by Marie Medina
Marius had already questioned him as to why he hadn’t interrogated Arion yet. The suns rose on the horizon now, and more people would question his judgment if he didn’t go down there this morning. Arion had been in a cell for nearly twenty-four hours. Would he be angry? Would he deny the charges outright or confess? Vane wanted him to deny them. Hearing a confession from Arion’s lips would just about kill him, though he couldn’t show any favoritism. He’d told Marius that Arion was his fated mate, and the man had been sympathetic, promising to keep the secret. But Marius had also pointed out that Vane shouldn’t delay much longer.
Vane felt the true weight of his rule for the first time. He had a duty to his people, and he couldn’t let his own feelings get in the way. Men had been patrolling since Vane’s attack to find and arrest the bandits, but they’d turned up nothing. Vane felt as if that was his fault. He should’ve deployed more men and made them search more rigorously. He’d given the order for them to devote all able-bodied men to the task going forward, but he couldn’t help seeing himself as a failure. He’d failed his people by not acting more aggressively and by giving a man he barely knew free run of the castle.
Finally rising to his feet, Vane stripped his robes off and put on leather breeches and a simple blue linen tunic. He’d slept in his clothes and didn’t feel like putting on any formal attire again. He washed his face and pulled his hair back. It was just long enough he could tie it at his nape, and today the strands hitting his face irritated him.
Everything irritated him as he moved around the room, and he fought the urge to start throwing things. It wouldn’t do any good, and it wouldn’t change whether Arion was guilty or innocent. Though he didn’t feel ready to face anyone, Vane knew he had to, so he took a deep breath and opened the door. He expected Marius or the captain of the guard to be close at hand, but the hallway seemed deserted. Only silence met his ears as he moved forward. Vane stopped briefly at the door to the room where Arion had been sleeping. The door stood open, and Arion’s scent wafted out to him. His temples throbbing suddenly, Vane turned away and hurried down the hall.
As he made his way down to fetch Marius and the trial master, he heard a great commotion coming from the courtyard. Vane quickened his pace and burst out the first door he came to, his heart quickening as he saw Arion in chains and fighting the guards. He raced along the balcony to descend the stone steps and find out what had happened. He paused at the top of the steps as the man turned. It wasn’t Arion. The man’s clothes were familiar, and Vane spied a black scarf around his neck. Four of the bandits had possessed the good sense to cover their faces at the start of the ambush, and this man was one of them. Vane rushed down the stairs, joy flooding his heart as he realized this man had to be the real criminal. In the dark, anyone could’ve mixed Arion and this man up.
Alice, one of the kitchen maids, stood by the guards with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. As Vane approached, she gave a slight bow and then pointed her finger at the man, whom Vane could now see was bleeding from his scalp and forehead. “Just barely stopped this one from assaulting Bella as she went out to fetch some herbs at first light. She’s in the kitchen having a stiff drink, but I heard him. Talking about what easy pickings the girls here are.” She gave the man a look of disgust. “He’s lucky I only had a cast iron bucket and not a knife.”
The man yanked away from the guards holding him, but Vane stepped in. He’d only ever used his full strength the day he’d been attacked, but he made no effort to control himself as he blocked the man from lunging at Alice. He grabbed the man by the neck. “Did you assault a blonde girl night before last? Tell me the truth, or I will break your neck and damn the consequences.”
The man only glared at him. “Sure did. Sweet little bit of pussy, too. Spirited.”
Vane shoved him back and then slapped him hard, actually knocking a tooth out. The man spit blood at Vane’s feet and glared at him again. “What’s the matter? I know what vampires are like. You’ve probably fucked half the servants in this castle.”
Alice stood behind Vane, but she stuck her head around him and said, “You shut your mouth, you beast!”
The guards barely stopped the brute from jumping at Vane and Alice, and Vane pushed her behind him firmly. “Take him to the dungeon. The deepest cell. I want four guards on him, and do not release him from his chains.”
Vane watched the bandit being taken away, his blood roaring in his ears.
“My lord, you’re shaking,” Alice said.
Vane looked down and saw that he was indeed trembling all over. He stumbled back to the steps and sat down, his legs giving way as he lowered himself.
“You’ve every right to be angry, but at least we caught him. Bella said he emerged from the woods, and about twenty men have gone to hunt the rest of them down.”
Vane had trouble breathing, and spots danced before his eyes. He couldn’t focus on anything.
“What’s wrong?” Alice sat beside him and touched his arm. “Should I fetch Marius? I think one of the guards had gone to find him anyway.”
“No. I’m fine, but this means Arion is innocent.”
Alice tilted her head, but then she nodded. “Oh, yeah, of course it does! You must be so relieved. He seems like a nice sort. I was so surprised when word went around that he’d—”
“I have to go to him!” Vane struggled to his feet and rushed toward the dungeon. He hadn’t given specific orders for Arion to be set free, and he had to get to him, had to explain everything.
Above all he had to beg Arion for forgiveness and pray his mate didn’t hate him.
“Someone else can be sent. We can bring him to you. I mean, I’m sure he’ll be angry and all, but breaking your neck won’t help that.” Alice ran at his side, catching him as he stumbled. “Slow down, please! You’ll hurt yourself.”
“I don’t care, Alice. I don’t care what happens to me.”
Alice stared at him before saying, “I’m sure he’ll be upset, but it was a misunderstanding. An awful one, but perhaps you can stay friends. Make it up to him in time.”
“Yes, it was a misunderstanding, but I should’ve … gods, I don’t even know what I should’ve done.”
“I don’t understand.”
What was the point in hiding it anymore? “I’ve ruined everything. He’s my fated mate.” He met Alice’s shocked gaze, not even caring how weak or inadequate this made him look. “But how can we have any future after this?”
“What?” Alice’s mouth fell open, but then she yanked him to his feet. “Come on then, I’ll help you. Don’t go predicting gloom and doom just yet.”
“How can I predict anything else? What would you do if it was you locked up for something you didn’t do by someone who claimed to care for you?”
Alice gave an odd laugh as she maneuvered them around a few people. “Forgive my bluntness, but I’d leave you bloody. And with a mighty sore pair of balls.”
Vane hardly recognized anyone as they passed them, and he didn’t acknowledge anyone’s questions, letting Alice wave them all away. He didn’t come back to himself until Alice shooed the guards away and started fumbling with the keys to unlock Arion’s cell. His mate sat on the floor by the cot, and he only looked up when the door opened with a loud creak.
Arion’s face held a blank expression, but his eyes flicked up and flashed with more hurt and betrayal than Vane had imagined possible.
****
Arion gazed at Vane, who stood wide eyed and panting just outside his cell. A girl Arion had never seen before had unlocked the door, and she reached back and yanked Vane forward. He and Vane just stared at each other. Arion had heard a bunch of men a few moments earlier, but he didn’t know what was going on.
The girl gave Vane a shake. “My lord, say something.”
Vane took a deep breath and said, “They’ve caught him.” He paused and swallowed, a look of shame coming to his face. “The man who really attacked Jana.”
Arion nodded s
lowly. “I see,” he said, surprised at how soft and calm his voice sounded. After a whole day sitting there and waiting, Arion didn’t know how to receive the news that it was over. He certainly didn’t know what to say.
The girl began to fidget, looking between the two of them. “You should be alone. I can stay close by, if you wish.” She gazed at both of them with pity, her movements anxious. Arion guessed Vane had told her the truth.
Vane shook his head. “No. Tell everyone we want some privacy. Have a guard keep anyone from coming down this passage.”
“All right.” The girl gave them both one last glance before moving away.
“Alice?” Vane said.
She stopped and turned back. “Yes?”
“I was so upset before I felt I had to give you an explanation for my reaction. Only Marius knows what I just told you. Please keep that information to yourself.”
She looked to Arion and then nodded. “Of course. It’s your business, my lord.” Sadness overtook her features as she left the cell.
They stared at each other again before Vane took a few steps forward. He dropped to his knees a couple of feet away but made no move to touch Arion. “It seems meaningless to say I’m sorry, but I’ll say it a thousand times if I must.”
Arion moved a little, his legs stiff and his ass sore from sitting on the cold stone. He’d thought about the things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t decide on how to start. He licked his lips and finally said, “I saw the look in your eyes. You believed it.” He pushed to his feet and grabbed Vane by the collar of his tunic. “You didn’t even ask me to deny it. You didn’t let me defend myself. And you let a guard silence me when I tried to do so. I wasn’t allowed to complete a single sentence. Couldn’t you at least have let me speak? Just a few moments? A few words? No one would’ve criticized you for allowing that.”
“I know all that. And you’re absolutely right. I’ve thought of nothing else for the last twenty-four hours.”
Arion released Vane. “While I sat here in a cell. Do you have any idea what it was like to wait all that time? I have no friends or family here. You were all I had, and you didn’t even come down to hear my side of the story.”
“I was afraid. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want it to be true, and I—”
“You were afraid? A man who claimed to be devoted to me locked me in the dungeon without a moment’s hesitation or the slightest attempt to examine the facts! Do you have any idea how scared I was? You’re a vampire—all the power is yours, and you fucking know it.”
“Don’t be angry with the girl. The man really does look like you,” Vane said. “I panicked when she reacted to the sight of you. I’ve never had to deal with something like this before.”
“That’s your excuse? You’re still new to your job?”
“It’s not an excuse. It’s … a partial explanation.”
“Aren’t there laws? Do vampires just throw people in dungeons whenever they please without any investigation?”
Vane cringed. “No, that’s not the way things are done. The error’s mine. The fault mine.”
“Not entirely. I’m not faulting her for making a mistake, but the girl’s accusation had serious repercussions. What if the real attacker hadn’t been found?”
“I don’t want to think about it. You would’ve had an advocate, and there would’ve been more inquiries made—”
Arion cut him off. “But instead of locking me up and ignoring me you could’ve simply closed the door to that room and asked questions!”
“I’m sorry. I know.” Vane looked as if he’d been struck, but Arion had a hard time feeling sorry for him.
Arion sank down onto the cot. “I’m not really angry with her. She’d been traumatized, and she looked terrified. It’s not completely her fault. She really thought it was me. But she had no reason to give me the benefit of the doubt. You did.”
“What can I do to make this right?” Vane asked.
“Make this right? Nothing can make this right.”
Vane bowed his head. “I’ll do anything to earn your forgiveness.”
Forgiveness? Did Vane really think that a few words and reassurances were all that mattered? “I can give you that right now.”
Vane’s head jerked up. “What?”
“I’ve already forgiven you. You left me alone in the garden with a hard cock and a flared temper. You only know what I’ve told you about myself. I’d made it clear I wasn’t attracted to men. The girl’s reaction was genuine. You had a duty to your people.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “I’ve had a lot of time to think, you know. And I’ve done exactly that.”
Vane’s brows came together in confusion. “I couldn’t have explained my actions better myself. But then why do you say nothing can make this right?”
“You had a duty to me as well. I know you didn’t want to show favoritism. Didn’t want to explain why we hid me being your mate. But how you looked to all of them should not have come before your duty to me. You didn’t show me even an ounce of respect. You could’ve sent her out with the women and questioned me with the guards. Waited for her to calm down and questioned her again. How could I not feel wronged? Betrayed and rejected?”
“You’re right. I made a mistake. But why is it one you can’t get past in time?” Vane held up his hand to stop Arion from speaking. “I’m just trying to understand where this leaves us if you forgive me yet say things can’t be made right between us.”
Arion stood up. “Because you believed it. I locked eyes with you, Vane. As much as it hurt you, you still believed it right away. You didn’t offer me even one minute to defend myself. I could never trust you enough to be with you. Never forget what it felt like to see how superficial your devotion was.”
“But if you had been guilty—”
Arion held up his hand for silence this time. “I know what you’re going to say. And yeah, I’d think anyone crazy for continuing to be infatuated with someone who’d just committed such a crime. But my guilt hadn’t been proven. You let your hurt pride get in the way.”
“My hurt pride?” Vane asked, raising his voice.
“Yeah. You were hurt I’d rejected you, and you readily believed I’d rather rape someone than submit to you.”
“That’s not it at all!” Vane rose to his feet. “Arion, we’re both upset. Please stay long enough for us to calm down and talk this through.” He reached out frantically but then seemed to realize his touch wouldn’t be welcome. He clutched his hands together and said, “This isn’t something that can be settled in one conversation. Or ten even.”
“Talk it through? There’s nothing to talk about. I’m going to gather my things and leave. Today.”
“No, you can’t!”
Arion could see the panic in Vane’s face and hear it in his voice, but he didn’t care. He simply couldn’t make himself care. “I can’t? Are you going to lock me up again?”
Vane shook his head. “No, but it can’t end like this. I understand how hurt you are, but the gods brought us together.”
“Fuck the gods if this is their idea of romance.” Arion pushed past Vane and stalked down the hallway toward the exit. He couldn’t be near Vane, couldn’t keep talking to him. He wanted to hate the vampire, or even to be indifferent to him, and he resented that he’d come to care for Vane just enough for all of this to wound him, to make him ache so much and genuinely wish he’d never met Vane at all.
Vane grabbed Arion’s hand and went down on his knees again. “Arion, I will do anything. My life is yours to do with as you please. I’ll give up my dominion and go wherever you want. Do whatever you want. You could command every move I make, and I’d obey.”
Vane’s touch made Arion’s stomach pitch. “What would that solve? You love your people. They need you. I don’t need you. Or want you.” The lies came easily enough—they were his only defense.
“And what about my love for you?” Vane looked up at him with pleading eyes.
Arion
jerked away from him, unable to take any more. “Don’t even say that word in reference to me. We met a week ago. You don’t love me. You don’t know me. It isn’t love.”
“But it wasn’t just lust. I felt something beginning between us. That’s why I kissed you. Why I wanted to touch you. Are you saying it was nothing but curiosity? That you felt nothing for me?”
Arion ignored the questions because he didn’t like the answers. Yesterday morning, he’d been ready to see what the future might hold for them, but now he saw nothing but pain if he stayed. “Even being near you causes me pain. Can’t you understand that?”
Vane opened his mouth to reply. The vampire looked on the verge of tears, yet none fell. He pressed his lips together and nodded before slowly rising. “I’ll have them ready your horse while you gather your things.”
“Thank you.”
In a low yet shaky voice, Vane said, “Don’t thank me. I’m not being gracious. I’m being a coward.”
Arion stared at him, trying to understand. “A coward?”
Vane pushed past him and bolted down the hallway. Arion stood there a moment, thinking, but still what had just happened made little sense to him. He walked back to his room, and he could feel everyone’s eyes on him as he did so. He gathered his things and changed clothes, being sure to leave everything Vane had given him. He took one last look around the room, silently cursing the gods for what they’d done to him.
As he left the room, he nearly collided with someone. It was the girl who had come down to the dungeon with Vane.
“Sorry,” she said, clasping her hands to her chest. “I came to see if I could do anything. I saw Lord Vane rushing out of the castle.”