Southern Shifters: Finding Luke (Kindle Worlds Novella) (8 page)

L
uke
and I drive north for most of the night. Once we hit the road, both of us felt a strong pull toward where he lives in Maine, and we needed to get as much distance covered as possible. When we end up at a posh hotel and Luke whips out a shiny credit card, I begin to understand his cryptic messages about his financial status. My mate is rich with a capital R.

I sink down on the fluffy white duvet cover of the hotel bed, and the softness makes me think of a cloud. “Wow. You must have been a good lawyer.”

The bed sinks as Luke crawls up next to me. “I’m not a lawyer yet. I still have a year of college to finish before I even go to law school.”

I lift up on my elbow to gaze down at him. He’s wearing a ball cap, and I lift it off his head. He still needs to shave off the matted mess of hair attached. I inspect his eyes and notice that he only has a hint of wrinkling in the corners. A flicker of panic passes through me, and I ask, “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“What?” I scramble off the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I don’t wait for an answer as I being to pace. “Unbelievable, Luke. First I don’t know you’re a werebear, and now I find out I’m thirteen years older than you?”

Luke is sitting now and rubs his head as he grins. “You’re a cougar, right?”

“Oh my god.” I glare at him when he starts to laugh. “It’s not funny!” I grab a throw pillow from the chair and smack him with it.

“Of course it is.” Luke grabs me by the waist and pulls me into his lap. “C’mon, baby, you should be thrilled that we’re both in our sexual prime.” He nips at my neck as my body floods with desire in response.

“How could you not care? You realize I’m going to be old and wrinkly well before you are.”

“And I’ll still love you as much as I do now.” He lets out a low growl as he hooks a finger in my shirt to look down at my breasts. “Probably more.”

I push his hand away. “What are your parents going to think?”

“They’re going to accept and love you for what you are, Xena.” He shakes his head. “Trust me, they’ll be thrilled with you.”

Luke hasn’t shared much about his past, and I think he’s about to open up. I say, “I guess I’m not like your last girlfriend.”

“You’re right. But none of that matters. What matters is you need to know I’m not as wonderful as you think.”

I get up off his lap and move to sit in the chair across from the bed. I recall how he said he stays away from drinking, and I wonder if he’s done awful things because of alcohol. I can’t imagine Luke being evil, but I find I’m holding my breath, so I let it out and say, “You can tell me anything. I’m in this for life.”

Luke scratches at his scalp. “I used to long for power, and I’ve done things I’m not proud of in pursuit of it.” He sighs. “I feel as if that was so long ago, Xena. Ever since I met you, none of my past even matters.”

I think about how before I met Luke. I felt unsettled, as if I didn’t belong where I’d been happy for most of my life. Now I think it’s because I was supposed to leave my past behind for a new life. “I feel the same way, Luke. It’s as if the day we met, my life really began.”

“I hope you’re ready for a little crazy. Not only do I come from money, but my mother is the alpha of my clan, and my half-human sister is the heir.”

“Really?”

“Really, and the human element is a problem, because we’ve just discovered there’s a band of human hunters that wants to eradicate us.”

I know Luke is telling me something he thinks I should fear, but I’m not afraid of the new world that awaits me. Not if I have him by my side. “So you have hybrids in your clan. Is it just humans or more?”

“Just humans.” He leans forward to reach for my hands. “And now
cougars
.”

He winks at me, and I scowl. “I’m not going to enjoy the age jokes.”

Luke gets on his knees to place himself between my legs and slides his hands up my jean-clad thighs to stop at my waistband. “You’re like a fine wine, baby.”

My button pops as he yanks at it. He slides a hand into my pants, and I recall how I did this to him the first time we were together. Luke’s fingers enter me, and I let out a small noise before he removes his hand again.

He leans down to my crotch and inhales deeply before he says, “Better with age.”

S
unlight
from the moon roof in his car glistens off Luke’s freshly shaven head. He went with completely bald, saying it makes him look older. I just think it’s sexy. I glance ahead at the mansion that was revealed when we turned the corner and suppress my urge to gasp. Luke’s family home is huge. Bits of snow are on the lawn, left over from winter, and the window hums as I unroll it to breathe in more fresh air. Something about the oxygen in this part of the country soothes me, and when I inhale, I feel as if I’m finally getting enough of whatever it is I need to breathe.

Luke’s warm fingers grasp mine. “Please don’t be nervous. My mother will be formal but nice. My father will be charming.”

When I was in the shower this morning, Luke called to tell his parents we were on our way. But I don’t know what else was said. I ask, “Do they know what I am yet?”

“They know you’re my mate. In our family, that’s enough.”

I’m not so sure. While it sounds as if the Robichaux clan is okay with human hybrids, I have to wonder if that’s because humans are one-dimensional. A shifter of a different breed may be a little tougher for them to handle. I flash to the scowls of Zander’s crowd, and the scent of smoke comes to mind as my stomach churns with nerves. Luke slows to a stop.

As we step out of the car, a girl opens the front door and barrels down the steps to throw herself in Luke’s arms. “Luke!”

He lifts her up and swings her around before he sets her back on her feet.

She rubs his head. “Nice ‘do.”

He steps away from her, and their attention falls on me. He steps beside me to put his arm around my shoulders and says, “Lucy, this is my mate, Xena.” I gaze at a girl with Luke’s coloring and intense blue eyes as he continues to speak. “Xena, this is my twin sister.”

I extend my hand to her. “It’s nice to meet you, Lucy.”

“You too, Xena. Cool name.” She frowns as her nostrils twitch. She tilts her head and glances at Luke. “What is she?”

He winks at me as he answers. “Cougar.”

She smiles at me as if what I am isn’t anything that concerns her in a negative way. “Oh boy, this should be interesting. I can’t wait to hear how you two met.”

Luke reaches behind me and squeezes my bottom. “Fate presented me with my mate, and I grabbed her before she could get away.”

I recall how I bent over to offer myself up to Luke, and I pinch his firm butt back as I say, “He couldn’t have lost me if he tried. I’m here, after all.”

Lucy asks, “Isn’t the mate attraction awesome? Come on in and meet the rest of your new family.”

New family.
I glance around before we enter the spectacular home. I notice that my cat is purring with contentment, and I’m finally comfortable in my surroundings, even though they are foreign. I think fate has a plan for me.

When we step into the large entryway, Luke leans in close and whispers, “It feels great to be here with you. This is where you belong. Where
we
belong. I love you, Xena.”

I look up at my mate and melt in his heated gaze. “I think you’re right. I love you too, Luke.” I glance at the two people approaching us, who appear to be his parents. Their smiles are warm, and I say to Luke, “I believe we’re home.”

D
on’t miss
an installment from V. Vaughn. Sign up for her
newsletter
.

Read more about Luke’s home in:

M
ORE SOUTHERN SHIFTERS
!

There’s no pause button in life? Ha! She’s just the fabulously fluffy werefeline to create one.

H
annah Buchanan is
the oldest daughter to the Buchanan werelion clan leader, twin to Katie Buchanan, and… and blah, blah, blah. Hannah is a lot of things, but she refuses to be defined by her family and their connections. She’s more than an honorable, fertile womb destined for a political mating.

S
o she’s pressing
the paws button and retreating to Deals Gap, North Carolina. Her adopted werebunny sister calls the small town home and it’s the perfect place for Hannah to hide. Then she meets the gaze of one green-eyed, black-haired, sexy as all get out werelion-wolf hybrid. He calls to her lioness like no one before. And, well, he should since… he’s her true mate!

T
oo bad for Hannah
, her contracted mate followed her to Deals Gap and is determined to have her—even if it means murdering her true mate first. Will her mixed-breed mate be able to take down a pureblood werelion? Or will Hannah end up in a political mating after all?

V
. Vaughn lives
in New Hampshire and spends winter weekends in the woods of Maine. She might have seen a bear, or two….

• V.VaughnAuthor?ref=br_rs