Page 13 of Upon Shattered Bonds

Chapter Five

Laughter threatened to burst her seams as Nina gazed around the table at the vampires she’d sired. It’d been ages since they’d gathered, and seeing them all together made her heart swell.

Vampires were sired through the act of exchanging blood, a deeply personal event which turned a human into an immortal. This created a unique blood bond between the sire and fledgling, and was considered sacred in their society. Beyond it stretched a deep love, no different than that any parent felt for their child. She was happy to notice her century of self-imposed isolation hadn’t weakened either.

Across the table from her, several pairs of eyes flicked up and over her shoulder. Stilling, Nina’s smile froze on her face, her heart thumping beneath her skin.

Zeke.

She’d know the blank signature anywhere. The other sovereign’s ability to ‘mute’ his psychic presence made for an almost invisible approach, but the ghosting mating bond between them never lied. The one side effect she gladly accepted: his nearness could never be fully camouflaged from her mind.

“Yes, Ezekiel?”

Her tone held more bite than she’d intended. The fact that she’d warned him away seemed to have held no water, and Nina was unused to having her requests willfully disregarded.

“Would you care to dance with me?”

Surprised by the request and the sheer nerve of the male before her, she scrutinized him as he extended his hand toward her. Nina saw it for what it was: a peace offering and a shockingly naïve attempt at coaxing her into action. She remained wordless as his question hung in the air between them. The entire table had grown suspiciously silent.

“Go on, sire,” came the jovial jeer from her youngest fledgling. “What can it hurt?”

Nina’s eyes flashed to study Cyprus, the young vampire grinning. Casually, his arm slung over Mya’s shoulders, his surfer blonde hair contrasting sharply with her deep brunette. Out of her peripheral vision, she noted that the others around the table wore similar looks of encouragement—all except Drake. He was privy to the difficult history of Nina’s relationship with Zeke, and he wouldn’t prompt her to action one way or the other.

She’d already waited too long.

Her hand slid into his moments later. Electricity sparked over her skin, tingling up her arm in a whisper of connection. Regardless of the warmth that heated the air of the ballroom, she shivered at the intimacy of his touch.

He gallantly drew her to her feet, the pulse of pride belatedly registering through the weak bond between them. Zeke led her toward the dance floor, the sea of immortals parting before them.

As he pivoted back to her, surrounded by the throng of couples, there was no mistaking the affectionate gleam in his eyes. His towering height made her tilt her head backward as he stepped towards her. When his arm cinched around her waist, she forgot how to breathe.

Feelings of rightness overwhelmed her when Zeke began leading them in the steady sway of the slow tune. His touch, light yet unsettling, set her pulse racing through her veins as his sandalwood scent tickled her nose. It enticed her to draw a deeper breath.

The gentle drum of music faded from her consciousness. As if magnetized, the inches between them disappeared, the lines of their bodies fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. Locked in the arms of her fated mate, the weariness that’d etched itself onto her soul began to lessen. It felt like she could finally breathe again. The only thing that mattered was the man who stared down at her as if she was his entire world. As if compelled by an otherworldly influence, Nina tilted her chin toward his, her lips parting in desire and unequivocal invitation.

Something flashed behind Zeke’s eyes. A question of unspoken yearning. When his gaze lifted to meet hers, the words were unspoken. He captured her lips, his kiss soft and heartbreakingly tender. She dissolved into him, everything in the world feeling bright and whole and lovely.

Pulse pounding in her ears, everything around her faded away until it was only them. The feel of his embrace. The heat of his skin. The tempting lure of his lips.

The bare whisp of their mating bond that suddenly screamed into focus.

Eyes flashing open, Nina recoiled from him. He’d yet to release her, his muscular arms still wrapped around her body with a familiarity that was suddenly as revolting as the kiss they’d just shared.

She jerked away, pivoting on her heel, and leaving the man where he stood, barely glimpsing the twist of remorse on his face.

She stalked through the crowd without a word, not wanting to start a scene at her brother’s wedding. Her measured steps brought her to the terrace.

Cool stone met her fingertips when she brushed against the terrace railing. Angry at herself, her teeth ground together where she stood. Zeke’s addictive taste still lingered on her lips.

Nina didn’t have to turn to know who’d arrived on the terrace behind her. The man’s presence was a searing wound on her soul.

“Why are you here, Ezekiel?”

A pregnant pause. “I want us to try again, Nina.”

Attempting to focus on anything else but the words he’d spoken, she redirected her attention to the early spring night, as sparse and cold as her life had felt for so many years.

Closing her eyes, Nina spun on her heel. “You had your chance. In your haste to deny me, you squandered what could have been with no thought to what our lives would become. Our future.”

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