Adrian by V. Vaughn Page B

“You’re my true mate, Ginny. They don’t get the option.”
    I place my hand on his cheek, and the day-old stubble is rough under my palm as I say, “I need to train. My bear won’t let me be at peace otherwise.”
    “Fine. I’ll come with you.”
    “No, Adrian. This is your dream, and you need to chase it. Not just for you, but for your brothers. The band will be fine without me, but without the lead singer?” I shake my head. “No way. I won’t let it happen.”
    Adrian pulls away from me, and his bear flashes in his eyes. Now I’m afraid he really is going to shift. “That’s not your decision to make.” He turns from me, and when he leaves, he slams the door so hard the walls shake.
    I slump down on the bed as tears burn in my eyes. Sharp pain throbs behind my temple. Adrian is not the only person that needs to hear my plan, and I dress quickly to search out Aleck. I follow the music and find him at my keyboards. He glances up, and I notice he got his hair cut in a sexier style than usual. I wonder if it has anything to do with a certain brunette, and I say, “Hey.”
    “How was training?” He slides over on the bench for me to sit next to him.
    “Good.” I press the keys to play a quick scale, and the music tugs at my heart. “Aleck, I need more time to control my bear, and I want you to take my place in the band.”
    Aleck doesn’t speak and begins to play the very first song he wrote for us instead. I join him, and tears form in my eyes. A part of me wants to go on tour, and the melody is reminding me how much I love to play.
    When we stop, Aleck says, “I’ll be your replacement until you can come back.”
    Now my tears let go, and I hug him tight as I whisper through them. “Thank you.”
    When Adrian still hasn’t come home by the afternoon, I’m beyond worried. But I have already gained enough control of my emotions that I can let him take the time he needs to process what I said. Since I have nothing to do, I decide to distract myself with visiting the ladies next door. Maggie answers the door and takes my hand to pull me inside. “I’m glad you came over.” She calls out. “Colleen! She’s here!”
    I frown. “How did you know I’d come over?” I sit in a wooden chair that creaks and makes me think it might be as old as my host.
    “I didn’t, but we’d have come over to see you soon if you hadn’t. Now tell me what’s happened to make your mate so unhappy.”
    “My mate?”
    The coffee pot gurgles as she turns to me. “We know what you are, dear.”
    “But...” I don’t want to say more, because the number-one rule I’m supposed to follow is keeping our kind safe by never admitting a thing.
    Colleen shuffles into the room and says, “Don’t you worry about a thing. Even if those hunters tried to torture it out of us, who’d believe two crazy old ladies?” She crosses her eyes and sticks out her tongue. A laugh bursts out of me.
    The woman sits across from me. “Talk to us, dear.”
    I sigh as a mug of coffee thumps before me, and a plate of cookies clatters when Maggie sets it down and joins us at the table. I ask, “You heard the band got a recording deal, right?”
    “Oh yes, how very exciting,” says Colleen.
    Maggie says, “We’re going to miss all the music, though.” She touches my arm, and her fingers are cold on my skin as she says, “Goodness, you’ll have to share a bathroom with those boys on some bus.” She shudders a little.
    “I’m not going. That’s why Adrian is so upset.”
    “Not going?” asks Colleen. “Why in heavens not?”
    “I’m having trouble controlling-- Wait. How do you know what we are?”
    Maggie’s face falls, and she drops her gaze. “I had a--”
    Colleen interrupts her. “She had a torrid affair with a werebear.” She sighs. “Edward was such a handsome man. But back then, one couldn’t carry on like that. Prejudice, you know. They had to break it off.”
    I reach for Maggie’s hand and squeeze gently