Hearts of Warriors Ch. 12

"I think it's time to go tease Mac now," Andrei finally said, his tone full of mischief. "I'm quite partial to my study door so maybe we shouldn't tempt him too much by staying in here any longer."

His unrepentant expression at her low groan told her he wouldn't be dissuaded. "I've got to get some fun out of all of this."

Lily sighed in defeat and rolled her eyes. At least having her father onside was better than the alternative. They were just going to have to put up with his brand of teasing until he got it out of his system.

*****

Mac couldn't tear his eyes away from the open doorway even as Loretta bustled around the kitchen, the noise and smell of cooking assaulting his senses. He could feel Lily's erratic emotions through their bond and he was desperate to go to her but knew she wouldn't thank him for interfering.

It was only Loretta's calm attitude which was holding him back. She clearly knew her family dynamic and if she was unconcerned about her mate and daughter being alone then it stood to reason that he shouldn't be worried either. And yet, he wanted to go to Lily, itched to protect her from whatever Andrei was saying which was making her swing from misery to joy and then back again.

"Remarkable." Loretta's laughing words dragged his attention from the doorway and he looked around to see her watching him intently. She had a sparkle in her eyes and he could see exactly what it was about the wolf that attracted Andrei. She was the perfect foil for his erratic personality. She was a blend of strength and compassion which was very much part of her children's personalities.

"I don't know what I'm more impressed with," she continued, turning back to the stove and flipping some bacon in the frying pan. "The fact those two aren't screaming at each other or the fact you're still seated in that chair."

Like Mac, she could feel her mate's emotions and knew he was struggling with coming to terms with how to cope with the changes in Lily. Unlike Mac, she'd had countless years to come to know her mate and knew he was handling everything just fine, so therefore, she wasn't concerned about what was going on behind the study door.

She'd taken time to watch Mackenzie, to get a feel for who he was as a man and her daughter's mate. She was impressed so far. It was killing him to stay away from Lily but she'd asked him to and he was trying hard to give her what she needed. Loretta had no doubt he'd fuck up just as much as he succeeded but it was obvious he was willing to try and that was the important thing.

Mac let out a loud breath from his seat at the kitchen table. "I'm using you as a barometer on whether or not I need to be concerned," he admitted with a slight smile. "You're the glue that holds this family together."

Loretta beamed a wide smile and nodded her head in thanks for his compliment. "Oh, I'm going to just adore you, Mac. I knew Lily would pick a good mate. Kal will probably be the one who ends up giving me grey hairs when he chooses a mate. He's been too easy to bring up so far. He has to have something up his sleeve to drive me insane."

He laughed at her resigned tone so full of love for her family. He was sure she was right too. What he'd seen of Kallum so far was pretty impressive. He was a strong Alpha male with a wide streak of compassion running through him.

But the man who had confronted him the day before when he was defending his sister's right to stay at the compound had been a different male entirely. That man had been stubborn and resolute. Backing down just wasn't an option for him as he defended Lily. He took what he considered to be his responsibilities seriously and wasn't afraid to go up against anyone if he felt he was right.

No, there was a lot more to Kallum Romanov than first met the eye, a power that bubbled under the surface just waiting to be unleashed. Mac was certain that when Kal finally let go of his tight self-control they would all be surprised by just what he was capable of, including his parents.

"You're handling this so much more reasonably than I expected," he commented, surprised at her acceptance of him when she didn't know a thing about him.

"That's because I'm the sane one in the family," Loretta joked, as she dished up the food onto waiting plates and put them on the table. She gave him a measuring look. "Don't be fooled by me, Mackenzie," she continued her expression serious. "I'm as protective of my family as Andrei is. If I thought for one moment that you were bad for my daughter I'd rip your throat out without a second's hesitation."

Mac had no doubts about that. He'd been around wolves long enough to be able to sense their strengths and weaknesses. He knew Loretta was a senior Beta in the pack and was just as much of a soldier as Lily. That she had a sunny personality didn't detract from the feral wolf nature she had deep inside. It just made her even more deadly because some people would be foolish enough to underestimate her. And he was no fool.

Giving her one of his rare smiles, he accepted the wolf into his suddenly growing family with barely a flicker of an eyelid. He knew he was going to adore this woman almost as much as he did his Lily. "Just as well you like me then," he quipped, drawing a wide smile.

"Lord, save me from charismatic males who think one smile is enough to make a woman melt," she grumbled good-naturedly, her hand coming to rest lightly on his shoulder in a gesture of acceptance.

"Be good to my girl, Mac. That's all a mother can ask." She bent down and kissed his cheek lightly before turning towards the door. "Oh, and cut Andrei some slack too. This isn't easy for him."

The sound of Lily and Andrei approaching had his head turning too even as he worked on his stunned surprise that he'd managed to win over Loretta so quickly. He knew it would please Lily if he could gain approval from at least one of her parents.

Mac's gaze zeroed in on his mate the second she entered the kitchen. Her eyes were red from crying and he had to fight to contain a growl of displeasure. She was smiling happily so that helped. He ignored Andrei completely which probably wasn't a wise move but he needed to make sure Lily was okay.

Her gaze connected with his and her smile brightened as she was drawn across the room as if she'd hated their separation as much as he had. Uncaring of their audience he was reaching for her pulling her down into his lap and searching her face intently.

"Is everything okay?" He used their private form of communication; glad they had it so they could maintain a level of privacy when around her family.

"Everything's fine, Mac. Dad was much more understanding than I gave him credit for. We're closer than ever now and he understands how important you are to me. Thank you for being as understanding and letting me do this my way. I know it wasn't easy for you." Lily rested her forehead against his as she spoke, proud of her mate as she was of her father. This meeting was going so much better than she'd expected it would.

"So Mackenzie, you're sleeping with my daughter."

Andrei's cool words brought a groan from said daughter and a muttered sigh from his mate.

"Dad!" Lily all but squeaked as Loretta groaned out, "Andrei!"

Mac simply tightened his hold on Lily and met Andrei's gaze. His expression was neutral but his eyes were anything but. He responded to the male challenge instinctively though he did work to keep his aggression levels down. "That's what mates do, Andrei. I would've thought you'd managed to work that out after being mated to Loretta all these years."

Silence descended over the kitchen as both Lily and Loretta tensed waiting to see what Andrei's reaction would be. Mac kept his tight grip on his mate as she wiggled on his lap attempting to stand up to try and make the situation less volatile by not rubbing her father's nose in their relationship.

He was having none of that. She was his mate and it was natural to express their love physically. He wasn't about to deny that and he wouldn't allow her to either, not even to appease Andrei. No one would dictate when he could and couldn't touch his mate.

And it probably wasn't prudent for her to rise at the moment. Her wiggling was inciting a reaction which was very natural. They might be pushing their luck a bit if Andrei had to see the evidence of his sleeping with his daughter.

"Mac, let me up."

"Not a chance in hell, sugar,"he growled. "Your father has to accept that I can't keep my hands off you and you have to know that I won't tolerate you denying us in any shape or form. This is a male thing. You asked me to let you do things your way. Now it's your turn to let me do things mine. Trust me, Lily."

She couldn't really argue with him. He had given her the space to talk to her father first and she was reasonably confident the situation wouldn't come to blows. Lily stopped wriggling to escape and settled against Mac's chest, her gaze intent on her father's face.

Andrei would've been a liar if he denied that he was tempted to rip Mac's arms from his shoulders. They were so securely wrapped around his daughter's body, one hand resting possessively on her hip. He'd have had to be a saint not to have some negative reaction to it but the resolute expression in Mac's eyes earned the respect of his more feral side.

He'd always liked Mac, had always been impressed with his integrity and the way he handled himself. He liked the fact he wouldn't back down in his presence. If he was willing to stand up to him to secure his right to be Lily's mate then he would defend her to his dying breath. There was nothing he wanted more for his daughter, someone as committed to protecting her as he was.

A smile slowly crossed his face and he could feel the tension level in the room dropping. The smile reached his eyes which wasn't a normal occurrence outside his immediate family and pack.

"Oh, I think I've got the hang of that just nicely," he smiled, crossing over to Loretta and gathering her into his arms so he could ground himself in her scent and ease down his aggression levels a bit more. He turned back to Mac.

"It's been a while, Mackenzie. I wasn't expecting our next meeting would turn out to be with my daughter wrapped all over you. Father's prerogative to be a little pissed off about it even if I'm willing to accept that my little girl is all grown up now."

"Fair enough," Mac agreed, with a brief smile. "Just as long as you do accept that Lily's mine and I'm not going to let anyone come between us."

Lily watched the byplay wondering idly if this was akin to a father handing off his daughter in a marriage ceremony. Weres and vampires didn't adopt the human bonding ceremony, their mating bonds being that much deeper and fixed.

Surprisingly the one couple who were actually married was the last couple most people would have thought of. She adored the story of how Demetri had proposed to Mara when she was still human and not ready to join his world as a vampire. It was so romantic that one of the most intractable vampires ever appeared to be the one who had bent the most to secure his mate.

Andrei shrugged as if it was a given and dropped a kiss on Loretta's mouth. "I suppose we could continue having a pissing contest or we could let our girls eat breakfast. I know which one I'd prefer to do and I'm sure I don't need to recite the whole 'You hurt my daughter and you're dead' routine."

Mac laughed even as Loretta slapped Andrei's chest in admonishment and Lily groaned in despair. "Duly noted and understood," he answered, slipping his mate from his lap into the chair beside him so she could eat. His kissed her temple and played with a lock of her hair as Loretta and Andrei joined them at the table.

Lily started eating, sparing a glance at her mother as her father and Mac started catching up as if they hadn't just been about to go at each other to prove who was the biggest, badass vampire a handful of seconds ago. She couldn't believe she'd been so worried about this meeting and they were chatting away so amicably. Mac was filling her father in on the formation of Praetorians and he appeared genuinely interested in the subject.

"Don't even try to understand men, honey," Loretta said, as she chewed on a bacon sandwich. "They're a completely different species and that's nothing to do with the whole Vamp/Were thing. I like your Mac by the way."

Lily's mental laugh was full of happiness. "I'll take your advice on the whole male thing, Mom. And I'm glad you like Mac and Dad seems to as well. I just feel so happy right now. Everything's just perfect."

"Perfection is pretty boring, Lily. Being mated is no easy feat especially when your mate is a dominant, overbearing vampire who thinks you need their help to just breathe properly. It's not always going to be heart and flowers, not if I'm reading Mac correctly."

Her mother's caution was spot on and so like her that Lily smiled as she forked some eggs into her mouth. "I know that. Do you know he didn't tell me about the meeting last night until this morning? I was furious with him about it. Come to think of it, I think we've argued more times that we've kissed at this point."

She blushed slightly remembering the night before and heard her mother's laughter in her head. "Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration. There was a lot of kissing being done last night."

"Tell me more," Loretta teased. "Is he as good as he looks?"

"Mother!" Lily's exclamation was half scandalised, half amused. Her mother was incorrigible at times and sometimes she forgot just how much of wolf lived inside her.

"What? I was only asking," Loretta said innocently. "I was just wondering if there was a chance you might be making us grandparents in the near future. I'm trying to envision your father's face if I manage to fall pregnant at the same time as you. It would be priceless to tell him he's about to become a father again and a grandfather."

Lily choked on her breakfast, Mac immediately patting her on the back as she tried to laugh out loud and swallow the food in her mouth. Both he and Andrei shot the two women perplexed looks wondering what was the cause of such hilarity.

Lily managed to catch her breath and take a sip of coffee. "Mom, you're terrible!" She turned to her father laughter dancing in her eyes. "You do know she's talking about having another baby, Dad. Another girl to drive you insane now I'm out of your hair."

Andrei stared at his mate shaking his head in disbelief. "No, I had no idea such devious thoughts were going through your mother's mind."

He answered his daughter though his gaze never left Loretta. While stunned by the announcement, he couldn't help feeling excited at the prospect of having another child now theirs had grown. Another adorable little girl would be more than he could ever hope for, if they could work out what would make them fertile again.

Loretta grinned unrepentantly at him. "Actually, I was hoping we could time it so Lily was gifting you with your first grandchild at the same time," she teased, having no idea of what the impact of her words would be.

Mac suddenly froze on the spot; the hand which had been running up and down Lily's back ceasing all movement. The pleasure on Andrei's face evaporated and his gaze swung to look at the other male.

Mac was stunned by Loretta's announcement. He couldn't believe he hadn't even considered that now he was mated to a Vârcolac he would be able to father children again. His one experience of fatherhood had been an agony he couldn't bear to repeat again.

He knew Andrei was aware of his past; the look in the other male's eyes a stark warning as they stared at each other. It was an effort to ensure none of his inner turmoil travelled down his mate bond with Lily as his past memories reared up and he saw his daughter again.

Barely a fraction of a second had passed since Loretta had spoken and both he and Andrei were the only ones aware that her words had set off memories Mac never wanted to relive.

Memories of Sophia, only they weren't of her laughing or of him holding her in his arms, she was always lying dead with her throat torn out and her clothes covered in blood. Losing his wife had been hard; losing his child had been hell on earth and the thing which had tipped him over the edge until he'd tried to leave the world with them.

Demetri had stopped him. He had changed him into a vampire and given him a goal to go on. He had stood at his side as he had buried Maria and Sophia and helped him track down the vampire who had taken their lives. Knowing he would never be able to father a child again had been the one thing Mac had always relied on. Now he didn't have that any more.

"Mac?"

Lily's voice dragged his attention from Andrei and he smiled automatically, continuing his slow caress of her back as he struggled to fight off the memories. She was looking at him speculatively, sensing something was wrong but not quite knowing what it was.

"I think we stunned Mac more than we stunned your father," Loretta chuckled, completely oblivious to the world of hurt she had just opened up.

He murmured some polite response, something along the lines of there being plenty of time to consider parenthood. All the while his thoughts were on Lily.

How could he explain it to her?

It was obvious she wanted to be a mother. It was part of her Were heritage the need to bring life into the world. If he'd stopped to consider it for a moment he wouldn't have mated with her. He would have let some other male know her love, allowed someone else to give her what she needed.

Because Mac knew he never could. He would never father another child and know the hell of losing that child as he'd lost Sophia – not even for Lily.

To be continued...