist, and the blond let go of his wrist to hold on to his shoulders for support.

The move positioned them in an unintended embrace. Jan's head dropped on his shoulder, and Ethan tightened his arm around him, offering stability. The vampire inched closer, nuzzling his collarbone and neck.

Ethan's breath caught. Is he going to bite me?

The image of Jan's teeth in his flesh prompted another sense of deja vu, but he shook it off. Vampires hate wolf blood.

But when the blond nudged his neck with his nose and took in a deep breath, Ethan could not help second-guessing himself.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Jan stiffened and then stepped back, letting him go. His face was unreadable.

Ethan took it as a sign that he was ready to go out. He secured the towel around his waist and headed for the door.

There was no movement in the house when they came out of the bedroom. The sun had set, but his home was still shrouded in darkness. Not a single bulb was on. No laptop blasting Damien's favorite anime upstairs, no TV showing the season's game for his adopted father downstairs. The cabin was eerily quiet.

Where is everyone?

"Mom? Zyga?" he yelled.

"Ethan!"

What's she doing outside at this time?

Curiosity sped up his feet to the front door, and Jan followed. The vampire made no sound as he walked, like a ghost in the night.

He stepped out onto the porch and paused. It was the most bizarre scene he had ever witnessed.

Zyga stood a few paces from the door in only a pair of jeans. Jeb was next to him, his bulky frame squashed into one of Zyga's workout shorts. It was so tight that one misstep would rip them in half.

Rook was further back, and she had her arms around his mom, restraining her. They both wore the plaid shirts Zyga kept in his car for after his runs.

The only ones fully dressed were Cody, Damien, Mrs. Bane, and Dr. Kim, who stood some ways off to the side of the house. But the two women both had dark stains on their clothes. The doctor shifted on her feet while Damien's mom glanced around as if she wanted to be anywhere but here.

Ethan's mom fidgeted, struggling to break out of Rook's grasp while fear lined her face. But Zyga and Jeb were as still as a statue, their eyes, a predator's amber focused on the man behind Ethan, waiting and watching for the slightest movement.

Shit!

To say the situation on the porch was tense was an understatement. Even the wind seemed to hold still in fright.

Zyga nodded towards the treeline.

Two men split from the trees; one was stocky and sporting a buzz cut, the other more diminutive in size with a slight spring in his step.

Jan shifted, brushing Ethan's back, and the eyes on the porch glowed. Jeb's lips peeled back to form a snarl, his sharp canines visible in the dim moonlight. With the calm mask gone, the deadly vanguard who had been former Alpha Reyn's second beta emerged.

Ethan gulped. Think Reyn. You need to diffuse the situation, or else they'll tear him to shreds.

He moved so that his body blocked Jan's from the two warriors. He could not hide the vampire from them, but this way, it focused their sights on him.

"Do you know them?" he whispered over his shoulder.

"My family."

The two stopped halfway to the house, watching the people on the porch.

Cody's eyes grew wide, and Damien gasped. Mrs. Bane clutched them closer to her. His mother started to scramble harder, and now Rook was grunting with the effort of holding her back. "Ethan!"

Shit. This is getting worse.

He took a deep breath. "Mom, it's ok. I'm fine. We're all fine. See?"

Luna, help me. If she doesn't relax, she'll trigger the others to attack.

Maybe the goddess was listening to him tonight because no sooner had he finished the prayer did his mom simmer down. He cracked a smile.

"Don't worry. I'm ok," he reassured her. "This is Jan. He's my friend. He just needed a place to crash last night. That's all."

He waited for their response. Silence.

"Jan," he said over his shoulder, not daring to expose the vampire. "Meet my mom. And this is Zyga and Jeb. They're like a father and uncle to me."

Silence. The whisper of the breeze was like a loud howl on their porch.

Ethan leaned sideways, intending to walk over to continue the introductions. But Jeb's eyes narrowed at Jan, so he stayed in his spot.

"Son, we've spent the night and day in the open, and the kids need to eat. How about you let your... friend step out so your mother and the rest can go in. He should hang around. We'll need to talk."

Zyga's low rumble brooked no arguments.

A/N

Hi lovelies, thanks for reading.If you loved it don't forget to vote, comment and add to your library.

I feel like I want to be Cody in this chapter just so I can tell Ethan: "Oooh, you're in big trouble."

I would love to here your feedback on the story in general and this chapter in particular.

What did you like?

And what didn't you like?

What did you think about the characters?

Next chapter is already being edited. I will post it in a couple of days.

Ciao!