Chapter Two #2
He couldn’t believe that everyone got the mate they deserved.
Celeste didn’t deserve someone like Parrish.
He was also dubious about the idea that mates met when they most needed each other.
Celeste hadn’t needed to meet Parrish. She hadn’t needed anyone at all.
She’d been happy with her family back home, and now, here she was, more fragile than she’d ever been, hurt and maybe broken.
It was all Parrish’s fault, but he wouldn’t have been able to hurt her if they hadn’t been mates.
She never would’ve talked to him if they hadn’t been.
He was a Kudlak. Krsnik and Vila knew better than to have anything to do with Kudlak.
“You need to stop worrying about me,” Celeste said as she patted Bastien’s arm.
Bastien blinked down at her. “Was it that obvious I was worrying about you?”
“I suppose it might not be about me. Maybe it’s about Dermot?”
“What do you know about him?” Bastien hadn’t told her about Dermot being his mate.
It was clear that Dermot wasn’t planning on telling anyone just yet, and Bastien didn’t want to antagonize him.
He’d decided that they should talk before doing or saying anything, but Dermot wasn’t making it easy.
Of course, neither was Bastien. He was focused on his sister, and he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to dedicate time to Dermot.
He was pretty sure that Dermot would have pulled away even if he’d tried, though.
Dermot behaved as if he didn’t trust Bastien. Bastien wasn’t sure why he felt that way. He wasn’t a Kudlak. They didn’t know each other, but Krsnik had always lived alongside and protected Vila. Why would Dermot not feel safe with Bastien?
Of course, Bastien didn’t know anything about Dermot’s past. Maybe a Krsnik had hurt him in a way that made him wary.
Maybe someone had hurt him as badly as Parrish had hurt Celeste, and their bond wouldn’t mean anything to Dermot because of that.
If that was the case, Bastien wouldn’t give up.
He could be incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be, and there was no better reason to be stubborn than his mate.
Celeste sighed. “He’s wary. I don’t blame him, considering who my mate is, but I do wish he would give me the chance to show him that I’m not like Parrish.”
“I think that if you give him time, he’ll let you in.”
Celeste glanced up at Bastien. “Really? Why would he?”
Should Bastien tell her that Dermot was his mate? She’d be happy for him, but it might complicate the situation even more than it already was.
Bastien looked around. He understood why Celeste felt safe here.
The village and clan were small, but everyone seemed to be happy here, or at least, as happy as they could be with Parrish hanging around and being a threat to them.
From what Bastien had seen over the past few days since he’d arrived, everyone wanted to be here.
They were ready to fight for their home, and everyone helped protect it.
They were working to keep Celeste and Bastien safe, even though they didn’t have to.
Hell, it would’ve been easier for Clay and Rowan to ask Bastien and Celeste to leave as soon as Bastien had arrived.
It would have kept their clan safe. Having Celeste here made it a target for Parrish, although from what Bastien knew, Parrish had already had Rowan in his sights.
The situation was complicated, but the clan was making it easier by allowing Celeste and Bastien to stay.
It meant Bastien didn’t have to worry about his sister being safe, at least not right now.
He didn’t have to wonder how he’d get her home without Parrish trying to grab her.
They couldn’t stay here forever, but hopefully, they wouldn’t have to.
Bastien had every intention of making sure that Parrish didn’t live for much longer, and once he was gone, Celeste would be safe.
But for now, he wasn’t gone, and that was Bastien’s main problem.
He didn’t think he could take Parrish on his own, especially when Parrish had a bunch of followers who would sacrifice their own lives for him.
Not all of them might be strong enough to defeat Bastien, but together?
No, Bastien couldn’t do anything on his own, but maybe he wouldn’t have to.
He and this clan wanted the same thing. They wanted to be rid of Parrish and make sure he never came back.
That meant killing him, which was something a lot of people would be hesitant about, but not Bastien.
He didn’t care what it took to keep his family safe.
After what Parrish had done, he’d kill him with a smile on his face.
He was pretty sure no one here in the clan would blame him for that. They might even help him.
He wondered if Dermot might. What was Dermot’s history with Parrish? Did he have one? Was that part of the reason he was so careful when it came to Bastien? Was there more to it? It couldn’t be about Bastien himself, because Dermot didn’t know him.
“Bastien?” Celeste asked, squeezing Bastien’s arm.
Bastien shrugged. “You’re trying to do the right thing. No one would blame you if you were curled up in a corner hugging your knees and crying after what Parrish has done to you. Dermot is a Vila like you. He has to know what you’re going through.”
“I think he blames me because I bonded with Parrish.”
“He’s your mate. Why wouldn’t you have?”
“I think Dermot believes he wouldn’t have. As far as I know, he hasn’t met his mate yet, so maybe he doesn’t fully understand.”
Bastien swallowed. “Maybe he has met his mate.”
Celeste grinned up at him. “Are you fishing for information?”
“If I wanted to know if Dermot had a partner, I would ask him.”
“You’d have to catch him first. Don’t think I haven’t noticed he’s been avoiding you.”
“I don’t think he has. I’ve been spending most of my time with you.”
Celeste nodded. “And he doesn’t like me. It doesn’t mean he won’t like you, though. You just told me to be patient. Maybe you should do the same.”
“Why should I want him to talk to me?”
Celeste hummed. “I don’t know. Why do people want others to talk to them?
Maybe you just think he’s pretty. Maybe there’s more.
I have no way to know, and I don’t expect an answer from you.
You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.
I understand the situation is messy, but you have to remember that once it’s over, you’ll be able to live your life.
Don’t build walls when you might not need them later. ”
“Right now, you’re my priority, as you should be. I’ll be focused on making sure you’re healthy and that you heal, and on killing Parrish for you.”
Celeste’s expression turned sad. “I know it’s the best thing for everyone, including me, but I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to our bond when he dies.”
Bastien wished he could lie to her. “It’s going to hurt like hell.
You’re going to struggle and feel like your world is ending.
And in a way, it will. But it’s the only way for you to move forward.
You’ll be able to heal from that pain. Parrish won’t be there to hold you back, and once you get over it, you’ll have your whole life in front of you to be happy.
You don’t need your mate by your side to have a fulfilling life.
Being with Parrish would be worse than being without him. ”
“I know, but he’s still my mate,” Celeste murmured.
For the first time, Bastien understood where she was coming from.
He knew that she wanted Parrish gone, but it made sense that she was worried about what would happen when he was.
Their bond was very real, even though Parrish was a monster, and once he was gone, Celeste would be left behind to deal with the consequences.
But she wouldn’t deal with them alone.
* * * *
AS ONE OF THE VILA who was maintaining the shield around the village, Dermot could feel when something touched those shields.
It was a safeguard he and the others had put in place so they’d know if anything happened, and he was glad they had.
The moment he felt something touch the shields from the outside, he was up and running out of his house.
He wasn’t the only one. He saw Tamsin stumbling out of his front yard, and together, they made their way toward the area where they could feel someone pressing at the shield.
“What’s happening?” Tamsin asked, panting. Dermot almost told him that he needed to do more exercise, but the situation was too serious for him to tease. “I know as much as you do,” he told him.
Tamsin grimaced. “Which is nothing at all. Great.”
“Whoever this is, they can’t get to us. They’re outside the shields.” It was where they’d remain until everyone could be sure they wouldn’t attack.
Dermot didn’t expect it to be Parrish or even one of Parrish’s people.
The man might want Celeste back, but he was smart.
He would try to get her back, but he wouldn’t do it by trying to get through the shields.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to, especially with Celeste gone from his reach.
He didn’t have access to her Vila magic because Dermot and the other Vila had made sure that he couldn’t touch it.
It would have been hard for him to do so anyway with Celeste so far away, but Dermot had ensured that Parrish would never be able to use her again.
The only way for him to do so was to get Dermot to lift the magic from her, and he wasn’t about to do that.
The two of them running caught people’s attention.
One guard started running after them, while someone else headed toward Rowan and Clay’s house, no doubt to warn them.
It was one less thing that Dermot would have to think about, and he was grateful.
There was no way to know what they were about to find.