Trying to lighten the mood, I resorted to my usual playfulness that always eased him.
“Yeah, like a big happy family.”
His jaw clenched, the muscles flexed. This time my action didn’t work in the least.
“And who will you spend your nights with?”
So, the question had finally come up. The one that I knew he’d been eager to ask.
Truth was I had no answer to this one. Maybe a schedule would work with allotted time with each, but would either of them agree to that? I wasn’t sure.
I lifted my hand from his and reached up to touch his cheek. “We will work it out.
It’ll be all right, I promise.”
Chase gave a soft smile in return.
Suddenly, my thoughts had me worried. He hadn’t seen anything yet. He might still be processing what had taken place, but he was about to partake in something I didn’t know how he would respond to. I could only hope it wouldn’t tip his scale into a mental breakdown.
“We’re landing,” Kellen’s sudden voice broke through my concern.
I smiled a thank you to Kellen for giving Chase and I some privacy, as he sat down, he returned it. I glanced back at Chase, hoped the answers settled him and by the softened look of him, it did. For now, anyway. I raised my other hand to place on his cheek. “You ready to do this?”
Chase nodded, I pulled his face down toward mine, needed to reassure him. I wanted him to remember all the reasons he wanted me in his life so when the time came, he’d get through all this. I laid my lips against his and followed his movements as our tongues swept across each other’s passionately.
I didn’t stop reminding him until the plane touched down.
Chapter Eight
Chase cleared his throat deeply as his gaze stayed on the vampire before him. “This is the Mistress?” He glanced around at the lavish mansion set deep in the Hollywood Hills. “And this is where she lives?”
I chuckled softly, understanding his surprise. I’d seen it in mortals before. Their disbelief of how normal vampires lived. It wasn’t gothic castles and coffins. They were wealthy and enjoyed plentiful lifestyles. He was probably expecting the Mistress to have the look of death. Ellery was anything but that. She held the air of royalty, a natural beauty with dark eyes that swelled with softness, skin that was without a single blemish and rosy lips that needed no shade. “Yep, that’s her.”
“I see you went and found what you were looking for,” Mistress Ellery said to Kellen as her gaze swept over me.
When I looked over at Kellen, he gave a gentle nod with a supple smile spread across his face.
“Indeed I did.”
Ellery rose from her chair, approached us in a fluid stride. “It’s nice to see you again, Hadley.”
I bowed my head in a sign of respect. I’d met the Mistress when I first came into this region asking permission to live here. That was a must in vampire society. From what I heard of her and knew her to be, she was an old school vamp—very tough and strict, curt almost. Tonight however, the Mistress was in high spirits.
Ellery did a once over on Chase then met his gaze and smiled. “You are a mighty looking mortal.”
Chase snorted, furrowing his brows. “Is that a compliment?”
“Very much a compliment.” Ellery laughed. Then, she examined him as she smoothed her skirt with her hands. “Do you know what you are entering into here?”
“I’m about to become a pet,” Chase groaned.
Ellery laughed loudly as did Kellen. My own laugh sounded more nervous than anything else.
“Not what you want?” she asked him.
Chase shrugged and gestured toward me. “I want to be with her.” He gave his head a little shake. “The term used is wrong.”
Ellery’s smile remained, but her gaze was clearly questioning. “If you do not wish to be a consort, would you like to become a vampire?”
I froze stone solid and glanced to Kellen who just grinned at me. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Ellery would be the one to let the cat out of the bag. But damn it, I didn’t want Chase to even think of that as an option. I liked him just the way he was and didn’t want that to change anytime soon.
“Excuse me?” Chase drawled.
Ellery glanced my way, curious. “You have not told him?”
I shook my head. That would be a big no to that question. This wasn’t what I wanted for him and I was silently cursing Ellery for mentioning it.
Ellery clucked and gave me a rebuked look. “Very selfish of you.”
Before I had a chance to respond to that, Chase turned an accusing gaze on me. “You can make me a vampire?”
I sighed, annoyed, pissed off—probably a bit of both. “I could, yes.” I didn’t want to tell him though and the words ground through my teeth, but I couldn’t lie to him. I never lied, especially to the ones I cared for. Hiding something wasn’t nearly as bad as outright lying, I thought. Judging by Chase’s angry expression, maybe I was wrong.
Chase dropped his gaze for a moment and when he raised his head, again there was sadness in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”
After I got over the fact he wasn’t angry, the wonderment of what had made him so sad consumed me, I quickly stepped forward and grabbed his hands. “I never said anything because I like you like this. You’re happy. You have a good life, family. You love your job. All of that would be gone if you were turned.” I squeezed his hands, pleaded with my eyes for him to understand. “I will not do that to you.” Instantly, I felt ashamed for not sharing this before. Seeing that hurt look in his eyes cut deep within me.
I betrayed him over and over again.
Chase’s expression washed away from its grave position to become hard steel. “Isn’t that my choice?”
“Not this time.” I shook my head firmly. “I won’t do it, Chase, not ever. I’m sorry.”
And no one else would either. Chase was my mortal—mine to keep, to love and nothing was going to change that fact.
Chase’s brows squinted together, perplexed. “That is the reason then? It’s not that you hate the idea of my becoming an immortal?”
What had upset him became clear and it instantly explained his sadness. He thought I didn’t want him forever. I stepped closer toward him, needed to rectify his misconception and he wrapped his arms around me. “Of course, I would want you around forever, but there is too much to give up. When I was turned I was so young, I had nothing to lose.
My family had sold me to a rich nobleman because they needed the money.”
Chase moved his arm from around my back and raised his hand to my cheek, brushed his fingers across my skin softly. His eyes sank in despair. “You never told me you suffered that.”
“That’s because I don’t speak of it. It was over three hundred years ago and not a happy memory.”
Kellen stepped in close to me and rubbed his fingers along my other cheek. “It was why I turned her. I saved her from a lifetime of abuse and we destroyed those who harmed her.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Besides, I knew she was to be mine, the moment I laid eyes on her.”
“Ours,” Chase corrected him instantly.
Kellen gave a firm nod as a sly smile crossed his face. “Right you are. She’s ours.”
“It is hers to decide what you should become,” Ellery interrupted us, clearly bored of our conversation. “Only she may change you. If she chooses not to, there is only one choice if you want to continue with her.”
Chase examined me for a moment then let out a deep resigned sigh. “Fine,” he said, releasing me from his arms. “Let’s get on with it and make me a pet.”
Ellery laughed as she went back to her chair. Once she sat she said, “Come and kneel before me, mortal.”
Chase shot me a disgruntled look before he took a step, but then he walked toward Ellery.
Kellen leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. “Got lucky with that one.”
I met his gaze, shocked. “She never told him.” I could hardly believe that Ellery had just lied for me. Kellen had just as much right to turn Chase as I did, but Ellery had kept that knowledge from him. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why she would do that.
Kellen’s grin said he knew why. I gave him a little wave to get on with it. “She must understand why you want to keep him a mortal and is helping you keep him that way.”
“I owe her,” I responded with a deep exhale. “Big time.”
Kellen inclined his head, gave a knowing look. “That you do.”
Ellery’s voice drew me back to Chase kneeling before her. “As consort to Kellen and Hadley you are obliged to feed them. Do you understand this?”
Chase glanced back at me and rolled his eyes.
I could only smile in return. Neither Kellen nor I would expect him to behave like a consort—basically a slave to us, but this was a step in the process. We needed to get through this.
Chase looked back to Ellery, then nodded. “Feed them, got it.”
“The secret of our kind cannot be told,” Ellery continued. “Will you promise with your life to uphold this?”