Liam’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #4)(2)
Author: J.S. Scott

“You’re a healer. You expend a lot of energy and you need to feed every day. Human food won’t cut it,” she informed him, probably for the millionth time in the last eight months.

“Tomorrow,” he promised.

“You always say that.”

“I always do it,” he reminded her, grumbling the reply. Was there anything he wouldn’t do for Regan?

Liam hated feeding, but he always did it once he promised Regan that he would. Otherwise, he avoided it as long as possible, disliking the fact that he had to find human donors and take their blood without consent. He knew he had to do it to continue to thrive and serve his people, but he received no pleasure from the act. It was simply a necessity.

Regan always sounded like a concerned mate, worrying about him like he really meant something to her…and Liam ate it up. Had any woman ever cared about him in that way? Probably not. He had lost count of how many women he had screwed in his early days, but none of them had ever given a shit about him. They had wanted sexual satisfaction from an able male, and he had given it to them.

He released a tired breath as he finished off the last fried dumpling and dropped the empty container on the table. How did he ever get lucky enough to find a friend like Regan? Hell yes, she fussed sometimes. But he actually enjoyed it. He found himself wanting to humor her, make her happy. She didn’t exactly have it easy herself as a mage healer, and he was obsessed with keeping her happy, keeping her safe.

“You’re the most frustrating vampire I know,” she mumbled as she crossed her arms.

He quirked a brow at her and tried not to laugh. “And exactly how many vampires are you personally acquainted with?” Since mage and vampire didn’t mix, Liam was willing to bet that the only ones she knew were his brothers.

She shot him an irritated don’t-go-there look and huffed, “You’re frustrating, Liam Hale.”

“You’re beautiful.” It popped out of Liam’s mouth without a thought and he said it with complete honesty. She was beautiful, and he wasn’t referring to just her gorgeous baby blues and silky blonde hair that brushed her shoulders in cute, fat curls. He loved those twisted locks. They made him want to reach out and straighten them to see if they would bounce right back into place.

Regan radiated a quiet strength and compassion that drew him to her with an intensity that he couldn’t seem to fight…and didn’t want to fight. While he had always had his brothers for companions, he had still been incredibly lonely before he had met Regan. He loved his brothers and would give his life for any one of them, but there were certain things that he couldn’t talk to them about, forcing him to keep them at a distance.

Maybe his brothers had never felt the distance – but Liam felt it, especially with his twin, Rory.

All of his brothers were now mated and although Liam was happy for them, it had made the loneliness that much more acute. Until he had met Regan. She eased the ache, made the loneliness fade while she was near him. A mage healer, Regan understood him, sometimes better than he understood himself.

“Don’t think that compliments will get you out of feeding.” Regan still had her arms crossed and now her eyebrows were raised as she glared at him, but Liam could see the underlying amusement in her expression.

“Do they ever?” he quipped, his tone wry, as he shot her a questioning gaze.

“Nope,” she tossed back at him. “I’m completely immune to your charm.”

Damn. Something inside of Liam flinched as he wondered why that comment scored a hit. For some perverse reason he really didn’t want her to be immune to him, but he certainly couldn’t seduce her. His mind was more than willing…but his body wasn’t capable. “I’ll feed tomorrow, Regan. I’ve never broken a promise to you.”

Her face softened and she smiled a smile that lit up Liam’s whole world and nearly knocked him on his ass. “I know you haven’t and I know you wouldn’t,” she murmured softly.

Liam felt a pang in his chest and barely stopped himself from rubbing it. There were moments when Regan could make him feel like the most powerful creature on earth just because of her trust and faith in him. God help him, but he never wanted to lose that.

“My council has chosen a mate for me.” Regan said quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself.

“Oh, Christ! Again?” Shit! Liam noted to himself that he’d have to take care of that problem for longer than a few months this time. This was the third mate they had chosen for Regan in the last eight months. He was so f**king tired of the mage council trying to sell Regan off to the highest bidder with the best bloodline, as if she was a damned prize cow. “I’ll take care of it, Regan.”

“No, Liam. You’ve always refused to tell me how you got me out of the other matches, but I can make a good guess. You can’t keep doing this. This man doesn’t sound so bad,” she said hesitantly.

“Over my dead body,” Liam growled.

Regan started twirling a lock of her hair, something that Liam knew she only did when she was nervous. “I have to mate eventually. “

“No…you don’t. Not until you find the right one. You don’t love him.”

“Love isn’t part of our mating process,” she answered quietly.

“It will be for you. You deserve to be loved and cherished.” Liam tried to get a grip on his irritation. Love wasn’t a part of the mage mating process. It wasn’t really part of a vampire mating either, but all of his brothers had gotten lucky and he didn’t want to see anything less for Regan. He’d buy off a thousand potential mage mates for Regan before he saw her mated to some jerk who didn’t appreciate her. The mage might value blue blood, but the snobby ass**les were severely lacking in funds. Luckily, money was something Liam had in an almost unlimited supply. He wouldn’t miss a million…or three, and wouldn’t hesitate to part with the money again to save Regan the heartache of mating with a male who would make her life miserable.

Personally, Liam thought the mages needed a serious infusion of new blood. Their gene pool was obviously screwed up from too much inbreeding. Well…with a few exceptions. Sasha was great…and Regan was damn near perfect. If he could have chosen the perfect mate for himself….

Don’t go there, buddy. It isn’t happening!

Liam jerked himself back to reality as he listened to Regan speak. “Fine. I’ll get to know him first this time. He’s closer to my age and maybe I’ll fall madly in love, but I don’t want you to interfere. I’ll handle it. You can’t fight my battles for me, Liam.” Regan was up on her knees now and glaring down at Liam, who still had his ass flat on the floor. Liam tried not to let his amusement show on his face. It wasn’t like she had gained much height on him, even in her elevated position. She was a compact spitfire, but then, her strength and power had nothing to do with her size.