Chapter Seven
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PARRISH WAS NOWHERE to be seen. Dermot wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
Part of him was relieved because since no one had seen Parrish around the barrier to the village, it probably meant that the village and the clan were safe.
On the other hand, Parrish being gone also meant that Celeste was gone, and that broke Dermot’s heart.
He wanted Celeste to come home. He wanted Bastien not to have to worry about her, but instead, he was having nightmares, and even though Dermot tried his best to hold him through them and soothe him, there was only so much he could do.
The best way to stop them from happening would be to get Celeste home, but how were they supposed to do that when they didn’t know where she and Parrish were?
In fact, the entire area was free of Kudlaks.
The enforcers who’d come along with Dermot and the others to rescue Celeste had made sure of that.
Dermot hadn’t been there for the meetings, but he knew that the Whitedell pride alpha wanted the village to be safe.
He especially wanted Rowan to be safe because he was the cousin of one of the Whitedell pride members.
Dominic had stepped in, sending enforcers not as a council member but as the Whitedell pride alpha.
Hopefully, it meant the council wouldn’t try to stick their noses into this mess.
They really couldn’t afford to make it any more complicated than it already was.
A child’s screeching made Dermot jerk. He looked up, blinking at the sight of Bastien running after a child. He wasn’t worried, not even because the child was Haley, who was a Kudlak. Bastien would never hurt her. No one at the village would.
She was a Kudlak, but she was also a child.
Her mother, Melissa, was one of the good ones, and she’d defended Haley and the human boy she’d adopted while living on the streets more times than anyone could count.
Maybe Dermot should’ve looked at Melissa before deciding that he distrusted all Kudlaks and was wary of all Krsniks.
Maybe it would’ve helped him realize that no matter the species, some people were bad and some people were good.
It didn’t matter what they were. It mattered who they were, and Melissa and Haley were part of the good ones, just like Bastien.
“You’ve been watching him,” Tamsin said as he flopped down on the porch steps next to Dermot.
Dermot had been avoiding him, just like he’d avoided Bastien, but it looked like he couldn’t anymore.
Even though he knew he’d been wrong about Nico and about the way he’d treated Tamsin because of who his mate was, he was wary of apologizing.
He didn’t think anyone liked admitting they’d been wrong, and he’d already done it several times. Clearly, it was time to do it again.
He eyed Tamsin, who was watching Bastien and Haley with a smile curling his lips, and found himself wondering if his friend was happy.
They’d grown close while they were on the run from Kudlaks.
Dermot would even call Tamsin his best friend, which was one of the reasons he’d been so worried when Tamsin had told him about Nico.
He’d been terrified that his best friend would be hurt, and sometimes, he still was.
If Tamsin did get hurt, though, it wouldn’t be because Nico was a Kudlak.
It would be because Nico was young and a bit of an idiot, and Dermot supposed that was true of everyone at some point.
He was sure he would make mistakes, too, and that he’d hurt Bastien.
Bastien would hurt him, too, just like Tamsin would hurt Nico.
The important thing was that they were together and that they would talk things through.
Their bond was strong, as it should be, since they were mates.
“Are you finally ready to talk to him?” Tamsin asked, turning to Dermot. “You have to realize by now that Celeste didn’t have any say in what happened to her.”
Dermot blinked. He was sure that Tamsin had heard the rumors that Dermot and Bastien were mates.
After all, they’d been fighting in the middle of the street.
Several people had been there, not only Boyd.
Several people had heard them. Maybe Tamsin was fishing for information, or maybe he just wanted to know if Dermot was still being an asshole.
Maybe Dermot would always be an asshole when it came to protecting his friends and the people he loved. He couldn’t find it in himself to care. If people didn’t want him to be an asshole, they needed to behave better.
Nico was nice to Tamsin. He made him happy, even though Dermot didn’t understand that relationship. He didn’t have to. It wasn’t his, just like Nico wasn’t his mate.
Thank God for that.
“What do you want to know?” he asked Tamsin.
Tamsin grinned. “Is he really your mate?”
Dermot hesitated, then pulled down the collar of his shirt. The place where Bastien had bitten him was obvious. It wasn’t raw anymore. In fact, it was completely healed. Tamsin had seen Dermot half-naked before, though. He’d know that there had been nothing there until a few days ago.
Tamsin’s eyes widened, and he squeaked. He grabbed Dermot and pulled him into his arms, causing Dermot to make a strangled sound. “You bonded!” he cried out.
“Half the village probably knows it. We started yelling at each other in front of everyone.”
Tamsin leaned back and gave Dermot a good shake. “Shut up. I’m kind of angry that you didn’t tell me, but I get it. Things have been complicated.”
Dermot looked back at Bastien, who was now carrying Haley on his shoulders. Haley didn’t have a father figure, but many of the men living at the village were willing to play with her and try to make her happy. Apparently, Bastien was one of those men.
It made Dermot wonder if Bastien would ever want children.
They hadn’t talked about that, but now wasn’t the right moment.
Bastien wouldn’t want to think about the future until his sister was back with them, and Dermot agreed.
Their priority right now needed to be Celeste.
Once she was home, they could focus on their relationship and their future.
Dermot brushed the bite mark with a fingertip.
He and Bastien would have that future. It would be here at the village, and their children would have many loving aunts and uncles.
None of them would be related by blood, but they didn’t need to be.
Family was what you made of it, not whom you shared blood with.
“Oh, you’re completely gone,” Tamsin teased.
Dermot blinked. Bastien had put Haley down and was coming toward him and Tamsin, a wide smile on his face.
It was good to see him like this. He’d been constantly frowning since Celeste had been taken, and nothing Dermot could do or say had changed that.
Dermot hadn’t expected it to, but it was good to see his mate be a little lighter, even though it wouldn’t last for long.
“Like you’re not gone for Nico?” he asked, bumping his shoulder against Tamsin’s.
“Yeah, I am,” Tamsin said. “But that’s what being with your mate is, no?”
“I suppose it is.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Not great. He wants his sister back.”
Tamsin nodded. “Did you hear that someone said they saw Parrish a few towns over? Apparently, he was leaving.”
Dermot frowned and turned to look at his friend. “No. Where did you hear that?”
“I think you should probably talk to Rowan. He has more information than I do.”
“I will.”
“If Parrish is there, will you go?”
Dermot glanced back at his mate. He knew that if there was a chance that Celeste was still in the area, Bastien would want to take it. He wouldn’t abandon his sister.
And wherever Bastien went, so did Dermot. He wouldn’t let his mate out of his sight, especially not when he could help him. No matter what Bastien said, Dermot still felt like he had to atone for the way he’d treated Celeste, and what better way than to free her from Parrish’s claws?
But first, they needed to find Parrish and Celeste. If Rowan had information, then Bastien and Dermot needed to know it.
And if he didn’t, well, they’d still find Celeste. It might take them longer, but they would.
Bastien wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would Dermot.