Blooded Mate

Chapter 75- Battery Pack

Jan stared outside at the crawling traffic they had been caught in for the last thirty minutes. The downtown streets were teeming with people who seemed to be moving faster than the cars. And judging by the heavy smell permeating the SUV's air-filters, majority were Lycans.

Some heads turned towards their vehicle to peer in but most blissfully walked on, wearing the white and ashy-gray paraphernalia or waving striped glow sticks. Behind them, several buildings had Gray Oaks banners, neon signs, and bright lights hailing the Thanksgiving Games and congratulating the contestants.

Huge spotlights waved their arms up in the air around the stadium, and bursts of fireworks exploded here and there, showering them in different colors. But, above it all, Luna had cleared the sky of any shadow of clouds so that her last waning rays would touch her children.

I must be crazy... staying this deep in wolf-town.

"Oh, don't be so sad about it, Jan," Lorr said, reaching across the handrest and patting his hand. "It's not all that bad."

"What?" He turned away from the window to look at his blood-niece, seated next to him in the back, wondering if she had started mind reading.

She smiled softly. "Ethan is a nice person, and I'm glad you've finally found someone to be with. You've been lonely for far too long."

"I'm not lonely."

Lorr rolled her eyes at him. "Girls who fill your belly and warm your bed for the night do not count. You needed someone to bond to ... a mate to ground you and give you life. There's a spark in your eye now that wasn't there before. Your scent has grown richer, much more earthy. And even without touching the ground, I can feel the echoes of Gaia's energy coming from you. You're literally buzzing with it like there's a storm raging within you."

Her eyes grew wide and much more animated as she spoke to him.

Jan scoffed, ready to dispute her statement, but the last part caught his interest. He held his tongue, ruminating on her words.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat as he pondered over how to phrase his next question. "Lorr, has there ever been detailed research into the effects of feeding on a wolf?"

Behind the thick glasses, her brown eyes, much darker than Ethan's, stared back at him. He could almost see the gears in her head turning.

"You suspect the change might be because you fed on Ethan?" she deduced.

Jan did not respond.

She sighed. "Well, there have been some studies, though none formally or recently due to ethical reasons. Few wolves would ever agree to be bitten, and no vampire wants to taste a wolf. As far as I can tell, any research done happened eons ago by very unwilling participants. And they concluded that the smell alone made wolf blood unpalatable to us. In the worst case, it resulted in nausea. But ..."

Jan's breath caught in his throat as he waited for Lorr's following words. But nothing came, and the silence stretched. Instead, her gaze strayed upwards as her mind took flight, disappearing in her own world.

Typical Lorr! Jan ground his teeth to keep himself from grabbing his niece by her shoulders and shaking her to finish the statement.

"But what, Lorr?" he prompted gently.

"Oh," she shook herself. "Well, I don't believe just drinking wolf blood would cause these. You see, Alice and I have been comparing notes. We agree that, for both vampires and Lycans, mates undergo some physical adaptions to complete their bond. For example, changes in pheromones would explain the enhancement in your scent. Alice also documented a remarkable improvement in Ethan's ability to heal himself while in human form."

Jan's eyebrows drew close. He remembered noting the same thing at the distillery. Even without transforming to a wolf, Ethan's worst injuries had scabbed over and knitted when Jan had fed on him.

"Now, we're just tossing theories around here, but we believe you are the cause of that. And Alice thinks this powerful healing ability enabled Ethan's first transformation. His pre-moon symptoms were quite severe, but his body could not complete the change. You triggered something in him that allowed his body to fully break down and reform during his first transformation. Either by your presence alone or something transferred to him through your bite. "

A chill crept down Jan's spine.

He gulped. "Last night, Ethan told me he could feel Gaia's energy when I ... I-I thought it was just me."

Lorr's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened to fill her enormous, round glasses. "Oh, my- Of course! That explains it! Oh, I must tell Alice-"

She whirled in her seat, searching for her bag, excitement written all over her face. Then she grabbed it from the floor where she had tossed it earlier and began rummaging through.

Jan caught her arm just as she yanked her cell out. "Wait a minute. Explains what?"

"Oh, it's obvious, isn't it. Gaia's energy works on the body, which is what makes vampires relatively indestructible. We only get a trickle of it during a feed to rejuvenate our bodies. Still, it never transfers to whoever we're feeding on. The only exception to shared energy is when you bite your mate, which explains why Ethan would feel it. You're literally bolstering his body while he nourishes you. No wonder you're nearly glowing. It's like you've become a battery pack for Ethan. How remarkable!"

Lorr, nearly jumping in her seat now, returned to her phone. "Oh, I must tell Alice ... we have to get you two in a lab and run tests... I'll never get this opportunity again."

Jan let her go, sinking back into his chair. His mind was buzzing with the new information.

Mate ... battery ... shared energy. Ethan really is my mate? I don't have a choice?

He did not even realize when the car stopped at the private underground gate of the stadium. He stared dazedly after her Lorr as she scampered out of the SUV, tripping over her bag and spilling the contents in her haste.

She never glanced back, leaving one of the security team to pick up after her.

Jan wanted to tell her to slow down, but something had seized his voice. He felt numb inside.

A/N

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

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NB: To make up for my delay, I'm posting two chapters today. Please don't be mad at me. Love you all.

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