Page 20 of Fire & Ice

"Tempest," Beau said softly, but there was something off in his tone that alerted me to danger. He reached out for my hand, but I pulled it back instinctively. I needed to know what was going on.

"Please tell me the truth," I pleaded, trying to keep the quiver from my voice.

Fire flared in my veins as Sara spoke up, her voice grating like nails on a chalkboard, “I'm here for Beau.”

My knees nearly buckled beneath me as fear coursed through my veins. Beau clenched his fist as rage filled his eyes and he looked away from us towards the window, tightening his jaw before turning back to face me with calm hands held up in surrender.

"Nothing has been going on Tempest," he said sternly but calmly. "I swear to you. I have no idea why she is here or what she is going about."

"Why would-" Beau's face contorted with rage before he whirled on Sara and snarled at her, cutting her off before she could say anymore. His gaze then shifted back to me and he raised his hands in surrender, almost as if begging for me to believe him when he said nothing was going on between them. But try as I might to ignore it, doubt still crept into my mind.

Had Beau been lying this whole time? Was he really involved with Sara? Part of me wanted to scream yes, but the other part of me held fast, hoping that he was telling the truth and that Mary—or whatever she called herself now—was lying.

"My brother introduced us. He thought that she might be a potential match if I did not meet my mated and decided to lick my wounds as the 'prince who did not ascend'. I told her that even though she was a nice girl, I was going to wait and find my mated or—"

"So then why are you with her if you are waiting on your mated?" Sara asked indignantly, the intrusive sound of her voice, cutting through Beau's explanation. She sashayed across the room; the sheets Beau and I had made love under earlier still wrapped around her body.

Beau sighed deeply and looked into my eyes pleadingly before turning back to Sara, "Because SHE is my mated." Beau growled. "And you would know that along with everyone else at the Blood Moon Ball had you been in attendance and not have run away like a bitch with its tail tucked between its legs because I rejected you."

I watched them, my heart in my throat. Beau's words were clear and his face sincere. But Sara was not the woman I remembered her to be.

"Her!" Sara hissed out the word as though it was poison, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "All this time I have been nothing but kind and loving to you! Yet she is your destined one?"

Rage coursed through me at her words, filling me with a fury I had never felt before. I took a step forward, feeling like I had been slapped across the face. How dare she defy the will of the moon goddess? Who did she think she was to decide that I wasn't good enough for Beau?

At the sight of my blazing glare, Sara's steps faltered, and she stumbled back. For just a moment, before something new flashed in her eyes— a mix of sorrow and determination that even I hadn't seen before.

"But . . ." she began, her voice quivering now as tears filled her eyes. "What about us?” Her voice shook as tears welled up in her eyes. “Where does that leave me now?”

Beau’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath he took to steady himself from his fury. “Us?” he repeated coldly. “There is no ‘us’. It’s simply fate.” His voice regained its mellow calmness as he continued, “It’s unbreakable and undeniable—something we can’t control or change.”

Sara’s whole body shook as she exhaled sharply. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, and her jaw tightened as her fists clenched. “Fate?” she murmured in disbelief, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and sadness.

Beau’s ice-blue eyes radiated an anger that seemed to pierce through his being. The air heavy with tension as he clenched and unclenched his jaw, struggling to find the right words. He cleared his throat, “It’s not something I’m blaming anyone or anything for,” his voice wavered but was firm. “This is just how things are. I choose Tempest, she is my mated, and she will be my queen.” His fists balled up at his sides as he spoke each word forcefully, the finality of his statement clearly implying an end to any further discussion on the matter. “And now,” Beau continued coldly, sending chills through the room, “I suggest you leave.”

Sara’s face contorted in rage as she glared at Beau, her voice quivering with anger. “Fine,” she spat out, “I’ll leave.” I watched helplessly as she furiously grabbed her belongings and stormed to the door, then it slammed shut behind her, leaving me alone with Beau.

My breath felt tight in my chest as I studied him standing there silently, his expression betraying a mix of sadness and regret. I slowly advanced towards him, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. His eyes were soft, and his lips were a tight line when he sighed and turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry about that," he said after a few tense moments of silence. "I shouldn't have let it go on for as long as it did with Sara." His gaze drifted downwards, and he continued, "But more than anything else, I'm sorry for you—for losing your friend."

I shook my head and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "It's not your fault. As it turns out, I didn't really know the real her." A small smile briefly touched his lips before dissipating again.

He suddenly stepped closer to me and placed his hands protectively on my waist. My heart raced as his gaze penetrated mine. "Despite the short time we've been together, you already know how to make me feel better," he whispered gently.

A blush of fire spread over my cheeks as those words set something inside me alight. Despite all that had just happened moments ago, I could feel myself leaning into him, drawn in by the mating bond and it’s neverending force of attraction.

"What now?" I asked quietly after a few moments of silence.

Beau looked deep into my eyes and answered seriously, "Now we get changed for dinner and I will have a new wing opened for us and this one purged."

Chapter 22

Tempest

The dining hall was filled with the royal family and the royal court of which my parents were members. The halflings and vampires were dressed in their best clothing to honor our mating celebration. Everyone was chatting and laughing, enjoying the festivities. I couldn't take my eyes off Beau, who was smiling and joking with everyone, but his eyes always coming back to me. I could feel the intensity of his gaze, and it made my cheeks heat up. As the dinner progressed, Beau's hand found its way onto my thigh, and I could feel the cool weight of it, making my belly clench.

"I heard from the rumor mill that another thought they may have been your mated, Prince Beau." A halfling I had been introduced to earlier, Deakon Lacey, remarked leaning back in his chair, swirling a goblet of bloodwine as a fragile cleared the table before him.

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