Brianna

I rolled on my side to look at Brian. "Is your mate a male or female?" 

He shot me a side glance. "What kind of question is that? Of course, it's going to be a female." 

Oh, right. That was a relief. 

I tittered. "And?" 

Three seconds skipped by and Brian's response was silence. 

Ah, was I missing something? 

He sighed aloud before blessing me with an answer, "She's the enemy." 

I nodded. "Oh, I see." But, wasn't Kyle also the enemy? 

The Lord knew how much I wanted to voice the concern but held it in. My lips parted, the words, 'who was it?' on the tip of my tongue. Nevertheless, it was swallowed by the expression on Brian's face when he looked at me. Defeat and wariness sparkled in his yellow eyes. No contacts, no barriers, nothing, but raw emotions I forgot he had. 

My heart squeezed at the sight. 

Long gone was the cocky, confident Brian. He was replaced by someone else; something else. 

"Oh, Brian." I pulled him into my arms. Like the old days. 

He never refused the comfort. If anything, he held onto me tighter. Flashback to the days when he first turned into a vampire. Back when all he experienced was loads of crap and side glances. When he was scared. I hated those days the most. The main factor why I left for Eastmere University. 

"You're going to have to dagger me." His whisper floated around the room. "Oh, God. It's going to hurt her, isn't it?" He pushed away from me. A large palm scrubbed over his face. "She's a wolf. The moon is going to affect her more, right?" 

My audible swallowed circled us. 

The answers to his questions hang in the air. Neither of us dared spoke them aloud in fear of him getting hurt more than he already was.  

I pulled him into a tighter hug. 

All he ever wanted was to make a difference. If he got mated to a wolf all he had worked for would be changed within a blink of an eye. The High Council members would think twice before allowing him unto the board.  Not to mention, my parents. The praises and approved glances would be transformed into snarls and disappointing stares. Everyone would start an uproar about where his loyalty laid. The University's misunderstanding regarding my decision of my advisors would be a walk in the park compared to the town's squabbles. 

Darn it, Brian. Why couldn't you find your mate after you were on the council? 

Ugh! Darn Red Moon!

I never released him until his breathing calmed and his body relaxed. 

"Everything is going to be okay," I whispered. 

My fingers combed the loose strands into the rest of his curls.

 "I was so close to getting all I ever wanted. I was going to show them a transformed vampire could be a leader. Others like me would have a chance." His lips curled but yellow eyes bore sadness. "I was—"

My index pressed to his lips, cutting his sentence. 

"Everything is going to be okay," I repeated. "You made it this far, and you are going to be the leader you've set out to be." No matter what. I would make sure of it.

He pulled me unto his chest. "Don't leave me again." 

My eyes flooded with tears and my throat hurt. "I won't. " Never again. 

The wind blew through the opened patio doors, chilling the room more than it needed to be. The curtains swayed to the rhythm of the wind. The steady thumping of Brian's heart vibrated his chest. 

"I thought I was too young to be affected. " His chest rumbled. "She's so much older than I am." He shook from a soft chuckle. "She's probably crying her eyes out. Who wouldn't if they found out they were being mated to a baby vampire." 

A slight smile curled my lips. "As you are now? But, who wouldn't if they found out they were being mated with a granny wolf."

His body shook harder. "I'm not crying. I'm only talking. There's a big difference." 

Yeah, right. 

He cleared his throat. "Besides, I'm too young to be tied down." 

I snickered. 

Spoken like a true gentleman. 

The room once again quieted down. Slowly untangling myself from Brian, I went to close the patio doors. Hands-on both knobs, the dark polka-dotted sky caught my interest. Once again I prayed for deliverance and strength. 

If we could escape this Red Moon then everything else would be easy. Staking Brian would be a difficult task, but if it meant it would save him, then it was a task I would have to handle. 

Kyle popped to mind. 

Maybe I, too, would have to be staked. Being mated to a wolf meant disgrace and more disappointment. It meant another war. And, what I was aiming for was redemption and approval. 

Faint footsteps sounded behind me. Muscular arms were snaked around my waist and a kiss met my neck. Soft lips were dragged along my neck to the shell of my ears. A cool wind chilled my ear lobe and sent shivers down my spine. 

"What are you doing? Come back to bed."

Before I could respond a shadow flashed in my peripheral vision. My eyes roamed the balcony when Brian bit my earlobe and went back to kissing my neck and shoulder. The shadow was forgotten and the caress evoked a soft moan from my lips. I shut the doors and swiveled to face Brian. 

"I was just closing the doors," I whispered. 

Yellow eyes twinkled with need and hunger. My fingers raised to his cheek to caress the tender skin. He leaned into the touch. Eyes drifted close with lips slightly parted. An expression I used to see a lot in the past. Decades ago when we used sex as a fix for emotional imbalance. 

My hand fell to his shoulder. His eyes remained closed even while I ran my fingers up his chest and along his shoulders. Tipping on my toes, my lips brushed against his. The moment our lips touched, he cupped my buttocks, lifting me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist as our kissing got heated. 

My back landed on a soft surface. 

His lips never left mine. Our hands explore muscles and curves it had missed out on for decades. 

If there was nothing else I couldn't give, I could give my comfort; a night filled with pleasure, filled with my love.