Chapter Twenty-Three—Lucas

Patrick stood in the doorjamb of Lucas’ living room. His shoulders tensed when everyone walked in together.

His long dark Dracula coat touched the top of his leather boots. He wasn’t dressed like Van Helsing in his pictures.

Sweeny sat down on Lucas’ loveseat and crossed her legs, swiping dried mud from her forehead. Lucas stood behind her with his palms rested on the back.

He sensed something new from her—a courage that hadn’t been there when she first arrived. She’d grown mentally.

“Well, good thing you got my message, or I guess we’d be dead.”

“Is that your way of saying thank you?” Patrick asked. “Because your mother could have done a better job with your manners.”

“No way in hell am I going to let you come in here and talk crap to me, Van Helsing.”

Lucas smiled to himself.

Patrick pushed from the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I need you to understand something. I didn’t plan to have you with your mother, Sweeny. It wasn’t part of the plan to fall for a witch. I didn’t know who she was until it was too late. She tricked me.”

“So you came here to tell me I’m an accident? Do you think that's going to make this situation better?"

Lucas sensed the heat rising inside of her and gripped her shoulder. “Your wolf is making you say things you don’t mean.”

She shrugged him off and stood. “This isn’t my wolf. This is me—Sweeny—and I’m pissed.” Sweeny glanced around at the room, everyone finding their feet more interesting except for Kurt. “What are you looking at?”

Kurt smiled. “Apparently, my sister.”

Lucas watched Sweeny step back with her palm on her chest. Patrick didn’t budge from his spot. Every silent second that passed Lucas could feel her growing angrier. He didn’t blame her.

“Sister? Are you serious? You can’t keep it in your pants, can you?”

Patrick didn’t seem bothered. “I was with Kurt’s mom before your mom. When she found out what I was, she seduced me but not before Kurt’s mother got pregnant.”

Sweeny braced her palms against her face. Lucas eased his palms over her shoulders, trying to ease the humiliation that she seemed to have. “I want to be alone.”

“We have much to talk about, Sweeny. We have to get this wolf out of you.”

Lucas growled and he shoved Jaxson off when he tried to stop him. “The hell you do, no? She’s my mate—”

“I don’t care what she is. She’s a walking abomination and all it takes is for one kid at school to piss her off, and she’ll snap. She has too much power,” Patrick said. “The first granddaughter holds the most power. Now she has the wolf. It’s too much.”

“I would never hurt someone.”

“You don’t know what you’ll do,” Patrick said.

“I know that I want you to leave. Now—’

The front door slammed opened and wind blew leaves and pine straw in from the front porch.

Jeremy stormed inside, the deer carcass still on his head with dried blood around his neck and shoulders.

“Oh, encore cette merde,” Lucas mumbled.

He outstretched his arms, palms out, and started to chant in a foreign language. Jaxson stormed toward him, but Sweeny beat him, with a flick of her hand, she tossed his head against the wall. He slumped over and the carcass fell from his face.

“He has been the biggest pain since he moved here,” she said.

“See?” Patrick said. “You just knocked him out cold, Sweeny. We need to go to New Orleans and see if we can stop the wolf.”

Sweeny shook her head. “No. I’m not going anywhere with you. I can control myself.”

“She just lost her Momma, yeah?” Lucas said.

Sweeny sniffled. “Who knows if I’ll ever see her again?”

Patrick stared. “They’ll both be back to find you. That’s why you need to hide.”

Kurt shifted. “Why would you want to see her again?”

Lucas tossed him a snarl. “That’s her Momma, no? She just found out all of this—you can’t blame her.”

Sweeny sighed, biting her lip to keep her tears at bay. “I want everyone to leave. I feel crazy.”

Jaxson groaned. “Can you keep your lust under control—”

“I know you can smell it!” she shouted. “I can’t control my emotions right now. I’m overwhelmed. I want everyone to leave.”

Jeremy groaned from the floor, palming his forehead, he stood up and jumped at the sight of the deer head.

“Jesus, who brought that in—” he turned to face them. He looked normal, like a dorky seventeen-year-old. His features were the same but he wasn’t suave or charming—he looked almost kid like. “Who are y’all? Where am I?”

Sweeny stared at him. “Leave. Go home.”

“Why am I here?”

Patrick pulled his arrow from his holster, grabbed his bow, and shot it right beside Jeremy’s head. Jeremy ducked and left the house in a frantic run.

Patrick cleared his throat. “I think it’s a good idea to let her transition into the wolf tonight. I take it you care enough about your mate not to run with her?”

Lucas didn’t answer his question. “She’ll be safe with us.”

Patrick grabbed a huge duffle bag and slung it over his back. “I’ll be at Kurt’s.” He stopped beside her, placing his palm on her shoulder. “I’m sorry we met like this, and I’m truly sorry about your mother.”

Sweeny turned and looked at the mantel to avoid him. She didn’t look back until the front door slammed shut. She slumped to the floor, cradling her knees to her chest. Lucas gave Theo and Jaxson a look, and they both left.

Lucas swooped her up and toward the staircase. She let her face nuzzle against his shoulder and he loved the smell of her scent against him. He kicked in the double doors that led to his bedroom.

The bed was his granddaddy’s before he passed. The wooden headboard sat halfway up the wall with wolf designs that matched his tattoo.

Lucas grabbed the bottom of his shirt and tugged it over his head. “We need a shower. Do you want to go first?”

“Don’t you want to take one with me?” she asked.

Lucas looked at her stunned. Now wasn't the time for all that, no matter how badly he wanted it. “Sweeny—you’re not thinking straight.”

She shook her head and crawled to her knees. “Lucas, this is my last chance to have sex before I turn into a wolf. I want my first time to be human—well, mostly.”

He traced his fingers over the curve of her jaw. “Cher, I can’t take advantage of you.”

Sweeny cursed. “Stop it.” She got off the bed and walked toward his bathroom. Lucas stood and watched her until she rounded the bathroom corner.

“Le Seigneur a pitié,” Lucas said, feeding into his urge and walking toward the shower.

Sweeny stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself. She pulled the bandage off her neck and a huge black and blue bite marked her. Her eyes shifted to his in the reflection, and she slowly drug her shirt over her head.

Lucas’s wolf felt undone—Lucas felt out of breath, she was beautiful. Like a siren with long chocolate hair and tanned skin. She bit her lip, reaching up to unsnap her bra clasp but he stopped her.

Stepping behind her, he skimmed his lips against the curve of her neck while unhooking the clasp and sliding it from her shoulders.

Sweeny’s body mewed at him.

“You’re sure about this, cher?” he asked.

“Please, I want this to be while I’m still a little human—or while I feel that way, at least.”

He understood, but guilt weighed him down. "Sweeny, I haven't told you everything yet. I want this more than air, but I need you to understand what mating means. One of the reasons I wanted to wait is because mating is like marrying your soul mate. In the supernatural world, we're married. Bound. Tied. Forever. If you want to have a traditional wedding one day, I'm all for it, but technically we've been bound since I bit you."

Her reaction startled him. "Good."

He turned her around, pulling her close and entangling his fingers in her hair. So many things danced around in his mind. He couldn’t leave Abita Springs with Sweeny, but he couldn’t live without his mate.

Dipping his head lower, he captured her mouth with his, nourishing in the taste of her tongue. Their frustration leaked out onto one another. Lucas unbuttoned her jeans, sliding them off her legs and lifted her to the counter.

Sweeny’s ragged breaths turned his wolf upside down. He jumped and spun circles.

Even with mud and murk on their skin, he felt he looked into the eyes of the most precious thing on Earth.

Sweeny’s head fell backwards as he worked his palms against her breast and kissed over her bruised skin.

Their kisses turned into moans and tugs of his clothes until they both stood naked in the bathroom. Lucas bent down to sweep her up, and carried her to the stream of hot water.

He swallowed all his nerves, knowing that this was destiny. It was him claiming his mate like he’d dreamt about since he was a child.

Sweeny’s eyes closed and she smiled at him. “Claim me, Lucas.”

He stepped forward and trapped her against the shower wall, her body shaking against his.

“Moi, je t’aime,” he whispered. “Forever, yeah.”