The Way You Bite(38)

“What? Ambrose knows about this?” Carol’s tone was tight.

“Seems so.”

“Two bloody assholes. Honey, that’s not happening. You hear me? There’s too much risk. I wish Dominic hadn’t agreed to marry you to Ambrose in the first place, although Ambrose has given you a huge measure of freedom, which earns him a few brownie points in my book.”

“I won’t do it. And then there’s… Did Hsu-Li say anything else?”

“He assumed you’d call me. What else is going on?”

Vee massaged her head. “Did my mother speak to you about Dominic not being my father.”

“Ah, so that’s why Aleksander Dimitrov is in the States.”

“What? How did you know he was here and that him here has to do with me?”

“The news of him here is absolutely everywhere. It’s about time the wolves reached out to you.”

Her hand tightened around the phone. “It’s true? I’m a mix?”

“Yes.”

Now it felt real. Drinking Lexan’s blood could’ve been a fluke. But to hear it from her aunt… Oh God, she was in a lot of trouble. “Seriously? What the hell, Carol?”

“I’m so sorry, honey. I’m really sorry. Wish I could give you a hug right now. I love you so much, and this scared me. Well, it still scares me.”

“I’m lucky Ambrose hasn’t tried to bite me. Did you ever think about what might’ve happened? God, if he died…”

“I’ve been worried. I meant to try to tell you before you actually said vows, but then I thought it all seemed to be working out all right. He seemed like the kind of vamp who’d have a taste before the wedding night. Did he…”

“No. He prefers males.”

“What…whoa. Hold on. Ambrose is gay?”

“He’s not really gay. He’s bi, cross species… I think he’s slept with everything and right now has a preference for males. Back to why we didn’t talk about this. Why?”

“I always meant to, but it seemed like the wolf half of you was dormant. So long as it remained such, you were safe. I was afraid if I told you, it might activate itself or something. No one knows much about hybrids, least of all me. Dominic and his zealots are so crazy about executing any wolf mixes or anyone that even sympathizes that I was afraid for you. I’m sorry we’re doing this over the phone.”

“Did you meet him? My father, I mean?”

“Yes.”

She almost dropped the phone. Carol knew her mythical father. “I can’t believe you never told me. This is a lot to take in. You met my real father? The guy everyone thinks killed my mother?”

“Blay. He was an ancient one, and oh my, did that guy have a presence. In a good way, but intimidating. Your mother and he adored each other. Sadly, they were in a tough spot with her married to Dominic.”

“A tough spot? Holy shit, Carol. You helped them, didn’t you? You helped my mom cheat on Dominic with a werewolf? That’s…”

“Yeah, I know. It’s treason. Well, it wasn’t back then. They were so in love. It was beautiful to see them together. Your mom deserved happiness.”

“How long did they have this affair?”

“Years. Decades.”

“Dominic never knew? I can’t believe that. He’s such a control freak.”

“Dominic still doesn’t know you’re not his. I agree it’s mindboggling. You’ve got Blay’s eyes. I thought surely someone in the vamp world would remember him, but it seems everyone is too young or they didn’t look that close. Somehow your mother was able to sell Dominic the lie that her affair only started after you were born, and therefore it lasted only a few months. I suspect she used her mental talents to convince him. Then, to complicate matters, Trace had to have that liaison with Lexan’s wife within the same year. I’m pretty sure Dominic found out about Trace, but considered it tit-for-tat. It certainly didn’t help ingratiate us with the European wolves to have Trace screwing the king’s wife. Ever wondered why Lexan never tried to stop the war over here?”

“I feel like my head’s going to explode over all this. I’m not sure what to do at this point. I can’t go back to the wolves right now. I don’t trust Ambrose. Trace is too entrenched with Dominic and the war.”

“You shouldn’t come up here. Dominic has deep reach now that your sister married the territory leader’s son. Meet me in Atlanta tomorrow. I’ll get you out of the country. Do you need money, or I can book you a flight?”

Her mind whizzed. Dominic would have his computer guru watching his aunt’s purchases. Not a smart plan. She didn’t have funds or her passport. Maybe she could hitchhike. “I’ll try to find my way down there. Thanks. I love you and I’ll phone soon.”

“Love you, too. Honey, watch out. If you can’t make it…if you get caught, you might be safer with them than vampires right now. Text me in eight hours to ensure you’re okay.” She hung up.

Vee stared at the phone not feeling any more optimistic than before she spoke to Carol. Looked like her only viable option was to return to Lexan and take him up on his offer of getting her out of the country. Shower first.

She showered, scrubbing off the smell of wolf with a panic-driven desperation. By the end of the scrubdown, she wasn’t sure how to get to Atlanta. She pulled on her backup scrubs and emerged from the bathroom.