Her Brother, Her Mate

Simone POV

“So everything is okay?” I ask Alpha Jared. He came up to drop Rosie off with me after visiting Carli in the hospital.

“Not okay, but Parker is with her. I’ll be sticking around more to help fill in for him while she gets better. She’ll be home in a few days, but the doctors want her to rest for now.”

I nod, knowing why. I think Parker is trying to keep Carli’s pregnancy a secret for now until she is safely past her first trimester. Alpha Jared most likely doesn’t know about the pregnancy because that would mean Mary would find out, and Mary might start more crap with my girl, Carli.

Vincent comes up from behind me, probably sensing my sudden dip in emotions, rubbing his hand across my waist. His touch soothes some of the worries in me before he turns towards Alpha Jared and smiles teasingly at the baby girl in Alpha Jared’s arms who is now struggling to get to him. Vincent laughs, reaching for her outstretched hands and plucking her from Alpha Jared’s arms.

“My little princess,” he coos. “I hear your birthday is this Saturday. I think a rose gold tiara with crystal butterf-”

“She’s turning one, Vin. Don’t go overboard,” I furrow my eyebrows at his absurd gift idea.

“She’s just jealous she doesn’t get a rose gold tiara with crystal butterflies,” Vincent nuzzles into Rosie’s curls as she holds tight to his face, giggling like the little flirt she is. I laugh softly and roll my eyes at him. Vincent goes to walk back into his office with the baby when Jared calls out to him.

“Thanks for recommending me to Amanda, Vincent. She has been a great help to me and my mate,” Alpha Jared calls out warmly, a polite smile on his face. To think there would be a day Alpha Jared would smile at a vampire.

Vincent removes Rosie’s hand hooked into his mouth as she was trying to pull his face closer to hers and Vin smiles back at him, “I’m glad to hear that. Dr. Phillips helped me after my parent’s death. She is friends with Vivian Meyers and her spouse. They originally recommended her to me.”

Alpha Jared tilts his head in condolence, “I’m sorry to hear about your parents.”

Vincent waves off his concern, “They made bad choices. Their time had come. I was the one who asked Carli and Parker to handle them since p*******e was not something I could stomach.”

“Carli and Parker?” Alpha Jared studies Vincent with confusion, “Are you the young vampire who had the feral aunt that targeted my daughter-in-law?”

Vincent nods confidently, but I can sense his hesitation in the bond. Luna Mary was drugged by his parents in that occurrence.

Jared surprises us once again and grins softly at Vincent, “If you hadn’t helped them, I likely never would have had my granddaughter, Vincent. For that, thank you for your sacrifice. No one should be put in the situation you were in, and I’m grateful you chose the path that lead to my daughter-in-law being prepared for what happened.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Vincent sputters in stunned silence for a minute, “Thank you, uh-”

“Jared, son. Call me Jared,” he smiles warmly again, then waves to Rosie, “I should get downstairs. Mary will be here soon to help plan Rosie’s birthday party. I hope to see you both at lunch,” he tells us before walking out of the apartment.

“That was….progressive,” Vincent drawled softly, staring past me at the now-closed front door.

“There’s hope,” I smile softly. Maybe if she can have a healthy relationship with Jared and Mary, it will help Carli recover. Maybe. Twenty-plus years of damage can’t be fixed that easily, but it’s a start.

“Come, Princess,” Vincent coos to Rosie, “Let’s go buy you some early presents online.”

“Are you going to get any work done with a baby in your lap?” I ask him skeptically.

“Sure we will,” Vincent nuzzles into Rosie’s hair like he’s answering her and not me, “She’s going to help me spend money on Aunt Simone’s replacement dinner dress, as well as new dresses for both of you,” Vincent smirks cockily back at me.

I sigh, smiling and shaking my head, “Check your saved web pages!” I call after him.

“I always do,” he calls back. Oh, the man is the total package. Every single thing about him. I skip back to our room, grinning about the new midi skirt I saved there this morning, and Vincent ripping it off me like he did my dress last night. The total package, I’m telling ya’.

UNKNOWN POV

“Why do you keep peaking out there like a creep,” my brother asks me while pulling the clean clothes I brought him out of the utility bags I brought them in. Carlos is a f*****g creep, not me. How he can be comfortable in a house full of dogs is beyond me. I have a job to do for Aiden, though. I can’t argue with him over this again. Now that Vincent is off the table, Aiden is like a dream come true.

“I’m just seeing how you’re living here,” I smile at him, faking sweetness. I’m trying to use my vampire hearing to pick up every detail that the tramp is discussing with the previous alpha. It was lucky that he showed up right when I did. I may not have to do much digging with my brother if I can just listen close enough.

“Are you keeping up with your appointments at the b***d bank, Suzie?” Carlos asks me. I want to roll my eyes and scoff at him but hold myself back. I missed my appointment a few days ago, the day Aiden approached me. I have another tomorrow and I’ll probably miss that one too. I need to find a witch to hide the magic in my b***d from feeding on Aiden. I’m not telling my brother that.

“Mmhmm,” I nod, not meeting his eyes, peeking back out the door of his bedroom.

“Really? You know they will call your employer if you don’t. And your employer happens to be my employer. I’ll know if you don’t.”

“I am!” I whine at him, “So, how did our employer’s night after his skinny dipping session go?” I pry.

“Hey, stop it. You know we both signed an NDA.”

I roll my eyes, “I was there, and so were you. We’re just discussing work,” I tell him wiggling my eyebrows.

“I’m security, Suze. I can’t discuss what happens behind closed doors.”

“If they do more than that behind closed doors, you deserve a vacation after this,” I mutter, remembering the way Vincent was f*****g that tramp like the b***h she is outback by the pool last night.

“Suzie!” Carlos snaps at me, “I know you’re just a musician at one of his restaurants, but he still won’t appreciate you talking like that about his private life.”

What a boy scout. I hate when he degrades my job like that. I used to be part of the musicians in Lady Delilah’s courts until I got caught feeding on underage fairy boys. They were all over 16, but it was still a crime. Carlos had to beg for this job for me at his employer’s steakhouse. I’m treated like a con for sucking the wrists of boys just 3 years younger than me. It shouldn’t even be a crime if we don’t drain them.

Ever since I got this job and had to move in with Carlos, I’ve been on a short leash. Carlos being away for the last few weeks for work because of some threat to Vincent was the best thing that happened to me. I don’t even remember what he said the threat was. I’m grateful for it in a small way. I never could have brought Aiden back home with me if Carlos was there.

“I got it. Geez,” I whine at him, changing the subject. “So, why is that old alpha wolf out there? Is-”

“I don’t know,” Carlos cuts me off, exasperated. “Hey, did you not pack my gym shorts? The blue ones with the gray stripes?”

A*****e. I shake my head, rolling my eyes when he looks away exasperated, tucking his clean clothes into the dresser. He takes the now empty bag and retreats to the bathroom to fill it with his dirty clothes, expecting me to wash them for him and bring them back. I don’t pay him rent, instead, I am expected to do housework and s**t like this.

While he’s out of sight, I peak back out the door, just in time to see Vincent walk past with a baby in his arms. Who’s the brat? He must feel my eyes on him because he looks up and his eyes turn to mine momentarily. He offers me a tight, indifferent smile, then retreats into a room across the hall.

Indifferent my a*s. So infuriating. I need my f*****g slurp. One mouthful of Aiden’s b***d just to lift my mood, give me that magic high I live for; what I was forced to go without for much too long. I run through the conversation I heard between Vincent, the old alpha everyone hates, and that b***h Aiden won’t quit asking about. I have the whole conversation committed to memory, ready to repeat. Once I please him, he will satisfy all my needs, just in time for me to head to work.