Page 47 of The Rowan
Sadly, I wonder what I could have done to prevent this from happening. “Solange and Alric, I banish you both from vampire society and the hive. Nobody will speak to or acknowledge you after tonight. Nobody will offer you shelter or help of any kind. It will be as if you never existed.”
Alric sways, then shuffles off the dance floor.
Solange glares up at me, then Arden. “You’ll regret this moment. Like it or not, you’ll be mine again.” She strides off the dance floor, head held high.
Looking at the cadre, I silently ask for their agreement. All four heads nod. I glance at Arden, whose face is hard as she stares at the crowd. I turn and face the crowd, fangs flashing. “For your role in this fiasco, The Abbey is closed for a month. Let this be a warning. The next time someone messes with the cadre or anyone under our protection, we’ll kill everyone involved and close The Abbey, permanently.” The crowd is stunned. “The staff can stay. Everyone else needs to leave, now.”
The crowd scatters, trying to be the first out the door and away from our wrath.
Calling Maya over, I tell her to give the staff full pay and a month’s vacation.
She gives me a hard nod. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize what was happening until the music started. From now on, I’ll vet all performances.”
Theron steps up and stares at Maya impassively before giving her further instructions. “When you speak with the staff, tell them the petty acts against Arden stop now. I’ve been tolerant, more tolerant than I should have been, but I’m done. We’re done. If they can’t accept working with Arden, they can consider this pay their severance.” He pauses, giving Maya the chance to agree. “And, Maya, letting these things happen is also grounds for dismissal. I expect more from you in the future.”
Maya’s shoulders slump for a second, then she straightens, nods determinedly, and strides off to speak to the staff.
I turn to Theron, but he’s watching Maya’s conversation with the staff. If there’s a hint of disagreement, he’ll notice it. After a second, the tension eases from his shoulders. Thankfully, nobody is stupid enough to test us today.
I squeeze Theron’s shoulder, grab a bottle of Macallan, and offer Arden a drink.
She takes a long swig from the bottle, then hands it to Theron, who looks around for glasses.
Rolling her eyes, she laughs and turns to Valerian. “You still want me to take a week? Look what could have happened tonight. If we wait until the timing is perfect, we could wait forever or miss our chance. I don’t need time to think about it. I know what I want.”
He pulls her into his arms and lifts her chin. “You’re right. We don’t get any guarantees in life.” He pauses, his face losing its grin. “And I promise to do everything in my power to give us time.”
“I promise, too,” Arden vows solemnly.
Valerian picks up Arden and heads toward the elevators.
I glance at Theron and Fallon. Oddly enough, there’s a gleam of satisfaction in Theron’s eyes, while Fallon’s face is impassive.
But when I turn to joke with Astor, he’s staring wistfully at them. I lock eyes with him and nod in understanding. Hybrids like Astor and myself don’t know if we’ll be lucky enough to mate. As a vampire, I’m given the option of giving my love a Mate’s Kiss to bind our lifelines, but it doesn’t bind our souls. Most demon and human hybrids, like Astor, don’t even have that option.
I stare down into my drink, reliving tonight’s roller coaster of emotions. The human part of us loves fiercely, but is that enough?
28
ARDEN
After setting me down inside his room, Valerian slowly lowers his mouth to mine, but a sudden thought has me stopping him. Puzzled, he leans back.
Valerian reads the hesitancy on my face and stiffens. “Lass? Do you need some more time to think about it?”
Thoughts race through my mind. I wonder if my mother and father were mates, or simply in love? Is one better than the other? A mate is bound to your soul, but if someone is bound to your heart, is it any less important? If a mate is willing to give you a piece of their soul and a lover a piece of their heart, I don’t believe one piece is more valuable than the other. I have to tell him.
I lace my fingers together tightly. “I’m not sure. I need to talk to you about something, but I don’t know how to start this conversation. Solandis and Vargas only wanted each other. They didn’t want anyone else. They’re not only mates, but they’re deeply in love with each other.” I pause to get some clarity and rein in my babbling. “I know our world, the supernatural world, allows for multiple mates. But what if someone isn’t a mate? What if you love someone but they’re not your mate, and you end up wanting to spend the rest of your life with them, too?”
He cocks his head to the side. “If you have another mate, I wouldn’t stand in the way. If the fates have blessed you with more than one mate, we would work together to figure it out. It’s the way it’s always been.” Licking his lips, he asks, “Do you think you have more than one mate? Are you having feelings for someone else?”
“Yes and yes,” I answer truthfully. “I suspect I have another mate. But what if I’m also attracted to someone who isn’t my mate? And what if, in the future, I fall in love with that person?”
He runs a hand over his face. “Who?”
I hesitate. “I don’t want to say anything about the person who I suspect is my mate, not yet. It wouldn’t be fair to him. But…” I need to stop making a mess and just blurt it out. “I’m attracted to Astor—deeply, insanely attracted. Something inside him calls to me. It’s not just lust, although there’s plenty of that, too. I don’t know where it’s going to go, maybe nowhere, but it feels like it has roots. I haven’t told him. I can barely admit it to myself and to you.” I stare into his amber eyes. “I want to be your mate. The fates wouldn’t give us to each other if we weren’t meant to be, but I can’t let Astor go. So if you want to wait, I understand.”
He stares down at me, his face expressionless. “Are you sure, lass? Astor has never known love at all, not from anyone, much less felt love for someone else. It might never happen. I don’t want you to get your heart broken,” he replies. Then he pauses to really think about it, and I can see he answer in his eyes, even before he tells me.
