Chapter 18 #2
Henri’s eyes flared, a minute widening at the corners, but for him, it was a big reaction. “Your mate is Dominic Rivas?”
Once again, his reputation preceded him. Sammy smirked.
“Yes.”
Releasing him, Henri took a step back and blew out a slow breath. “That really is quite unfortunate.”
For the house, maybe, and definitely for the vampire. Sammy felt pretty good about it, though.
The double doors opened without a sound, and light from the corridor stopped in a severe line at the threshold. Interesting.
Only when his mother passed through the doorway did he hear her pointed heels clack against the floor, the sound echoing to every corner of the room. Her floral perfume filled the air, overstated and offensive in the otherwise neutral space.
Rather than return to the shadows, the guard took up a wide stance near the exit with his hands folded behind his back, leaving Valerie to cross the room alone. She strode forward, head high and back straight, unaware of the danger waiting for her.
“Henri,” she purred, joining them in front of the fireplace. “What do I—”
“You lied.”
Her smile faltered, and she seemed taken aback, but as always, she recovered quickly. “I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Grabbing Sammy by the arm, the vampire dragged him forward and pushed his head to the side so that his mating mark was visible. “Does this look like a misunderstanding?”
Valerie’s eyes widened, and her lips parted in a silent gasp. “I-I didn’t know,” she stammered. “I couldn’t have known.”
“The wolf broke him.”
“Actually,” Sammy muttered. “He fixed me.”
Dominic made him stronger and more resilient. More importantly, the wolf had given him a home, a place to belong, and a reason to fight.
“I did warn you what would happen if you crossed me.”
Valerie backpedaled, inching toward the door, her eyes darting around the room as she searched for an escape. There was nowhere to run.
“I didn’t know,” she repeated. Trapped, she turned to Sammy, her expression sharp, demanding. “Tell him.”
Honestly, he respected the audacity, and for once in her miserable life, she spoke the truth. Even if a small part of him had wanted to help her, though, he didn’t get the chance.
“Consider our contract null and void.”
“What?” Annoyance flickered across her face, her greed outweighing her fear. “No. I mean, that’s not necessary. I can fix this. I just need a little time.”
“Time, I have. My patience, however, is in short supply.”
“No, no, wait.” She held her hands up in a placating gesture when Henri took a step toward her. “We kill the wolf. It will sever the bond, and everything will go back to how it’s supposed to be.”
It didn’t work that way. He knew it. Judging by the disbelief on Henri’s face, the vampire knew it too. Despite being a witch herself, Valerie seemed to be the only one who didn’t understand how the mate bond worked.
It made sense, though. Why would she know when she had never cared about anyone but herself?
“That is your solution?” Henri asked, his tone deceptively composed.
If Valerie had been paying attention, though, she would have heard the icy threat beneath it.
“Everything will go back to the way it’s supposed to be,” she repeated with a decisive nod, clearly quite proud of her quick thinking.
Sammy almost felt bad for her. Almost.
“Even if you could kill him, which you can’t, we’re bonded,” he told her. “If he dies, so do I.”
Several emotions cycled across her face as she absorbed the information. Confusion, surprise, indignation, fear, before finally settling on rage.
“You selfish little bastard.” She struck out, her magic lashing across his face inches below his left eye.
His head jerked down and to the right from the force, and he gritted his teeth against the burn. Rather than rise to the bait, he lifted his gaze and smiled coldly.
“Really, mother,” he mocked, dragging his knuckle across the gash to wipe away the blood that beaded there. “Language.”
“This is your fault,” she screeched. “Tell him.” She jabbed her finger toward Henri. “You did this. You caused this. Everything is ruined because—”
A sharp crack rent the air, and her head snapped sideways, flinging her hair around her face and silencing her permanently.
“Ah, that’s better.” Henri gave her neck one final squeeze, then tossed her to the floor like a discarded toy. “So many words, yet so little said.”
Valerie crumpled to the tiles on her side, her ballgown fanned around her legs, her eyes wide and unseeing.
Sammy reeled backward, his pulse throbbing in his throat as conflicting emotions warred inside him.
It had been a long time since he’d felt any love for his mother, and a quiet, unacknowledged part of him whispered that she deserved her fate. She had hurt so many people, and even if indirectly, she was the reason Aerin and the others had been on that stage.
Maybe, he reasoned, she had brought this on herself.
He turned, intending to create some distance, but he made it only two steps before he doubled over and vomited across the stone tiles.
“Now,” Henri murmured, his voice cold and contemplative. “What to do with you.”