Chapter 6 #2
The mate bond thrummed weakly, and Summer closed her eyes, trying to sense direction or distance through the fragile connection.
North, maybe? Or west? The thread was too thin to provide real information, but its presence offered comfort.
Rowan lived, breathed, existed somewhere in the world.
It had to be enough for now. She sat back, trying to keep tears from falling.
She was even missing the sounds of the bayou: the rustling of the Spanish moss in the trees, bird calls and the cicadas.
“Such a lonely sight,” a familiar voice observed. “A beautiful woman drinking iced tea by herself on a perfect fall afternoon.”
Summer’s eyes snapped open to find Fabian Delacour standing at the bottom of her porch steps.
He’d stepped out of the shadow under the live oak.
He looked his usual effortlessly elegant self, despite his casual attire—dark jeans and a white button-down.
Normal-looking clothes, but Fabian was not one for Walmart.
The entire ensemble probably cost an eye-watering amount. His pale eyes held genuine sympathy.
“Fabian.” She gripped her glass tighter, hyperaware of her vulnerability. Her palms flared, but recalling how useless the flames were in the bayou cabin, she sank into the cushions. “How did you find me? What are you doing here?”
“I heard about the challenge. About Rowan’s… departure.” Keeping to the shade cast by the porch, Fabian climbed the steps with his usual fluid grace, stopping at a respectful distance. “I visited your father here often, and I wanted to offer my condolences. And my assistance, if you’ll accept it.”
Summer studied his face, looking for the calculation she’d learned to expect from vampires. Instead, she found an expression of deep concern. “I don’t need charity.”
“Good. I’m not offering it.” Fabian settled into the chair across from her swing without invitation, moving with the casual confidence of someone accustomed to being welcomed wherever he went.
“I’m offering an alliance. Partnership. Resources to help you navigate this new reality without your mate. ”
“In exchange for what?”
“Nothing you’re not already willing to give freely.” His smile was soft, almost sad. “Your company. Your conversation. The pleasure of your intellect applied to problems.”
Summer frowned, thrown by the vampire’s unexpected honesty. “That’s all?”
“Of course, what more could there be?” Fabian leaned forward slightly, his pale eyes darkening and growing intense in his pale face.
“Summer, you’re one of the most interesting people I’ve encountered in centuries.
Brilliant, compassionate, brave enough to choose love over immortality.
Did you think I’d simply let you disappear into obscurity because your wolf decided to play martyr? ”
The words hit deeper than she’d expected. After a day of feeling discarded and abandoned, someone wanted her company for its own sake. Not out of duty or charity, but genuine appreciation for who she was. Fabian’s cologne teased her nostrils, and she felt the tension in her shoulders dissipate.
“The pack?—”
“The pack is yesterday’s concern.” Fabian waved dismissively. “Axel is a brute who’ll lead them into conflict with every other supernatural faction in the city. Within six months, they’ll either be destroyed or begging for outside intervention.”
“You seem quite certain about the outcome for the pack.”
“I’ve seen his type before. Raw ambition without wisdom, strength without strategy. He won the last challenge by using poison and manipulation. Do you honestly think his approach will serve him when he faces real threats?”
Summer thought of Axel’s cold calculation, his willingness to use Rowan’s love for her as a weapon. “Probably not.”
“Definitely not.” Fabian’s expression grew more serious. “Which is why you need protection outside of pack politics. Sanctuary that the whims of ambitious wolves cannot revoke.”
“Protection from what?”
“Everything.” Fabian spread his hands. “The hybrid attacks are escalating. Someone’s targeting supernatural beings during the most vulnerable time of year. And with your unique heritage, your emerging abilities…”
“What abilities?” She snapped, the question coming out sharper than she’d intended.
Fabian’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t play coy with me, Summer.
Your healing power saved Marcus, the way you survived Victor’s influence, the connection you maintain with Rowan despite the distance.
The trinity bond we three experienced under the last Blood Moon.
Please don’t tell me you think these things are normal? ”
Summer set her glass aside with unsteady hands. First, her father’s transition, the mate bond, then the silver flames and now other mysterious abilities she hadn’t fully recognized. How much about herself had she failed to understand?
“I can help you learn,” Fabian said quietly.
“Help you explore what you’re capable of, teach you to protect yourself from those who would exploit such gifts.
There can be no trinity bond when the next Blood Moon arrives, but I can help you learn to harness your own power.
Or joining your power with mine. Whatever you decide, my resources, my knowledge, my protection—all freely given. ”
“And what do you get in return?” Summer asked again, not quite believing altruism from a centuries-old vampire.
“The satisfaction of preventing waste.” Fabian’s smile was gentle, but she caught the tips of his fangs as his lips curved. “You’re extraordinary, ma chérie. It would be a tragedy to see all your potential snuffed out by ignorance or inadequate protection.”
The offer hung between them, bridging the chasm. On one side lay isolation, uncertainty, and the constant threat of forces she didn’t fully understand. On the other hand, lay knowledge and protection from someone with the power to provide both.
The mate bond pulsed weakly, Rowan’s distant presence a reminder of the choice he’d made. He’d decided she was better off without him, especially now his protection wasn’t worth the danger he brought. Maybe it was time to stop clinging to someone who’d already let go.
“What exactly are you proposing?” she asked.
Fabian’s smile widened, showing just a hint of fang. “Come to Le Sang. Be my guest while you decide what comes next. Learn even more about your abilities, prepare yourself for the coming Blood Moon, discover your true heritage, let me help you become everything you were meant to be.”
Summer looked out at Magazine Street, at the ordinary world continuing its ordinary business. Twenty-four hours ago, she’d been pack, protected, certain of her place in the supernatural hierarchy. Now she was adrift, abandoned by the man she’d chosen over immortality.
“You don’t have to decide immediately,” Fabian added. “But you also don’t have to face this alone. Whatever Rowan’s reasons for leaving, whatever noble sacrifice he thinks he’s making, it doesn’t change the fact that you deserve better than solitude and uncertainty.”
The words echoed her own thoughts with uncomfortable accuracy. She did deserve better than abandonment. Better than eating breakfast alone while wondering if her mate would ever return.
“I’ll think about it,” she said finally.
“I ask nothing more.” Fabian rose. His movement smooth and fluid. He produced a business card seemingly from thin air, and set it on the small table beside her swing. “My private number. Call anytime, day or night. Even if you just want company for dinner or conversation.”
He paused at the top of the porch steps, looking back with an expression that bordered on vulnerable. “You know, in all my centuries, I’ve rarely encountered someone who chose love over power. It was… inspiring. Even if the wolf ultimately proves to be unworthy of such devotion.”
“He was never unworthy, Fabian.” Summer watched the vampire glide down the steps and disappear into the shade under the live oak with inhuman speed. Behind him, he left the faint scent of his sandalwood and smoke cologne and the business card with its elegant script.
She picked up the card, running her thumb over the embossed lettering. Fabian Delacour, Proprietor, Le Sang. On the back, a phone number written in his distinctive handwriting.
The mate bond thrummed again, her thin connection to a man who’d decided their love wasn’t worth fighting for. Summer closed her eyes, touching her fingers to the scar, and tried to feel Rowan through the distance, tried to sense any indication he missed her, or regretted his choice.
But the bond carried only emptiness, silence, and the growing certainty that she was truly on her own.
Maybe it was time to stop waiting for someone who’d already walked away. Maybe it was time to discover exactly what she was capable of without him.
Summer tucked the business card into her pocket and reached for her drink.