Chapter 21
Commander
BASTIEN
Claire undid the ties of the tent to retrieve her cloak.
I watched her, knowing I was getting too close.
Taking too much of her blood. Of her. Allowing myself to be consumed mind, body, and soul.
Muddling my duty to protect and honor her with the pull of the mate bond.
And now, I was feeling what she felt through our connection, which had never happened before.
She plucked a cloak and a pair of gloves from under a pile of newly fallen snow, but even with the material covered in thick snowflakes, I recognized the royal blue color. “Don’t be angry,” she began.
I ripped the cloak from her hands. The sight of it—of her holding my nephew’s color—made the world narrow to red. With all the calm I could muster, I slid a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to mine.
“Why do you have my nephew’s cloak?”
She trembled. “He-he gave it to me.”
Is that so?
I found another desire rising inside me—the one to slay my own kin for daring to cloak my mate. A low growl resonated in my chest, and Claire recoiled from me. I was scaring her. I needed to calm down.
I tried drawing in a slow breath to no avail. “Why did he give you his cloak?”
She swallowed hard, and I could tell she was nervous, but instead of letting it speak for her, Claire did this thing she sometimes did when I questioned her sharply—she rose to the challenge and answered with conviction. “It is cold, as you said, Your Grace. It was the gentlemanly thing to do.”
Your Grace. So, we were back to formality.
I let go of her chin and folded my arms across my chest. Tyson’s cloak puddled to the floor in a wet, useless heap. “You saw my nephew before coming to see me?”
She shook her head. “No. He came to visit me.”
As hard as I tried to hide my anger at this revelation, it was impossible. My voice shook with barely leashed fury. “He was inside our tent? With you? Alone?” I gritted out. “And you were dressed like this?” I asked, letting my gaze trace the slope of her shoulder. “In nothing but a nightgown?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head harder. “He was outside. The tent flaps blew open, and when I went to check to see if it was you, I noticed him across the way. I asked if he’d seen you.”
She was looking for me? That knowledge satisfied something deep down inside me.
Relaxing a tightness I didn’t know was clenched until now.
I didn’t think the tent opened from the wind.
I’d tied those ties myself. Tyson had wanted to draw her attention.
He’d wanted to draw her out. But why? He couldn’t be foolish enough to make a move on my sanguine partner. Could he?
Then, understanding dawned.
“He’s the one who told you I was in a feeding tent, wasn’t he?”
She nodded. I turned around, needing a moment to think without looking upon her face.
He told her I was here to force an uncomfortable interaction.
He gave her his cloak—not to keep her warm—but to mask her scent so I wouldn’t sense her coming.
I wasn’t sure why my nephew had pulled this little stunt, but I suspected it had something to do with me kicking him out of my council meeting.
Or perhaps he wanted something to hold over my head.
Either way, he was smarter than I was giving him credit for.
He wanted my castle, after all, and the prestige that came with my title.
I had to tread carefully. If nothing else, it was a good reminder that I was getting far too close to Claire.
I wasn’t making sound decisions. What I’d done with her in this tent, for anyone to hear, was expressly forbidden.
I needed to get a handle on this mate bond, and there was only one person who could give me guidance.
Imogen.
I had to get back to Chateau Rose.
“I don’t understand why you’re so angry,” Claire interjected, her voice cutting into my thoughts. She grabbed my arm, wheeled me around to face her, and somehow reopened the internal communication line between us, speaking to me inside my own head. “Explain it to me.”
The way the world around me went silent stopped me cold. I stared back at her in confusion. This power should only be one way, initiated by me.
With the connection between us reopened, I was experiencing all her feelings again.
The confusion. The frustration. The desire.
She might be angry, but, Gods, if I wanted her, she’d let me take her right here.
Right now. On Tyson’s cloak. But that couldn’t happen.
I had to put more distance between us. I couldn’t allow her to impose her emotions on me at any given time.
This had to stop. There were other, more important things that required my attention. I had to remind myself of that.
Gathering my strength, I replied through the connection, “I broke the rules for you once. To indulge your curiosity. I won’t be doing it again.”
A harsh truth, but a truth nonetheless. With it came a rush of emotions, all hers, and the intensity of them was like being held underwater.
I felt… ineptitude. A belief that she’d never be enough for anyone.
I hated that I was making her feel that way, or that those sisters even put the idea in her head, but there was no way around it. This had to end.
“Didn’t you enjoy yourself?” she asked.
I knew she must not be able to sense my emotions, otherwise she never would’ve asked that question. Pleasuring Claire did more than satisfy a carnal desire. It drew me in to her completely.
I’d always felt detached during intimacy. It was all transactional. Whether I was with a man or a woman, it didn’t matter. But this—feeling her desire while I was touching her—was the opposite. I was engrossed in her. Invested in her. Breathing in tandem with her.
All I wanted was to be with her. Slowly, I fit my hand around her waist, drawing her against me. She sucked in a sharp breath as our bodies collided. Nothing was more satisfying than having her warmth pressed up against me. Nothing.
I realized, too late, it was happening all over again.
I was losing myself in her, and I needed to focus.
I couldn’t give in to our mate bond again.
I released my hold on her. “Whether I did or didn’t is of little consequence.
Rules are in place for a reason. When we reach Roselyn, your consorts can pleasure you all day and night if you wish. ”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could take them back, but I couldn’t. She was allowed to be pleased. It just couldn’t be with me.
Her brows knitted together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I couldn’t be the one to explain this to her. If I tried, she wouldn’t need to feel my emotions to know how I felt about it.
“Go back to our tent,” I told her. “I’ll have supper sent to you.”
I closed our connection, and it immediately shut off the flow of emotions coming from her, allowing me to breathe again. I opened the tent and stalked toward my horse, Lucien, who had been tied up for the night.
Claire followed after me, not abiding my command.
I forced myself to face her, intent on demanding she return to our tent, but when I did, I found myself speechless. Under the glow of the moon, she looked otherworldly. The strands of her hair alight like stars. Her eyes, molten gold. Her skin, like Diana herself. Bright and glowing.
She was the song inside my heart. The beat that brought me back to life and made me feel almost human again. But I wasn’t human, and I never would be. I was a vampire. And I had a job to do.
“Your Grace, where are you going?” she demanded. Then, more quietly, “And what in Diana’s name is a consort?”
Gods, I couldn’t do this. “Lady Natalia!” I called over my shoulder.
A few moments later, my niece was at my side, looking rather annoyed at being summoned. “Yes, Your Grace?”
I cut a glance between Claire and Natalia, then began untying my horse. My decision made. “Pack up the camp. We leave for Roselyn immediately.”
I mounted Lucien and fitted my feet firmly in the stirrups, avoiding Claire’s gaze. If I looked down at her beautiful face, illuminated by the moon, I might not have the strength to do what needed to be done.
“But Uncle,” Natalia argued, “everyone just got settled.”
“Then get them unsettled!” I snarled back, baring my teeth. “We travel faster at night anyway.”
I didn’t wait for her to reply, knowing she’d follow my orders, and whirled my horse in a tight circle, intent on putting more distance between my mate and I, but paused, needing to say one last thing.
“Natalia!”
“Yes?” she said with irritation. One hand landing on her slim hip.
I kept my gaze trained on her, not wavering to Claire. “Don’t let Miss Donadieu out of your sight until she’s safe inside her room at Chateau Rose. And make sure she eats before you leave.”
“Why can’t you babysit her?” Natalia asked. Then she realized what I had planned. “Are you leaving now? Alone?”
“You have your orders.” Without another look, I tore off, encouraging Lucien to race into the night. If I didn’t get away as fast as I could, I was worried I’d lose my nerve and return for my mate.
I assumed distance would help dull my need for her, but I discovered it didn’t.
In fact, the opposite happened. Thoughts of Claire consumed me, plaguing each inch between us.
The hours it took me to make the trek up to Chateau Rose were painful.
It would be another half day before I saw her again.
The coach and the other riders would move slower over the rocky terrain.
When I reached the familiar outline of my home at last, I dismounted and held Lucien’s muzzle between my hands.
“Good boy. Now, go to your stall.” He pinned his ears back, snorted at me, then trotted off.
Clearly unimpressed with being ridden so hard and for such little thanks.
I’d let him rest for a while before bringing him a bushel of apples from the garden.
I didn’t enter through the front gates, choosing instead to use the secret entrance on the south side of the castle that was designed to allow none but the Duke of Roselyn passage.
When I reached the entry point, I freed the gold chain hiding inside my shirt and regarded the bloodstone dangling from the end.
All vampires were gifted a bloodstone at birth. Their magick fueled by the Blood Treaty—the accord made when Light and Dark Witches traded war for peace. With this accord, they used their magick to create creatures who were strong enough to keep the peace between them.
Twelve of us were made that night. Six from families of dark magick, and six from light.
Some of us were warriors, gifted in our craft.
Others renowned for nurturing peace when the world was breaking.
Brothers not in blood but bound together, destined to protect the balance of magick on earth.
To keep the peace when others would end it.
I pressed my bloodstone against the outer wall, then stood back as stone morphed into an archway, welcoming me home. Once I crossed under the arch, the wall reformed behind me.
Now, all that was left was to seek out Imogen and ask for guidance on how I could break this mate bond before it ruined everything I held dear.