Chapter Twenty-One
Scepter sensed himself inside Starla. Her wolf receded, leaving only him and his mate in bed. His body felt replete with the bond solidified between them. She lay with her head on his arm, her ass wiggling against him. He splayed one hand on her abdomen, holding her in place.
“Thank you for choosing me, Stellina,” he rumbled, running his palm along her front.
“Did you truly doubt whether I’d choose you, Scepter. Don’t you know what tonight is?” She wiggled around until she faced him.
He scrunched up his face, trying to think. “It’s Valentine’s Day.”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Obviously. But it’s the first full moon since we’ve come together.
I know that Fate created us for one another.
That was never in doubt for me. However, I wanted to claim you under the first full moon of my cycle as a wolf on Earth.
It is said to have special significance and create a special bond.
Look,” she said, holding her hand up to him.
Scepter placed his palm against hers. It amazed him how tiny her body was compared to his—a silvery glow lit up between their hands. A jolt of electricity ran from their joined hands to his heart. He gasped and rolled until she was on her back.
“What’s going on? Is this the Fey?” he asked.
“Lula told me that when a shifter and Fey hybrid mate with another supernatural being, there is a possibility of a soul connection. That’s what we have.
” She smiled. “When we bond for the first time, if we do so under the full moon, the bond you see is sealed under the approval of the Goddess. Well, if we see this, then she’s given her approval. ”
“Does that make you happy?” he asked. It didn’t change how he felt. To him, she would always be his, regardless of whether the Goddess approved or not.
“You make me happy, but yes. There is one thing you...I should probably tell you, though. Um, with this bond, there is one caveat.”
He looked down at her worried expression. “Whatever it is, just say it. Obviously, it’s a bit late to regret your decision, Anima Mia.” Fuck, he didn’t think his cold, dead heart could handle her rejection.
“Goodness, don’t look like I just kicked your puppy, Scepter. I—it’s just. Fuck it. I’ll just say it. If you die, I die. If you live forever, I live forever. Or however long your life is. That’s what our bond is. It’s a very special bonded mate thing that is granted to us by the Goddess.”
“I’m going to spend the rest of our very long lives making you so fucking happy. That is a promise, a vow that I won’t break. Of course, I might beat your ass for giving me a damn heart attack.” He stole a quick kiss, feeling like he was waking up from a very long dream.
“As long as you promise to kiss my boo-boo all better and give me orgasms to make it up to me, I’ll let you spank me,” she sassed.
“Hmm, I think it’s cute you think you can let me spank you, my love.”
“Are you going to tell me about your brother now?”
He blew out a breath. “It’s a long story, but I owe it to you to give you the history of my past. As you saw, Severin and I are twins.
We were thick as thieves, as they say. Our father liked to pit us against one another.
Since I was the older of the two of us, I had more responsibilities.
Sort of like the heir and the spare, if you will.
Growing up, we didn’t let that come between us.
Or at least, I didn’t think we did. And then, my father decided it was time for me to marry.
He chose my bride. She wasn’t my true bonded mate, but because our father decreed that she marry me, I agreed.
I wasn’t aware she and my brother had the bond connection.
” Scepter rolled to his back, pulling Starla into his arms. “If I’d have known the pain my twin felt knowing his female and I were together—”
“That wasn’t your fault. Why didn’t Severin tell you or your father?” she choked out.
“Listen, back then, I was an idiot. I did what I was told. When I found out they betrayed me and added in the knowledge that my father not only knew but hid it from me, I lost my shit. That male liked to play as if he were a puppeteer, and we were nothing but his latest puppets. I rejected my chosen bond and the familial one. I told them that just because they were my blood doesn’t make them family.
I wanted to make that perfectly clear, so I severed all ties to them.
From then on, I swore to trust no one except those who gave a blood oath to Savage and me.
Except for you, Starla. No matter what happens in the future, I will always put you above everyone, even myself.
” Scepter eyed Starla, waiting to see if she was freaking out, before he continued.
“If you’re waiting for me to go crazy and cry or some other typical female behavior, you’ll be waiting a long time.
Mind you, I’d totally be down to beat your father’s ass.
Oh, is he really bad, like tough as nails, or old and decrepit?
And are you and Severin going to, I don’t know, become like brothers again?
” she asked, her tone light and reassuring.
“One, I would never allow you to battle a male on my behalf. Two, he’s dead.
Astaroth killed him. As for my brother, I don’t know.
Just because Severin came back and says he’s sorry for the shit that happened before, I don’t know if I can trust him.
Nobody is obligated to allow any motherfucker into their life because the same red shit runs in their veins, especially if they’re toxic as shit.
Family should feel like a safe haven, a fresh breath of air, not a source of pain or emotional damage.
And don’t ever let anyone make you feel guilty for choosing distance from people who harm your mental health, Stellina.
I decided to protect those who protected me.
That isn’t disrespect. It’s self-awareness and knowing my worth.
That’s why Savage has my loyalty and respect. ” He sighed.
“You’re a good male, Scepter. One day, you and your brother will find a way to a place that feels safe.”
“Enough talk about other males, Anima Mia. This bond we have feels...like a living connection between us. I can sense your wolf as well as you now.” He wasn’t making shit up.
He couldn’t harm other females for senseless reasons, and he didn’t like to see them cry ever.
The thought of his female so distraught she’d spill tears made him want to behead whoever the culprit was who harmed her.
“As someone who loves you and feels that same spark, I’m glad I’m not alone. Before I knew about any of this, I’d hoped for a loving mate. Goddess, I was so na?ve and almost reckless. I’m glad I met you first. You know, before I—”
Scepter tugged her hair, making her look up at him.
“Anima Mia, there’s a difference between a male who wants you and a male who is prepared for you.
Any male can want you because he’s attracted to your beauty, your softness, your vibe.
Fuck, you’ve got all that in spades. Hell, just being in your presence, your energy, given an inch of your attention is enough to make a man go insane.
But a male who is prepared for you has done the work.
He’s healed enough to love you without confusion.
He knows how to lead without control, protect without ego, and commit without fear.
Wanting you is fucking easy. Being more than ready for you requires a level of maturity, discipline, and emotional depth you don’t get with age.
A prepared man doesn’t waste your time, trigger your anxiety, or keep you guessing for shits and giggles.
He doesn’t make you compete, chase, or prove your worth with silly fucking games.
He will understand that loving you is a responsibility not to be taken lightly, not a convenience.
Don’t confuse desire with readiness either.
You don’t need a male who likes you. You need a male who is ready for the woman you are.
I, Scepter, am that. I’m glad I was the first and will be your only.
I’m sorry I can’t say the same, but trust me, you’re the only one I remember. ”
“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. You’d have a hard time shaking me loose if you tried to evade me.” She pressed a kiss on his chest.
“It’s you who’d have a hard time eluding me, Stellina. I’d hunt you to the ends of the Earth. Hell, I’d find a way to get on Fey if I had to.”
SEVERIN LOOKED UP AT the moon. A shooting star flashed across the sky.
He’d felt empty for over a hundred years, since the death of his bonded mate.
Watching his brother with his female sent an ache down to his core.
He imagined how Scepter felt all those years ago, losing the woman he’d loved to Severin.
Although he knew he’d been Fated to be with Bianca, the reality had been both Scepter and Bianca loved one another.
She’d struggled to cut off her feelings for his twin once they’d bonded, but having Severin completed her.
Now, he knew what Scepter went through to a certain degree.
Although some might say his pain was worse since Bianca and he were bonded by Fate, while his twin only chose to love her.
He let out a sigh. Severin hated and loved his twin back when he’d come home and found the female Fate said was his, only to be faced with Scepter’s wrath. “What fools we were back then, brother,” he muttered.
“Are you going to jump?” a feminine voice asked from behind him.
“Do you plan to rescue me if I do?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. The female was tall and sexy, like most of their kind. She had midnight dark hair piled on top of her head with some sort of sticks. He turned around, floating a few inches above the surface of the ledge.
“Nice trick. Do you pull rabbits out of your hat for the kids as well?” She sounded bored. Her voice had a rasp to it as if she’d smoked a couple packs of cigarettes a day if she’d been human.
He tilted his head to the side. “Is that type of male you like, the ones who can pull shit out of the air and amuse others?”
She snorted. “Hell no. Those are a dime a dozen. I like my males who know how to make me orgasm and don’t make a fuss in the morning when I’m not there to rub their egos. Now those are hard to find.”
Severin lifted a brow. Female vampires were interesting and sometimes, very off-putting.
The old world tended to coddle them, isolating most highborn so they didn’t sully themselves with every male before they found their bonded mate.
Hell, if his female hadn’t felt a pull toward Scepter, thanks to the twin connection to him, he’d have been her first.
He gritted his teeth and banished the memories of his past.
“You’re angry at Scepter,” she said.
Severin eliminated the space between them, sliding his hand around her throat. “Are you reading my mind?”
“It’s quite easy to do so when you’re so open, amore. I suggest you release me, or I’m not going to be responsible for what I do next.”
“You think I’m scared of you?” He tightened his fingers slightly, then decided to let her go and flashed back to his perch on the ledge, crouching low.
If there was thing he understood, it was the danger from being too close to others of his kind.
He was in unknown territory. Although technically it was his brother’s, Scepter hadn’t given him freedom like the female in front of him.
If she felt safe making a threat, she could probably carry through with it.
More than likely, there were more than her close by.
Severin didn’t doubt his abilities when it came to battle, but he also didn’t want to start a war with Scepter and his clan.
“What’s your name, amore?” he asked, mimicking her choice of words.
“Why? Do you plan to look me up and ask my father for the opportunity to court me?”
Severin stood up. “I have had a bonded mate. I don’t need to court a female so no need to ask a father for that. Is that what you’re looking for?”
There was a flash of pain that washed over her beautiful face. Her bright blue eyes flared, but then she closed them, shielding herself from his view. “I told you what I’m looking for. You are a whole lot of complications, though. I will see you around, Severin, brother to Scepter.”
She flashed away before he found out who she was. His heart lurched. What the fuck was that? Severin looked around at the dark night. The thought of going back to his lonely hotel filled him with dissatisfaction. Instead, he turned to the air, becoming mist.
The End