Rory’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #2)(6)
Author: J.S. Scott

Rory gaped at Brianna as she finished. His sweet, adorable Callie. How could she think that nobody wanted her? He had wanted to be around her even before he had found out she was his mate. It wasn’t that he doubted what Brianna said was true. Brianna had been a social worker before she had mated with Ethan. She knew about these things. She had also been friends with Callie since childhood.

His heart ached for her. He knew what it was like to want to be special. It was hard knowing that his mate had suffered so much, had her confidence eroded by years of rejection.

"You need to be careful, Rory. She’s vulnerable. She may not act like it. She’s become a master at hiding her emotions," Brianna warned him with a frown. "I know your mating instincts are strong but you are going to have to go slow. She’s not going to believe you at first."

Rory nodded his head, "I know."

"But you need to convince her, Rory. I can’t see her go through what I did. I love her. She’s like the sister I never had," Brianna voice choked with tears. Ethan reached for Brianna’s hand, comforting her silently.

"You don’t have to worry about him pushing things too far. It won’t happen unless she calls him to her." Nathan’s baritone cut through the silence, powerful and filled with a slight bit of amusement.

"What are you talking about?" Rory demanded, irritated at his brother’s amusement.

"He means you can touch her as long as she is enjoying it, but you can’t have intercourse unless she calls you to her." Liam answered, talking in a clinical voice.

"It’s true. The woman has the ultimate choice. She has to ask you to come. Literally." Ethan choked back a laugh as he answered. Brianna smacked Ethan on the arm with a frown. She obviously hadn’t appreciated his joke.

"But we almost did. I almost did." Ethan answered, confused.

"If you had come close enough to initiating it…" Nathan held his index finger straight up and let it droop down with an evil smile.

Damn. He had been clueless to that mating fact.

Ethan took pity on him. Probably because he had been through it himself.

"Before the act can be completed, she has to call you to her. She will call with her subconscious mind while she is asleep." Ethan grinned wickedly. "In the meantime…you’ll think you’re in hell. You won’t want any other men around her, talking to her, touching her."

Okay…maybe Ethan wasn’t that sympathetic. Rory cursed himself for the way he had pulled Ethan’s chain with Brianna when Ethan had been ruled by mating instincts.

"What should I do now." Rory was talking to himself but spoke out loud.

Brianna put a hand on his shoulder and suggested softly. "Go home, Rory. I’ll talk to her. Just don’t push too hard."

He got up from the couch and pulled his keys from his pocket. His body burned and his c**k was still hard. Every instinct he had was commanding him to go to Callie, but he didn’t. He wanted more than to f**k her. He wanted her as a real mate.

He left without a word. He swung into the seat of his SUV with only one subject on his mind.

Driving home was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

Chapter 4

He sent flowers until she could open her own shop. He called her on her cell phone. He called her with his mind, speaking to her although she never answered.

Thank God he hadn’t come to her door. She might have let him in. He was hard enough to resist when she couldn’t see him. She wasn’t sure she could ignore him if he was standing in front of her.

Callie stirred the soup she was making on the stove and let it continue to simmer. She had been cooking for days. She cooked after work, on her days off and any time she was feeling confused. That was was pretty much continuously, unless she was sleeping. She had every tupperware container she owned full of food. Her freezer was full, but her mind was still in turmoil.

She could clean…but she had already done that too. Her small one bedroom apartment was so immaculate that she didn’t think she could find a speck of dust.

God…she was a mess.

She flopped onto her couch and picked up a novel she had been anxious to read before the scene with Rory. Now she couldn’t keep her mind focused on it.

It had been two weeks since the incident with Rory had happened at the barbecue. The only person she had seen outside of work was Bri. She had been over to talk to Callie a few times. She still couldn’t believe the fantastic stories Bri told her about the brothers and their origins.

Vampires? Really? Bri had been so matter-of-fact and she had hated to doubt her words. They had been best friends since they were in grade school. It all seemed too unbelievable. She had seen Bri’s marking and nearly caved in. It was so similar to the one on her left buttock. Callie was born with the marking as far as she knew. She had gotten her name because of the mark that had covered her entire butt cheek when she was a baby.

Callista Marks. She wasn’t sure what fanciful person suggested that name, but it fit. The marking was beautiful.

Could she really believe that she held Rory’s soul? That she had been the guardian of his soul since her birth.

The whole story was inconceivable and incredible. Yet, it was not.

She didn’t have any rationalization for what was happening. The matching marks, the mind speak. How could she explain it?

Damn it. She dealt in facts. However, so much of what Brianna told her did make sense. Bri explained her mysterious leukemia. The doctors certainly couldn’t explain Bri’s quick turn around. Callie wanted to believe Bri’s version. That would mean her best friend would never have to fear the disease returning.

Callie shuddered. If the fantastic explanation was true it meant that Callie would suffer the same fate soon. She was a year and a half younger than Bri, but it wouldn’t be long.

She closed the book and put it on the side table next to the couch. She couldn’t read. Her mind wouldn’t focus.

She laid on the couch. Waiting. The sun was setting and Rory would start talking soon. He never gave up. He spoke to her like she was there. He told her about his life, about the vampire culture. Whatever was on his mind…he shared with her. She never answered, but she heard him. The only time he closed his mind was when he was doing his work with The Coalition. He didn’t want her tainted by the violence.

Just the sound of his voice in her mind made her long for him. She could feel his desire. His longing. She had already wanted him, but now she needed him with a yearning that almost tore her apart.

Tears flowed down her cheeks. She had never had anyone who saw her as special except for Bri. She realized Rory always had. She had thought because he hadn’t felt physical desire for her that she was undesirable when the truth was that he just wasn’t capable. Every other action had showed her that he liked her. Truly liked her as a person.