by Marie Medina
Both of Iris’s hands flew to her mouth just after the words “fucking blazes” fell from her lips. She stared at Sean as she saw him cringe at her reaction. The room spun around her for a couple of seconds before she could compose herself. She lowered her hands and cleared her throat. “I, uh, didn’t mean that in a negative way.” He’s not going to believe that! When has anyone ever meant “fucking blazes” in a positive way? She clenched her hands together as she wondered how much that had hurt his feelings.
Yet he very graciously said, “But you’re surprised, of course.”
Iris pushed her hair behind her ears as she nodded slowly, trying to stall while she gathered her thoughts. “Yes. I guess I always imagined the gods would fate you to a man. Most of your, er, special friends have been men.” She was the one to cringe this time. Special friends? What a stupid thing to say!
Sean spoke before she could figure out how to qualify her remark. “You’re right. I have had more male lovers. And I’m not going to pretend I don’t have a reputation decades long. Or expect you to just be fine with it.”
“When did you find out? About me, I mean.”
“Yesterday, right before the wedding. I had Matthew check the records. I didn’t want to interfere with Heather’s day or your time with your family.” Sean sighed. “And I’m shocked as well.”
“Are you?” Was he trying to let her down easy or something? Was he disappointed? She could see how he might be. Compared to so many of his other lovers, she had to be boring.
Sean nodded. “You deserve better than me.”
Of all the things she’d thought he might say, that hadn’t been among them. Sean had always seemed egotistical and overconfident to her. Was that all an act? The man sitting next to her seemed like a completely different person. “I don’t understand why you say that. You don’t think the gods know what they’re doing?”
“It’s not that. But what have I ever done to deserve such a sweet and beautiful mate?”
Sweet and beautiful? Well, at least he’s not disappointed. She said, “I don’t think it works that way. As if the gods take a tally of your life and decide what you deserve or don’t deserve.” She folded her hands over her knees and tried to word her question just right. “Are you saying you think you don’t deserve me because of your reputation? That’s what it sounds like.”
Sean nodded. “Doesn’t it bother you?”
“That’s a hard question. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t concern me.” She chewed her lip as she looked down at her hands. Rolling her sleeve up again, she held out her wrist. “Matthew is very good at his job, but perhaps we should make sure before we get too personal here? Don’t you think?”
“You’re offering me your blood?” Sean said, his eyes widening but not changing color.
Iris nodded. She’d noticed over the years that Sean could control the color of his eyes easily, but right now she wished he couldn’t. “Of course. We need to know, and you’d never hurt me.”
Sean smiled as he took her hand and kissed her wrist. “I’m glad you feel that way.” He took a deep breath and then sank his fangs into her wrist.
Iris gasped as she watched. She’d given blood many times, but she’d never let any vampire feed directly from her before. Her entire body responded, and she felt herself blushing as her nipples hardened and her pussy clenched. Sean shuddered as he drew back and healed the puncture wounds, and when he gazed up at her, his eyes had gone black.
Vampires had white irises, and they changed color with mood. Black and red were the only two colors to always mean the same thing. Red indicated the need for blood or intense anger, and black meant sexual desire. Sean kissed her wrist a second time, his lips even gentler as they brushed her flesh.
“I think … we have our answer,” Sean said as he drew her hand to his heart.
Iris felt it pounding in his chest, and she lowered her eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Take your time. It’s all up to you.”
“Up to me?” she asked as she lifted her gaze.
“Yes. It’s your decision. Accept me or reject me. I do hope you’ll take some time to think. Give me a chance.”
He doesn’t have any reservations? He has to! We barely know each other. I was still playing with dolls when we met. “You’re happy I’m your mate? You want me?”
“Yes. No matter how many lovers I’ve had, I’ve longed to find my fated mate. I kind of think it’s why I was so, well, promiscuous. I didn’t want to risk not finding my mate. But I don’t say that to excuse my behavior. Not at all.”
“But you’d give it all up if I accepted the mate bond?”
“Yes, I swear it, though I know it might take time for you to believe it.”
“Hmmm.” Iris knew she’d need more than time. Accepting the mate bond would change everything forever, and she’d be making a vow far stronger than the one her sister had made the day before.
Sean still held her hand to his heart, caressing it now. “I daresay you’ve never thought of me this way before.”
Iris held his gaze. She wanted him to kiss her, yet the idea made her nervous. “You’re handsome. But we don’t know each other that well.”
“I’ll stay as long as you like so you can know me better. I don’t have anything urgent to return home for. I had planned on visiting a friend, but that can wait. And I don’t have my own dominion yet.”
“Oh? I had no idea if you had one yet or not.”
“I have a twin brother, Gerard. His hair is a different color, but our faces are almost identical. I live in his dominion when I’m not traveling, and he’s far better suited to ruling than I am.”
“You’ve never mentioned a twin.”
He studied her face as he said, “I haven’t?”
“Not to me.”
“Then we have lost time to make up for.”
She smiled. “Yeah. Seems so.”
“You are giving me a chance, right? I only want to be clear. You haven’t slapped me or tried to pull away, so I’m assuming you aren’t repulsed or anything.”
“Yes, I’m giving you a chance. Of course. If the gods think we should be together, we ought to at least … see how it goes?” She bit her lip. “That sounds so stupid.”
Sean cupped her cheek. “No, it’s not stupid at all. I won’t force this.” He paused and pushed his breath out with a sigh. “I only want you to be with me if it’s what you want.”
“Get your hands off her!”
Iris jumped back as Erik’s voice echoed through the room. The vampire advanced on them and yanked Sean up by his robes. “What do you think you’re doing?” Erik said, his tone deadly and his eyes blood red.
Bolting to her feet because she knew she needed to act fast, Iris threw herself at Erik and tried to shake him. “My lord, please stop! It’s not at all what you think. I’m his mate!”
Erik’s eyes went wide as the color drained from his face. “What did you just say?” He kept hold of Sean’s robes but turned his face to Iris.
“I’m his fated mate. He drank some of my blood yesterday and had Matthew check. Just now, I let him drink so we’d be sure. He’s not seducing me. We were talking, nothing more.” She tried to loosen Erik’s grip on Sean. “Please let him go. He’s been a perfect gentleman. I am his mate. I could feel it when he drank from me.”
Erik released Sean and backed away. Fixing Sean with a stern look, he said, “Then I suppose we need to talk.”
“Yes, of course,” Sean said. “And Lucas as well.”
“Yes.” Erik turned to Iris. “We’ll send for you later, sweetheart.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead, as if he’d just told her to run along and play.
She hadn’t expected that at all, especially not from Erik, despite his overprotective tendencies. “What? I have a right to be present, don’t I? What do you plan on saying that I can’t hear?”
Erik sighed. “Indulge me, please. I’m a bit shocked and sure Lucas will be as well.”
“Oh, do as you like then!” She stormed past them. “Only men’s words and opinions matter, of course!”
Sean hurried across the room to cut her off and held up his hands to stop her. “No! I don’t think that. I’m only trying to cooperate. He’s your guardian. Your family. He’s concerned out of love.” He looked crestfallen as he said, “I said I felt I didn’t deserve you. I’m not alone in that, I’m sure. It’s proper I should talk with them about this.”
Stepping closer, she said very quietly, “But whether you’re good enough or not should be up to me and me alone. I’m not a piece of property you’re inheriting.” She shook her head and said, “Go. Talk. I need time to think.” She moved around him and didn’t look back, her anger building. If she accepted or rejected Sean, it was going to be her decision, no one else’s.
I can’t even finish one conversation in this place without someone butting in. How am I going to even get to know Sean with everyone hovering and watching? She rounded a corner, not even sure where she was going.
****
Sean watched Iris rushing down the hallway until she turned a corner. He turned back to Erik and said, “You could’ve handled that better.”
“You could’ve come to me with this news first!” Erik said, the anger coming back to his expression. “Especially since you’ve known since yesterday.”
“Erik, what she said is true. We were only talking. And I didn’t want to take away from Heather’s day. That’s why I waited. I ran into Iris in the hall a few minutes ago, and I didn’t see any reason to let the opportunity pass.”
“It looked like you were getting ready to do far more than talk.”
Sean squared his jaw and crossed his arms. He’d done a lot to deserve censure over the years, but this time he felt it unwarranted. “We were sitting in a public room with the door wide open. What did you think I was about to do?”
“I don’t like to think about it.”
“I could understand this coming from humans, but not from you. You ought to understand what I’m feeling. It’s not lust. I’m feeling a myriad of emotions that go far beyond attraction.”
“I know that, but I also know you.” He headed for the door. “Come on. Lucas needs to be told.”
Sean had no choice but to follow Erik from the room, and they walked in silence.
Lucas walked out of the library just as they rounded a corner, and he smiled at them, at first. But as he looked back and forth between them, a frown came to his face. “What’s wrong with you two?”
Erik gestured to the door. “Nothing’s wrong. We’d like to talk, if you have time.”
“Sure,” Lucas said as he turned back and opened the door he’d come out of moments earlier. “Are you sure everything’s all right? You both look like you ate something that disagreed with you. Or drank some bad blood.”
Sean swallowed. “The opposite, actually. I found my fated mate yesterday.” When Erik closed the door and glared at him, Sean simply shrugged. He saw no point in delaying the news.
“You did? Oh, that’s wonderful!” Lucas said. “I’ve always heard you say finding your fated mate is everything. Why don’t you look happier?”
“I am happy. For me. But…” His tongue stopped cooperating, and he cleared his throat. “The thing is—”
“Lucas, why don’t you sit down?” Erik said.
A look of worry came over Lucas’s face. “Why would I need to sit down to find out who Sean’s mate is?” Lucas asked softly.
“It’s Iris,” Sean said, feeling hot all over as both men looked at him.
“Iris?” Lucas said. “You’re serious?”
“Yes,” Sean said.
“But are you sure?” Lucas asked.
Sean clasped his hands behind his back. “Yes. Matthew checked the records, and then I told her the news just a few minutes ago.”
“And bit her?” Lucas said, a sharpness coming to his voice.
“Yes, I did. Her idea. I was so flustered I hadn’t even thought of it. We were only talking, and she said we needed to make sure before things got too personal.”
“You mean before you tallied up how many people you’ve fucked?” Lucas asked.
“She didn’t put it that way, but that was the subject … area.”
Lucas dropped down into a nearby chair. “And what does she say?”
“That we don’t know anything about each other.”
Lucas looked up at his mate. “You’re quiet.”
Erik said, “I’ve already gotten some yelling out of my system.”
Lucas turned back to Sean. “What did he have to yell about?”
Sean sighed. “When he came into the room—a public sitting room with the door wide open—Iris and I were sitting close. I had just drunk from her. I held one of her hands to my heart, and my other hand was on her cheek.” He paused a bit before finishing his thought. “And yes, I wanted to kiss her—was about to—but I was waiting for her to make it clear she wanted that.”
“So it looked like you were seducing her?” Lucas asked.
“Yes.”
“And were you?”
Sean tried not to be offended by the question, though he struggled to do so. “She’s my fated mate. She’d just become my entire world, so I don’t feel ashamed to say I was trying to be charming and win her favor. But I wasn’t about to pin her to the couch or throw her over my shoulder.” His hands going to his hips, he said, “You said earlier you’d heard me say a fated mate is everything. I’ve said that dozens of times because I believe it. Why else would I say it?”
“It’s different when it’s my sister,” Lucas said.
“I know! That’s why we’re having this conversation.” Sean glanced to Erik. “Which Iris is angry about. She wanted to be here, but Erik wanted her to leave us alone.”
“She’s more angry at me than at you. Don’t worry about it,” Erik said.
“I’ll worry if I want to!” Sean said. “My first chance as her fated mate to protect her and stand up for her, and what did I do? I crumbled out of fear of angering you. I should’ve put her first.”
****
Iris gasped when she heard Sean say he should’ve put her first. And then she smiled, now very glad she’d doubled back and tried to find them. She gripped the doorknob and twisted, throwing the door open. The three men stared at her as if she’d charged in there in full armor with a sword drawn. “I know eavesdropping is wrong, but I couldn’t stay away. I was only listening for a moment to make sure I wasn’t barging in on someone else.” Walking over to Sean, she said, “I’m not mad at you. I know you were put in an awkward position.” Turning to Erik and Lucas, she said, “And I know you two only want to protect me, but I’m not a child anymore. We aren’t going to run away tonight. He’s your friend, isn’t he?”
Lucas rose and went to her, clasping her hands. “I can’t apologize for how I feel. Being a vampire’s mate is so different.”
“You never questioned it. You fell in love with Erik before you were even old enough to recognize it,” she said.
Lucas squeezed her hands. “It’s faster this way. With Heather, I had time to get used to it as she was courted.”
“Get used to what? I haven’t given my answer. We’re going to get to know each other. Just like me being courted, I’d say.” She sighed as she glanced between him and Erik. “Though it might be hard with all of you watching us every moment.”
“Like I said, not apologizing for how I feel,” Lucas said. “I’ll always be protective of all of you.”
“I can step out, if you’d like me to,” Sean said.
She withdrew her hands from Lucas’s hold and turned to Sean, shaking her head. “It’s as wrong to exclude you as it was to exclude me.”
“But you’re family. You might want to say things you don’t want me to hear,” Sean said.
Iris felt grateful for the considerate gesture and smiled at him, re
ady to get her brother and Erik back a bit. “What, you’d be embarrassed if they threatened to beat you up for deflowering me?”
“Iris!” Lucas said.
She turned around to see that both Lucas and Erik had turned red. “Yes, a woman talking about sex openly is vulgar, isn’t it? But men can say anything they like.”
“It’s not about that,” Erik said.
“Then what is it about?” Iris said. “You both raised me to think for myself and make good choices. That includes the friends I have, what I do with my body, and which suitors I’ll accept. A mate is different. I agree.” She gestured to Sean, who looked awkward again but tried to smile at her. “He’s serious. I can tell. He was so nervous when he told me. I can see now he was scared I wouldn’t want him. He spent years not really caring what I thought of him. I was little more than a child, not giving him any thought either. How could he have any idea what to expect from me?” She turned her gaze back to him, hoping she hadn’t said too much or gotten anything wrong. She felt protective of him, which surprised her yet gave her hope in a way.
Sean’s eyes went wide as he held her gaze.
Looking back to Lucas and Erik, she said. “I’m old enough to leave right now. You couldn’t stop me. But I’d never, ever hurt you two that way. Back off and give him the chance I’m giving him.”
Lucas stood and smoothed his robes. “I need some air.” He moved toward the door.
Erik reached for him, but Lucas only shook his head and kept walking. Erik watched him go and then looked back at her and Sean. “He’s overwhelmed.”
Iris stared at the open door, unable to say anything. Now, her anger turned to hurt. She never could’ve imagined Lucas reacting this way.
“I’m sure he is,” Sean said, breaking the thick silence. “Though we don’t need your blessing, do we have it? I won’t walk away unless I’m rejected by Iris, but I’d still like your approval.”
“I’d never keep a vampire from its fated mate,” Erik said, his gaze cast down.
Iris felt her chest tightening, and she went to Erik and made him look at her. “You’re the father I always wanted, and I got to have you because the gods chose Lucas to be yours.” In a lower voice, she said, “Be happy I have a chance to have something like what you two have. I’ve never seen two people more in love. I need to see where this path might lead me.”