Page 92 of Taming His Vampire Mate
“You might want to listen to him,” Jeremy said, still mild. “If I recall, James has a bit of a temper.”
James’s glare swung to him. “Andyou. Don’t start.”
“Actually, I should. I owe you that.”
James studied him, his gaze flicking to me—and the fact I’d edged between Jeremy and Pierce. In wolf form, it might’ve been a fair fight, but in his human form, Jeremy wouldn’t stand a chance. At last, James met his eyes and gave him a sharp nod.
My wolf took a deep breath and let it out. “Words don’t mean much, but I’m sorry. I regret that night.” His voice softened. “You have nothing to fear from me now. I swear it.”
James held his gaze, then inclined his head. “I believe you.” He glanced at me, then back at Jeremy, expression hardening. “We’ll probably never be friends, but I understand you were in a bad place. I don’t hate you for it. But if you touch my mate again, I’ll end you.”
“I always respected you,” Jeremy replied. “Hell, you faced down a pack of wolves with nothing but guts. I didn’t fullyunderstand that before—how you could do that for a vampire. But I do now.”
James’s stare lingered, then softened. “Yeah, it’s obvious you do.”
Pierce didn’t look nearly as convinced. He glared at both of us. “You two deserve each other.”
“Indeed,” I said, letting years of mutual dislike sharpen my tone. I respected Pierce, and he wasn’t a bad person, so I couldn’t properly hate him, but I didn’t often enjoy his company either. “I expect that Jeremy and I have both gotten exactly what we richly deserve, for better or worse.”
James’s attention shifted back to Jeremy. “I know he’s your person and you wouldn’t mean to, but I’m saying this anyway. If you hurt him, you’ll answer to me. Thierry is my friend, even if he’d never admit it.”
“I won’t,” Jeremy said simply.
James studied him a moment longer, then gave him a sharp nod. “Enjoy your meal.”
He took Pierce’s hand and led him away, joining Nathaniel and Ethan, who were watching with amused expressions. Nathaniel winked at me, far too pleased to see Jeremy practically glued to my side.
I scowled back at him, though mostly out of habit.
When it was just us, I noticed Jeremy was practically vibrating with tension. “I should’ve said something,” he muttered, staring after them. “The vampire has no right to talk about you like that. Like it’s somehow bad tobelongto you.”
It wasn’t bravado. I could tell.
“Stay here,” I told him, tamping down the dangerous rush of happiness. Jeremy could be oddly sweet—charming in ways I never seemed to see coming. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with food. In the meantime, try not to antagonize anyone else.”
Without waiting for his answer, I headed for the kitchen. But I couldn’t quite stop the stupid, sappy smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE || JEREMY
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Thierry remarked as I walked up to him in the dreamscape. The trees around us were impossibly tall, their canopies vanishing into mist, their trunks as wide as both of us end to end. It was full dark, but the foliage glowed from within, lit with pure magic, revealing endless old-growth trees and breathtaking plant life all around us. An impossible place—timeless, ancient, wonderful.
But it existed here, for us.
Thierry grinned, his whole face lit with joy. “After all, what on earth would the neighbors say?”
“Let them talk,” I said, grinning back. This was the playful aspect of my vampire—the side I never saw in our waking lives.
“Say what you will about the wisdom of casting a spell to summon your mate,” he said, gesturing vaguely around us, “but this is pretty cool. Not everyone gets to experience something like this.”
Watching him, an idea bloomed. “Do you want to go on an adventure?”
His eyes narrowed, immediately suspicious. “What kind of adventure?”
“Do you trust me?”
He shrugged, still watching me. “I’m not sure.”
But I could tell he was lying. When I held out my hand, eyebrows raised, he sighed and crossed the distance to take it.
