Ethan’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #1)
Author: J.S. Scott

Prologue

Being a vampire was a lonely existence. Ethan Hale had walked the earth for the last five hundred years, surviving by stealth and by hiding his true nature, knowing that humans were not yet ready to accept and welcome the existence of vampires. The world had changed over the centuries. But not enough…

There were others of his kind, but vampires were solitary creatures, trusting no one, walking alone. While they might socialize occasionally, and his kind could call upon another of their brethren for help, they never stayed very long in the company of others. He had three brothers that he would give his own life for, however, in the end, they all dwelt alone.

The only hope of relief from his lonely existence was to find his soul-bonded mate. That life changing event had never occurred for Ethan and he had wandered for centuries without a soul.

Ethan and his three brothers fought the good fight, and popular vampire myths were often a topic of jokes among his brethren. Vampires were not “made,” they were born. Living, breathing, flesh and blood with extraordinary powers and, yes, a need for blood to survive. The only thing that they lacked was a soul. Their soul-bonded mate held that tightly inside of her own, keeping it safe and protecting it until the day that it would be transferred to her vampire in a mating ceremony as ancient as the vampire species.

Vampires were not the monsters of lore, however, there were times when self-policing was necessary, which meant that Ethan, his three brothers and several others of his brethren had to unite to defeat a fallen that had given in to bloodlust. Killing aimlessly was against the code of the vampire. If one of his kind became too frenzied while feeding, and killed, the lust for a blood kill would become permanent, making them beyond redemption. They would become a fallen, and immediate extermination of fallen vampires was the only hope of survival for his kind. Human detection would mean the destruction of his entire species. Although the vampires might laugh at the incorrect lore and the misunderstanding of true vampires, humans would see them as evil abominations that needed to be hunted and extinguished.

Vampires did not kill indiscriminately. They took blood when they needed it and left the human donor with no memory of the incident.

And their one true mate? That was no myth, that was real, but finding one’s mate could not be rushed, as Ethan and his brothers had discovered over the last several hundred years of waiting. All vampires were born male, their female counterpart a human with a genetic difference. The human female mate was born with her soul combined with that of her vampire mate, a genetic mutation that meant that she had to call her mate to her, before he lost his life force. Female mates did not live beyond their thirtieth year unless they became bonded with their vampire.

Ethan was among the oldest of his kind who had yet to find his mate. Had she already passed, failing to call him to her? Had he not heard her call? It had been so long for him that he had stopped waiting. A vampire lost his ability and desire to have sex after the age of one hundred and it had been over four hundred years for Ethan. He had stopped believing that she awaited him or that she was yet to be born. He had accepted it, but it didn’t stop the yearning and loneliness that were now a part of his existence.

His brothers, who were also unmated, had similar thoughts – it was those thoughts had driven them all to work for The Vampire Coalition. They were all past the age for mating and had to accept that, for them, a mate was no longer a possibility. Perhaps he and his brothers would not have mates, but they could preserve their species for those that could. Mated vampires were happy, contented, living a life that was complete and filled with joy. Ethan and his brothers wanted their breed to continue its existence on this earth. It was what they lived for, their cause, a ray of light and hope for ones who lived in darkness. If they had nothing else to live for, they could remain in that ray of light by preserving the future for others of their kind. If they didn’t have The Coalition and their goals, they knew it was possible to become the hunted instead of the hunter.

Chapter 1

Come to me. I need you.

Ethan Hale sat up in bed, his heart pumping, sweat dripping from his body so profusely that it saturated his bedding. He was panting as if he had just battled a dozen fallen.

I’m dying. My life force is draining away. Come to me.

The voice was weak and soft in his mind, a faint whisper with a female softness that sent a shiver down his spine. He recognized the voice of his mate from pure instinct, a certainty that had nothing to do with logic.

Another seeks me, but he is not you. Please come to me… before it is too late.

“Who seeks you? And why? Help me find you.” He spoke aloud, although it was not necessary. He sought her in his mind, trying to reach her through the weak psychic connection. Something was…wrong. She sounded distant, depleted. It was still day…long before the sun would set and the connection was fragile.

Ethan tried to rise, but it wasn’t possible. Nothing could pull him from his day sleep except his mate, but he couldn’t function before twilight. He fought and struggled, frustration and anger driving him. He couldn’t rise. Damn it! He couldn’t rise! His body refused to cooperate and his mind was sluggish.

Nothing drove a vampire like the need of his mate. It was feral. Animalistic. Instinct. The need to protect his woman, to shelter her from all harm ripped through his useless body. Her pain and her need became his, and there was nothing worse than not being able to protect his mate. The instinct was there already and they had not even bonded.

I don’t know who seeks and stalks me, but it is not you. I feel the evil. I’m growing weak. You must come to me.

Ethan’s heart nearly exploded from his chest while he fought the seductive call of his day sleep. “Tell me how? Please.” His voice was desperate now as he clenched the wet sheets, trying to feel her essence. It was so elusive, barely there, but he had to reach it.

Please find me…

Her voice floated away lightly, fading to… nothingness. The connection was completely severed.

Ethan felt himself being dragged back into his day sleep. He resisted, tearing at the sheets, pounding the bed. But the day sleep was relentless, pulling him into a dark abyss.

“Nooooo!!” His cry was an anguished howl as the darkness consumed him.

*****

Brianna Cole woke with a frightened cry. Her eyes popped open and she had an immediate awareness of her surroundings. I’m home. In my own bed. Her heart pounding and her breath shallow, she sat up and looked around her bedroom.

“Nothing here,” she whispered to herself as she shivered and rubbed her arms to warm herself despite the warmth of her bedroom.