A Muse for Mishka (Wiccan-Were-Bear #12) (5 page)

His nose wrinkled. “I think my body would
reject jeans.”

“That’s okay. It’ll be nice to dress
differently.”

“I’m sure that Cella would love to take you
shopping. And Arissa as well.”

She thought back over what she’d learned
about the coven. Arissa, a Wiccan, was the beloved mate of Brone.
“I’d like to get to know them.”

“When they were planning the Saints and
Sinners party, Arissa said she’d noticed I wasn’t acting like
myself. It was because of the dreams.”

“I’m glad we’re not just together in our
dreams anymore.”

“As am I.”

They continued their walk down the long
hallway. He pointed out the chambers of the
family
members,
who all lived underground with him. When they reached an elevator,
he pressed the button. “This elevator leads to a hallway – one door
leads to the offices, the other to the dance floor. Beyond the
dance floor is a secured area where the coven has their daytime
resting places.”

“I thought vampires had to sleep
underground.”

“That’s a myth. As long as we’re out of the
sun, we can sleep anywhere. Some coven members choose to live in
their own homes in the area, but most sleep here. All coven members
work in the club.”

“Do you add to your
family
? Like if
one of your inner-circle vampires marries a vampire, would you
welcome him or her into the family?”

The door to the elevator opened, and he
ushered her inside, pressing the button for the first floor. “It
would depend on the mate and the feelings of the other
family
members. I would consider it, but it wouldn’t be an
automatic addition.”

“What about me?”

“It goes without saying that you’re part of
the
family
. You would be the exception to the rule.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” she said,
smiling.

When the elevator door opened, she could hear
the beat of the music from the club even through the heavy, closed
door. “Since we were distracted earlier, I meant to ask you if you
needed to feed,” she asked.

He opened the door that led to the coven’s
offices and held it for her. “I fed from you last night. I would
normally need to drink blood every night when I wake, but I’m
feeling particularly satisfied.”

“Is it because we’re beloveds?”

“Or because your blood is so powerful.”

She hummed. “It might be the same reason that
my hair turned so blue when I only sang one song.”

“We’re definitely made for each other.”

They reached a wooden door with his name
inscribed on a bronze plaque. He opened the door and switched on
the lights, and she stepped inside. The office was very typically
male – dark furniture, bookshelves with old books and knickknacks,
and a large maroon rug in the center of the room. On one wall hung
a tapestry, and she walked over to it. Immediately, she recognized
the scenes on the tapestry as being from his life – battles he had
fought and won.

“This is beautiful,” she said.

“Thank you. It’s quite old. I sometimes think
I’ll put it away, but I like to be reminded of the good times when
things don’t go my way.”

She turned to face him with a grin. “I think
things go your way more often than not.”

He smiled and it took her breath away. Damn,
he was sexy.

“Careful. Compliments will get you
pleasure.”

She heard the thud of heavy footsteps coming
down the hallway. Mishka linked their fingers and tugged her close,
brushing his lips over hers with a whisper of a caress. She wanted
more but managed to hold back on the wanton moan that was bubbling
inside her. The door was open, but the beautiful woman in front of
the group of tall, muscular men knocked.

“Enter,” Mishka said, turning his attention
to the group. Because of the shared memories, Harmony felt like she
knew everyone in the group intimately. It was a strange feeling, to
know people before she met them personally. They were Mishka’s
family
, the most important people in his life, the ones he
trusted and cared for the most. That made them important to her,
too. Not that she was any great fighter, but she would sing a
person to death for any one of these vampires in a heartbeat.

The group filed into the room and behind them
came Harmony’s friends.

Mishka cleared his throat and said, “I’d like
to formally introduce my beloved, Harmony Celeste. Harmony, this is
my
family
.”

He spoke their names, and each one gave her a
nod in turn, except for Cella, who closed the distance between them
and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you both,” Cella said as she
released Harmony and smiled at Mishka.

“Thank you. I heard you’re a girl who likes
to shop,” Harmony said.

“Definitely,” she said with a wide smile,
revealing pearly fangs. “And so does Arissa.”

Arissa, whose red hair was a stark contrast
to the black shirt her mate, Brone, wore, grinned from where she
was being held tightly in his protective embrace. “Heck yes. I
haven’t been shopping in a week!”

Harmony glanced at Mishka and he nodded. “The
night is yours, beloved. If you want to go shopping, then do so
with my blessing.”

Even though she knew every inch of the club
thanks to Mishka’s memories, she still wanted to see it in person.
“I think I’d like to get an official tour of the club first, and
then talk to my friends.”

Mishka nodded. “I believe you have much to
discuss with your friends. Cella has set up an office for you next
to mine so you may meet in there if you’d like.”

She didn’t really want to be away from
Mishka, but she wanted to talk to her friends. She had no clue what
they wanted to do now that she’d found her truemate. Hell, she
wasn’t even sure what she wanted either, except to never leave the
bedroom again. After kissing Mishka on the cheek, she greeted each
family
member personally.

When she shook Temple’s hand, he smiled. “Is
it weird to meet someone you
know
from someone else’s
memories?”

Arissa piped up. “It’s completely nuts.”

Harmony chuckled. “It’s bizarre. I feel like
you’re all strangers but also my family, like I’ve known you for
years, even though we’ve not met until now.”

She looked back at Mishka and blew him a kiss
before following Cella out of his office to her own. Unlike
Mishka’s formal office, Harmony’s was modern with a hint of whimsy.
Pale green carpeting covered the floor, a shade lighter than the
walls. Paintings of forests hung on the walls in oak frames, and a
ceiling fan swirled lazily. The desk was feminine, made of light
wood with carved legs and accented with old-fashioned drawer pulls.
Each corner held a realistic silk tree in a wicker container.

Wyst whistled appreciatively. “This sure
beats the kitchen table in the RV.”

“Mishka texted me after you’d shared blood
and told me your favorite color was green, so I went with that as a
starting point. Anything you want to change, just let me know,”
Cella said.

“It’s perfect,” she said.

Cella smiled graciously and said, “I’ll leave
you to your meeting. When you’re ready to go on the tour, my office
phone is programmed into yours.”

“So,” she said when they were alone in the
office, “when Mishka and I shared blood, we also shared memories.
Like
every
memory. Did any of you know that would
happen?”

They all shook their heads.

Bridge said, “I thought it was just a strong
connection. You actually saw his life?”

“Like a movie in my mind. It was the oddest
thing, but also very cool.” Except for the times when he was
romancing a female. Those memories she could have done without.

Pulling out the high-backed green and white
fabric covered chair, she settled in it and folded her hands on top
of the smooth desk. Tamar and Bridge sat across from her in the
matching chairs, and Wyst sat on a green striped love seat.

“How did the set go last night?” she
asked.

“Great. It wasn’t the same without you, but
the crowd had fun,” Wyst said.

“I’m glad.”

“What’s going to happen now?” Tamar
asked.

“I don’t know. Mishka and I haven’t really
talked about my purpose here in the coven.”

“You still have to feed your nature. What if
they had us become a permanent house band?” Bridge asked.

Her eyes stung suddenly with tears. “You guys
don’t want to leave? You’d stay here?”

Wyst’s dark brows rose. “As if we’d leave.
You’re like a sister to all of us. When we signed on to play music
with you, it wasn’t a temporary gig. I know that you’re mated to a
master vampire and that will change some things for you, but our
friendship won’t change. Ever.”

“I’m so thankful to have you in my life. If
you all want to stay here, then you can. I’ll talk to whoever is in
charge of the music in the club. Plus, you need a place to live,
too.”

“Cella said that there are renovated
apartments above the club,” Bride said. “They were used in the past
for special visitors, but they’ve been empty for a while now.
There’s a private entrance outside, and they’re already
furnished.”

“I want to go on a tour of the club. Do you
want to come with?” she asked.

“We already toured it, so have fun.” Wyst
said as he stood. “I’m going to pack up my shit from the RV. I
called dibs on the biggest apartment.”

“I’ll come visit you later,” she
promised.

Her friends left, and she looked around the
office for a moment. It was really perfect for her. She hadn’t
needed to tell Mishka her favorite color was green because he’d
known it because of their bond.

Lifting the receiver, she pressed the button
next to Cella’s name.

“Ready for the tour?” Cella asked.

“Absolutely.”

“I’m on my way.”

Ending the call, she dialed her mother’s
phone number. “Hi, Mom,” she said when her mom answered. “I’ve got
some interesting news.”

“Hello, sweetheart. Where are you calling
from?”

“A vampire club.”

“Oh! You found your truemate?”

“I did last night. I was singing on stage at
the club and passed out when our gazes met across the floor. His
name is Mishka, and he’s the head of the coven in Cleveland.”

“That’s the most wonderful news!
Congratulations!”

“Thanks. I’m glad I don’t have to travel
anymore.”

“And you can finally make a home for
yourself. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“When can you come?”

“I need to stay here until the full moon, but
I can come for Christmas. How does that sound?”

“Perfect. How are things going with the
pack?”

Her mother had been living in a wolf pack’s
territory for several years, helping to keep the peace in the pack
with her power. Instead of singing in a club, she sang at weekly
pack meetings, and she used her powers to help others in the nearby
town. Harmony enjoyed being on the stage, but she also liked the
idea of the low-key lifestyle her mom had adopted.

“Very well. The alpha’s oldest son had a
daughter who is super fussy, so I’ve been living in their home for
the last month helping her to feel better so she can sleep.”

“Aw. You could probably rent yourself out to
hospitals and new parents and make a fortune.”

Chuckling, her mom said, “You and your crazy
ideas.”

She told her mom about Mishka’s club and
about her band’s intention to stay. “It’s not that I thought they’d
take off on me, but I wasn’t really sure. We hadn’t talked about
what would happen when I found my truemate.”

“I’m not surprised. Your friends are very
loyal and you’re lucky to have them in your life.”

“I know.”

“Tell your beloved that I said hello, and
I’ll look forward to meeting him the next time we Skype.”

“Love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart.”

Harmony looked up as she hung up the phone
and found Cella smiling as she leaned against the doorjamb. “How
long have you been searching for Mishka?”

“Two years.”

Her brows rose. “Wow. I wish vampires had
dreams leading them to their beloveds. That would be really
cool.”

“It is and it’s also frustrating. My dreams
weren’t very specific. If Mishka hadn’t had fangs in my dreams, I
might have thought he was human.”

In order to reach the club, Harmony and Cella
had to walk down the hall past the
family
offices, through
the reception desk where Arissa sat, and past a set of glass doors
guarded by coven males. They walked down another hallway past
another set of guarded doors and reached the coat-check, where a
human woman was taking a beautiful fur coat from a vampire female
and accepting a ticket in return. After a quick introduction to the
coat check girl, they headed into the club.

“Are the bartenders all coven members?”
Harmony asked as they moved slowly along the back wall.

“Most of the club workers are part of the
coven. We do hire humans for small jobs like coat check, and the
more important jobs of food. We have trolls for daytime security as
well.”

“No shifters?”

“There are a few who work as personal guards.
Arissa has two wolves and a leopard as her guards. Shifters do come
to the club to hang out, but they have their own clubs.”

Harmony searched through Mishka’s memories.
Shifters had been blood slaves for vampires for centuries. It was
outlawed by vampire law, now, but shifters had long memories and
held grudges. It didn’t really surprise her that shifters weren’t
gung-ho to hang out at a club crawling with vampires.

“I’ve been in a lot of vampires clubs around
the country, from the grungiest dive bar to classy places decked
out in chrome and mirrors. I like Fang. It feels like home.”

“That’s so sweet. I feel the same way about
the club, too. I’m glad you’re here. Mishka was lonely. It was hard
for us to see him that way, especially after Brone found
Arissa.”