I’d never held a lover’s hand before. As my whole body waged war over whether to take her, there was something about this simple touch that changed everything. Tears rolled down Thea’s cheeks. Her head turned to the side, and she stared at where our hands were clasped. Leaning down, I kissed the tears from her face. After a moment, I rolled onto my side and gathered her into my arms. I tucked her against my massive form and took both her hands this time. Twining my fingers with hers, I held her there until her uneven breathing calmed.
“I know it’s not sex,” I murmured into her hair, “but for a vampire, it’s much more intimate.”
She made a soft, noncommittal noise and tightened her fingers. “Explain why again?”
“Maybe it’s just a legend. There are stories–older than me,” I added.
“That’s hard to believe,” she teased me, but her words sounded hollow. “Stories about what?”
“The first magic,” I whispered. “When I was a child, eons ago, my mother would tell me about a time when magic pounded in human blood. Back then, magic was life itself.” I lifted our clasped right hands and released hers. Pointing to the lines, I continued, “You could see magic in the lines of your palm.”
“Like palm reading?” she asked skeptically.
“I believe palm reading is its bastard child, so yes, in a way. The lines of the palm corresponded to various powers–elemental, earth, sexual–”
“Sexual powers?” she interrupted, laughter in her voice.
I relaxed a little to hear it. “Yes, attraction was once the provenance of witches. When magic disappeared, it was still present in the veins of thousands of witch bloodlines, but most couldn’t access it.”
“So, the familiars really can’t use their magic at all?”
“Not true magic. Only the spells and potions that have been passed down from generation to generation.”
“But what does that have to do with vampires? I know that you two are always fighting with each other about which of your kind came first.”
“That is true to an extent,” I allowed. “However, I’ve always believed witches were here first.”
She twisted slightly to look at me. “Really?”
“It makes the most sense to me.” I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it. “But regardless, it’s only stories. There are probably plenty of scientific reasons that magic dwindled.”
“It’s sad, though,” she said softly. “To only ever feel that you’re half of what you’re meant to become.”
I stilled. Maybe I hadn’t distracted her at all. “You are everything you need to be, and you will only continue to find yourself.”
“But I will never be your mate.” She returned her gaze to the wall across the room. Seconds ticked by as I tried to think of something to say to her. But that proved impossible. How the fuck was I supposed to tell her she was wrong?
I couldn’t because I knew she was right.
There was only one way to make it happen. I couldn’t believe I was even considering it. It was fucking insane, but we would be, too, if we didn’t find a way to solve our problem. We were at a crossroads. We had to choose a path. “Thea, there is a way.”
I heard her breath catch. A moment passed, and she said, “I’m listening.”
“If you weren’t a virgin,” I began slowly, “then there would be no risk to–”
“Then screw me already,” she blurted out. She let go of my hands and flipped over to face me.
“I can’t,” I repeated my words from earlier. Pain ghosted through her eyes.
“I don’t understand how I’m supposed to lose my virginity if you don’t take it,” she said defiantly.
She really belonged to me. Pride swelled in my chest as I looked at this unexpected mate of mine. But now wasn’t the time to go all gooey. Not when I was going to have to spell it out in painful detail. “I would not be the one to take it, pet.”
Her face went blank. She blinked a few times and continued to stare. “I don’t understand.”
“I think you do,” I said carefully. I braced myself for a wave of blood-rage and plastered a limp smile on my face. “I’m certain there will be any number of men ready to help you with the issue.”
Her jaw dropped, and then she sputtered, “You want me to find some guy to fuck me?”
I felt none of the amusement I usually experienced when she cursed. I couldn’t. Even hearing her say it had me on the edge of violence.
“I want to take you as my mate,” I said in a strained tone.
“That I can agree to.” Thea pushed herself up on the bed and crossed her legs, treating me to a glimpse of the subject in question. I groaned as I grabbed a pillow and tossed it into her lap.
“I can’t think when I’m looking at that.”
“In that case.” She picked up the pillow and threw it on the floor. “Are you really okay with sharing my body with another man?”
I was across the room before she blinked. My fist drove through the plaster wall as my brain imagined what I would do to the man that laid a finger on her.
“That’s one way to answer,” she said from behind me. “Julian, I’m not going to sleep with another man. I won’t do that to you.”
I withdrew my hand from the hole, plaster crumbling to the floor, and shook off some of the dust. I squared my shoulders and turned to face her, doing my best to appear composed. “I give you my blessing.”
“Fuck your blessing,” she yelled. “I’ve waited my whole life for you. I knew that when we met. There has to be another way.”
“Chastity is an option,” I said dryly.
“I doubt it,” she shot back. Thea scrambled off the bed and moved toward me. “Someday, you will slip. I know because you slipped earlier tonight. Did you plan to feed on me?”
I swallowed, my thoughts growing dark. “No.”
“Exactly.” She crossed her arms over her small breasts. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“That sounds like a challenge, pet.” My palm twitched as I considered how best to help her understand boundaries regarding this topic.
“No. It’s common sense.” She sucked in a choppy breath. “You nearly took me tonight.”
“I know,” I said bitterly.
“Don’t sound so happy about it,” she muttered.
“I’m not.” I paced across the floor, throwing glances at her as I made my rounds. “It’s unfair to you.”
“It’s unfair to both of us,” she corrected me. “I know what tethering demands of you.”
I snorted. “I don’t care about that. The moment I saw you, I knew I would either protect you until you left this world or…”
“Or?” she prompted.
I pivoted so that I could look her directly in the eyes. “Or I knew I would be the one to take you from it.”
She didn’t so much as flinch. “I already told you. I am yours completely. If that–”
“Fuck,” I interrupted her. Had things already gone too far? She couldn’t really mean what she implied. “You already sound tethered. Can you imagine how much worse it could get?”
“I have, and I’m willing to take that risk.”
“You are so maddeningly stubborn,” I said through gritted teeth.
She shrugged one of her shoulders. “Maybe, or maybe I just have more faith in us.”
I lost hold of the last shreds of patience keeping me together. One moment she was defying me across the room, and the next, I was only a few inches from her. “I will never tether you,” I snarled. Her eyes widened, and I knew I was scaring her. Good, maybe she’d finally hear me. “I will never watch someone else I love be bound like that.”
Her lower lip trembled as she processed this, and then she asked the obvious question. “What do you mean by someone else?”
I saw the woman running down the steps at the opera in my mind. I closed my eyes. “My sister,” I said softly. “Camila was tethered to her husband. It ended…poorly.”
She stayed quiet this time. Revealing this seemed to snuff out her argument. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I think maybe I need a minute alone.”
“I understand,” I said stiffly. I strode into the bathroom and grabbed a robe. “I’ll be elsewhere.”
Thea didn’t look at me as I slipped it on and started toward the door. I only made it a few steps before I returned back to her. Propping her chin on my index finger, I studied her for a moment. “We will find a way.”
“I really want to believe you.” She tried to smile, but it came out tortured.
I brushed my thumb over her lower lip. “I’ll find some wine. Maybe something to eat.”
She nodded but refused to look at me.
To leave her there was more painful than any of the wounds I endured on battlefields over the centuries–and I’d taken more than a few that would have killed a human. Everything was changing. I felt it in bed. The mating bond had tried to snap into place. It tried even as I held her hands. But I’d resisted. My punishment was feeling like I’d been ripped in two. I closed the door to the bedroom and then worked my way toward the stairs. The farther I got from her, the easier it became to rationalize my decision. When I reached the final step, I was sure I’d done the right thing. But before I could continue to the kitchen, the doorbell rang.
Hughes appeared as if summoned. He stopped when he spotted me in my silk dressing robe.
“Perhaps I should get the door?” he suggested.
“I agree.”
He nodded and proceeded to the front door as the bell rang again. Whoever it was needed a healthy dose of patience shot up their…
When Hughes opened the door and greeted my guests, I stopped on the spot.
My mother, still wearing her blood-stained ball gown, stood there, surrounded by the other members of the Vampire Council. She caught sight of me in the entry, and her eyes narrowed at my state of undress.
I wished more than ever that I had some of Benedict’s people skills. As it was, I frowned. Tying my robe tighter, I padded toward them with bare feet.
“Shall I show them in, sir?” Hughes asked me quietly as I reached him.
“I’ll handle this,” I told him. “Why don’t you find us a bottle of wine? Actually, find us a couple.” I waited until Hughes was gone before I gestured for them to enter. “Come in. I assume you’re here to speak with me.”
“Indeed,” one of the ancient vampires said solemnly. He looked me up and down. “That is, if you aren’t currently occupied.”
“I’m not.” I’d been sent away…by my mate. My mate who refused to see reason. My mate who felt rejected.
I started toward the attached sitting room, but my mother cleared her throat. “Perhaps somewhere more private?”
I led them to the formal sitting room and closed the doors behind us. Gesturing for them to sit, I remained standing. The last thing I wanted was for any of them to get comfortable here. “Is this about what happened this evening?”
“Yes and no,” one of the Council members said cryptically.
“Thanks for clearing that up.” I sauntered to the bar cart and poured myself some of the Scotch my brothers had left me.
“This is about the Rites,” my mother said carefully.
Of course. I took a lingering sip of my drink before turning to her. “Already? You’ve only had one so far.”
Her eyes flashed murderously as I revealed that I knew what had happened the night of the Salon du Rouge.
“As you know, the Rites are enacted for the betterment of our species and the strengthening of our alliances with the magical community,” an old vampire with a nose like a pointed stake said.
“Yes, I know what they are,” I said impatiently. “Are you planning to go to every eligible vampire’s house tonight and give them a lecture?”
I looked to my mother to see if I was on track, but she had turned away, veiling her face in shadows. A moment later, I understood why. She’d known why they were here.
“That won’t be necessary,” the Council member said. “You are the only one acting in defiance of the law.”
“Law?” I nearly choked on my Scotch. “When did the Rites become law?”
“An hour ago,” she said coldly.
My fingers tightened around my glass. I barely processed it when it shattered in my hand. I was too busy processing what she said next.
“And we are here to deliver your final warning.”
