Angela stretched her arms over her head before opening her eyes. Slivers of daylight streamed into the room from one of the partially open curtains. Normally she slept during the day but Knox had kept her up all night. In the most delicious way possible.
Considering the night they'd had, she felt surprisingly refreshed as she got out of bed. After a shower she found Knox had left clothes for her on his dresser and a note telling her he'd be back soon. Carefully she sniffed them - and immediately hated the brief insecurity that jolted through her - but didn't scent anyone else on them. She wondered where he'd acquired new clothes so quickly but didn't really care. Anything was better than walking around naked all day.
After slipping on the black sweater and dark jeans, she put on her own boots then opened his bedroom door. No one was in the hallway but she knew the house was full. She could smell all the shifters. She couldn't tell where Knox was, however.
Couldn't even sense him. She'd thought once they were mated they'd have that bond but maybe that was only a vampire thing. Her boots were silent along the plush carpeted hallway as she made her way to the staircase.
Two male wolves stood at the top talking but both straightened when they saw her. One she recognized from the day before as one of the males who'd wanted her "strung up and punished." Despite the sinister glint in his eyes, he nodded politely at her.
They both did.
Even though she wanted to know where her mate was she wasn't about to ask these two. She just nodded back and continued down the stairs.
The mansion was just as big as the one she'd lived in before but the smells were different. More alive. Everything was a little brighter, too. Thankfully she could walk in sunlight or she'd be fried with all the big windows. For a brief moment she wondered where Natalia was and how she was faring. Her friend wasn't a day walker so was likely sleeping. Maybe Angela shouldn't have been so hard on the young vampire. She'd only been doing what she thought was right.
Even if it hurt that her friend had left the coven without telling her why, deep down she knew it didn't matter. Hell, they were the only two vamps living in this house now and it was obvious not all the shifters would accept her so easily. She'd need all the friends she could get.
As Angela strode through the house she heard bits and pieces of conversations thanks to her extrasensory abilities. Most of it was mundane, everyday stuff. Where shifters had an incredible sense of smell, her sense of hearing was probably a hundred times better than theirs. Long ago she'd learned to tune things out - she'd had to for peace of mind - but when she heard a female voice say Knox's name, she paused in the hallway where she stood and honed in on it. From the direction it sounded as if the voice came from the south part of the mansion.
"Knox only protected her last night to keep peace between the species," one said haughtily.
The other female laughed. "Don't fool yourself. You sound bitter and jealous. Our Alpha doesn't do anything lightly."
"We'll just see how long it lasts." This time the female sounded almost threatening.
"You better not let anyone overhear you," the other one whispered, though it did no good to stop Angela's eavesdropping. "If he mates with her, she'll be our Alpha, too."
The female snorted. "A vampire as our Alpha female? Knox will never allow it."
"You speak as if you know him so well."
She sniffed in an overconfident manner Angela knew she wouldn't soon forget. "There was a time when - "
Angela didn't need to hear anymore. Forcing herself to block out the rest of the conversation, she continued down the long hallway toward a heavy-looking wooden door with intricate carvings. If she stood around and listened to more of that crap she knew she'd search out the location of the she-wolves and her claws would come out. Literally. And she didn't think it would be a good idea to confront a couple of she-wolves her first day as Knox's mate. When she turned the door handle relief surged through her that it opened and led outside. She might not be accustomed to spending time in the daylight but anything was better than being stuck in that house with shifters that didn't want her there.
