Engaging Evelyn (17 page)

“She’s my mate,” Stephen growled at him, cradling Evelyn’s limp body in his arms.

“If she’s your mate then why aren’t you together?” Paul asked him angrily.

“It’s none of your fucking business. What the hell did you do to her? How did you unlock what Brandon did?”

“It’s not hard. A newborn could have done it. And tell me this, why, if she’s your mate, was Brandon covering your mark anyway?”

“Like I said, it’s none of your fucking business. Brandon, let’s go and get her bathed. I can smell this guy on her, and I want to put her to bed.”

Stephen took off through the parking lot at his werewolf speed. In seconds, he was inside and had Evelyn on the bed. He stared down at her sleeping figure. Her dress was completely ruined where he had ripped it to replace their bond. The fang marks were still there. Her swollen eyes made his heart break.

* * * *

Evelyn stirred, and her eyelids fluttered opened. Fear came rushing back at the intense agony she had just endured. “Stephen, oh God, Stephen, it was horrible. Please don’t take the mark off again. We don’t have to be together, but don’t take it off.” Evelyn sobbed, getting to her knees on the bed to become level with his chest.

She knew she shouldn’t do it, but she didn’t care. Her fingers clutched the dark shirt he wore. Resting her head against his chest, she took in the smell of him. A wave of comfort settled throughout her body. There was no way she’d be happy again if he wasn’t near her. Deep down, she knew that.

“Don’t worry. I’ll never take it off. I marked you as my mate and that’s what you will always be to me.” Stephen lowered himself to the bed so they could be eye level “Evelyn, there’s something I have to tell you... Sheila and I…”

“She’s my sister, and he was taking care of her, nothing more.”

Startled, she looked toward the doorway. Evelyn stared in amazement at the gorgeous man accompanied by a woman and another jaw-dropping man. Where had they come from?”

“I’m sorry. Who are you?” Evelyn lifted her torn dress.

The woman stepped around the dark-haired man. Evelyn couldn’t help but gasp. The stranger resembled Evelyn to the extent that she couldn’t break her stare.

“I’m Nicole, Ayden and Trevor’s mate. This”—she pointed to the dark-haired man in a police uniform—“is Ayden. He’s alpha to the pack. This gorgeous man over here is my other mate, Trevor. ”

“Thank you for the introductions, love,” Ayden said and kissed Nicole’s forehead. “Evelyn, Stephen called me and told me what happened when I ordered him to watch over my sister. You see, Sheila is a werewolf too. It was an accident, but she blames me. I put Stephen in charge to watch over her after I noticed that she wasn’t taking to the change as well as I hoped. Ever since she shifted for the first time, she’s avoided me. She hates me.

“I never knew Stephen had claimed a mate or I would have never asked this of him. Why he didn’t tell me, I don’t know.” Ayden glared at Stephen. “But rest assured that Sheila is better now and you can both pick up where you left off. You must have been through hell. For that, I’m sorry. Being away from one’s mate even for a day can be torture. Please accept my apologies and know that if you ever need anything you can contact me or Nicole, whoever you feel more comfortable with.”

Evelyn looked over at Stephen, shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have understood. You made me believe you were in love with another woman. Why?”

It had been so much easier thinking that he had fallen in love instead of thinking she had been completely passed over for a duty. That hurt.

Stephen looked down. “I was trying to protect you from finding out the truth, Evelyn. Sheila took what she’d become so hard, I thought your witnessing her actions would drive you away from me. If there was one thing I couldn’t bear, it was having you fear me. I thought maybe by giving you more time, it would be easier.”

“More time…more time!” Evelyn screamed. “Stephen, I would have done anything for you at the drop of a dime. You could have told me anything and I would have believed and obeyed. Yet, you took my car, my home…you took away the love of my life!”

The room spun, but Evelyn refused to get sick or pass out. This needed to come out. Everything needed to be settled tonight.

“I’m sorry, Evelyn. I really thought things would work out. I figured we’d pick up where we left off, that I could say things didn’t work out between Sheila and me, and we would get back together. I never thought you’d mix with vampires and I’d have to come and save the day. I’m just glad it happened at a convenient time.”

“Yes, Stephen, it was just so fucking convenient. I’m glad I could help you out with the timing. Where is Brandon?” Evelyn looked around. She needed comfort. Brandon did that for her.

He appeared through the doorway. “Ayden, Trevor, Nicole, good to see you again.”

They shook hands, and Evelyn watched in awe, taking in all the hot men in her room. Lucky Nicole got two of them. Maybe she would do something like that. Two was always better than one.

Evelyn held her hand out to Brandon, who came to her. “Thank you,” she said, pulling him on the bed next to her.

“For what?” Brandon asked, confused.

“For being here even though you don’t have to be. My gosh, what you must think of this situation. Why you hang around still, I’ll never know.”

Ayden’s voice cut through angrily. “Tell her.”

Brandon paled considerably. Evelyn’s heart rate increased. She tilted her head to look into Brandon’s downcast face.

“What is he talking about, Brandon? Is there something you need to tell me?”

Golden eyes, so pained she could almost feel that stabbing again, almost but not quite, looked into hers.

“We didn’t meet on accident. I’m not here for spring break.” Brandon cut his eyes to Ayden and then turned back to her. “Taylor was one of your bets. He’s my friend. When he couldn’t get you to…be with him again, he called in a favor to me.

“I was sent here to get you to fall for me, and then I was to leave you. It was supposed to be payback. When I found out why you were cold, as he put it, I explained the situation to him, telling him you were marked. I told him I couldn’t fulfill his favor.”

Evelyn dropped his hand, stood, and walked away from the bed. “The only two men I’ve allowed in my life and you both betray me. Get out, both of you. I swear if either of you ever come to my door again, I’ll…” Evelyn’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t think of what else to say.

The shock of everything was beyond words. It was downright astounding. How could this have even happened? Everyone left the room but Nicole. She walked over very slowly, her face filled with sorrow.

“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. If you need anything, anything at all, please call me. I’ve been where you are, believe it or not. I wasn’t parted from Ayden as long as you were from Stephen, but I know what it feels like. You see, Ayden and I have been through a lot. He left me also, for a reason at the time I didn’t know. Truthfully, I didn’t think I’d ever forgive him, but I did. I would love to tell you all about it one day, if you’re interested.”

“Thank you, Nicole. I’d like that,” Evelyn said, collapsing on the bed. Her energy seemed to drain completely out of her. The events of the day were too much for her body to take.

“Here’s my number.” Nicole handed her a business card. “I’m sorry, it’s the only thing I have with my cell phone number on it. I don’t live that far away, if you ever want to stop by. I’m sure Ayden and Trevor would love the company.”

“Thanks, Nicole. I’d love to. You know where I live, too, if you’re ever on the island.”

Both girls laughed at their situation. “I better get in the shower. I need to change. Stephen made a mess of my dress. Thank God the material clings to your skin or else I would be flashing everyone.”

“I’ll let you shower. Call me,” Nicole said, walking out of the room and shutting the door quietly.

Evelyn didn’t move for a long time. Everything circled around her mind. She’d been mated to a werewolf, lied to by a vampire, and bitten by both. What in the hell else could happen?

Chapter 17

The month of March was officially almost over and, with it, spring break. Brandon was still her neighbor, although she’d tried to avoid him as much as possible so she could get her thoughts together.

When Stephen wasn’t working, he was at Brandon’s and they usually sat outside drinking beer, watching her every move. She’d swear that a time or two, she had actually caught glimpses of them at the Martini Bar. But that of course was still debatable. It could have been she wished to see them and that’s why she had.

Marker four was the spot to be, so of course, she and the girls were all there. Markers numbered the beach as far as the eye could see. The younger crowd thought the cool thing to do was drive from marker one through twelve, showing off their big trucks and expensive sports cars. Of course, there was nothing impressive when the expensive cars continued to get stuck in the loose sand.

The sun beat down on Evelyn’s pale skin while she worked on getting a much-needed tan. She could hardly open her eyes, it was so bright. To make things worse, she had forgotten her sunglasses in her apartment. It wouldn’t take ten minutes to walk up there to get them, but dodging the cars was something she didn’t want to do.

The Bud Light can was warming in her hand. With it only being noon, she was already on her third one. Things were actually better than before. Bets was on hold until after spring break. Natalie was taking her spot. She’d told the girls that she was through.

Evelyn had plenty of time to think about what she wanted. Nicole was becoming a great friend. It seemed that if she wasn’t at work, she was hanging out with the trio, which was what she called the threesome. There wasn’t a movie they hadn’t watched together.

Ayden and Trevor had convinced her that if she was ever going to move on with her life, she needed to forgive Stephen. She did. He could have made better choices, but the past was the past, and she could do nothing about it. He’d tried to protect her. It had to be worth something.

As for Brandon, well, he was an altogether different story. Like her, he had made a type of pact. His was a favor, and hers was Bets. She couldn’t hold that against him. What she had done to Taylor had been rude. Well, all right, she was a complete and utter bitch. Karma was a grand thing.

Evelyn finished off her beer and grabbed another one from the Styrofoam ice-chest. Last one and she was done. Then she would proceed with her preparations.

“Sarah, so tell me again what everyone’s plan is for tonight?”

The platinum blonde sighed. “Really, Evelyn, you should pay more attention. First, it’s Essence. Then we head to Toxic, then Stingers, and last it’s the Martini Bar. Why are you asking? It’s not like you’re going. You have your own plan, remember? God, I still can’t believe you’re quitting Bets.”

“The only reason I ask is just in case I’m told to take a hike, I want to know where to go to get sympathy drinks. And I have to quit Bets. It’s time. Natalie will fill my shoes perfectly.”

“No one will fill your shoes. You have a record that will probably remain unbeatable. The only one you lost you reclaimed the following weekend, and that sucks. My record is nowhere near that. None of ours is. Well, Melissa is the closest, but that’s it. She’s only been denied three times total, and that’s because one of them was married.”

“Yes, well, Melissa is very good, but don’t underestimate Natalie. I’m telling you, there’s a wild side within her that’s going to blow you away.” Evelyn took a big drink of her ice-cold beer.

“And how do you know this,” Sarah asked skeptically.

Evelyn laughed. “The first time I met Natalie, we were both shopping at Victoria’s Secret. I watched three different guys approach her. All seemed to know her, if you know what I mean. Two of the guys even said hello to each other, and something passed between all three of them. Let’s just say she’s my kind of girl.”