Ethan’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #1)(4)
Author: J.S. Scott

Ethan’s gaze caught a picture on her nightstand. His mate was in the photo along with her mother, and either a friend or a sister, someone he hadn’t picked up in the memories he had seen. He smiled, noticing she looked vibrant and happy in the image, the three women hugging each other and smiling.

He stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead. He could touch her while she was sleeping without consequence. But the moment they touched consciously…

Ethan flinched. How in the hell could he mate her when she was this fragile? The vampire mating and bonding process was rough. The mating was volatile and he would be engulfed with primitive instincts, completely wild. Once the vows were spoken and marks were joined, there was no turning back.

Damn it…he needed time, and time was something that this woman didn’t have a lot of, judging by her frail appearance. The bond between mates was instinctual but he still wanted to get to know her. She would be frightened at discovering the truth of her existence, and she had to go into the bonding willingly.

Ethan left the bedroom and pulled out his cell phone. He called his brothers to see if they had dug up any information. Although vampires were psychic and could draw each other’s attention through their minds, only mates could actually hold a conversation easily. With anyone else it was easier to just pick up a phone.

Nathan was the only one with any information. He had heard a rumor about some of the fallen who were stalking mates. They were picking the as yet unprotected mates who hadn’t bonded.

Ethan slammed his phone back into his pocket. The bastards! They were preying on the weak. Mates who didn’t know who they were yet! Mates who didn’t know that they guarded the soul of a vampire!

Although drinking from another born vampire was poison to a fallen, taking blood from a mate who had not yet called her vampire to her was powerful. The blood of a vampire’s mate was more potent than a normal human’s and its power would absorb in the fallen’s system, making them stronger. If a fallen got close enough to a vampire’s mate, they could smell her, sense her. Ethan shuddered at how close the son of a bitch had been to his woman.

Just as he was about to head back to the bedroom to look in on his mate, he felt an uneasy twinge that made the hair at the back of his neck stand on end.

“Come on, you bastard, show yourself,” he whispered, his voice full of malice. “I’ll show you your own ass**le.”

The fallen appeared in front of him and it was not a pretty sight. Fallen looked more demon than man with their glowing red eyes and hairless, sunken faces. Fallen could never get enough blood to regain their former appearance.

Ethan didn’t know this fallen from its former life, but it didn’t matter. He would have killed the bastard anyway. Occasionally, he felt a twinge of remorse and sorrow if he had known the former vampire before he had to slay a fallen. Right now, he wanted to tear this one’s head off just for being in close proximity to his mate.

The fallen landed the first blow, raking razor-sharp claws over Ethan’s face. But Ethan struck hard and fast, pulling a knife from a sheath at his waist as he struck the grotesque figure in the chest, sending it flying across the room.

He might not have time to conjure all of his fighting equipment… but he could improvise.

The figure bounced back, striking at Ethan’s chest with its claws, but Ethan rotated away with barely a scratch.

The fallen tried to stalk Ethan, who wasn’t in the mood to play. He was a vampire protecting his mate and he didn’t feel like doing anything but destroying the threat. He struck hard and fast, landing blow after blow with his knife as he kicked and weakened his foe.

Ethan took a claw to his back as he spun around, trying to take the creature off balance.

Ethan didn’t have a full set of claws, but he had a knife and fury on his side.

The battle raged on as the creature tired and Ethan got his chance. He pinned the fallen into the wall, slamming its left arm over his head as he plunged his knife deep, rupturing the heart of the evil bastard that was stalking his mate.

Rupturing the heart of a fallen was the only way to permanently vanquish it. While killing a vampire required beheading, bleeding dry, or prolonged exposure to the sun, it was necessary to annihilate the heart of a fallen to ensure its demise.

Ethan watched without a twinge of remorse as he muttered sarcastically, “Have a good afterlife, ass**le.” He knew there was no real afterlife for the fallen. They wandered aimlessly, absolutely harmless and constantly tortured, for eternity, in another realm. He hoped the bastard enjoyed it, having no pity for any being that would have torn his woman to shreds.

The fallen dissolved until it was nothing but a pile of ash on the carpet.

Ethan heard a gasp and instinctively whirled to defend himself, still in fight mode. It took him only a few seconds to realize that the exclamation had come from his mate.

She stood at the bedroom door, complete horror evident on her face. He felt her fear and he didn’t like it. She should never be afraid of him.

Okay… maybe she had a slight reason to be afraid. His eyes were still wild from battle, his clothing covered in blood…and the living room looked like a war zone.

He shrugged. It was pretty much a normal situation for him, but it was obviously making his mate hyperventilate.

Ethan quickly flipped his hand and the living room righted itself in seconds. With another sweep he changed his clothing and cleaned the blood from his body, new clothing appearing in moments. He couldn’t immediately heal his scratches, but they would disappear soon enough.

Okay….everything good now? Ethan reached for his mate with his mind… but she didn’t answer. She just continued to stare at him with an appalled look on her face.

Damn. Didn’t work! Ethan thought she would feel better if he cleaned up, but it just seemed to freak her out more. Oh hell… he didn’t know how to act around a woman anymore. Or a human who didn’t know his nature! It had been four hundred years for Christ’s sake! He guessed that perhaps he should hide a few of his abilities until she calmed down.

He started toward her, asking gruffly, “Are you all right?”

You just did your personal grooming in seconds with your magic. The woman is human. She’s probably not exactly okay with that.

Ethan cursed himself as he tried to think of a way to approach her without scaring her. Magic was as normal as breathing in his world. It was difficult for him to remember that she was human and not used to anything that couldn’t be explained by logic.