Page 7

Dorian

Jumping to my feet, I woke for a second time when my door creaked open. I had the intruder pressed against the now-closed door with one hand around his throat and the other pressing his chest back as hard as I could. It took a second for me to realize it was Dregan, and as soon as I did, I dropped my hands, backed up, and bowed my head.

“My apologies, my liege.”

Dregan waved me off. “I walked in unannounced, no apologies are necessary.”

I bowed my head again.

Dregan walked in and looked around my small room before sitting on the armchair. I had no idea what he was doing here, so I sat on the edge of my bed and waited. He crossed his ankle over his other knee and leaned back with his hands steepled in front of him. “Christopher has reason to believe that you’ve found your True Mate.”

“I met a human last night named Neo, and I felt an immediate connection. I saw him from a distance a few days ago and had been looking for him, but he found me first. Last night, my chest rumbled, and I felt his answering.”

Dregan nodded, then smiled, just a tiny bit—he’d never been one for showing much emotion. “That’s what I thought. Congratulations, Dorian. I’m happy you found him.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

He gave me one short nod. “I wanted to talk to you about turning him.”

“I haven’t even told him we’re True Mates, so—” He held up his hand to stop me, so I snapped my mouth shut.

“The urge to turn him will grow stronger every day, especially because he’s a human and you’ll feel like he needs the strength and healing abilities of our people, but I need you to remember that it takes time to build up a supply of your blood in his system. The longer you have him drink from you, the better.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

“Good.” He stood, so I followed as he said, “I have something to show you, but you’re sworn to secrecy.”

My eyes widened a little, but I nodded. “You have my word.”

He leaned in so his eyes were close to mine. “Promise that you will tell no one other than your True Mate.” He was compelling me. Or trying to. It wasn’t as effective on other vampires, but because of his age and the fact that he was an Elder and the den leader, he had more power than any other vampire on the planet. Which meant that his magic was practically blowing me backwards. I didn’t think I’d be able to disobey him even if I wanted to—which I didn’t because I trusted him with not only my life, but my True Mate’s as well.

“I’ll tell no one other than Neo.” The fact that he’d included my True Mate in this secret was one reason I loved Dregan dearly, and why he made such a good leader. He’d never expect someone to keep a secret from their mate.

“Good.” He nodded and started to turn around, but paused and sighed before turning back. “Christopher told me I should apologize for compelling you without warning you first, so… I’m sorry.” Must’ve been talking to him through their link.

My eyebrows rose higher than ever. “Oh, it’s okay. I understand why you did.”

He nodded at me. “You’ll understand further when I show you. Your mate is with mine, so once I explain a few things, Christopher will bring Neo to you.”

“Is he—”

“He’s fine. Healthy and safe. I should have told you that immediately. He’s safe. My mate won’t let anything happen to him.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

He gave me another short nod, then headed out the door. I stayed close behind him as he walked through the halls. Most people moved aside when he came through, but a few that knew him better said hello. When we passed Remi in the courtyard, Dregan grabbed his arm and asked, “Have you seen Jael?”

Remi shook his head. “No. He was already gone when I dropped off a glass of blood in his room.”

Dregan sighed, but cupped the back of Remi’s neck. “Thank you for caring for him.”

“My pleasure.” Remi smiled, but it looked a little sad.

Then Dregan was off again with me trailing behind him. We passed the small town we were rebuilding, then walked into the wooded area in the center of the island. No one ever really traveled deep inside the forest, so I was surprised Dregan was leading me there. We walked between huge oak trees, and a sudden icy fear wrapped around my whole body, making me freeze. A strange fog surrounded me, blocking out the moon and hurling me into total darkness. Even with my vampire eyes, I couldn’t see anything. Not one damn thing. Holy hell. I can’t go any farther. I need to turn around. I need to run and never come back here again.

A hand touched my arm, making me jump and try to scramble back, but the hand clutched me hard enough that I couldn't get away from it.

“Dorian, close your eyes.”

Trusting Dregan, I did so and listened to his voice.

“Nothing will harm you. This is simply one of my wards. They grow stronger every day, so I didn’t realize they’d grown this far out.” He said a few words under his breath, but I was too distraught to understand them. “Take a breath and open your eyes. You should be immune to them now.”

I blinked my eyes open, and was relieved to see the forest around us.

“Are you okay?” Dregan asked.

“Yes.”

“There are more wards up ahead, but I’ll try to catch them before you cross them.”

“What about Neo? Will he be okay?”

“Christopher knows what to do and will make Neo immune. No harm will come to him.”

We walked for a few more minutes, stopping four more times so Dregan could mumble words with his hand on my arm making sure I could pass the wards. Whatever he was showing me must’ve been extremely important. Never in the time I’d known him had he compelled me or any of the vampires I knew like that, let alone have this many wards up except around our old home. I had no idea what could possibly need this much security.

Finally, he led me to the edge of a clearing, but he turned and blocked me from entering. “Do you know the story of the Holy Tree?”

“Of course.” When he didn’t say anything, I added, “It’s the magical tree in which vampires were born, but it was destroyed by the Dark Witch about twelve hundred years ago.”

“Correct. The Holy Tree was a place of honor, so when Jacqueline passed away, her village buried her body there because she was so beloved. They had no idea that she would emerge a week later as something else. The Holy Tree gave us eternal life. When it was still whole, any that we buried beneath Her would return to us as vampires. She was beautiful and strong, and we created many vampires in Her image. She blossomed at night, so we mirrored Her and became creatures of the night as well. She was light and magic and pure. But the Dark Witch took that from us. She burned Her down and destroyed our light. But the Holy Tree still found a way to fight back. Her ashes were so pure that they burned the evil witches. I collected Her ashes and had weapons forged. Did you know that I was there when She burned?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know.”

He nodded and looked off to the side for a moment. “It’s something I still have nightmares about.” It surprised me that he admitted it, but I didn’t say anything. “I collected as much of the Holy Tree’s ashes as I could, this is no secret. When I did it, I didn’t know we’d make Holy Tree-infused weapons to protect us against the witches. I had only wanted to respect Her ashes.” He looked into my eyes. “But there’s something I never told anyone until a few months ago. It wasn’t only ash that I collected that terrible night; I found a root.”

“You did? Did you plant it?”

He shook his head. “Nowhere was safe. The Dark Witch found me no matter where I hid, and the Holy Tree needs moonlight to grow, so I couldn’t plant it when we were hiding underground. But I kept it safe. I protected it with my life in case one day, I found a place the witches couldn’t reach.”

“Like an island.”

He nodded and smiled. “They can’t cross large bodies of water.” He moved to the side. “But I’ve warded this place more heavily than any other in case the Dark Witch finds a way. But the time has come.” He waved his arm out to the clearing.

Right in the center, there was a tiny tree shining in the moonlight. It was completely white and almost looked like there was a glow coming off it.

“May I?” I whispered out of respect for Her.

“Of course.”

I stepped into the clearing, and closed my eyes as the rush of magic tickled my skin and raced through my veins. A small laugh bubbled out of me at the sensation. It was so pure and beautiful and strong and majestic. This all-encompassing feeling of love and joy filled me as Her magic radiated out and all around me, and I found my eyes filling with tears at the purity of it.

“She’s impressive, isn’t She?”

Another laugh bubbled out, and I turned to face him. “She’s magnificent.”

He smiled, bigger than earlier. “Just wait until She grows.” He walked up to me and slapped my shoulder as we both looked at the tiny, white tree that was barely a few twigs but somehow had more magic in its system than anything I’d ever felt before—including the man beside me. “Now you see why I swore you to secrecy.”

“I do, and I appreciate you sharing this with me, Elder, but I don’t understand why you have.”

He sighed. “I know I’ve been aloof and haven’t been a good replacement for the sire that you lost, but I want you to know you can come to me with anything.”

I had no words for that. Dregan had always been kind to me.

“I had planned on bringing you here someday, but when Christopher told me you’d found your True Mate, I figured sooner was better.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Since the Holy Tree was burned down, the chances of successfully turning a human has been about fifty-fifty. When She was fully grown, and we buried our fledglings beneath her, it was one hundred percent as long as the human had enough vampire blood in their system.” He waved at the tiny tree. “She’s not grown yet, but given time, She will be, and when She is, you’ll be able to turn Neo without any risk of failure. But you’ll have to wait until She grows and Her magic is saturated into the very soil we stand on. If you wait, it will be safer. But I wanted to give you a good reason to wait and not only rely on my word.”

I was overcome with emotion, not only because of the Holy Tree or the fact that Dregan was being so kind, but because I would be able to protect and keep Neo safe forever—if he’d let me. “Thank you, Elder.”

He surprised me by wrapping an arm across my shoulders and kissing my temple. He’d never done anything like that before, but I appreciated it. Maybe it was the presence of the Holy Tree making him feel the love and joy or maybe it was because he’d found his True Mate and now he knew love and joy.

A minute before I heard his voice, I felt his presence behind me.

“Dorian?”

Smiling, I turned around, then rushed over to him and pulled him into my arms. He seemed surprised by my actions, but he didn’t pull away. He wrapped his arms around my neck, and I leaned down to tuck my head against his skin over his collarbone. I breathed him in and held him tight, then trailed my lips along his neck and jaw until I got to his mouth. He eagerly met my kiss, but when he moaned into my mouth, I had to pull away before I couldn’t stop. Having sex right here in front of the Holy Tree and the Elder and his mate seemed like a really bad idea.

Breaking our kiss, I rested our foreheads together for a minute before I pulled back and looked at Dregan and Christopher, who’d luckily turned around so their backs were to us. They had their arms around each other and were looking at the Holy Tree, pretending to ignore us.

I cleared my throat. “Sorry, Elder, Luminary.”

Christopher—the Luminary or den leader’s mate—turned and smiled. “Don’t apologize, Dorian. It’s good to see you tonight.”

“You too.”

Dregan turned around and walked over to Neo, but knew better than to try to touch him or even shake his hand in my presence—True Mates were overprotective, especially when they weren’t mated yet. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Neo.”

Neo blushed and his heart rate picked up a little, so I tucked him under my arm to pull him closer to me.

Dregan looked at me. “I’m afraid I’ve scared him. I met with him briefly before I came to your quarters.”

I was about to ask what he met with him about, but Christopher said, “He knows you won’t compel him again.”

An involuntary hiss came out of my lips. I couldn’t stand the thought of someone compelling Neo.

Dregan looked at me. “It was a necessary evil, Dorian. We’ll leave you now. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you’d like.”

“I brought you a blanket, and some water and food.” Chris held a quilt and basket out to me, so I took them and nodded my thanks, although my body stayed tense until they were out of sight and earshot.

Neo rubbed my chest. “It’s okay. I get why he did it. Chris gave me a brief vampire history lesson before we walked here, and I can feel the magic pouring off the tree.”

Taking a deep breath, I pushed away the annoyance and closed my eyes for a few seconds.

“It’s incredible. It’s like I can feel its love and happiness or something.”

“That’s what I feel, too.”

I smiled and kissed his temple, then led him a little closer before we laid the blanket on a flat area and sat down. Once I got comfortable, I pulled him close so he was sitting between my legs and leaning back against my chest. Running my fingertips up and down the skin of his arm, we sat there staring at the Holy Tree and enjoying each other’s company for a while.

“Did you speak to Remi about drinking a lot of water and—”

His laugh cut me off. “You’re probably the fifteenth person to tell me that today.” He chuckled, and I smiled. “I’ve been drinking water since I left your room, and I’ve already eaten more today than I have all week put together.”

“I have to make sure you’re taken care of.”

“So Dregan doesn’t chew you out like he did when a bestower passed out from lack of water or whatever?”

My brow furrowed and I frowned. “No, because you’re my True Mate.”

He sucked in a breath, but didn’t reply.

“Surely Christopher talked to you about it?”

He nodded, but still didn’t say anything.

I couldn’t tell if he was upset or overwhelmed or what, so I kept talking. “The first time I saw you, I wanted to know you. I was drawn to you and even spent my nights wandering the island trying to find you.”

“You were looking for me?”

“Yes, but I didn’t have your name so no one knew who I meant when I asked. It was so close to dawn when I saw you that I didn’t have enough time to run over to you. I regretted not doing it anyway and damn the sun because you were all I was thinking about, and I thought I’d lost you. When Remi asked me if I wanted a bestower last night, my automatic answer was no, but something told me to go to the courtyard, and I’m so glad I listened.”

“I-I was looking for you, too. That’s why I started asking around about becoming a bestower and everything. I got as much information as I could before I went to Dorothy last night because I was hoping I could find you and have you drink from me.”

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his chest. “I’m very glad you were the one in the courtyard last night. I was starting to think I wouldn’t find you again, and that scared me.”

“I’m glad you were the vampire that showed up.”

“Me too.” I kissed the side of his head. “Last night was more amazing than I thought possible. I know we have a lot to learn about one another, but I hope you’ll give me a chance because I already care about you. The connection I feel with you is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

“I want to get to know you, too, Dorian.”

I hesitated, but decided that complete honesty was the best way to go. “I hope that you’ll want to complete the mating ritual with me one day.”

He was quiet for a few minutes, then whispered, “You’re winning me over already.”

I smiled at that and squeezed him tight. “Will you drink from me?”

He laughed a little. “Aren’t you the one that’s supposed to drink from me?”

I shrugged. “It’s supposed to go both ways, especially for True Mates.”

He looked back over his shoulder at me. “You really believe we’re soulmates?”

“I have no doubt, my treasure.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay, then I’ll drink from you if you’ll drink from me tonight, too.”

Leaning in, I dramatically sniffed his neck, making him squirm and laugh. Hearing him laugh was a wonderful feeling. I wanted to make him laugh some more, so I said in a really terrible accent, “I want to suck your blood.”

He cracked up and said, “Wow, I didn’t realize vampires could be such dorks.”

I laughed. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it.” He snorted out a laugh, so I held him to me and kept sniffing him over and over until he was giggling like crazy, and I was laughing along with him.