Anmore, British Columbia, Canada
Cohen Home
The drive to the Cohen family home was not what the two women were expecting.
Wyatt's home was just an hour away from the university, but only curvaceous back roads could get them there. Because of this, the drive was absolutely stunning. There were no other houses, only a forest of tall, pine trees.
It reminded them both of the drive to the Denali Coven's home.
"Fucking shit," Raven exclaimed as she took a particularly sharp curve. "Are we almost there yet? What the hell is this route?"
Wyatt and Victoria both laughed as she hyperventilated. The vampire had offered to drive thirty minutes in, but she was stubborn.
"We're minutes away. I swear," he assured her from the back seat.
Raven sighed in relief. "Is there anything we need to know before we get there? Do we need to take our shoes off at the door or curtsie?"
"No, definitely not," Wyatt chuckled. "I will say that my mother is very outspoken and she doesn't doesn't have a filter. She's very inquisitive, too."
"That's good to know..."
Victoria glanced sideways at Raven, who did the same. Inquisitive wasn't a good thing. Especially paired with an outspoken personality.
However, they felt confident they could handle it.
Once they reached the end of the long driveway, a massive cabin sat nestled in the trees. It was not what they were expecting at all.
"Nice house, bro," Raven said in awe, making him blush in embarrassment.
"It's ridiculous, really. There are only four of us," Wyatt shook his head. "You can park behind the silver truck."
As they exited the vehicle and followed Wyatt to the front door, Victoria stopped in her tracks, nostrils flaring, as a decadent aroma hit her.
The fragrance was eerily familiar. It was one she would never forget.
Victoria swallowed the venom in her mouth and stopped breathing completely.
Her only saving grace was the fact that the scent was trailing away from the cabin, meaning the person left recently.
Raven glanced back in confusion and beckoned her discretely. The redhead bit her tongue, suddenly feeling very apprehensive. She wanted to take her mate and leave, but that would be abhorrently rude.
She highly doubted Raven would be willing to do something like that without knowing why.
The most she could hope was that she could let her know the situation and hurry up this visit before the owner of that scent came back.
Victoria reluctantly followed them into the house.
Wyatt's mother was the opposite of what Raven envisioned her to be.
She expected her to be wrinkled, wearing a cardigan and eyeglasses. Maybe his mom would be wearing fuzzy house slippers?
Not quite.
They both stared unabashedly as a very stunning brunette rounded the corner to greet them. She didn't look a day over thirty, which was impossible.
She was Raven's height and build, and her smile was disarming. Her ethereal, gray eyes twinkled earnestly.
The black dress she wore left very little to the imagination, displaying ample cleavage and dangerous curves. It looked like she was getting ready for a date.
Victoria and Raven shared a glance, both equally dazed by her beauty.
"Wyatt, love. Girls! I'm so happy you two made it here safely. I trust the roads weren't too rough," Adaira Cohen greeted them kindly. Brilliant, white teeth shone as she reached out to shake their hands.
"They were just fine. Thank you for having us, Mrs. Cohen. I'm Raven Hastings and this is my best friend, Victoria Hale," Raven said politely, taking her offered hand. The shock she felt didn't phase her, as it was happening quite often.
"It's a pleasure," Victoria greeted in a strained voice. The fragrance was much stronger in here.
Raven noticed her discomfort, and silently wondered what was wrong.
Adaira's smile widened as she took Victoria's hand as well. The redhead tensed when a familiar shock traveled up her arm, but she was too distracted to question it. That mouthwatering scent made it hard to act human.
"You're very cold, darling! Are you feeling okay," Adaira asked, concerned.
Raven spoke when Victoria seemed to have trouble answering. "She's anemic. Once she has some of your amazing food, I'm sure she'll warm up."
Adaira smiled proudly at the compliment.
"My daughter, Billie, and my oldest son, Seth, are gone to the store to get butter for the biscuits and a few other items. Once they arrive, we'll get right to it."
Victoria inwardly cursed her luck, but outwardly she smiled. "I can't wait."
The vampire watched her mate completely steal Adaira Cohen's heart while she sat beside her on the couch trying to figure out a way for them to escape. With each passing second, she felt dread creeping up on her.
Seth, the young man who was undoubtedly her singer, was going to walk through that door and there was going to be a massacre if she didn't leave. She could envision the blood bath that would ensue.
"Wyatt talks about you alot," Adaira said, glancing between the teen and her son with a smirk.
Wyatt blushed as Raven raised a brow at him playfully. "I hope it's all good. Otherwise, I'll start making him pay for my time," she said, causing them to laugh.
"Thank you for helping my boy. His education is very important to me. If there is ever anything you need, you only need to ask," Adaira said, her smile dazzling.
Victoria narrowed her eyes as Raven lost herself for moment, unable to move her tongue.
"Y-Yeah... no problem, Mrs. Cohen."
"Please call me Adaira, sweetheart."
"Of course, Adaira."
Raven blushed and Victoria frowned as Wyatt glared at his mother darkly. It was a look she didn't realize he was capable of. Her hackles were rising the more she observed this family and all of them weren't even present yet.
"Do you want to see what I was telling you about," Wyatt whispered to her, pulling her attention away from his mother.
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot!"
When he pulled an eager Raven away to show her his video game collection, Victoria was left alone with Adaira. The redhead was beginning to feel uneasy. She couldn't describe it, but there was something weird about this family.
Despite her feelings, her gift was not alerting her of any danger, which she stranger still.
"So Victoria, where are you from," she asked, her gaze a bit too intense.
"I'm from Alaska, my family is from Ireland originally. Raven and I went to high school together," Victoria told the woman her rehearsed backstory distractedly.
"I can hear a bit of the accent."
Victoria smiled faintly. "It is stubborn."
"Where in Ireland? My husband and I used to visit quite often."
"The town is small," the vampire waved her off.
"Try me."
Victoria's eyes snapped to the woman, narrowing minutely. She could sense a challenge in her tone, however faint. She didn't like the way those strange, gray eyes pierced her unabashedly.
Come to think of it, this woman hadn't been affected by her vampiric presence at all. She smelled no fear coming from her.
She leaned forward, accepting the challenge.
"Carrickfergus."
"Ah, yes," Adaira hummed, nodding. "One of the oldest towns in Ireland. Very beautiful, too."
Victoria cooked her head to the side, wondering how she knew. Not liking the fact that this woman had challenged her, she pushed back.
"Where is your husband?"
Adaira didn't break eye contact, but the small smile on her lips vanished as if it never existed.
"A better place."
The sound of tires turning over gravel made her spine straighten. Cold dread trickled down to her toes. She could faintly smell him approaching. Her singer. Seth. The one who's blood was made to sing to her like a Siren.
The one who's blood belonged to her.
Adaira was still staring at her with a chilling, blank expression. "You're hungry."
The vampire forced herself not to react, unsure of what the human meant by that.
"You need to leave my home before my children come in," she continued, lazily pointing towards the back door. "You will not harm my family."
Victoria stared at her, shocked. How did this human woman know what she was? How was she so nonchalant about it? How could she tell the redhead was close to losing control?
"What are you," she growled, glaring at her.
Adaira shook her head. "Your human is safe here. Trust me. You must go."
Victoria wanted to stand her ground.
Her instincts rebelled against leaving her singer, and her human mate. Especially, now that she didn't know what these people were.
The sound of his heartbeat reached her ears and she held back a moan.
She couldn't leave them. She wouldn't.
"Mine," Victoria snarled, her eyes an ocean of inky blackness.
Once they connected with piercing gray, the world went silent for a moment. That was all it took for a warm hand to reach out and caress her arm, sending a powerful shock through her body. The pleasure of it caused her to purr subconsciously.
With that small touch, her mind became a sea of nothing but compliance and submission.
It was the most terrifying sensation she had ever experienced in her centuries of undead life.
She was at the complete mercy of this unknown creature. She would do anything she said, willingly, without thought.
"Go feed, Victoria."
Without another word, the vampire stood and blurred out of the back door.
No matter how hard she fought, her body and the subconscious part of her mind would not go against Adaira's order.
As she sprinted through the forest and away from her mate, she prayed to every God above that Raven would be safe.
