"No. You'll have to fill us in on all the details," Daemon said. "The League Council contacted me so that I knew they were working with us now, and they wanted to make sure it was fine with me. Iconia told me about you protecting a huntress and taking her home with you. But then she told me later that it didn't matter, everything was fine, Iconia and you had broken up and she was happily seeing Ragnar. I pressed her about the huntress, but she just said all that had been handled."
Atreides appreciated that Iconia had made a complete turnaround where Selena was concerned. He didn't expect the women to become fast friends, but anything was possible.
"We want to meet with Selena's family as soon as possible also," Tezra said. "Since I'd lost most of mine, it will be great to expand our family."
"It's going to really work out well, I think, with having ties to the League and they're coming around with working with the fringe hunters too. But I'll let Selena know you want to meet with them too," Atreides said.
The rain started and pelted the car as they drove to their home. Tezra gave Atreides a hug. "We're so glad you took charge so we could have our vacation."
Daemon hugged him also. "You did good. You know what this means, don't you?"
"You're going on more vacations?" Atreides was hopeful Daemon felt that he and Tezra could now.
Daemon smiled. "Yeah, and if I need to help out others in need, like even the hunters turned against the rogue vampires in Florida, I can do it without worrying that you can manage things on your own. You've made some real changes that should benefit all our kind. You've made me proud."
"How was it?" Selena asked as Atreides climbed into bed with her. The flight was so late that night, that Selena had a hard time staying awake for Atreides, but she couldn't sleep until Atreides had come home to her and she knew what had happened between him and his brother.
"I thought you would be asleep. I told you not to wait up for me." Atreides kissed her cheek and pulled her into his arms, then kissed the top of her head.
This was what she had needed, him with her, snuggling. "No way. I had to know if you and your brother were cool about this after you told him about it."
"They already knew a lot about what was going on."
"I figured they might. It would have been hard to keep something like what had happened a secret." Then she frowned. "But are they all right with it?" Everything had worked out well, in the end, she thought. But it didn't mean Daemon would agree with it.
"Yeah, they said we did such a good job, they're inclined to take more trips and leave me in charge. Daemon said he was proud of me."
She heard the well-deserved pride in Atreides's voice and knew just how much that meant to him and someday she wanted to tell Daemon how much that had meant to his brother. "Hmm, I could have told them you would be fine." She was so pleased with the way everything had worked out.
"With you at my side, yeah." He sighed as he cuddled with her. "I have to admit, I'm ready to enjoy some down time with you."
She smiled. "Do you think we'll get any?"
Daemon communicated with the two of them, "Thanks for taking care of my brother. He needed you in his life and we couldn't be happier."
Atreides hadn't expected his brother to talk to them both right now. He really hadn't figured he'd be talking to him again until dinner tomorrow night. It had to be important, he figured.
"We…you have a mission. Two fringe vampires found an injured vampire girl who is one of our clan in their border town. It's your job to learn who she belongs to, who injured her, and how she ended up in the border town."
Atreides looked down at Selena and raised a brow.
"We're right on it," Selena told Daemon. "And I needed Atreides in my life just as much." She leaned over and kissed Atreides. "I love you."
He sighed. "I love you too. I just thought with Daemon back, we could have some downtime."
"If, Selena, you're up for it, considering your injuries," Daemon added and Atreides knew his brother only meant for him to have to go on the mission.
"I'm ready," she said.
"Thanks, if the two of you need any help, let me know," Daemon said.
"We will," Atreides said, glad that his brother trusted him with the mission as they ended the telepathic communication.
Selena was already out of bed and getting dressed in a hurry, as if she were afraid Atreides might change his mind and leave her behind to recuperate further.
Atreides quickly dressed too and then Selena telepathically said to her huntress turned friends, "Eliza, Brittany, we could use your help."
He was glad the women had become her friends. And then Selena and Atreides were heading to the border town.
When Atreides had seen the huntress Selena walk into their vampire cub, he never would have believed where that would have led, but he couldn't have been gladder to have resolved the issue of the vampiress murders and the rogue vampires turning huntresses or attempting to murder them and that he would have found a mate who was a huntress too. He was thrilled everything had worked out as it had and was glad his brother had been proud of how he had managed things. Now he was off on another mission with his mate, and together, he knew they would solve it. He just hoped that she was truly recovered enough to be with him, but he was glad she would be at his side.
Everything had turned upside down for Selena on a mission to find her sister, Rosa. Not only did she end up locating Rosa and helping to solve a rogue hunters' crime, she had learned who had bitten her, turned her, and she had found a mate. Not a hunter, like she had always assumed she would have. But one hot vampire who heated her blood with primal desire. She had hoped when Daemon had returned, she could have spent more time with Atreides in mated bliss, but this was important too—taking care of the innocents of the region was their top priority—and the other would have to wait.
They arrived in the town, saw a hunter coming at them with a sword raised, two more joining him and they prepared for the fight. She didn't recognize any of the hunters—out-of-towners? Fringe hunters? They weren't local League-sanctioned hunters, that's all she knew.
Her huntress turned friends suddenly appeared beside Selena, evening up the odds. Together with Atreides and her new friends, she knew they would be victorious.
Epilogue
A Thanksgiving family celebration, three months later at Daemon's house
Selena couldn't believe how great it was to be with Atreides and his family along with hers at a big family celebration. They didn't do big vampire bashes with a mix of her family and the vampires, yet, nor did she take Atreides to hunter bashes, though she hoped in the future it would be a mutual thing they could share. For now, they enjoyed their small hunter-vampire family gatherings, and even though she thought it should not be a topic of conversation, they often talked about how they had taken down rogue vampires, and then Atreides and Daemon would talk about how glad they were that the hunters had.
And even the vampire Quail in his human form, not a wolf's, had been invited to the dinner because of his saving Selena from the rogue vampire after she'd been so brutally attacked.