A Mate for Gideon (6 page)

Tanya
nodded, urging him to go on. Since Brant could come back at any moment, he did
just that. “Sometimes when humans mate with one another, it does not last. This
is a very strange concept to us vampires since we mate for life. Now this
female mentioned that she was mated… I believe the correct human term is
married… to a male and then decided to be with another male. Again, this is a
very strange concept. Not only do vampires mate for life but we are strictly
monogamous when it comes to our mate.”

Tanya
smiled at him. Her face was animated with warmth. She nodded. “Yes, it’s true. Humans
do not always mate for life and they are not always a monogamous species.
Please do not look harshly on such females as you do not have all of the
details. Do not judge them based on vampire rules and standards if you do not
have all of the information. Yes, there are those that lie and cheat on their
partners but sometimes a marriage break-up is consensual. What if this woman’s
husband…mate cheated on her with another woman?” She paused for a few seconds.
“That’s what I mean about getting all the facts first.”

Gideon
sat forward, placing his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands together.
“It’s just, I feel a little worried for the males in the program. I am
concerned that such females…the lying cheating ones, will not be able to mate
for life or to conform to our ways.”

Tanya
nodded. “You are right to be concerned. Please do bear in mind though that the
females were put through rigorous psychometric testing and had to fill in
detailed questionnaires before being permitted into the program. Both parties
have been trained and sufficiently briefed on the cultures of the opposite
species. I’m not saying that things can’t go wrong, but at the same time Brant
and Zane have put in huge amounts of effort to ensure that risk is minimized
and not only in the physical sense.”

Gideon
nodded. “This particular female mentioned”—he felt himself frown—“that she’d
already left her mate. It had only been a few weeks and she was no longer
living with him. This still doesn’t make sense to me, my queen. If you are
mated, then you are mated. There are no grey areas. This type of female will
surely go from male to male.”

Again
his queen smiled. “Humans do not always mate for life. We do not possess
vampire senses, and this sometimes makes it more difficult when it comes to
choosing a lifetime partner. Humans make more mistakes in this regard. I’m
hoping that our males are not complete idiots. That they will ask the right
questions and spend enough time with the females before making any decisions.
Things will turn out fine, you will see. Communication will be key. Also,
sometimes a female needs to be with the wrong male to give her better
perspective about who she really wants to be with. It is not necessarily a bad
thing.”

Gideon
nodded. “I hope you are right.”

“You
don’t seem convinced.” Tanya moved to her feet.

“That’s
because I’m not. I guess I don’t get human females.” He raised his brows. “No
offense.”

Tanya
laughed. “None taken. I wouldn’t worry, you’re not in the program anyway.”

Thank
fuck
.

One
mistake he could understand. Two. Not so much. It was imperative that he
continue to do his job, but at the same time he would avoid Jenna as much as
possible. He only prayed that she took his advice and left. The sooner , the
better.

After
waiting another few minutes, Brant came back and sat back down. “Tell me about
the guards.”

They
spent the next twenty minutes discussing all the new training programs aimed at
closing some major loopholes that York had highlighted for them. The original
plans had been put in place to ensure that the vampire territory and human
facilities were protected from outside assaults. They never figured on one of
their own breaking in. Gideon had spent many hours fixing this.

“What
the fuck happened last night?” Brant growled. “A pig carcass? Are you fucking
serious?”

“I
typed a full report”—Gideon said, watching as Brant’s eyes darkened—“but I
would be more than happy to give you an overview.” Gideon supplied the details
of the events that had taken place the night before.

Brant
was silent for a few seconds. “What about the female you needed to question?”

Gideon
had to fight for control. He clenched his teeth, working to keep his breathing
and his heart rate normal. He kept his eyes on Brant’s. “Someone I thought I
recognized. Turns out I was wrong. We can’t be too careful.”

Brant
narrowed his eyes, but Gideon somehow managed to remain outwardly calm. If his
king ever found out about the events of a year and a half ago, he was finished.

The
other male finally nodded. “Is this related in any way to what happened to
Zane? Do you think it is the same hate group that did this?”

Gideon
shrugged. “I sent two of my males in pursuit of the van but unfortunately they
already had too much of a head start. We had to call in the human authorities
since it happened on human territory. There was no evidence, although some of
the test results are not back yet. Captain Jackson will be in touch with me
should anything change.” Gideon took a deep breath. “I might be wrong, but I do
not think that the events are related. This was more an act of vandalism where as
the attack on Zane was much more serious.”

Brant
nodded. “I agree. Keep me informed should anything of interest come back from
the humans.” His leader sighed heavily. “Also, keep an eye on York. I want to
be briefed if he leaves our territory and when he returns. My sources tell me
that he reeked of human female this morning even though he left the ‘meet and
greet’ early last night.” The other male clenched his jaw for a few long
seconds. “I think that he is still fooling around with that human. Lord help
him if that’s true.”

Gideon
nodded.

“A
fucking example needs to be made,” Brant growled. “I’m turning into a
first-class pussy. I won’t tolerate any more insubordination. Not from him or
anyone else for that matter.”

Three
days later…

Gideon
was obviously into pure torture. At this vantage point, at a well placed window
on the west side of the castle, Gideon had the perfect view of the lawn area
next to the lake. He’d been watching a group of humans that had decided to go
for a group jog.

A
jog.

Here.

In
front of a whole bunch of training males. He pulled out the two-way radio from
one of his side pockets, immediately requesting backup to that area of the
grounds. What the fuck did they think they were doing? All that half exposed
human skin was bound to cause a riot. They wore little shorts and even smaller
T-shirts.

At
least, three of the ladies were dressed that way, the fourth wore sweatpants
and a baggy shirt.

“This
is team two. Over,” sounded a static voice from his radio.

“Yeah.”
Gideon almost choked as the group took off at a slow jog. His eyes glued to the
female in the baggy outfit.
Jenna
. “Get your asses to the west side of
the castle…stat.”

Although
the garments hung on her, they also did nothing to hide her curves. For
whatever reason, she had lost weight since… He clenched his jaw, not wanting to
think back on that time. The best and the worst time of his life.

As
hard as he tried, Gideon could not drag his eyes away from her moving form. Her
face was set in determination. Her little hands were clenched into fists which she
pumped at her sides. He was fucked if he couldn’t take his eyes off of her
breasts, which bounced in time to her footfalls. Didn’t she know that sports
bras had been invented? Fuck! He was going to have to buy her one.

He
was forced to clench his teeth even tighter as the group of females passed by.
Gideon groaned as he caught sight of her ass. Even though he couldn’t actually
see it. It didn’t matter because his hands still itched to touch and his mouth
watered to taste. His dick actually twitched beneath his zipper. His body had
taken on a mind of its own. What was she even still doing here?

The
males had all stopped to stare. Their eyes tracking the females as they jogged.
Their bodies tightened, fists clenched. He was sure he caught a whiff of pure
testosterone in the air. Thank fuck, none of them made any comments or attempts
to approach the females.

This
had to stop.

He
couldn’t have her here. Besides, what he had seen seven months ago meant that Jenna
most definitely had lied on the questionnaire. She might not have a mate
anymore, although it wouldn’t surprise him if she did, but she most definitely
did have a child and that automatically disqualified her from the program.

Gideon
couldn’t take the torture anymore. It was still with extreme reluctance that he
pulled his gaze away from her mouthwatering form.

He
had to do something about this, had to rectify the situation as a matter of
extreme urgency. Brant would want to know. There was no way in hell that she
was here for him. Taking big, long strides, it wasn’t long before he was in the
waiting area of Brant’s office.

Allison
looked up at him. “Can help you?” She stuck the end of the pencil she was
holding into her mouth.

“I
need to see Brant, please.”

She
removed the pencil from her mouth, twirling it in her fingers. “Is it urgent?
Can I ask the nature of your meeting request?” She raised her brows, keeping
her eyes on him.

“It’s
in connection with one of the human females, I believe she lied on a
questionnaire.” He decided the best way to approach this would be to stick to
the facts and to say only what was required.

She
nodded. “Give me a sec.” She buzzed Brant and relayed the message before turning
back to him. Allison nodded. “Go on in but be aware that his next meeting is in
five minutes. That’s all I can give you.”

Gideon
nodded, feeling relieved. Hopefully this nightmare would soon be over. Jenna
could leave and he could get on with his life. “Thank you.” He pushed out a
deep breath.

Opening
the door, he walked into Brant’s spacious office and stood in the vicinity of
his desk.

Brant
made him wait a full minute before even acknowledging him. His king gestured
for him to take a seat.

“Thank
you, my lord.” He sat down. “I won’t take much of your time.”

Brant
glanced at the watch strapped to his arm before lifting his dark eyes back to
Gideon. “Good, because you’ve got four minutes. I have an important conference
call.”

Gideon
nodded. “It’s about one of the human females…I believe her name is Jenna. I’m
not sure of her surname.” He lied.

Brant’s
eyes immediately narrowed and darkened. “What of her?”

Gideon
sat back in the chair and forced himself to take a calm breath before releasing
it. Hoping he looked better than what he felt. “I recognized her when I first
saw her…that’s why I questioned her. It’s only just occurred to me where I saw
her before. She lied on a questionnaire.”

Brant
frowned. “In what way?” He barked. “And since when have you been mingling with
human females?” He raised his brows while leaning forward.

“We
need to enter Sweetwater from time to time. It was on one of those trips that I
ran into this female. I recognized her scent. Like I said, it has taken me
three days to place her. I have not mingled with any humans.” He lied again.
“Her belly was swollen with child and she was with a male…I’m sure he was her
mate.” Everything in him tightened and he had to force himself not to clench
his teeth or to growl.

Brant
smiled, glancing at his watch for a second time. “You were mistaken. This can’t
be the same human. I never relied on the information from the questionnaires. I
am well aware that humans sometimes lie. Every single female was checked.
Certificates, medical records, prison records, you name it and we checked it.
None of the females currently within the program are mated and none of them have
children. Some of them were previously mated. This is common amongst humans. No
females have children. Of this I am certain. Now get the fuck out of my
office.” He gave Gideon a broad smile. “I bet you are wishing you joined, after
all.”

Gideon
shook his head. “No way,” he growled, using a little too much force.

Brant’s
smile widened. “Like fuck. Have you taken a good look at those females? They
are all spectacular. You should consider joining in on the next round.”

Gideon
shook his head again. “I don’t think so, my lord.”

Allison
stuck her head around the jamb. “Your conference call is waiting, my lord.” Her
beautiful catlike eyes moved to Gideon.

Gideon
nodded. “Thank you, my lord.”

“I
hope that clears things up then?” Brant raised his brows.

“Are
you certain proper checks were done? I don’t want one of our males falling for
someone who is already mated. Even worse, a female who has a human child. It
could complicate things.”

Brant
shook his head. “No chance in hell. I’m thorough. I know what I’m doing.”

Gideon
struggled to believe it. He knew exactly what he had seen. This was not a case
of mistaken identity. The only problem now was finding another way to get Jenna
out of the program. To get her out of his life once and for all. First, he
needed answers though.

****

Lunch
had been delicious as always. If she carried on eating like this, she’d be back
to her previous weight in no time. It was wonderful living without fear. Not
having to worry every second of every day. Jenna, did however, live with continuous
tension.

When
was she going to see Gideon again? Would he speak to her? Would he believe her
in the end? She was beginning to think that it wasn’t going to happen.

She
pulled her lip between her teeth and bit down.

“I
can’t believe you’re not into any of them.” Julie walked next to her. It was
good to get out and to enjoy the beautiful, country surroundings.

Jenna
sighed. “Oh well, it’s just one of those things. How are you doing? Are you
interested in any of them? More importantly, are any interested in you back?” She
and Julie quickly became friends after their arrival. It wasn’t difficult since
Julie had a carefree smile, and an easy way about her. She wasn’t like a lot of
the other women who were willing, it seemed, to do anything to snag themselves
a vampire. Most importantly, she didn’t pry or try and get Jenna to talk about
her past.

Julie
ignored the question. “What about Lazarus?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.
“You guys seem to spend a lot of time together.”

Jenna
shrugged. “I like him…but only as a friend. It’s not like that. Not at all. He
really is a nice guy.” She raised her brows at Julie.

“Oh,
no.” Her friend shook her head. They continued to walk down a cobblestone path.
“He so totally is not my type. Just too big and far too scary.”

“Like
I said, he’s really nice.”

“He
drank a glass of blood at dinner last night. He has so many knives strapped to his
body that I’m surprised he can even walk despite his size. Also, I’ve never
known a guy to growl so much, and what’s with the incoherent grunting?”

Jenna
had to giggle. “He’s a vampire. Granted, Lazarus is probably a little more
vampire than most but all those things you mentioned are vampire traits. If you’re
not happy with the blood drinking then you’ve got yourself a little problem.”

Julie
clenched her jaw for a few beats. “It doesn’t bother me really, it’s just that the
person I like is not into me.”

“Oh
my word!” Jenna gushed. “So you do have your eye on someone.”

Julie
gave her a half smile. “I quite like Lance.” Her cheeks instantly turned a
little rosy and her eyes darted to the lake where the swans glided
effortlessly.

Jenna
didn’t know what to say to that. She knew his type well. Good looking, arrogant
although it would come across as confident, charming.

“What
is it?” Julie asked.

Jenna
shook her head. “I just think that there are a lot of nicer guys in the group.”

“I
don’t think he’s as rough and tough as what he projects. I think that there is
more to him.” Her eyes were clouded in thought. “It’s not like I have a shot
with him or anything anyway. He seems to hang out with that girl Vanessa.”

“Yep,
and I’ll bet you anything he doesn’t proceed to the next round with her. That
he’s just using her for sex.”

Julie
made a face. Jenna could see that she was trying to mask a hurt expression. “I
would say that the using goes both ways. Vanessa is far from an innocent, sweetie
pie.”

“Sweetie
pie…” Jenna snorted at the concept. “Not by a long damned shot.” She instantly
regretted speaking this way about another person. She knew firsthand how easy
it was to misjudge someone and to be misjudged right back. She sighed. “Then
again, what do we really know? Neither of us knows Lance or Vanessa well enough
to make judgment.”

Julie
spat out a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and snort. “I’m not saying
it’s not possible, but I highly doubt we’re misjudging anything. Although, I
still think that there may be more to Lance.” The other woman ran a hand
through her shoulder length blond hair. “Anyways, I think we should just really
enjoy ourselves while we’re here because I’m not sure that we’ll still be here
in a couple of days.”

Some
of the women would move on to round number two while the rest of them would be
sent home. The vampires in the program were each allowed to pick one woman. The
reality was that some of the guys might pick the same woman, while others - she
suspected Lazarus would be one - weren’t going to pick anyone. At best, ten out
of the twenty-five women in the program would go through to the next round. Jenna’s
heart raced at the thought. Her hands turned a little clammy. Julie was right,
neither of them stood much of a chance. Jenna had made zero effort with any of
the guys. There was no way she was pretending to be interested in someone just
for the sake of staying in the program though.

At
least if she was forced to leave, she would get a small payment from the
vampires. It would be enough to buy her a bus ticket and maybe cover her living
expenses for a month, six weeks if she was really careful.

Though
it would be a fresh start, it would also mean that she would lose any hope of
getting back with Gideon. The thought was too painful to contemplate. She still
had a few days to try and change his mind. She had been looking out for him, but
she’d only seen him once or twice and he had continued to keep his distance. She
knew that if she tried to reach out to him, in any way, it would draw attention
that he wouldn’t want.

It
had been made clear to them that any interaction with guys outside of the ten,
was strictly forbidden.

“I’m
going to head back.” Julie gestured in the direction of their hotel. Although
the vampires insisted on calling it the human accommodations, Jenna had come to
think of it as a hotel because, that’s what it was. Only, they didn’t have to
pay.