Page 46 of The Rowan
Astor pulls a knife out and draws a line across his palm, spilling blood. “I’ll try.”
With Astor focused on the witches, Valerian breaks his bonds and roars with fury. Standing at the railing, he shouts down to Alric, “If you bite her, I’ll chain you to a forgotten cave in my kingdom, always hungry, always alone. There are worse things than death, Alric. Think about it.”
Alric’s steps falter as he looks for a savior, but the crowd doesn’t offer any. The last bars of the song float in the air, and resigned, he pulls Arden’s head back to expose her throat, then strikes…air. She’s gone.
Arden appears by Valerian’s side. He wraps his arms around her and shudders. “Fuck, lass. That was too damn close.”
Relief weakens my knees, and I tighten my grip on the railing.
I reach out with my power to keep Solange and Alric from fleeing.
Arden is furious, and her power, no longer dampened, flows pure and strong. She steps over to Astor, and gives him a light kiss, bringing him out of his trance. “Thank you. I felt a prick on my hand, and everything turned hazy. The next thing I remember, I was on the dance floor in Alric’s arms, trapped by spells. Cassandra and Reyna were working together to layer the spells one on top of the other. Every time I unraveled a spell from Cassandra, Reyna’s spell would trap me again, over and over. Your magic disrupted theirs long enough for me to wrestle control back.”
Astor gives her a deep kiss. “Stop giving me grey hair, gorgeous. It’s not a good look for me.”
Theron pulls her in close, his cool lips skimming down her throat, replacing Alric’s scent with his own. “I’m going to kill them.” He’s almost feral as his own Fae fangs drop, his famous control shattered.
Fallon pulls her in for a bone-crushing hug, his fury evident in the clenched hands and warrior stance he’s held the entire time. He solemnly hands her to me.
“I’ll make this right,” I promise her. “Solange and Alric will pay.”
She nods and steps back into Valerian’s arms. “But the witches are mine.”
Theron argues with her, but she shakes her head furiously. The witches left as soon as Astor broke their spell, so we missed capturing them.
Facing the crowd, I decide to address them all. “As you can see, this witch, Arden, is under our protection. We told you time and time again, and you ignored us. Did you forget who we are?” I roar with fury.
As First Vampire, I control all vampires. Most of the time, I leave them alone, but for those who break the rules, the consequences are severe. “Solange and Alric, step forward.”
The crowd pushes Solange out onto the dance floor. Alric tries to grab her hand, but she shoves him away. Defiant, she spits out, “I’m not responsible for a witch using a spell on another witch.”
Using sire compulsion to get her to tell the truth, I ask, “Did you compel Arden?”
“I tried, but she resisted,” she admits.
“How did you get her to say yes to Alric’s Mate Kiss request?” I demand.
She pinches her lips together to avoid answering, but it’s useless, the truth spills out anyway. “The witches offered to use a spell to make her agreeable. See, I did nothing. It was the witches and Alric.”
Alric pales. “I only did what you asked me to do, Solange.”
“We’ll deal with the witches. Compelling her to accept the Mate’s Kiss violates our most sacred rules, even if you weren’t successful,” I pronounce. “The Mate’s Kiss is sacred and not offered lightly, as it binds two lives together forever. It shouldn’t be used for a petty act of revenge!” I shout, livid with her machinations. Solange and Alric flinch at my fury. “Instead of killing you like I want to, I’m going to give you a choice.”
Both Solange and Alric look relieved, but Astor snorts. He knows me well enough to realize the choices will be abominable.
“You have two choices. Solange and Alric, you can say yes to each other’s Mate Kiss and stay a part of the vampire society, or I’ll banish you forever.” My voice is calm while I explain their options. “You have a minute to decide.”
Theron compresses his lips, furious with my leniency. If it was him, he’d kill them, but he doesn’t understand the need vampires have for their hive. My hive is the cadre. They satisfy my need for a family. Vampires rarely live long without a hive. It’s a slow death.
Alric smiles with relief, but Solange stands there shaking her head. “No, I’m supposed to be yours, not his. Our fathers are best friends. We grew up with each other. We are meant to be together. Please, please, Daire. We can get past this little incident. I love you,” she pleads, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“We will never be together again,” I tell her, my voice hard and emotionless. “You should accept Alric as your mate. He will provide you with a good life.”
Solange stares at me in disbelief and anguish. “I will never belong to anyone but you. I refuse Alric.” She takes a deep breath. “I choose banishment.”
Alric’s smile turns to horror as he realizes what she’s decided. He grabs her shoulders. “Don’t do this. We can be happy and alive.” He pleads with her over and over.
She shakes him off and snarls at me, “Do it.”
