Chapter 19
Jason
Ikept my arm wrapped tightly around Ciara. She shouldn’t be here—that much I knew. It was dangerous for me to walk my virgin mate into a house of vampires.
Especially after what had happened outside.
Now I knew others were aware she was a virgin.
I needed to ensure her safety even more.
It was a strange thing that she was both safest and not safest with me.
How had the other guys not gone completely crazy over this when they first met their mates, when the women had been human and so fragile?
But I wanted her here. That much I knew. I needed my mate here with me.
Her presence calmed the itchy feeling that scurried under my skin when we were apart, the constant feeling of adrenaline running through my system.
She was safer on pack lands, though. I didn’t doubt that. I hadn’t ever seen Conri in wolf form, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. He was scary enough as a guy—and he’d lay down his life for Ciara. For my mate. He was definitely the second best at protecting her.
I basked a little more in the calm Ciara’s presence at my side brought me.
It was almost enough to make me not want to question why she was here too closely…
I didn’t want to feel like I should take her back.
Did all the guys feel this way? Did having a mate affect each of them like this?
It seemed like it might be a torturous way to live the rest of my life.
So many unfamiliar feelings ran through me. Instincts. Urges. I wanted to tell her she was my mate. Here. Now.
Somewhere private.
I wanted to bite her. To have her bite me.
My cock twitched and my balls tightened at that thought.
Hell, more than wanting to claim her, I wanted her safe.
I wanted her far away from the Ancients and all the fucking shit they were about to unleash on New Orleans…
because although we weren’t entirely sure what they were about to do, the reappearance of the oldest of our kind—and with magical powers—would never be a good thing.
“You really shouldn’t be here,” I murmured against her hair.
She looked up at me. “And where else should I be?”
It was a good question I couldn’t answer. Sure, she should probably technically be with Conri, but I couldn’t order her back there.
I didn’t want to order her back there, and I wouldn’t send her away. She was with me and that was all that mattered. She’d chosen to come here, to me. My chest swelled. On some level, perhaps she knew then. Maybe she was drawn to be with me in the same way I never wanted to be apart from her.
I hoped so.
“I already told you why I’m here.” But her cheeks pinked a little.
There was clearly a lot more she hadn’t said.
I held the door open, and we entered the house straight into the kitchen.
Sebastian and Kayla always kept a small stock of food and drinks on hand because Sebastian’s role here meant some of the other supernaturals that visited ate, and also some of the humans he dealt with in a political capacity would be offered refreshments.
Kayla turned from the microwave, a mug in her hand as we stepped into the room, and paused, her eyes widening when she saw us. “Jason,” she said.
“Kayla, this is Ciara.”
She nodded. “Conri’s sister.”
Ciara stiffened, but I nodded.
“Yes.” And my mate, I wanted to add, but I didn’t.
Kayla’s nostrils flared, and her gaze laser-focused on me before she turned her attention to Ciara. “Welcome to our home,” she said. “Is everything okay at the pack lands? It’s late to be out in New Orleans.” She glanced back at me. “Sebastian is thinking about imposing a curfew.”
I waited to see if Ciara would tell Kayla that Conri had sent her, but she said nothing. Maybe she’d worn out that lie with me.
But I wasn’t going to question it anymore. I was too pleased that she was here.
“Can I get you anything to eat or drink?” Kayla slipped straight into hostess mode, and one of her greatest gifts was making people feel welcome in her presence.
She might always have had that trait, but becoming a vampire when Sebastian had turned her had strengthened her witch abilities, so it wouldn’t have surprised me if it had also exaggerated her natural human traits, too.
Being a vampire seemed to amplify everything, which was fantastic when we’d been good people.
Not so great when bastards and vindictive assholes were turned.
That was part of what made me question Nic’s wisdom over Francois, but he knew Francois best of all of us, so perhaps he was right to still believe in him.
Anyway. Now wasn’t for thoughts about Francois. Or maybe it was. Certainly about his rescue, anyway.
“I should go speak to Seb.” I looked meaningfully at Kayla, hoping she had this. I needn’t have worried.
“Let’s see what refreshments I can rustle up in here.
” Kayla moved smoothly between the fridge and the cupboards, selecting bowls and plates and setting them on the counter.
“I think we have a very nice selection of cakes and cookies left over from Sebastian’s latest meetings.
Or maybe chef has sent some of his famous beignets.
Those always grease the wheels of power pretty nicely.
Take a seat.” She indicated a bar stool and Ciara hopped up into it.
I kissed her temple. “I need to go talk to Sebastian, I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“You’re good.” Kayla shooed me away when Ciara didn’t reply immediately. “We’ve got this. We can hold down the fort in the kitchen, right?”
Ciara nodded. “Right.”
“See, no Ancients getting past us.” Kayla glanced meaningfully at the doorway to the rest of the house, where I’d find Seb.
I turned away, grateful to Kayla for including Ciara so easily.
I walked to Sebastian’s office, bypassing his dainty little parlor. I doubted he actually spent a whole lot of time in there. It wasn’t a relaxing space, and all of the furniture seemed way too fragile to be comfortable. It was definitely more feminine than Sebastian’s usual style.
He was hanging up his phone as I tapped on the open door of his office, and he rubbed his face with a hand before he saw me.
“All okay?” I asked.
He started to shake his head. “I was just checking in with Kyle. He doesn’t have anything new to report yet. He’ll get with Temple and get back to me.”
“Oh, okay. I—”
“Sam’s with him,” Seb continued like I might have doubted that. “Hopefully, we can all get together and form a plan soon, though.” He sounded distracted. Then he met my gaze. “Did I hear more than two voices in the kitchen before?”
Damn, why did vampire hearing always catch me out?
“Yeah. Uh, Ciara is here.”
“Oh, really.” Sebastian’s face said a whole lot more than oh, really and I cringed a little inside as I replied.
“Yeah. She said she came to help.”
His answering laugh was hollow, and I didn’t blame him. “A human came to help vampires? Did she bring her army?”
“She said Conri sent her.”
“And you believe her?” He lifted an eyebrow, showing just how little he thought of that story, too.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Then why is she still here? Do you have any idea how dangerous things are right now? We can’t have the local alpha’s sister here—especially not an alpha that Nic owes big time for saving his mate.
If this little unplanned visit goes wrong, there’s no way we’ll be able to salvage the deal, the treaty, the land negotiation.
We’ll be fighting another war.” He sighed and rubbed his face again before looking at me.
“Please tell me your next step is to take her home and get Conri to lock her away somewhere safe?”
I shrugged, unable to repeat those words back to him. They’d be a lie. “I don’t think I can.”
Sebastian huffed out another sigh, and I couldn’t tell whether it was impatience or fatigue.
“Look.” I sat in one of the comfier chairs in the room. I wasn’t sitting opposite him at his desk. This wasn’t a job interview or a meeting with the principal. “Ciara’s my mate. I’m not sure why she’s here—it’s not because Conri sent her—but I can’t think of a better place for her than with me.”
“You should still send her back. Keep her out of danger. She’s better chilling in the bayou until we get this situation with the Ancients under our control.” His tone was so reasonable.
I shook my head, about to answer him, but Sebastian spoke again. “They don’t know about her yet, Jason, but as soon as they do, she could be a target. If she’s seen with you, she could be used against you. Us. Nic.”
I shook my head again. That wouldn’t happen. I was careful. I’d said I’d protect her, and I intended to. “Shit.”
“What?” Sebastian stopped moving as he looked at me.
“They did see her. At the apartment when they took Francois. One of them used compulsion on her—they already know.”
“Then that settles it. She needs to go back. She needs to be safer than she is here, and she makes everything more unsafe for us, too. You’re easy to…distract right now. I need to get in contact with security. Get more.” He reached for his cell.
It was hard to argue, but I couldn’t just send Ciara away from me.
I needed her close by, so I could protect her myself.
Especially now that I knew how endangered she was.
“I can’t just walk away. The rest of the pack is so shitty to her.
I’ll do anything for her—including protecting her from them as well as from the Ancients.
I just want her safe, even if she doesn’t accept the mate bond.
It’s about looking after her the best way I can—that’s how it is with a mate, right? ”
Glass shattered in the hallway behind us, and I leapt from my seat, already moving to stand in front of Sebastian in his defense before I saw Ciara, her face pale.
“What the actual fuck?” she demanded.