Keeper (Matefinder Next Generation Book 1) Read Free

calculated way, like I was a bomb about to explode with crazy Matefinder powers. Maybe I was.
    I placed both of my hands on his shoulders and leveled his gaze. “Jax and I will be fine, Dad. How many other college juniors do you know of that have a black belt in karate, can shoot five types of guns, and can shift into a werewolf and rip someone’s head off.”
    My dad’s eyes lit up as he laughed but all too soon his face become serious. “You still sleep with a silver stake under your bed, too, right?”
    I chuckled. “And that.” We had found an awkward peace with the vampires ever since they kidnapped my mom and tried to use her blood to procreate. But that peace might end one day and Dad wanted us prepared.
    Jax flexed his left bicep. “I think you are forgetting the most dangerous thing in your arsenal, sister.”
    We all laughed as mom squeezed Jax’s arm, feigning in freight.
    As I looked around the table, I felt a little sad. I would miss these random five o’clock Chai sessions with my crazy family. But damn, I was ready for some freedom.
    ‘Hells yeah,’ Jax echoed my sentiments. The twin bond, sometimes he heard my loud thoughts even when I didn’t intend. I gave Jax a knowing smile.
    “Twins,” my mom said, addressing us both in her favorite shared word. Why even give us separate names? “You might as well go get ready. Today is Devon’s annual remembrance.”
    Jax and I frowned. Shit. I forgot. Poor Avery. Every year we gathered around her dad’s grave to tell stories and remember him. He died saving my mom’s life, and I shuddered thinking that if he hadn’t, Jax and I wouldn’t exist.
    Leaning over, I gave my dad a quick kiss on the cheek.  ‘Don’t worry about me so much, Pops.’ I winked.
    He sighed. ‘Not possible.’
    *
    After showering, I threw on an all-white Indian top over leggings. In India when honoring the dead, you wore white, not black. It felt more uplifting and Emma appreciated it, so now the whole pack wore white on Devon’s Remembrance Day. Jax and I scarfed breakfast and headed out the door to Avery’s house.
    “I think mates are weird,” Jax stated randomly.
    I chuckled. “Okay. What do you mean?” As much as we argued and messed with each other, he was my very best friend. We could talk about anything together.
    He shrugged as we cut through the woods. “I mean, I’m happy dating Avery right now. We aren’t mates but we are happy. So one day I feel like you are going to touch me and get a vision, and I have to break up with Avery and marry a stranger. Because we’re mates.”
    I frowned. “Well, shit, Debbie Downer, when you put it that way it sounds awful.”
    He shrugged again. “I’m just saying it’s weird.”
    I nodded. “It is a little weird when you put it like that. But remember Dad was dating Aunt Sadie for like five years before Mom. I’m sure they were happy, but–”
    “They weren’t mates.” He ducked to avoid a low-hanging branch as we trekked through the thick woods leading from our property to Aunt Emma’s.
    “Yeah. I’m sure one day when you meet your mate you will take back those words.” I elbowed him.
    “Maybe if she’s hotter than Avery.” He grinned, wagging his eyebrows and showcasing his undeniable charm and male pigness.
    I laughed, elbowing him in the ribs. “You pig. That’s not possible.”
    As we approached Avery’s house, we saw that she was already outside. She was wearing a short white sun dress and her long deep-red hair fell down across her shoulders in silky waves. She was tall and slender with fair skin, green eyes, and a light smattering of freckles. My bestie was drop dead gorgeous. Hearing our approach, she turned to face us.
    “Hey, babe,” Jax greeted her, reaching out and giving her a kiss on the forehead.
    She smiled and broke away from Jax to hug me. I inhaled; she smelled like lemon and lavender, like my best friend.
    “How’re you doing?” I asked her. It was hard for Avery during this