Page 30 of Those That Are Lost (Hidden Vampires #2)

TY

I knew we wouldn’t stay here long term but Henry’s need to return to the continent has escalated my plans.

Plans I can do nothing about tonight as we’ve been dragged into the solstice celebrations.

I’d wanted to check in with Red but she’s been absent since Millie came to drag her away.

I’m glad she’s made friends here in the pack and know she’ll miss them once we’ve gone, but hopefully we will be staying in touch and able to visit them in the future.

I’d finished booking all that we needed to get back to West Scotia before getting ready myself. Ash had given me strict orders that we were to dress for the occasion and had even loaned me and Henry some formal attire for the night.

Stepping out into the town square, I now see why.

Everyone has really put in effort. It might be well below freezing with bitingly cold air but the atmosphere is buzzing with life.

Not that the wolves would feel the icy temperatures anyway.

I’m still wearing the standard thermals and jumpers you need to spend any time outside in this place but I’ve been given a thick woollen coat to wear as my outer layer.

Ash told me in no circumstances are we to turn up in our standard ski jackets .

This coat is impressive, the weave is intricate and has been adorned with several other threads to give it a ceremonial feel. And I have to admit, whilst I doubt it’s waterproof, it is rather warm.

I mingle for a while, spotting Henry amongst the crowds. I get handed warm drinks which I try but don’t overindulge in. I also manage to get a quick drink of some blood from a couple of the pack.

I’m making my way over to the main fire when I spot her.

In the dancing flames, Red is impossible to miss.

Her hair is of course the first thing that I spot.

Her large curls are loose, the variety of reds within it all shining in the light of the fire.

I can see she’s got several long thin braids hanging amongst the curls.

They’re adorned with beads, woven into the plaits to give her an even more ethereal look.

My eyes sweep down her form as my breath catches.

She’s wearing a fitted peacock green coat, cut to her waist but with tails behind.

A ruffled overshirt peaks out from the collar and sleeves.

Black leather gloves cover her hands as she animatedly talks to several of the females that gather round her.

Those gloves match the leather skintight trousers that are showing off every curve of her legs.

Her look is finished with some knee-high boots which are laced all the way up the front.

I stand rooted to the spot, struck immobile by how much I want to rip those clothes off her. My cock agrees, it fills more the longer I keep staring at her.

The ache in my chest grows too.

Instead of going to her, I divert to the nearest log bench and take a seat, subtly readjusting myself as I do so, trying to ease the tightness in my trousers. I continue to watch her as the group she’s with laugh and joke.

She’s happy here. Despite all of our recent talks where she’s told me about how she masks her real feelings, I can see that tonight her enjoyment is authentic. I can sense it even though she’s several metres from me.

It scares me half to death to think I’m about to take her from this place and that she might go back to being anxious all the time.

She told me she had panic attacks daily before I found her.

I don’t think I could take the guilt if those return when we leave.

The one she had at the training ground will forever haunt me.

But I also know that if we stay, the Froan Pack will catch up with us eventually.

“Tonight is not the night for such deep thought.” Eetu interrupts my brooding, taking the space on the bench next to me.

“We’re leaving soon,” I tell him. No preface. No cushioning.

“I know, Henry already came to tell me and Dora. He thanked us profusely for our hospitality.”

“Gods, yes. I’m sorry. Please know how deeply grateful I am. You’ve been wonderful.” I remember my manners. “You’ve done so much more than simply provide us with somewhere to hide out. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“You don’t need to thank us, we’re family, Ty.

It’s what we do.” My eyes move from Red to the male beside me at that statement, my chest feeling warm at the sentiment.

“And if all you needed was a place to hide, we’d have been happy with that.

But I’m glad to see that you’ve started planning again, that you’re looking to the future again. ”

“I’m trying to. I just hope it’s enough.” I mean that with every fibre of my being.

“It will be.” Eetu pats my knee. “But are you going to put that right first?” He nods his head to the group of females where Red is.

“She’s not ready,” I reply without faltering.

Red and I talk for hours most nights, when we’re shut away in our room the barriers come down.

But I sense them still there in the day when she’s around others.

Tonight is an exception, not the rule. I haven’t brought up the future yet with her because I don’t want her to run back into herself.

I’m not hiding it. If she asks me I’ll tell her, but she’s still hesitating.

She keeps those conversations surface level.

“When you arrived, I agreed with you. But after seeing you two the past few days, I think she’s more than ready. Something’s shifted.”

“Maybe,” I hedge. “But I’m not going to push her.

She’ll tell me when she’s ready.” And part of me still thinks that she’s going to realise that someone not wrapped up in all the negative aspects of her life would make her happier.

Would the plans I’ve been allowing myself to make be better for having Red by my side as my mate?

Absolutely. I want to do this with her, know I’ll do it better for having her as my partner.

My soul feels more untethered each day that I’m in her presence and have to hold in everything I feel for her.

Because I do, I feel everything for Red.

She’s the reason my life is finally starting to look like it might become something other than the waste it has been for the last five decades.

She’s the reason I want to try again. If she decides to walk away from me, I have a real fear that I’ll let this hope walk right out with her.

Eetu makes a huffing sound that I take for agreement. He pats my knee again before rising and heading off into the crowds.

Red holds my attention the entire night. We manage a few short conversations before one of us gets pulled away by one of the wolves. The news of our impending departure has spread fast and they all want our attention .

Not that I mind. This town is like one giant family, and they’ve been more than welcoming of us. Even the two Fae females are in attendance tonight and I’ve watched Red weave her magic on them. They were talking animatedly within seconds of her introducing herself.

“Ty, please!” Joey pleads with me, forcing me to look at him. “I won’t win otherwise, and we have a bet that I really want to win.”

“Do I want to know?” I plead silently that he’s not about to tell me something sexual. I’ve heard enough about the bets he makes with his mates from his brothers.

“No, all you need to do is help me win this snowball fight.” He tugs on my sleeve as I exhale in relief.

Indeed, around the edges of the gathering, several of the wolves are engaged in a battle.

“Giving up, pup?” Altair calls from behind the kids slide. He’s bouncing a snowball in his gloved hand, shooting quite the heated look at the male at my side.

“Guess he’s sitting out next time,” barks Neo, their third.

“Ty, come on! With your speed we can’t lose!” Joey begs, pulling me harder out of the fray. Several conversations around us cease as everyone starts to get invested in the match.

I let him take me, but as soon as I’m clear of the others, I’m slammed with a snowball straight to the chest.

“I didn’t say I was in!” I yell, looking around for the offender. My eyes lock onto a grinning red-haired female, ducked low against one of the outer benches. How had Red gotten there so fast, she was just by the fire.

“In now?” Neo calls.

Oh, definitely.

“What are the teams?” I ask, turning to Joey. A beaming smile lights up his face.

“Yes!!” He jumps at my side. “It’s Ash, me, Rawson, and now you, against Millie, Altair, Neo, and I’m guessing Rory now. Where’s Henry gone to? I wanted you to give us the edge but they’ve gone and got their own vampire.”

He bounces off, no doubt in search of Henry.

A second snowball flies towards me but I’m quicker this time. I move to catch it instead.

I catch Red’s eye again as she ducks, pulling Millie with her. I launch the snowball anyway, smashing it against the top of the bench and covering them in a flurry of snow.

Screaming erupts from the females as the fight resumes properly.

Altair and Neo come to the girls aid and I have to back off to find some cover. I don’t have to hold the fort for long as Joey appears again, now with Henry in tow.

Snowballs fly, and we all take it a little bit too seriously whilst laughing harder than I have in months. Seeing Henry get smashed in the face was particularly entertaining.

Whatever Joey wants from his mates, he wants it badly. He’s a freaking demon at co-ordinating us. Rawson gets taken out pretty quickly, surrendering after getting hit by Red, Neo, and Altair all at once, much to Millie’s delight.

After that, I swear Red focuses on me. She’s lethal with her aim and manages to hit me several times. We throw the icy balls back and forth for several minutes before she legs it across the field.

I take the breather and stalk over to the edge of the main house to give myself cover whilst I build more snowballs.

Compacting it between my hands, I take a peek around the corner to try and find where Red has gone.

I spot each of the others, all engaged with members of the opposing team, but my little female is nowhere in sight.

Coming into the open more, I hold my hand up, snowball ready to launch.

A crunching from behind me tips me off and I swing round just in time to see her coming at me. She’s rounded the entire building to get behind me.

Instead of backing away, I step forward and let the shadows out. A wall of darkness envelops her and I hear her skid to a stop.

“Hey, this isn’t fair!” she growls. I chuckle in response.

I step into the darkness, the shadows licking my skin as they welcome me. Red has stilled, blinded by them, but I can tell exactly where she is from her heaving breaths.

“Come on, let me out,” she calls, unaware that I’m gaining on her. Inhaling deeply, I check her scent for any sign that she is really distressed.

Finding none, I press on, moving slow to avoid the snow crunching under my boots, giving me away.

I circle her, get behind her back to approach, seeing her outline in the inky depths of my shadows.

“Hi, Red,” I whisper.

She jumps round and launches her snowball. As I do mine. They explode between us seeing as there is less than a foot’s distance. I lift the shadows a little as she shrieks with the cold.

“You ass!!” she splutters, shaking snow from her face and hair, a wide smile lighting up her face.

I step up into her space and brush the cold flakes off her shoulders before tucking one of her curls behind her ear. She shivers at the touch of my cold gloves on her skin.

“I think I won.” I grin down at her, standing at my full height over her.

“Only because you cheated!” She shoves my chest. I grab her forearms, careful to not get her wrists instead. We’ve started some training around her reactions but tonight I don’t want to test it.

She tries to jerk back but I refuse. After a second attempt, she stops struggling and looks up at me.

Heat igniting in her emerald eyes. I stare down into their depths, cataloguing each little fleck of colour, noticing how it feels like I’m seeing everything she is, how there isn’t a single barrier.

“Something’s shifted.” Eetu’s earlier words come back to me, causing me to pause.

Red notices how I tense and cocks her head at me.

“Ty, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I nod, voice thick. It’s fierce, the surge of want that cascades over me. I suddenly can’t think of anything but claiming her. “I want to kiss you.”

The concern leaves her face once more and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. The tiny dip of her chin is all the permission I need.

I pull on her arms again before releasing my hands so I can catch her waist as she falls into me.

Her hands automatically run up my chest to lock around my neck and her torso comes flush to mine.

I lower my head slowly, watching her face to see if she shutters herself away, to see if she is allowing herself to feel what’s about to happen.

My lips capture hers in a soft sweep. It's a barely there touch, but my entire body shakes as my eyes slam close with the force of emotion that surges through me.

The kiss is home. It's her, and it's more natural than breathing.

I press my lips to hers again, trying to keep it chaste, but fail the instant her tongue seeks mine.

My hands move up the sides of her waist, I trail one up her back until I’m cupping her head, fingers entangled in those deliciously soft curls.

I swear I can feel the silky waves even with gloves on.

Blood rushes to my dick, I’m hard in an instant and deepening the kiss further as I drown myself in her.

This is the first time we’ve kissed since the night I found her. None of our nightly activities have involved our mouths coming together. It's also the first time we’ve done anything not platonic outside of the locked bedroom. I savour it with every atom of my being.

Her tongue wraps around my fangs and my knees almost buckle. I repay the gesture and she whimpers into my mouth, her weight pressing into me further. The shadows around us swirl as I taste her again and again.

Eventually we have to pull away to breathe but I leave our foreheads touching as we pant in each other's oxygen.

I don’t want to let go. I never want to let go.