Unbound, page 40
part #1 of Forbidden Bond Series
“I almost didn’t recognize you without your bracelets,” he joked. It had to run around the room once before she realized he meant the handcuffs she’d been wearing when they met. “If it’s possible, you are even more breathtaking than last I saw you. Maybe it’s the blood that has brightened you so sweetly.”
She blushed. He was smooth and such a honey. Not in the immature, young guy way of Chase and Cayden. He was hot in a manly, worldlier way, like Mason, only yummier. That could be because Mason was like a parental unit to her.
“Can I help you, Donovan?” she said when she finally found her voice. He was staring and making her squirm.
“Please, call me Van. Mother asked me to tell you the guests are arriving and cocktails will be served soon. When you’re ready, I will escort you downstairs. I believe your date is already here but my mom is old fashioned. There is no way he’s getting up the stairs to escort you himself.” As he spoke, he looked her up and down and suddenly she felt naked.
“Are you going dressed like that?” She pointed to his jeans, “If so, I won’t have to put my heels on.”
“No,” he chuckled. “My mother would die twice. I was just about to go change. Just dial extension eight when you’re ready. My room is around the corner so I will be directly over to retrieve you.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say besides, ‘You’re so hot I could bake cookies on your abs.’ Totally inappropriate and the last thing she needed was more man calories. Van sauntered down the hall like a cat on the prowl. Damn, he was pretty.
She slid on the slinky black backless dress her mother had given her and a pair of heels with straps that wrapped around her calves to tie on the side. They looked kind of Grecian. She decided that putting her hair up was best with the backless dress. Looking at herself, she wondered if her mother had lost her mind. Did she want every man in vampire society sniffing around her skirt? She called Van, but before she reached the door, she thought of her starburst. It was perfect. Dani opened the door just as Van began to knock. He was gorgeous in an Armani suit with his wavy hair slicked back. She had to control her smile while they looked over each other with approval.
“I think you should ditch that dude downstairs and stay on my arm all night. On second thought, you should stay next to me forever, Ms. Scott.” He had a way of quickly undressing and burning a girl with his midnight eyes.
“I would hate to deprive all the ladies in your life of your presence. It would be a shame not to share such a stunningly masculine treat,” she purred, and pulled the door shut to step out into the hall.
He smiled a little disbelieving smile. He was obviously not used to being shot down. He’d probably flattered hundreds of girls with that line, and she knew it was a line. He put his arm out and led her to the top of the stairs. The sounds of conversation, soft music and clanking glasses rose from below. She paused to take a deep breath, hating being the center of attention.
“Are you alright? If you’re not feeling up to this I can take you back to my room and make it all better,” he teased her. His idea of better would be her ruination for sure.
* * *
Darren was pissed. They cancelled Danielle’s protection detail and hung her out to dry. Couldn’t those fools see that they’d signed her death warrant? Did they want to see her dead? He was forbidden from following Danielle while he was on duty. All he could do was spend all of his time off with her and that wouldn’t leave him much time for resting or feeding. He would love it if Danielle was willing to let him feed from her. That would be delicious and the thought of being at her neck made him hard. He would leave the Wrath and protect her for the rest of his life if she would agree to be his mate. If they were bonded, the others wouldn’t matter to her anymore. That was his plan the night of the bonding they’d attended together. He’d hoped to convince her he was a better male than the rest of the population that was begging for her attention. He went from romantic warrior to jealous wanna-be-boyfriend that night in the space of a moment when he found her in that dark room with Chase. When Chase started texting her from the other side of the room, Darren lost his mind. It was a huge mistake. He screwed it all up.
Now she was out there unprotected and he had no idea where she was and neither did anyone else. He didn’t even know if she was still alive because she wasn’t answering her phone. The Council had seen to it that most of the warriors didn’t care one way or the other. It made him sick and his mind went around and around with the possibility that some rogue bastard could have already taken her and he hadn’t been there to protect her from the fate she was sentenced to, just because she’d been born an incredibly powerful being.
He had to find her and do his best to make her his. It was the only way he could protect her all the time, the only way he could keep her to himself. After they were bonded, she wouldn’t think about the others anymore, she would only think of him, want only him, be with only him. He would do anything for her now. He couldn’t imagine how much more he would love her after she was his mate. He was going to do whatever it took to take her for his own.
His cell rang and he jumped. It was a friend he sparred with regularly. Darren was glad he called. Getting out some pent up aggression sounded like a damn good idea. “Hey, what’s up, Todd? You ready for a fight?”
“No, man. I got some info I thought you would be interested in. Several warriors, including Wrath, have been assigned to keep a perimeter around the Stafford estate tonight. They waited for the last minute to call extra security because they’re trying to keep things quiet. They are having a dinner party to thank Danielle Scott for saving their son. I know the two of you got close when she was your charge. I thought you might be interested. ”
The sound of her name made Darren’s heart leap. She was alive and well, and back in town.
“I owe you big man. I’ll let you beat my ass for a change the next time we meet in the ring.” He leapt off his bed and ran for the shower.
TWENTY-SEVEN~
Cayden was waiting anxiously at the bottom of the stairs for Dani to appear. He hadn’t seen her in what felt like a year and needed to see with own eyes that she was safe and whole. Chase was on the other side of the room watching from a safe distance and that was weird. Normally he would be jockeying for position at Danielle’s side. He even struck up a conversation with Cayden when he arrived. Maybe Dani’s request that they try to be friends again was affecting him. Chase hadn’t been the same since the day of the hearing, and it was nice to talk to the friend he missed so much.
Dani was not going to like this. It was supposed to be small dinner party but the entire Council along with their families, as well as Cayden’s parents, Doc Stevens, Melinda Prince and her family, not to mention that overbearing jerk, Darren, along with a handful of single male vamps were all in attendance. Cayden was sure Veronica Stafford was trying to find a more upper-class mate for Dani.
He smelled her before he saw her. The delicious scent of floral vanilla hit him like a wrecking ball just before she stepped into view. A dream in black with her hair swept up beautifully in a purposefully messy up-do. Her white hair was giving her what she would call a bride of Frankenstein look. She was on the arm of Donovan Stafford. Cayden looked over to Chase and they shared an annoyed look. They couldn’t stand that arrogant prick. It figured he would be the first one Veronica would push at Dani. Veronica had been trying to reform his playboy ways forever and Dani was just the girl to make a man rethink his way of life. Hell, Cayden himself joined the warriors just to be closer to her. His playboy status rivaled Van’s, but that all changed the day Dani kissed him.
Everyone turned to watch the couple descend the grand staircase in the foyer where cocktails were being served. Danielle’s face flushed the sweetest pink and Cayden couldn’t resist anymore. By the time she was three quarters of the way down, he went to retrieve his girl from Van’s arm and take her the rest of the way himself.
Dani smiled his favorite naughty half-smile and took his arm happily before she kissed his lower lip by way of a greeting. It took his breath away that she cared enough for him to make it clear to the rest of the room that she was with him in a subtle but sure way.
“I’m pleased to be in your arms again, Angel,” he told her quietly and his heart melted when she proudly took his hand. Never having been insecure by nature, Cayden hated the feeling that others believed he wasn’t good enough for Dani. She’d told him several times how ridiculous that was. She believed she was beneath him in that respect. She was born of an unknown family and raised by a reclusive human family servant. Cayden was from a long line of the most respected warriors in their history and was a fine warrior in his own right. She always had a way of dispelling his worries with a simple word and batting those long dark eyelashes at him.
Cayden decided before she left the Enclave a week ago, to ask Dani to be his mate and bond to him. The only problem was he was aware of her aversion to bonding at such a young age. Having been raised in a human society, she found it hard to swallow that a person wouldn’t wait until they finish college and get themselves established first. In vamp society, it wasn’t unusual for the young to have a bond arranged by their families and carried out at an early age. Chase was twenty-one and Samantha only eighteen, but they would be bonded within the next year or so. The point was he didn’t want to let this night pass without telling her how he felt and what his intentions were toward her. He even bought her a traditional human engagement ring and was willing to take part in the human custom of an engagement period if that helped to settle her nerves. He just needed to know that she was his and always would be.
Cayden hung back and allowed Dani to entertain the crowd that was assembled to wish her well for her bravery and celebrate her acquittal. She was being a trooper and swallowing her agony at being the center of so much attention. You would think she would be used to being the center of attention, with everyone always trying to revolve around her. In the far corner of the room, Chase was looking about as unhappy as Cayden had ever seen him. Sam was hovering over him and speaking animatedly to several younger vamps about how happy they were to be promised to each other. She was trying to get Chase to commit publicly to a date for their bonding ceremony. Chase wouldn’t even join the conversation. He watched Danielle intently so Cayden decided to step a little closer. He placed a hand on her beautifully bare back and Dani immediately responded to his touch by leaning into his side. “That’s right, Angel,” he thought to himself, “let him see that you are mine and you lean on me for comfort.”
Veronica was doing her best to introduce Danielle to the cream of the vamp crop in attendance for her mating pleasure. She was really trying to find her a suitable bond mate but Dani wouldn’t release him for even a moment to give anyone the chance to make her an offer. This made Cayden even surer that solidifying their relationship now would be the right thing to do. People would stop forcing men down her throat once she was promised to him.
* * *
Chase couldn’t have been more annoyed with this situation. His Lovely was right here and he couldn’t even speak to her. He couldn’t even move in her direction without Sam cutting him off. She did everything possible to keep them apart and it worked. Every so often Danielle looked at him and he saw her longing. Someone that didn’t know her as well as he did would have missed it, but he’d been in her very soul and could tell what she was thinking by the slightest expression or turn of her head or the set of her jaw. Seeing Sam hang on him, spouting happiness and love, was hurting her, so she clung to Cayden for support the way she had for months now.
Chase’s mind returned to the first night he saw Danielle after the shit storm Sam caused between them in his bedroom. She’d been injured by the physical beating she received from Nathan and the emotional beating she received from him. He had practically dragged her to his suite in the back of the club with the excuse of needing information to help recover another missing girl. He’d been so angry when he saw that human boy touching and kissing his Lovely.
She’d told him that night, “I need his comfort to help me stay away from you. I have wanted you since the night I met you. I can’t get you out of my head.”
That was all Cayden was to her. A friend who dulled the pain Chase caused her. He was sure Danielle had true feelings for Cayden, but she wasn’t in love with him. When she looked at Cayden, he didn’t see the burning want he saw in her eyes when she looked at him, but seeing their cozy familiarity made him sick. How was he ever going to survive this?
“May I speak with you privately for a moment, son?” Mason cut into Sam’s discussion with a group of women regarding where she would like to honeymoon.
“Yes sir,” Chase groused, still angry with his father for keeping secrets. He knew a lot more about Danielle than he’d ever let on. The problem was he wouldn’t share the information and that really pissed Chase off. Whatever they were keeping from him was life changing. He knew it. How could his father allow him to suffer this way? Chase followed his father to the study and flopped down in a chair by the fireplace.
“We have a problem. I was just speaking to Gage. It seems that your boy, Cayden has some big plans for tonight. It’s only fair that I forewarn you.” Mason’s tone was thick with dread.
“What kind of plans?” Chase turn to glare at the closed door separating him from Lovely.
“Gage says Cayden can no longer tolerate being separated from Dani. He told his parents he would ask Dani to be his mate tonight. He hopes to be bonded to her immediately so they will be inseparable.” Mason paused for a second to wait for Chase to stop growling. His eyes went instantly black with rage.
“I know you’re angry with me for keeping information from you, but there is one thing I will tell you and the rest is up to you. If she accepts him and becomes his mate, it will only be to stop the pain she feels over you. It happens frequently with our kind. In fact, I will share a secret with you and trust you as my son to keep it to yourself always.” He paused again and took a deep breath. “Griffin was bonded before Sarah.”
“I didn’t know that,” Chase was surprised by the revelation.
“Neither does Sarah. That’s why it’s a secret. His first mate was, well, she wasn’t up to his parent’s standards but he loved her so much he bonded to her in secret.” Mason knew he was on the edge of betraying Dani’s trust but he would do his best not to cross the line. He may not agree with her reasons for keeping this secret but he did understand them. She wanted Chase to choose her no matter the cost. She didn’t want her mating to be the product of a vision revealed by a heartsick girl before she was even born.
“What happened to his mate?” Chase asked.
“She died in childbirth along with the baby. Griffin couldn’t handle it. Before he went mad with grief, he agreed to accept the bond his parents arranged for no other reason than to stop the pain of his loss. He thought Sarah would replace his first mate in his heart and stop his torment.”
“Did it work?” Chase stood to pace the floor in front of the fireplace.
“I don’t think so, not as well as he wished. He still mourned and his relationship with Sarah has never been what he had with Tessa. Some kinds of love can never be washed away. You know that Griffin’s older sister and my older brother were secretly bonded, right?” Mason inquired. Chase nodded.
“When David killed himself to protect Leann from being harmed by his power, her grief was so profound she committed suicide and followed him to his grave.” Mason took a minute to tuck that painful memory back into the corner of his mind where he kept it. “The point is Danielle may be willing to do anything to stop her pain. I know the two of you have not been bonded, but the connection she feels with you is as strong as any bond I’ve ever witnessed. Griffin and Tessa were madly in love already when they bonded. The bond gave them a mental connection that you and Dani already share, but it didn’t force them to love each other. It was the best kind of bond, one done out of love instead of obligation or as a means to end suffering,” he ended.
“Why are you telling me this, Dad? You know I don’t want Sam but you’re forcing me into a bond. So why torture me?” he sagged back into the chair.
“I just want you to know the difference between pure love and a blood bond. If she bonds to Cayden she will forever be bonded to him, but her true heart belongs to you. Also, I didn’t want you to be taken off guard if he decides to ask her publicly.” With that, Mason went to the door. “Take a minute to gather yourself and rejoin the party before Sam starts searching for you.”
Dinner was an absolute nightmare. Chase and Sam were seated directly across from Danielle and Cayden. She wouldn’t look at him at all and every time Cayden shifted in his chair, Chase thought he was about to go down on one knee, like the human males do when they ask a female to be their mate. It was something Danielle would appreciate given her human tendencies after being raised among them.
“Chase, are you listening to me?” Sam interrupted his thoughts.
“How could I not listen to you, Sam? You never shut up,” he said dryly for her ears only.
“What the hell is wrong with you? People are going to think you’re not happy,” she chided.
Chase leaned into her ear and whispered, “That would be because I’m not happy. The more you push me the more you are pissing me off. I am being forced to be your mate, Sam. I am by no means in love with you, so don’t expect me to smile and pretend that I am. I may be many things, but fake is not one of them.”
Of course, the moment that he was touching Sam would be the moment Danielle would decide to watch him. Not good. He had been trying not to embarrass Sam. On the outside that would have looked like an embrace. She quickly looked away when he caught her looking.
