Vera wanted nothing more than to be back on her couch with a book.

The atmosphere at the Kategan’s house was happy and bustling with excitement. Vane grilled on the outdoor barbeque while his pregnant mate, Sarina, sat nearby chatting with her best friend, Alison. Rome, the youngest of the brothers, sipped a beer and talked to Vane over the grill.

The scene was nice, almost perfect, but Vera Kategan felt a grueling pain in her stomach. It wasn’t from anything physical though, but something far deeper and emotional. Something that she didn’t want to think about, but her mind wouldn’t let her forget.
Two of her three brothers were mated and disgustingly happy, but she wasn’t. Happy for them, yes. She could honestly say that. While she was concerned for her older brother, Darien, she knew better than to be overly worried. If there was any man who could take care of himself, even in the worst of situations, it was Darien. He wasn’t just a rock, but a solid boulder of stability. His stomach probably wouldn’t get sick at the sight of Sarina’s rounded belly.

It was petty and stupid; she was petty. Why she couldn’t just be happy and content with her life was the agonizing question that had been driving her lonely nights. But now, that was all going to change.

Vera shimmied her way into a lawn chair and crossed one leg over the other. “Big bro, we need to chat business.”

All conversation stymied to a stop. It was hard, but she barely managed to maintain her aloof smile. Vane flipped the burgers over before answering.

“What business is that?”

“The treaty with the vampire clan is coming up soon. With Sarina pregnant, I think it’d be a smart choice to send me so that you can stay here with her.” If she thought the atmosphere was still before, she was wrong. It was absolutely suffocating now, and all those unnerving eyes were focused on her.

“Actually, I was just going to take Sarina with me.” Vera shot a quick glance to Sarina as if searching for confirmation that she was indeed very pregnant. Judging by the big round belly she had going on, she was pretty sure she was.

“Wait, wait. Are you telling me, Master Alpha, that you’re willing, and happy, to take your near-to-bursting-pregnant mate into possible enemy territory?” The spatula in his hand snapping in half accompanied her brother’s vicious growl.

Vera shrugged and leaned back in her seat. “I’ve proven my point. You can’t go. You’ll be beating every vamp’s face that even looks in her direction, let alone raises a voice during the negotiations.” Sarina nodded at her with a smile. At least she had one person on her side; Sarina didn’t look like she enjoyed the idea of going either.

“She’s right, Vane. Maybe you should let her go. Just send Darien with her,” Rome said and took a sip of his brew.

Vane’s shoulders stiffened. He was practically growling when he answered. “I can’t send Darien with her. He’s gone on a journey. Why don’t you go with her, Roman?”

Everyone started speaking at once. Vera’s half-shout was the only one to get through it all. “What the hell do you mean he’s gone on a journey? You’ve got to be kidding me. I just saw him back at Rome and Alison’s mating ceremony. He looked fine.”

Vane’s lips pressed flat. “Yeah, well apparently, he’s not fine. And he needs time to himself. He told me he was leaving two weeks ago.”

“Mother fuck,” Rome cursed. “He’s been gone that long and you haven’t even told us?” Alison stood and rushed over to her mate to wrap her body around his. The tension in his body relaxed instantly. Vera felt that hard pain in her gut again. Not again, dammit.

“He told me not to say anything if I didn’t have to. So, I didn’t. I respected his wishes. Now get over it. All of you. Lumara, do you need anything?” It shocked her how soft and sweet his voice got when he spoke to his mate. Her cheeks were high with color when she shook her head no at him.

The crunch of footsteps on gravel brought all conversation to a halt. Vera didn’t think this could get any harder, but at the sight of Jackson Marsh, she knew there was no hope of turning tonight into a good one.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” The dark threat coming from Rome was true enough that Vera went to stand between her brother and the human. Though, why she should even give a shit, she wasn’t sure. It was only because she didn’t want the cops called.

She watched Jackson’s jaw clench so hard, she was surprised it didn’t snap. “I was invited.”

Rome couldn’t hide his surprised reaction. “By whom?”

Jackson looked behind Rome and nodded to a pink-faced Alison. Rome looked down at his mate and back at Jackson before finally, stubbornly nodding. He turned toward his mate and grabbed her by the shoulders as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to pull her close or shake the hell out of her.

“Why did you bring him here? You know how I feel about this.”

“Baby, I asked him to come because this is a family barbeque and no matter how unhappy you are with him, he still means a lot to you. I know it, and I think you do, too. I don’t blame him for what happened, and you shouldn’t either. Sandra had been put there to set him up; it was on purpose. It was Conlin’s fault, baby. He planned it all.”

Rome shook his head and pointed a hard finger at Jackson. “He should have known better. He does know better than to let some pussy sway him. He was a fucking soldier, for Christ’s sake. He fought in a war, but couldn’t do his duty and protect my mate when she was in danger.”

“Fuck this---” Jackson muttered and spun around to leave.

“No, wait!” Vane’s hard voice broke through the atmosphere like a true leader, an Alpha. When he spoke, all eyes and ears turned to him. “He stays. This fight between you and him has to stop sometime. Listen to your mate, Rome.”

Sarina stepped forward and held out her hand to Jackson who shook it, reluctantly. He looked like he was greatly regretting his decision to come here, and judging by the withering glare he sent Alison, he’d probably been misinformed about his welcome.
“Come on, take a seat, grab a beer,” Sarina said. Jackson nodded, but his eyes swung not to the beer, but to Vera.

Her stomach clenched with an all new feeling now. Damn. She hated this man. She didn’t even know what it was. They’d hardly ever spoken, and yet the man ground on her nerves like a pain in the ass. He grabbed a beer and took the seat nearest to hers, then scooted it another few inches closer.

He was seriously trying her patience.

The man had to be a mind reader, because he knew all the moves to piss her off. Purposely crossing her leg off to one side from him, she turned away and pretended that the big, hunky human wasn’t sitting next to her. Hunky? Oh, God, she’d actually just thought that. Shoot me now, God, please.

“Vane, about what we were discussing, I really think I’d make the perfect liaison. I’ve gone with you all the times in the past; I know the treaty like I do my own handwriting. Plus, it’s safer sending just me than risking your own mate.” She knew she’d hit the right mark when he sucked in a deep breath.

“Fine, you can go as ambassador, but Rome will go with you.” Vera was saved from protesting by Rome.

“I can’t go. Alison and I have tickets for Italy. Remember, I told you about this? It’s our honeymoon, and I’m not going to have her miss out on it when I know Vera is more than capable of doing this.” Vera sent her brother a thank-you smile and he winked back at her.

Vane flipped off the grill and started plating the burgers, and grilled corn. The smells were good enough to have her stomach growling. He set the plates down and crossed his big arms as he turned to her. Uh-oh. She knew that face. Whatever he had to say wasn’t going to bode well for her.

“All right. You can go, but under my conditions.”

He seemed to be waiting for an answer so she hesitantly said, “Mmmkay, what?”

“You will go, but you will go with a guardian.” Vera’s bubble of laughter had him glaring at her harder.

“Vane, I’m twenty-seven, not a child. I don’t need a parent to chaperone me to the dance.” The corner of his lips fought to hide a smile.

“No, but you’re going into what could potentially be enemy territory. I’m not sending my sister alone. You’ll have a guardian.”

She laughed loud and hard. “Who? Not you, not Rome. A sentry? You’d risk losing territory protection for this little negotiation?”

“You know it’s not a little negotiation, Vera. No, you’ll go and he will be your guardian.”

Vera followed the direction he was pointing, knowing where it was going, but hoping if she followed its path, she’d find the Cookie Monster, Hannibal Lector, hell, anybody, there besides Jackson. But, as soon as her gaze landed on him, her stomach did a little flip and her mouth fell open. No, no, no. She couldn’t go with Jackson.

“Absolutely not,” she said briskly. She was not going to negotiate a treaty with vampires when this stupid human didn’t even know they existed—well, probably not, anyway.

“Hear me out, Vera. This could be a prime opportunity for Jackson to prove the error of his ways in the past. This could be a chance for him to salvage his relationship with Rome.”

Oh, no. Rome was nodding gravely, as if he’d already jumped on the let’s-torture-Vera bandwagon.

Rome met Jackson face-to-face. To give the human credit, he didn’t back down, but actually looked strong and sturdy, as if he’d stand a chance in a fight against a lykaen. Stupid human. Sexy human, too. He was tall with short, buzzed hair and a recent growth of hair on his face. Vera felt her body growing hot and quickly staunched the flow of desire before she did something stupid like drool.

“Jacks, I know I’ve been pissed, but what do you think of this? You help my sister—” Vera snorted and didn’t bother to hide it. Rome and Jackson sent her a quick look before continuing their evil plan. “You take care of her and protect her on this trip, and I will forgive you of all past transgressions. It will be forgotten.”

The air grew absolutely silent. Everyone held their breath, looking from one man to the other. Vera’s grip tightened on the lawn chair. Please say no, please say no.

Jackson nodded slowly, as if coming to a realization. He stuck out his hand and it was met with a hard, vigorous shake, and then Rome clasped him into a hard, brutal hug. Vera was surprised the human’s ribs didn’t snap from the pressure. Rome must be going easy on him.

When they broke apart, they were both full of grins. The tension dissipated like it never happened. Vera grumbled and lounged back in her seat.

“I’d be happy and honored to take care of your sister. Anything for you, brother. Semper Fi.”

Rome smiled and clapped him hard on the back. “Semper Fi,” Rome said.

“Just what is it I have to do? Where am I taking her? You mentioned an ambassador position,” Jackson said. “Is this lykaen politics with the government or something?”

Vera stiffened in her seat and waited to see Jackson’s reaction. Rome cleared his throat, then took a swallow of his beer. When that wasn’t good enough, he chugged the last half the bottle and tossed it away.

“Yeah, well, you’ll be Vera’s guardian when she goes to negotiate the Kategan’s peace treaty with the vampires.”

Jackson quirked his head to the side. “The Vam whos?” Vera was biting her lip so hard, she had to look away and cover her face to keep from showing her laughter.

“The vampires,” repeated Rome.

“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Jackson said.

Rome grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, it’s exactly what you think it is, brother.”