Chapter 5 – Fergus
Chapter Five
Fergus
Violet is going to send my ass to an early grave. She’s damn lucky I’m immortal, or she would have given me multiple heart attacks by now.
The naughty little hybrid is stubborn in a way I never found appealing before I met her. I always preferred agreeable partners who deferred to me. Perhaps that’s why I never found myself interested in anyone for more than a fleeting moment.
She’s bossy and brazen at times, but she’s also a runner.
I’m not sure why she’s intimidated by emotional intimacy.
She’s quite open to the physical side of things. She loves to feed as we fuck, and I’m willing to slowly win her over to the idea of an actual relationship. Or I was before the damn woman went and claimed me as her beloved, without so much as asking or even noticing.
Now I have a burning need to be in her presence at all times and an overwhelming anxiety about whether she’s safe when I can’t have my eyes on her.
I’m still not sure if it was the right call to magically block her from seeing the claiming bite that she left permanently on my neck, but it only happened last night. I assumed I’d take a few days to come to terms with things myself, then sit down and calmly remove the magical block.
Neck biting is somewhat sacred among vampires for a reason.
It’s the only location that overrides consent—at least if the pair are fated mates.
She could have bitten anyone else on the throat and not forged a lifelong connection, but I’m not upset about finding my other half.
Violet is stunning. I trust the universe to know what I need to be completely content with a partner, and I’ve seen many pairs of mates over my lifetime. It’s a universal fact—you’ll never be as content or fulfilled as you are with your fated mate at your side.
A giddy excitement bubbles in my chest any time I think about the future. My main concern is that she’s young, at least in comparison to me, and I worry how she’ll react once she learns she permanently tied our life forces.
She’s a born vampire.
I’m sure someone warned her to only bite on the neck if she would be content spending eternity at someone’s side. And truly, she can’t really be upset with me when she’s the one who initiated the bond. That interaction was the first that nearly sent me to an early grave.
Finding her clothing ripped to shreds on the sidewalk was the second.
I’m going to put her naughty ass over my knee for all the stress she’s put me through.
My magic is locked in on our mate, and that’s the only thing keeping me from losing my bloody mind.
She’s alive.
If she was injured, I’d be able to feel it.
Why she couldn’t find me before leaving the club, I’ll never understand. I would have happily left early to walk her home.
Gods.
Of course fate had to give me a mate who would constantly keep me on my toes. I suppose that’s a lesson for complaining about the monotony of immortality.
My concern reaches unimaginable proportions as I follow her magical imprint to a motel on the far side of Black Cove. Violet has a perfectly nice house that she stays at, so I can’t imagine her coming to a place like this willingly.
I assumed she shifted and that was what caused her clothing to be torn apart, but now I’m genuinely concerned something bad might have happened. I race up the stairs, following the light of my magic to a door about halfway down the corridor.
It only takes a bit of focus and the locks disengage. Summoning my short sword from the ether, I wave my left hand over the handle. The door flies open, and I move into the room.
A massive man with shaggy black hair and a full dark beard pops off the bed, throwing the blanket back. Violet lies in shifted form on the mattress, and I can’t begin to guess what’s happening.
The optics leave me feeling just as unsettled as I felt on the way over, but I know better than to make assumptions.
Not everything is as it seems.
“Back away from my mate if you’d like to keep your head.” I extend my sword, pointing it at the man’s chest.
“Your mate isn’t here, mage,” he growls.
I learn two things.
First, he’s a shifter—no other species can produce that particular type of guttural growl. Second, he knows I’m an elven high mage. Most in the human realm would assume I’m a warlock, but only my kind, angels, and demons can store weapons in the ether.
I scoff. “You should really come up with more realistic lies. I can see her with my own two eyes.”
“She’s not your mate. She’s mine.” The man’s eyes light amber, and a dangerous growl rattles out of his chest.
If I had to guess, I’d say he’s an alpha wolf. My mind starts spinning a million miles a minute. I know for a fact I’m her mate. The claiming bite on my throat proves as much.
Violet shakes out her fur as she stands, jumping from the bed.
She lands between us.
The man takes a step forward, but she growls, blocking his path.
I chuckle.
Her wolf whips her head in my direction, and she growls at me this time.
Well, I don’t like that feeling, not even one tiny bit.
“What’s that about?” I ask, releasing my sword to return it to the ether.
“A warning,” the male shifter says with his eyes glowing. “She won’t stand for us attacking one another.”
“You’re asking a lot when you’ve damn near given me multiple heart attacks.
” I sigh, dropping to a crouch at her side.
Her wolf doesn’t shy away as I bury my hand in her jaw, pulling her closer so I can nuzzle my face to hers.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. I found your torn-to-shreds dress, and…
” My head shakes. “No more walking home alone. Promise me that. Come find me, and I’ll leave early if that’s what it comes to. ”
“It’s not her fault. She was attacked because of me,” the alpha wolf says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“And who are you, exactly?”
“Bryant Bishop.” He barely dips his head. If it was a deeper nod, it would be a show of respect, but as it stands now, it’s more of a half-assed gesture.
“Why was my mate attacked because of you, Bryant Bishop?” I ask, my tone coming out light and melodic and in no way matching the level of fury that rises in my chest.
“She was our waitress at Chaos. I had a business meeting that didn’t go well. They chose to follow her after she left.”
“You don’t even know her name. Do you?” I spit the accusation.
“No, but I will as soon as her wolf cedes control back,” he says with a confidence to his tone that I hate.
“I ordered the men who attacked her to shift and leave. There was an unfortunate side effect. I’ve told her several times that she’s free to shift back, but her wolf isn’t ready to hand back the reins. ”
“Oh, Violet,” I murmur, dipping my forehead to rest against hers. “You’re safe now, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call her that,” the wolf snarls.
Hitting my feet, I flick my hand over my shoulder, pulling back my braids. “You can fuck right off, mutt. She already claimed me.”
I shouldn’t take joy in the way his jaw drops as he stumbles backward, but it is quite satisfying. Only, I forgot I was slowly easing Violet into that tidbit of information.
Fuck.