Chapter Two
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BASTIEN HAD BEEN AT the village for a few days now, and Dermot still hadn’t talked to him.
He knew he should, and part of him desperately wanted to.
It was the part that wanted his mate to be close, that thought that happiness was so close he could touch it.
The rational part of him knew that might not be the case, though, and he was afraid to find out what kind of person Bastien was.
From everyone who’d talked to him about his mate—without knowing that Bastien was his mate, because he hadn’t told anyone yet—Bastien seemed like a nice person.
Apparently, he and his sister were very close, and their reunion had been tearful.
Dermot wouldn’t know. As soon as he’d had the opportunity, he’d left Bastien behind and gone home to freak out in private.
He’d expected Bastien to leave. After all, he was here to get his sister back.
Now that he had her, there was no reason for him to stick around.
Yet they were still here, and Dermot wanted to know why.
Was it because of him? Did Bastien want to talk to him before he left?
Was he planning on staying just because Dermot was here?
What was Dermot going to do if that was the case?
Dermot didn’t have an answer to any of those questions, and he wouldn’t get one until he talked to Bastien. The problem was that every time he thought about doing so, he started freaking out.
What was he supposed to say? He wasn’t even sure what he felt.
He snorted and glared at the yellow flowers in the pot in his front yard.
Yes, he did know what he felt. Unfortunately for him, he wanted nothing more than to be close to Bastien.
If he could, he’d find the man right now and curl up in his arms, but just the thought of doing that made him want to scream.
He couldn’t afford to show that kind of vulnerability when he didn’t know Bastien well.
The man might not be a Kudlak, but Kudlak hadn’t been the only ones who’d hurt Dermot and his clan.
Krsnik, who were supposed to protect them and save them, had run instead, leading to everyone Dermot loved dying.
How could he forget finding his mother’s body in their home?
How could he forget the sight of his brother’s entire family burning inside their house?
“Hi,” someone said, startling Dermot.
He looked up, and his glare deepened without meaning to. What was Bastien doing there? Was he looking for him? Dermot hoped not. He wasn’t ready to talk to him, which was why he’d been avoiding him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to talk to him, though.
“What do you want?” he snapped.
He’d hoped that Bastien would be offended, but instead, the man smiled. Infuriatingly, it made him even more handsome.
Not that he needed it. Bastien was gorgeous, and he knew it.
Dermot also suspected that Bastien knew Dermot had noticed.
He hadn’t pushed to talk yet, but then, he’d been focused on his sister.
Eventually, he’d want to know what was going on, and when he did, Dermot would have to give him an answer.
He had no idea what that answer would be.
“I was just walking by and decided to say hi,” Bastien said, sounding casual. “Celeste kicked me out.”
“Why would she do that? You’re here for her.”
“Apparently, I’m an overbearing brother.”
Dermot told himself he wasn’t going to laugh. There was no reason for him to. “Oh?”
“That’s what she says, anyway. I’ll admit I’m probably a little overbearing, but that makes sense considering I haven’t seen her in years. I knew she was with her mate and that he wasn’t a good person, although I would never have imagined that he was such a bad one.”
“What kind of mate did you think he was?”
“Well, for my sister’s sake, I hoped he would be a decent mate.”
“Well, that’s definitely not the case.”
“I’m aware of that now. I wish I could change the past, but unfortunately, that’s not possible. I guess I’ll focus on making the future as nice as possible for Celeste.”
Dermot told himself he didn’t need to keep talking, but he was too curious. This was the first real conversation they’d had, and he already liked Bastien, dammit. “When are the two of you leaving?”
The smile slipped a little from Bastien’s lips.
“Not for a while. Celeste and I talked, and we talked to your clan leaders. Everyone agrees that Parrish is probably out there, desperate to get her back. That means he’ll probably attack as soon as she steps out of the shields, which, of course, isn’t something anyone wants.
She feels safe here, behind the shields, and she wants to stay for a while longer. ”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’ll give her anything she wants. She told me a bit about what she went through over the past few years with Parrish, and it made me want to find him and crush him with my bare hands.
Unfortunately, I can’t do that right now, but I can support her.
If staying here is what she wants, it’s what I’ll give her. ”
Dermot crossed his arms over his chest. Why was he feeling so hot? Yes, it was the middle of August, but it wasn’t that warm, surely. It felt like his entire body was flushing, and he was afraid to look down at his arms. Were they as pink as his face felt?
“So you’re not leaving?”
Bastien grinned. “Not yet. That will give us time to talk.”
Dermot opened his mouth to tell Bastien he didn’t have anything to tell him, even though that wasn’t true. They definitely needed to talk about their bond, even if it was for one of them to reject the other.
Dermot just wasn’t sure that was what he wanted.
Before he could say anything, Bastien turned around.
Initially, Dermot didn’t understand why, but then he saw Celeste step out of Rowan and Clay’s house.
It was as if Bastien sensed she was leaving the house.
He watched her as she stepped down the porch steps hesitantly and looked around.
He was clearly worried about her, but he still didn’t go to her.
He gave her the autonomy to decide what she wanted, and when she saw her brother, she smiled and started to come toward him.
Dermot hadn’t made it a secret that he knew what she’d been through, and he didn’t want to fight with Bastien.
It had nothing to do with the fight between their mates and everything to do with the fact that Bastien was Rowan and Clay’s guest. They wouldn’t want anyone to be rude, but especially not Dermot, who was respected in the village.
He was a powerful Vila, and along with others, he kept the shields running and kept the village safe.
It would not be good if he, of all people, made things difficult for Bastien and Celeste.
People would probably understand, but still. It would make things awkward.
“I’m sorry,” Bastien said softly before moving toward his sister.
Dermot blinked and watched him go. He supposed that made things easier on him.
He wouldn’t have to come up with an excuse to go back inside the house.
He probably should, though, but he couldn’t seem to look away from Celeste and Bastien.
Celeste still looked fragile, which was understandable after what she’d been through.
She reached him, and Bastien pulled her close as soon as she was within reach, tucking her under his arm.
Celeste smiled up at him, and for a second, Dermot wished he was in her place.
He wanted to be pressed against Bastien, too.
He wanted to be allowed to smile at him and lean into him.
He swallowed and looked away. He was allowed to do that. He was actually the only person forbidding himself from doing so. He’d been keeping his distance from his mate on purpose, and he only had himself to blame for that.
But it was the right thing to do, at least for now. He couldn’t do anything until he knew what kind of person Bastien was. He just couldn’t.
That meant that he had to watch Bastien walk away from him.
* * * *
BASTIEN DIDN’T WANT to walk away from Dermot when he finally had the man talking to him, but Celeste was more important. Celeste came first, always.
It was especially true after she’d told Bastien some of the things she’d been through with Parrish.
Bastien had come here imagining the worst, and he’d been right to worry.
Parrish was a monster, and he wished that Celeste had never met him.
He also wished he could talk to fate or whoever had decided that Celeste’s mate would be a man like Parrish and get an explanation, because it didn’t make sense.
Celeste had never hurt anyone. She was incredibly sweet and gentle.
When they were kids, she kept bringing home stray pets, even after their parents had told her to stop.
They’d ended up with five cats, three dogs, a rabbit, and two hamsters.
Bastien still didn’t know where his sister found all those animals, but she’d always been kind, and they felt that.
And she’d been through hell. It wasn’t fair.
No one deserved to go through that, especially not at the hands of their mate, but especially not Celeste.
Bastien wanted to rage and demand an explanation, but he didn’t have anyone to ask.
He wasn’t even sure if someone had chosen Parrish for her or if it was simply biology.
His parents believed in fate and all of that, but he’d always wondered.