by K Loraine
“Olivia,” I began, but she was already at the door.
“My cunt is wet, Cashel. But I won’t be in your arms, or in your bed tonight. Thank you for the reminder.”
The door closed behind her, and immediately, the ache of being parted from my Olivia began again. My cock throbbed with need, desperate to be inside her heat, because our bodies joining was the perfect way for us to share our connection.
There was no way in hell I’d let her be on display at this ball without my protection. I had to figure out a way to hide my identity and get past the guards to see to my little bird’s safety. I couldn’t count on Lucas. He wanted her just as much as all the rest would. Possibly, even more.
Olivia
My skin was still on fire from where Cashel had touched me. I swore I could feel his breath on my ear, his lips on mine, the hard press of him against my belly. Even as I stood in my bedroom, staring at my reflection in the mirrored door of the wardrobe, I pictured Cashel touching me. I ran my hands over throat, tracing the path he’d kissed until I reached the obsidian collar disguised as a choker. Lucas may have tried to wrap it up as a present, make it look like it was simply decoration, but I knew exactly what this was. Another way to show ownership of me.
“All right, Olivia?” Lucas’ voice caught me off guard, making me jump and bite my tongue hard enough the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth.
“Jesus,” I muttered, scolding him as I turned to face him. He was beautiful, in a deep green velvet tuxedo jacket, complete with black silk lapels. It was tailored specifically for him, there was no doubt, but his carelessly open collar and undone tie made him look every inch the bad boy prince he was.
“Afraid not, love. It’s just me. Jesus doesn’t live here.”
He strode across the room until he was mere inches from me. His presence overwhelmed me as the bond pulsed between us. I couldn’t stop myself, I breathed in his scent and let the comfort of being near him wash over me, even as guilt hit me hard in the gut. His palms settled on my arms, gripping me gently but with a demand I couldn’t deny.
“What are you hiding behind those walls of yours?”
I shrugged out of his hold. “Nothing. There’s a lot riding on tonight. I’ve got so much on my mind. What if I mess up something? What if they don’t believe our bond is real?”
“You won’t. Just do as I say and don’t question me in front of them.”
I bristled at that idea. The last time I was here in a position where I was beholden to a vampire, everything had gone to hell. Lucas leaned close, inhaling deeply before letting out a low, hungry groan. “Does fear arouse you, Olivia? I can smell you. Not just the call of your blood. I can smell your want.”
Shifting away from him, I focused on applying a final layer of dark wine-colored lip stain. But he didn’t let up. He walked right up behind me, ran a finger along my exposed back, and said, “I need to feed soon, I’m weak from waiting for you to be ready.”
I stopped with the lip stain in the middle of my bottom lip. Then stood up straighter and said, “Why would it matter? You can eat any time you want. I don’t care who you feed from.”
“You don’t understand anything do you? A mate bond is special. It joins us in so many ways. My hunger is for you alone. I won’t want another until you’re turned and can no longer sustain me.”
My chest hurt as guilt swamped me again. I had been in his brother’s arms not ten minutes earlier. I was still aroused and wanting Cashel. Yet this man had given up so much to save me. “Do you…” I swallowed. “Do you want to feed now?”
A soft growl rumbled in my ear. “Yes.”
Shivers ran down my spine, and I leaned back against him, trying to make it easier for him to take what he needed. But he didn’t. He backed away and walked to the dresser on the opposite wall.
“Lucas, what are you doing?”
Taking something out of the top drawer, he turned toward me and smirked. “I can’t have you now, but I will tonight.” It was a promise. One I wasn’t sure I wanted him to deliver on.
He held out a rectangular box and opened it, revealing long obsidian earrings which matched the choker I wore.
“No leashes this time. But if you look closely, you’ll see what these stones represent.”
I ran my fingers over the pointy, cool stones, pulling away quickly when the edges bit at my skin. “They’re sharp,” I said, inspecting my fingertip for blood.
“Thorns, Olivia. You’re going to wear a symbol of your new name so everyone remembers who you are.”
“Who owns me, you mean.”
He shook his head. “No. As much as I want you to be mine, this isn’t about ownership. Show them all our bond is real. Take your place at my side as a Blackthorne and show Anne you won’t be controlled by her or anyone.”
“That’s all you vampires seem to want to do. Control me. I feel like a chess piece being moved from space to space.”
I clipped the earrings onto my lobes one at a time, the slight pinch making me wince. Their weight as they swung from my ears felt like a set of chains, all too familiar.
Lucas turned me toward him and smiled, the flash of his fangs sending an unwanted thrill through me.
“You’re perfect, Olivia. Now, we have to make this real for the clans. They will challenge our bond the first chance they get if they see any shred of weakness in it.”
His palm slipped around my waist, strong fingers gripping me tight. “I understand. I’ll make them think we’re deliriously in love.”
His eyes went hard. “That’s what we should be. That’s what a mated pair is.”
“Lucas, I’m not—”
He stopped me with one finger on my lips. “Don’t. Don’t even say it. We can’t make it work if you won’t even give it a chance. Now, come with me. We have a wedding ball to attend.”
9
Cashel
I stood in the corner after sneaking past the guards, my mask covering nearly my entire face. All that was visible was my chin, the tip of my nose, and my jaw. Black horns twisted up and back from the finely crafted detail of the golden devil’s visage. It was the mask my father wore to his wedding ball when he married my mother. Part of me hated using something he’d found important, but it also seemed fitting. A silent way of throwing my parents’ true marriage in her face.
All around me, vampires filled the large ballroom, their gowns and tuxedos extravagant, some with their own human pets linked to them by chains. Memories of Olivia chained in my possession sent both arousal and anger flashing through me. I wanted her chained. But only for me. I wanted her willingly bound on my bed, begging me to take her, and bonded only to me.
The music swelled to a crescendo before dying rapidly. Everyone turned to stare at the doors and my heart nearly burst when they opened and revealed my Olivia, stunning in emerald, hauntingly beautiful with the very jewels my mother so often wore. Sharp obsidian. Dangerous on a human. I couldn’t believe Lucas would risk spilling her blood even if she was bound to him.
Anger clenched my hands into fists. He wasn’t her true mate. But was I any better? I’d given in to every reason not to bond with her. I’d put the needs of the many ahead of the woman I loved.
She and Lucas were the only ones not masked tonight. On display like exhibits in a macabre show. He held her against him, one hand on her hip, too affectionate for my liking. My blood boiled, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d expose who I really was simply by the scent of my jealousy. I’d taken care to cloak my identity, dousing myself in neutralizing rose oil just as we’d forced Olivia to use. No one seemed the wiser.
“He married her? I thought she was for sale.” A vampire to my right was whispering to his partner. They continued their conversation, but I moved through the crowd, following Lucas and Olivia. Needing to be close. I heard other whispers, things like, “She certainly hopped from one brother to another,” and, “Pity, now she’s useless to us. Why not simply kill her?”
I stiffened at that. Sh
e was far from useless, and no one would touch a hair on her head if I could stop them. The music began again, a waltz, customary for a newlywed couple. Lucas took her into his arms and began spinning her around the dance floor for all to witness. The way she looked at him had me seeing red. She wanted him. I hated him.
“Do you think we’ll be able to break that bond? I’m not sold on it,” a man asked me, leaning too close. “If she was really so in love with Cashel, how could she bond with Lucas so quickly? Seems a sham to me. Or maybe she was just using them both.”
I shook my head, unwilling to share my voice with him for fear he’d recognize me. It was true, if they hadn’t consummated, finalized their bond, it could be broken if it wasn’t a true mate bond. I could still make her mine. I just had to prove to her that Lucas would survive their separation, that being with me would be the right thing. That a life on the run would be better than the security Lucas could provide.
As the song came to an end, Lucas spun Olivia out and pulled her back to him, her hair coming loose from the detailed style it had been fashioned into. Dark tresses fell down her back and across her bare shoulders and I wanted nothing more than to fist them and pull her into my hold, my arms. The crowd broke into applause and the doors opened once again, revealing Anne, a crown of jagged black crystals atop her head. Every noble in attendance dipped into a low bow or curtsey.
“Welcome, all of you. Wasn’t that a beautiful show from our lovebirds?”
The crowd again began to cheer until Anne raised a palm. “Now, we aren’t here solely to celebrate the momentous occasion of a Blackthorne taking a bride. We are here to confirm the legitimacy of their bond and to see a display of their commitment to each other. Your council has already borne witness to their exchange of vows and will soon be privy to consummation. Tonight is your final chance to break their fledgling bond and take our pet as your own. Though, I promise you won’t be able to do any such thing. Olivia is a Blackthorne now. She and Lucas will bring us the next generation of Blackthornes.”
Someone shouted, “But he’s a bastard. How can any child be legitimate?”
Anne’s jaw clenched, and I thought of the promise I’d made to provide her an heir. A promise I’d never intended to keep. Now she was desperate.
She held out a hand, and a servant came bustling over, parchment in hand. “By the order of the council and King Elias Blackthorne, Lucas Blackthorne is hereby legitimized and recognized as the third in line for the Blackthorne throne.” She smiled. “As you can see, my late husband must have been prepared for his sons to betray him or themselves be betrayed. With Lucas’ child, we will ensure the line lives on, and a vampire hybrid with the blood of the sun in its veins will give us something we’ve never had before. Pure power.”
My stomach twisted. My father never spoke of legitimizing Lucas. He never told a single one of us. Was this another of his ploys to pit us against each other and gain separate alliances with each of us?
“Dance with her. See if you’re able to compel her away from her bonded mate. If you succeed, she’s yours for the taking.”
My gaze flicked to Lucas, standing there with his hands casually in his pockets like he had nothing to worry about. He didn’t. No one would take her from this house. I wouldn’t allow it.
I watched as clan leader after clan leader took to the floor, pulling her roughly against them, dancing and attempting to sway her into their command. My little bird didn’t miss a beat, shooting each of them down. But I saw the way they looked at her, the hunger in their eyes. They may not have been able to feed from her, but a bond wouldn’t stop them from taking her to a dark corner and raping her. I would be there to stop it from happening.
She was in the arms of Antoni, the head of Clan Rossi. The Italian had his gaze settled on her breasts, his posture too close, body touching far too much of her for my liking. But Lucas didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t flinch when Antoni leaned closer still and ran his tongue along Olivia’s jaw. I saw the discomfort on her face. I felt the anger. And I moved before thinking.
“I believe your time is up, Signore Rossi. The bride is mine for the next dance.”
If Olivia recognized me, she didn’t give a single thing away. Rossi released her and sneered, “Good luck with her. She’s definitely spoken for.”
I chuckled. “That she is.”
Then I took her into my arms, and a dark waltz, filled with sensuality and the promise of seduction began as if on cue. I stared into her eyes, willing her silent, but also begging for her acknowledgment of who I was to her.
“You’re…” she trailed off, and I picked up her sentence without hesitation.
“Here to challenge your bond.” We didn’t speak beyond those words. Instead I took her around the dance floor, my hands trailing her body, twirling her out and back against me. Her scent flooding my senses. I wanted to prove she was mine here and now. But I couldn’t do that. She’d be exposed and so would I. We had to be careful.
“You can’t challenge it. There’s no way you’ll break it.”
I tugged her against me, grinding my aching erection against her. Leaning in, I took a chance and let out the barest whisper. “You think not, little bird?”
She gasped, her eyes going wide and sparking with anger and fear, but I gripped her hand tighter, shaking my head in warning. “I know you can’t. I’m Lucas’. No one else. The only other man who owned my heart is dead and gone.”
My chest swelled with pride. She’d just told me she loved me in the only way she could.
“I’m done with this dance. With all of them. Let me go. Get out of here.” She wrenched herself from my grasp, the tears in her voice making me wish I could make this all go away for her.
The music stopped, and I sank back into the anonymity of the crowd, hating every moment that passed with her out of my grasp.
“The bond stands,” Anne announced. “Now, Lucas, take your bride into your body for all to see. There will be no further inquiry into the truth of your mating.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I couldn’t watch. But I had to. I had to witness every moment lest I be suspect by leaving. Lucas took her into his arms, his focus trained on her. Unfortunately for him, her gaze was everywhere but on him. She was working so hard to control her fear. The anxiety in her pulse was obvious, but when she found me in the crowd, her heartbeat calmed. He kissed a path down her throat, unlatched the choker at her neck, and murmured, “Mine,” before sinking his fangs into her flesh.
I flinched, forcing myself to hold steady as her eyes rolled back in her head and she let out a moan I’d only heard when I was between her thighs. I clenched my fists so tight I heard the bones pop in my fingers and pain rushed over me. Lucas dragged her across his frame, and she cried out as an obvious rush of pleasure took her.
Then my brother pulled his fangs from her and wiped his bottom lip with the back of his hand before smirking like the cat who ate the fucking canary.
“I do believe it’s time for me to take my bride to our bed.”
Anne giggled and shook her head. “Oh, Lucas, you know we must observe the consummation tradition. Five more nights for your bond to grow. Then you will consummate before witnesses, and on the full moon, you’ll turn her and put a hybrid in her belly.”
He grinned. “I’ll do my best.”
It took everything in me not to run to Olivia then and there, scoop her into my arms, and tear my brother’s head from his shoulders.
10
Olivia
My dreams were fevered, filled with Lucas and Cashel fighting for me. I woke with my heart aching and torn in two. The bond was getting stronger, but my pull to Cashel wasn’t weakening.
Lucas stood at the window, staring down into the moonlit garden. “You were calling his name. My brother. Does he visit you in your dreams?”
I sat up and bit my lower lip, trying to figure out how to best address this question. “He does. I can’t fight him there.”
Shov
ing his hands into his pockets, Lucas nodded and turned toward me. “We survived the test of the clans. Now all we have to do is get through consummation. Once that is done, I’ll take you to my home on the coast. We can live our lives separately if that’s what you want. All we have to do is provide one hybrid. Then you’ll have your freedom…such as it is.”
I didn’t know what to tell him. I should have been connected to him the way he wanted, but Cashel was alive, he was here, and I wanted him over anyone else. “And then there’s the other condition,” I said.
“Yes. I’ll have to turn you. I don’t think there’s any way out of it.”
“And if I get pregnant when we consummate?”
He grinned. “Lucky me.”
I stiffened and got out of bed. “Didn’t your mother die having you?”
Eyes darkening, he stalked toward me. “Only because my father did nothing to help her. He was ready to get rid of her.” His fingers closed around my shoulders. “I will never be ready to be rid of you.”
“I don’t…I’m not ready to have a baby.”
He nodded. “Neither am I.”
“Do we have to…risk it?”
Brows furrowing, he stared at me. “We have to consummate. Do you remember what was in the elixir Brenna made for you? The one to prevent pregnancy?”
I thought back to the beginning of my time here. The tea she’d brew for me, one to help me sleep, to stop my periods, to keep me from getting pregnant. I shook my head. “She didn’t tell me what was in it.”
“I’ll do what needs to be done.”
“Thank you.”
He pressed a kiss to my temple. “I thought I was going to lose you to that last man.”
A chill started in my belly and spread across my body. “Which one?”
Leaning close enough his lips brushed my ear, he whispered, “The one in the devil mask.”
I broke away from him, feeling the possessive need rolling off him. This wasn’t Lucas. This was the bond. “He tried. But, obviously, failed.”