by Marie Medina
Violet’s laughter echoed behind them, and they heard her talking quickly and excitedly to Jensen. Once they were away from Jensen and Violet, she turned and said, “I suppose I did say those things. At some point.”
“No need to apologize. Violet shouldn’t have told me.”
“I do like you. I promise.” She halted just as they emerged from the gardens at the back of the castle. “And that kiss was lovely. Was it really like you said?”
“Like I said?”
She looked into his eyes and said, “The sweetest you’ve ever had?”
Sean smiled at her. “Yes, it was. Very sweet indeed. You taste like vanilla and smell wonderful.” He drew her close again. “And I promise to use cologne very sparingly from now on.”
Despite the playful look in his eyes, she felt mortified. “Oh gods, how embarrassing!”
“Why? It’s nice to have something to tease you about.”
She felt a little better upon hearing the tender note in his voice. “Really?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes. Better than the way I was struggling awkwardly before.”
“You were doing fine.” Scanning the stables a little way off, she folded her arms. “Who is this friend you were going to visit?”
“Lord Gregor. He lives less than a day’s ride from here so it seemed like good timing. Why?”
She smiled. “I was just trying to get Jensen off our backs, but what about it? We go see your friend, letting Erik and Lucas pick a chaperone. He can even write to Lord Gregor if he wants to. I don’t care if we aren’t left alone as long as we can get some breathing room from my family.”
Sean seemed to like the idea, but something in his eyes said he was skeptical. “Maybe. I’m not sure they’ll go for it.”
They will if I can persuade my sisters to nag them half to death. She smiled even wider, suddenly glad most of her sisters owed her a favor or two for helping them stay out of trouble around the castle. “We’ll see.” She took Sean’s hand again and led him back the way they’d just come. “Come on. We actually need Violet. Maybe she hasn’t gotten too far.”
“What are you plotting?”
“Wait and see. Having a mate with six sisters might be more than you can handle. This’ll be your first test.”
“I can’t wait,” he said under his breath.
She laughed and squeezed his hand, happy when he squeezed back.
****
Sean couldn’t help noticing that the chair beside Erik remained empty as the girls all sat down at the round table for dinner. As he held Iris’s chair for her, he glanced to the two sets of twins. Pansy and Rose are sixteen, so they must be the two taller ones. Daisy and Flora just turned … fourteen? Yes, I think that’s right. He sat down beside Iris and smiled when he realized Violet had taken the seat between him and Erik. “Are they all wearing blue dresses on purpose?” he asked her in the softest whisper he could as he nodded to the twins.
Violet smirked at him. “Maybe it’s a test.”
“Think I’ll pass?” he asked.
Violet took a piece of paper from her pocket and a pencil stub. She drew a half circle and then glanced across the table. She placed the letters P, R, F, and D around the curve. “Cheat sheet.”
He took it, hoping she wasn’t playing a trick on him. As much as she seemed to like him, he didn’t know if he could trust her to pass up the chance for a bit of fun. “Thanks,” he said quickly as a servant poured wine for him, Erik, and Iris. He noted Iris pouring a little water into hers. “Too strong?” he asked, trying to get conversation going.
Iris nodded. “I like wine, but yes. Red wine’s a bit much. I used to put sweetened grape juice in it. Now I just add a little water.”
Looking over at Erik and hoping for some help, he asked, “What’s the legal drinking age for humans? I think I began drinking wine when I was about seven.”
“It’s sixteen. To be able to purchase alcohol at least,” Erik said. “I’ve always been open about letting the girls try it when they’re with us.”
“Ick,” Flora said.
“It’s good! I love it,” Pansy said. But then she shrugged. “Makes me tired, though.”
“It’s all right,” Rose said. “I kind of like rosé more than red or white.”
“Fitting,” Sean said with a smile.
Rose smiled back, perhaps pleased he had gotten her name right. That made it even more likely Violet had been accurate with her cheat sheet.
Daisy smoothed her napkin over her lap and looked at Erik. “We think it’s a great idea for Iris to go with Lord Sean.”
Sean stopped with his wine glass an inch from his lips, very glad he hadn’t taken a drink yet. He slowly moved his gaze from Daisy to Erik. The other vampire steepled his fingers under his chin and said, “Do you? I’ve only just heard of the plan myself half an hour ago.”
“She had to run it by us first, of course,” Pansy said. “With Heather gone, she has to have someone to talk to about these things.”
“Lucas is being stupid,” Rose said. “He needs to quit pouting.”
As the soup course was brought out, Sean assumed the conversation would stop, but the girls kept going.
Daisy said, “We were all so happy for Lucas, once we realized what being a fated mate meant. It’s not fair he’s not happy for Iris.”
“Big brothers can be,” Erik paused, “protective. Lucas loves you and worries.”
“But Iris is really smart. And choosey. She’s always turning guys down,” Flora said.
Erik smiled. “Is she?”
Iris set her spoon down with a loud clink. “That’s not true. No one’s ever really asking, so I can’t be turning them down, can I?” she said.
Sean wasn’t sure what she was thinking. Something about Flora’s remark had bothered her, but he couldn’t be sure which part. Or why.
“Kind of funny you two got paired, since she’s super picky and you’re not that picky at all,” Violet said, hiding her smile behind her glass of water.
Erik cleared his throat. “Violet, that’s not really funny. Or appropriate dinner conversation.”
Violet put her glass down. “Last week, when we were having sausage, you said Lucas shouldn’t talk with his mouth full. Then you stared at each other for nearly ten seconds.” She turned to Sean. “They still think we’re all little kids. We know what they were both thinking.”
Sean bit the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing as Erik’s eyes widened at Violet. “It is easy to forget … um … that children grow up.” All eyes, except Erik’s, seemed to be on him. “And maybe Lucas will warm to me once he realizes Iris is an adult. It could be he was overwhelmed because Heather just got married and left. He’s used to having all of you close.”
Erik focused on Sean. “You don’t need Lucas’s permission, but I think you should try to get it.”
Pansy said, “You can help, Erik. Can’t you? He’ll listen to you.”
“That’s the whole point of this,” Violet said.
Erik licked his lips and smiled. “I know, sweetheart. Daisy made that clear right away.”
Daisy shrugged as she wiped her mouth. “Thought we might as well get down to it.”
Servants came to clear the soup bowls, though Sean noticed most of the girls had only eaten a little bit. “Will Lucas see me?” Sean asked.
“I can ask after dinner,” Erik said.
Sean reached for his wine glass and drained it before reaching for the decanter close by. “Can I take my small army with me? I think they’ll be more effective.”
Erik sighed. “That’s not going to work.”
Pansy said, “But we’ve made a list and everything. We even promised to save embarrassing stories about Iris for another night so we could convince you and Lucas.”
Sean raised his eyebrows. “Is there a list of these stories? Can I make requests?”
The next course came out, and Iris tapped him on the arm. “No, you can’t make requests.” Looking to her sis
ters, she said, “And there better not be a list.”
“Hmmm,” Rose said. “You are a bit boring. I think we have them all memorized.”
“Boring?” Iris said.
“You almost never get into trouble,” Violet said.
“That’s not boring,” Erik said. “It’s called behaving.” He steepled his fingers again. “Didn’t you and Heather ride a mattress down the stairs?”
“That was me and Rose!” Pansy said. “And you should’ve seen us. We didn’t even break anything.”
Erik tilted his head. “What about the time you cut all of Violet’s hair off?”
“That was me,” Flora said. Then she looked to Sean. “I’d run out of dolls.”
Sean looked over at Iris, again not sure what she was thinking.
“Were you the one who tied the sheets together and tried to lasso the king?” Erik asked.
“You know that was me,” Violet said.
Iris folded her hands in her lap and turned to Sean. “I used to sneak out at night and go swimming in the reflecting pool with a couple of girls from the kitchens.”
“See?” Daisy said. “Boring. You didn’t even leave the castle.”
“How would we have gotten past the guards?” Iris asked. “Besides, it would’ve been dangerous to go out alone at night.”
“You and Heather used to sneak out to the gardens,” Violet said. “That’s how you saw Alejandro doing you know what.”
“What?” Sean asked.
Violet arched an eyebrow at him. “You of all people in this room know what.”
“No, I meant I was curious about the story.”
Erik cleared his throat. “Again, not appropriate, Violet.” Leaning his elbows on the table, he interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on them. “He and Heather were briefly engaged. It didn’t work out.”
“He wasn’t … loyal, you mean?” Sean asked. He’d started to say faithful, but the subject itself might already be inspiring all kinds of inappropriate subjects for the girls to pursue next.
“He was rude and mean and saw women as objects,” Iris said. “And yes, he was with someone else after he’d asked for Heather’s hand.” Leaning over, she whispered, “Two of them.”
Erik sighed and then stood. “All right, let’s move on. It’s obvious none of you are going to eat with us here, so why don’t Sean and I go find Lucas?”
Iris looked up at Erik. “Violet’s twelve. And besides that, she’s, well, Violet. I know it’s not ladylike, but we ought to be allowed to discuss things. Within reason.”
Erik smiled at her. “You’re all growing up. I know that.” He put his hand to his heart. “But consider the possibility that I’m an old fuddy-duddy whose heart can’t take too much. I can’t believe I don’t have gray hairs yet.”
“Fuddy-duddy?” Violet said. “We all had to start knocking before entering rooms after you finally mated Lucas.” To Sean, she said, “Even when the doors were open! I started humming loudly everywhere I went!”
Erik’s mouth fell open, but then he tried to look stern. It didn’t work as all the girls, including Iris, began to laugh.
Sean rose, taking pity on him. “Let’s go find Lucas before your poor old heart starts palpitating.” To Iris, he said, “Do you want to come? Erik’s right. You really aren’t eating.”
“I’ll stay here.” She reached over and took his hand, smiling sweetly. “But thank you for asking.” She let go and said, “Perhaps you should speak to Lucas alone. You can speak more candidly.”
Sean smiled and then excused himself. A frown came to his face as he tried to stay calm. He had no idea how candid Lucas might be. Just after they closed the dining room doors, giggles erupted from within, and it sounded as if everyone began talking at once.
“Perhaps I’m safer with Lucas?” Sean asked as they walked.
Erik clasped his hands behind his back. “Not sure about that. Iris has always been flirtatious, but there’s never been anyone who mattered. Anyone serious. When she loses her heart, well, it’s going to be very serious indeed.”
Sean lowered his gaze to the carpet. “He thinks I’ll break her heart by being unfaithful.”
“He fears that, yes.”
“I don’t blame him. I can be flippant, among other things. But he was happy for me before he knew it was Iris.”
“I know. And hopefully he’ll be happy again.”
“But he’s never going to let me leave the castle with her, is he?”
“I don’t know. He was very quiet when I mentioned it.”
“He said nothing?”
“He sort of sighed and then said he wouldn’t come down to dinner.” Erik opened the door to the suite of rooms he shared with Lucas and peeked inside. “Lucas?”
“Come in,” Lucas said.
Sean followed Erik in and saw Lucas sitting at the large desk on the right side of the receiving room. A tray of half-eaten food sat on the edge of the desk, and Lucas wrote hurriedly, not looking up at either of them.
“Sean would like to speak with you,” Erik said.
“I’m sure. I’ll be one more minute,” Lucas said.
Erik tilted his head and examined the document. When Lucas stopped and stared at him, Erik backed off and gestured toward the circle of couches and chairs in the middle of the large room. The décor seemed to be new. The furniture upholstery was cream, the rugs and curtains blue. Sean felt sure it had been different before. “This room used to be a different color, right?” he asked.
“Yes, it used to be much warmer hues. Reds and oranges and yellows,” Erik said.
Sean nodded, trying not to be too obvious as he eyed Lucas. “It looks very nice.”
“Iris made the pillow covers.”
Sean looked at the pillow beside him. “Did she?” He picked it up and turned it in his hands. The seams were all perfect, and the silver vines embroidered in shining thread were beautiful. “She does excellent work.”
“She used to hate sewing, but then she got interested in it when she was about eleven. She and Heather are both very good at it. They did most of the work making the bridesmaid dresses.”
“Yes, Violet told me.” After throwing another glance at Lucas, Sean said, “We talked at the reception. She’d noticed me staring at Iris.”
“I noticed as well, which is why I reacted the way I did earlier today.” Erik glanced at Lucas, too. “I thought you were staring because … well—”
“Just say it,” Lucas said. “You thought she was going to be his next notch.”
Sean set the pillow aside and turned in his seat. “We’re all different, thank the gods. I’ll admit to certain weaknesses. I could never have done as Erik did, keeping his hands off you all those years. How old were you when it was discovered you were his mate?”
“Thirteen,” Lucas said without looking up.
“Hmmm, that is far too young. But I couldn’t have been so strong for five whole years. Your mate’s an exemplary man, but we can’t all be so perfect. We aren’t meant to be.”
“I know that,” Lucas said softly.
Sean rose and went to stand in front of the desk. “I’ve wanted to find my mate since I was your age. Maybe even younger. With the exception of Violet, I lumped all your sisters together before. I never gave Iris a second thought, but I’ll be honest and say I’m completely smitten after only a few hours.”
Lucas stopped writing a moment. Then he finished his sentence and sat back, meeting Sean’s gaze. “I’ve been protecting them for as long as I can remember. I used to draw our father’s anger so he’d beat me instead of them. I wasn’t always successful.”
Sean had been vaguely aware of the kind of man their father had been, but he’d never probed too much. “I have a younger sister. I do understand.” Shifting his weight, he said, “To a degree. I couldn’t imagine having seven sisters. Or having to protect them from a man like your father.”
Lucas slid the piece of paper over to Sean. “If you’ll sign this, and tak
e Agatha with you, I have no problem with Iris accompanying you on a brief trip to Gregor’s dominion.” Lucas stood. “I’ll be writing to Gregor’s steward, of course.” He moved around the desk and began walking toward his own mate.
“Yes, of course,” Sean said, shocked and wondering what Lucas had written down. He scanned the document. “I just have to sign it?”
Lucas stopped beside the couch Erik sat on. “Take as long as you like to read over it.”
He did so, not surprised by anything on it. After one final sweep of the document, Sean set it back on the desk and reached for the quill. He signed it with a flourish and set the quill back in its holder. “I’ll need a copy, of course, to be sure I follow all the rules.”
Just as Lucas was about to sit, Erik stood and walked over to the desk. “What kind of rules is he talking about?” Erik picked up the paper and looked it over. “Lucas…”
Sean put his hand on Erik’s arm. “It’s fine. It’ll keep me honest so I can court her properly.”
Erik dropped the paper back to the desk. “I think it’s a bit much, but what better way to prove a vampire will do anything for its mate?”
Lucas finally sat and rested his arm over the back of the couch. “She still has to accept him. Iris won’t accept the mate bond unless she loves you. That’s one thing I can be sure of with her.”
“She certainly seems to know her own mind,” Sean said.
“She does,” Lucas said. “But she’s still very young.”
“I know,” Sean said.
Lucas sighed. “I know I’ve probably offended you. Been rude. But you said you have a sister.”
“Yes, Bethany. I’m more than half a century older than her.” Sean managed a smile. “And I once threw a man out of her bed. Quite literally. Tossed him out onto the balcony and watched him tumble down the stairs into a muddy flowerbed in the garden.” He chuckled. “Exactly where I was aiming.”
Erik laughed, but then seemed to think better of it. “Never heard that one before.”
“The man broke his arm. My father was furious. Bethany, too. We don’t talk about it.”
The left corner of Lucas’s mouth turned up. “Just treat her as a mate should be treated. You and I won’t have any problem if you do that.”