Page 27 of Fated Mates and How to Seduce Them (Fated Mates #4)

After a night of no André, Sunday dawned bright and early.

Ian bundled up in a coat, gloves, and muffler, as the temperatures had dropped sharply over the past day and they were truly in winter now.

He took a taxi to the Castor estate, rendezvousing there with Mrs. Castor and Benedict.

It was easier for him to go there than for them to come by and grab him from the dorm.

Despite it being such an early hour, two SUVs were packed and sitting in the driveway, only waiting on him.

Benedict waved in greeting, already in the driver’s seat of one, Mrs. Castor waiting next to the other.

She had bundled up against the cold too and beamed as Ian arrived, stepping forward to pay the taxi driver.

“No, ma’am, I’ve got it,” Ian assured her.

“Too late,” she cheerfully denied while handing the money over. “In the car with you. Let’s go.”

Well, she’d just neatly outmaneuvered him. “Why two SUVs? Did you really pack so much in?”

“That, and I brought my sewing supplies just in case I need to do some alterations.” She paused to give him a significant look. “And to take your measurements. That will happen before the day is out.”

Thereby suggesting…she was going to make clothes for him. Um. “I don’t need anything, though.”

She patted him on the cheek, smiling up at him like he was just the cutest thing ever. “You’re adorable, Ian. Making clothes for you will be fun. Fun things are not allowed to escape me.”

That last line was pure André. “André is definitely your child.”

She laughed outright. “That he is.”

Ian sensed a certain inevitability about the clothes. If André had taught him anything, it was that what a Castor wanted, they got. They could teach barnacles lessons on persistence.

He gave up and got into the warm SUV, letting her drive as he had never driven a big luxury vehicle like this one before, having only ever driven his dad’s old Ford Fiesta. In fact, it had been so long since he’d driven, he felt rusty, so better to leave it in her capable hands.

She already had the address pulled up on the dash’s navigation, so they pulled out without her needing to do anything else.

They’d barely reached the road when she prompted, “André said he fell for you at first sight.”

“In retrospect, I believe that. He certainly had no problem asking me out right then and there. At the time, though, I thought he was crazy.” Ian smiled wistfully at the absurd memory.

“Why?” She sounded genuinely curious.

“Oh, well, I guess because I’d never do that?

” Ian sat on the answer for a full second before nodding at his own conclusion.

“I take longer to warm up to people. I need to know someone for at least a few months before I’d even contemplate asking them out.

The way he just looked at me and decided he wanted me was confusing.

I think that’s why it took so long for me to understand he was serious. ”

“Did him regularly coming to the group home help? He said it did.”

“He’s right; it did. I saw more of him. He’s so genuine with the kids, so comfortable with them, and every single one of them adores him.

I softened just watching him interact with them all, seeing his desire to help.

To me, every child there is a sibling. I grew up with most of them. I love how he treats them.”

“Ahh,” she murmured in understanding. “You do give off the same vibe as Benedict to me. The big brother vibe. That’s why.”

“Yeah. Which is why it’s strange to me sometimes that it’s André taking care of me.” Ian scratched his cheek, still bemused at how things turned out. Warmed by the attention, no question, just confused. “I’ve never had anyone take care of me except my father and caretakers.”

“You do have a father, then?”

“Did.” Sadness swept through him, and he had to pause for a second, push the grief down enough to answer.

Sometimes, the emotions cropped up so hard and fast he ended up crying, even a year after burying the man.

But grief apparently didn’t have a time limit.

Ian wasn’t comfortable crying in front of her, so did his best to rein it in while he spoke.

“He adopted me when I was thirteen. I lost him last year. His health was quite poor the last few years of his life. It wasn’t a surprise, but… I do miss him.”

Her hand reached out across the console to take his, gently squeezing.

“You poor child. I do understand what you mean. I lost my grandmother that way. This was centuries ago, of course. Our medicine wasn’t as advanced back then.

Her health was bad too. I knew it was coming.

Still, to have her go on that day was a shock.

You always think you have a little more time. ”

Ian had to look away for a second, his eyes burning. Yes, that was what it felt like precisely. To think you have a few more days, weeks, months with a person you loved dearly, only to have that future be a lie. Ian still missed his father keenly some days.

She let go of his hand so she could take the sharp curve in the road. They were on country roads now. “What was he like, your father?”

“The kindest of souls. He was a social worker. That’s how we initially met.

He came in and out of the group home a lot, so I saw him often.

He took a liking to me and asked one day if I’d be his son.

I’d always been fond of him, so I was beyond happy when he asked.

It’s partially why I chose to follow in his footsteps and be a social worker too. ”

“Now that I didn’t know. That’s your major?”

“Yes. I’m close to graduating. Another semester.”

“So you’re a year older than André,” she mused. “Good. He needs an older boyfriend as a steadying influence.”

That didn’t sound quite right to Ian. “André’s responsible, though.”

“Oh, he is. I’m not suggesting otherwise. He’s just also impulsive. As you should know by now.”

“Ah. Yeah, I can’t disagree, but his impulses so far have panned out well for him.”

“They usually do, but sometimes he gets himself into trouble. A certain drinking party at your bar is a good example.”

Ian had almost forgotten about that night. Yikes, okay, she had a point there.

“How did that turn out? I hadn’t thought to ask recently.”

“Well, the girl’s parents begged to settle, to not ruin her future.

I felt reluctant to do so, all things considered.

We ended up agreeing to one hundred hours of community service, and she has to receive counseling for a year.

Anyone who thinks it’s okay to do what she attempted needs counseling, in my opinion.

She also has a one-mile restraining order against her.

I still feel like she got off lightly, to tell you the truth, but she has no prior offenses.

Our lawyer said we couldn’t push it any further than that. ”

A deep frown pulled at his face. “I agree, she did get off lightly, but we can only hope she learned from the mistake.”

Mrs. Castor shrugged, still looking unhappy about her baby being hurt. “I’ve made sure this went on her record, though. If she does something like this again, the law won’t be so kind to her.”

There was that.

“Now, I do have a question for you. You obviously know André is a vampire, but did he explain about our family?”

“Ah, no. Not yet.”

“My husband and I are generation zero.” The way she said this was like Oh, it’ll be a sunny day today. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Ian’s brain automatically did the math even as he gaped at her. Wait, didn’t that mean André was generation zero too?! “Hang on…what?!”

“To clarify, my parents were true generation zero, ones spontaneously turned into vampires. I was born shortly afterward, when most generation zeroes were starting to immigrate to America. This was before we understood that generations were a thing, mind you. Or that humans could be turned. My parents, once they did figure it out, offered to turn their parents—both sides refused. I don’t blame them, as being a vampire was so uncertain and risky in those early days, not to mention the fear of religious zealots.

I’d stopped aging once I’d hit my midtwenties, making it necessary to move about every ten years or so, which made things challenging and tedious as well. ”

She gave a shrug but wore a sad smile.

“I chose not to marry or have kids for many centuries, wishing to see how society would stabilize as vampires became known to humans, and if they could accept us or not. They eventually did, as you well know. Some forty years ago, I met my husband, who is a true generation zero. Two of us getting married made for something of a newsworthy story amongst vampire society, as there’s not many from our generation left, so it was cause for celebration.

Still, we paused on trying for children for another decade, as he’d just entered his position as a liaison, and it was…

rough. Too many long days leading into nights, and a few assassination attempts, often other vampires who thought we were the superior race and that humans didn’t deserve equal standing.

Only after things calmed down were we willing to have children.

Hence, André and Benedict. Although with vampire birth rates being so low, it was quite the shock to have two children a year apart. We were fortunate.”

“That explains so, so much.”

“I thought it might.” Her eyes darted to his before she slowed, merging to take the on-ramp onto the freeway. “Because of our status in vampire society, and my husband’s political connections, we have the power to protect you. I do not want you to worry about the Vampire Society Bureau.”

Ian sat on that for a long second. There seemed to be some kind of disconnect here. “Do…I need protecting?”

“André mentioned he’d explained you’re compatible, but you didn’t seem to put much weight in it.”

“I didn’t realize I needed to? I’m not a mate.”

“We don’t actually know that,” she warned.