Taming His Vampire Mate (Blood Bonded Mates #5)

CHAPTER ONE || THIERRY

T ampering with fate has a price. Always.

And tonight, under the full moon, we were about to pay it—yet again.

It was almost midnight, which meant Poppy and the rest of the witches would arrive soon to perform the spell that would summon my fated mate.

In theory, at least. In practice, that seemed increasingly unlikely.

The last six attempts had all ended in disaster.

But perhaps the seventh time would be the charm.

“Stop pacing, would you?” Michael, my progeny, gave me a sideways look from the couch. “You’re making us nervous.”

I paused in front of the living room window and narrowed my eyes at him. He was pale and built like a linebacker, with slabs of muscle. His silver eyes lingered on mine for a long moment. Despite his outburst, I could see the concern on his face. The sharp words I almost said died on my lips.

Instead, I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. I had, in fact, been pacing.

“We ought to be nervous,” Bryan Peterson said wryly from the floor, where he sat cross-legged. He traded a meaningful look with his mate, Tobias Hawthorne, who sat beside him. “Last time, Poppy started a forest fire.”

Tobias’s sour look deepened and he turned to glare at me. “Remind me again why you can’t leave my sister out of this?”

“She offered,” Michael said immediately, jumping to my defense even though no one had asked him to. “And we’ll have Ethan here, so it won’t get too far out of hand, even if the spell goes haywire.” He paused and grimaced. “Again.”

He was referring to Ethan Solomon, son of the reigning witch queen, married to the vampire king—my boss, technically—Nathaniel Bailey.

A single drop of Ethan’s blood could neutralize even the most powerful magic.

He had stopped the rapidly spreading eerie green flames conjured by Poppy’s last attempt armed with nothing more than a sterile lancet and a Band-Aid.

“I’m sure everything will go smoothly this time,” Michael’s mate, Danny, said firmly. He sat beside Michael on the couch, their hands threaded together.

Danny and Michael had been hunters—humans who fought the supernatural creatures that hurt innocent people.

Then, while hunting a vicious nest of vampires in eastern Oregon, Danny had been turned.

Michael, who had been in love with his hunting partner for years, hadn’t been able to kill him.

Then Danny lost control of his vampiric instincts and nearly killed an innocent person. After that, he lost his humanity.

In the first few months after someone becomes a vampire, their humanity—their soul, if you want to fall down that particular rabbit hole—is at war with their vampiric nature.

Humanity always wins out unless they kill someone.

If they do, they become cold, sadistic, unfeeling, and focused entirely on their own pleasures—which usually include hunting and killing innocent humans for fun and profit.

That was what happened to Danny.

There’s one solution for a vampire who has lost their humanity: they must be destroyed.

Michael, out of desperation, asked me to change him.

He believed he could bring his mate back from the precipice.

Perhaps I’m growing soft in my old age, because I granted his request. And against all odds, Michael was right.

The hunter helped Danny’s humanity claw its way back into the driver’s seat.

Afterward, we realized this might be a sort of… cure. It was reasonable to believe no one had ever tried dealing with a murderous vampire by summoning their fated mate. In no small part because a spell to conjure said mate didn’t exist.

Yet.

Poppy—one of the most powerful witches I’d ever encountered—thought she was getting close.

“And we need to remember why we’re doing this,” Danny whispered.

“Darlin’, that wasn’t your fault,” Michael said, squeezing his mate’s hand. “You couldn’t have done anything differently.”

Danny swallowed hard, nodding.

“Don’t be mopey,” Rico Alvarez said brightly, appearing in the archway behind me.

The little whoosh of wind told me he’d just used vampire speed to zip in from the kitchen.

He wore a frilly blue-and-white checkered apron and held a plate of muffins that looked and smelled charred.

A streak of flour dusted his face, shockingly white against his brown skin.

He narrowed his dark eyes at Danny. Not exactly threatening, given that he was bouncing on his tippy-toes. “I enjoy being a vampire.”

“For now,” Danny muttered, raising his gaze to meet Rico’s. “I could have killed you.”

“But you didn’t. Bryan saved me. And now I’ve got two dads.” Then he paused, glancing at Tobias and Michael, and frowned. “Or, um… I guess four dads, actually.”

Tobias smirked. “What about your human dad? Wouldn’t that make five?”

Rico’s smile dimmed. “Who wants a muffin?”

Everyone in the room blanched.

Rico, who struggled to see the downside of anything, had decided to use his immortality to master all the things he’d never learned when he was human. Apparently, baking topped that list.

It wasn’t going well.

“Um, sure,” Bryan said, forcing a smile as Rico held out the plate. “They look—err—better this time.”

Rico brightened. “Really?”

“Oh, don’t lie to the boy,” I said, rolling my eyes. “He’ll learn nothing that way.”

Everyone glared at me.

“Fine,” I muttered. “I’ll take a muffin.”

Bryan smirked as Rico handed me a blackened lump that felt like stone.

“Four dads and one grumpy uncle,” Rico said happily. “Weird family, I guess, but it works.”

“I’m not part of your family,” I said immediately, as Tobias and Michael both bit back laughter. I didn’t even care that I sounded like a proper twat. The idea needed squashing.

“Nope, pretty sure you are,” Rico said solemnly. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken my muffin.” He paused, biting his lower lip as he eyed the burnt lump in my hand. “But, um… You don’t need to eat it. They came out a little hard this time.”

“They’re completely inedible,” I agreed, taking a bite that threatened to crack the enamel on my teeth. Somehow, the muffin managed to simultaneously taste like Styrofoam and charcoal. I swallowed.

“I wonder who your mate will be?” Rico mused, leaning in and studying me thoughtfully. “I mean, that’s what this spell is all about, right? You’re testing this on yourself first to make sure it works.” Then he paused. “It’s still wild that magic is real. It feels like a fairy tale.”

“Brothers Grimm, maybe,” Michael said wryly. “Also, give Thierry his personal bubble back. Before he breaks you in half.”

Rico snorted but took a dutiful step backward.

I fought the urge to scowl. Truthfully, most of the people I’d foolishly let myself care about were gathered in this room. Not that they needed to know that. They’d become even more insufferable if I ever admitted it aloud.

“It doesn’t matter who my mate is,” I muttered, mostly speaking to myself. “Once I meet him, whoever he is, I’ll know the spell works. I have no intention of establishing a relationship.”

“You can’t honestly believe it’ll be that easy,” Bryan said, sounding incredulous. “Thierry, come on. Once you meet your mate, your entire world expands to include them. They become a huge part of your destiny. It’s right there in the name: fated mates. You won’t be immune to that.”

“Bryan’s right. You’ll need to let him in, whoever he is,” Tobias said. He traded a meaningful look with Bryan, then turned back to me. “After that, the rest works itself out.”

I smiled, showing plenty of teeth. It wasn’t a nice smile. Nor was it meant to be. That anyone would tie me down—or that I’d expose myself to another person on purpose —was ludicrous.

Bryan and Tobias blanched. Everyone did, with the two annoying exceptions of Michael and Rico. Neither seemed the least bit fazed. But then, they weren’t nearly frightened enough of me. They never had been. They both seemed to think they knew the real me.

Worse yet, they might’ve been right.

“We’ll see about that,” I said coldly, speaking to Bryan, Tobias, and everyone else. “I’ve gone eight centuries without a mate. I don’t need anyone .”

My many years of life had taught me one simple truth: I was far better off alone. And I always would be.

* * *

“Are you ready to do this?” Poppy Hawthorne asked an hour later, her vibrant green eyes narrowing at me.

She clutched a copper bowl to her chest, filled with handfuls of dried flowers.

We were gathered in the clearing behind Michael and Danny’s home.

It was just before midnight, the full moon shining overhead, and I was surrounded on all sides by vampires and witches. She added, “Yes or no, Thierry.”

I arched an eyebrow. Silly witch. Of course I was ready.

“Naturally. Just as I was the last six times you attempted this. As long as you don’t set me ablaze, we’re golden.”

She narrowed her eyes, looking like a peeved woodland sprite. “That was one time.”

“The last time,” I countered.

She sighed, shaking her head. “Before I begin, you should know this spell taps into—”

“Do I truly need to know how it works?” I interrupted.

She paused to glare at me. “Um, maybe? Since the spell I’m casting on you messes with fate itself and is completely uncharted territory, I’m going with yes. That way you can give informed consent in case I accidentally blow you up or turn you into a toad.”

“Speaking of which, there are so many options for dealing with an ungrateful vampire,” Tatiana, the witch queen of Seattle, chimed in. She stood beside Wynn, the only other surviving member of the original witches’ council. They were holding a shimmering circle of power in place around us.

“Enlighten me, then,” I said to Poppy, ignoring Tatiana. I respected the queen’s ruthlessness, but engaging with her was rarely wise. I added, “Preferably in fifty words or less.”