Page 74 of Taming His Vampire Mate

“I’ll have you know, I’m notancient. I’m still well within my prime,” Thierry huffed. He opened the wooden door into a dimly lit apartment and pointed at a plush red velvet sofa. “Sit there and touch nothing. I will pour us a drink.”

I shot him a sideways look. His frosty expression didn’t match the concern I could feel thrumming between us.

I did as he asked.

In the kitchen, Thierry set to work, giving me space to collect myself.

Strangely, I already felt calmer here. The whole place smelled like him—like mate. Deep forest and rich earth, growth and new life, a hint of petrichor after summer rain. My wolf wanted to drop to the couch and bury its nose in it. Thierry wouldn’t be amused.

So I sat like a normal human and focused on breathing. Hard to believe watching a spell had rattled me this much. But I hadn’t seen just any spell. I’d seen a cosmic force reshaped at the whim of an immeasurably powerful witch.

Thierry returned with two tumblers of ice, a bottle of amber liquid tucked under his arm.

I eyed him while he poured us both doubles. “Thierry, what the hell are you doing?”

Though it was obvious. He was taking care of me. Again.

Then it hit me. He’d prioritized me over knowing what had happened to Quinn. He still didn’t know if the spell had worked.

I swallowed hard. Thierry wasn’t one for nice words, but his actions were unfailingly kind.

He handed me a glass.

“Well, drink it or don’t,” he said crossly—though I could feel the annoyance was mostly for show. Dropping onto the couch beside me, he took a sip of his own drink and gave me a sideways look. “Though it is twenty-six-year-old scotch, and if you waste it, I’ll be very upset.”

“What else is new?” I muttered, sipping. Then had to stop myself from downing it—the stuff was fantastic. The pack’s bar in Crescent Springs didn’t carry anything this smooth, even top shelf. I couldn’t stop my eyes from sliding shut with pleasure.

“You need to knock that off,” Thierry huffed. “Immediately. Please.”

“Can’t,” I smirked. “I’m naturally adorable. You’ll just have to learn to live with it.”

“You may not be wrong,” he said unhappily, not meeting my gaze. “About learning to live with it, that is. Since murdering you to sever the connection is off the table.” He paused. “Probably.”

“Probably,” I agreed.

I was calmer now. The weight of Poppy’s spell was already fading, soothed by Thierry’s concern.

A silence stretched between us—too vast to cross, and yet nothing at all. I considered filling it by kissing him. I knew from the shape of his thoughts he half-wanted me to. But if I wanted him to open up, it had to be on his terms, not mine.

“Are you aware your friends are goddesses?” I asked instead.

His lips twitched. He gave me a sidelong look that matched the relief I felt at breaking the silence. “Poppy and Simone? They’re both quite powerful, yes.”

“Poppy can rewrite the laws of the universe. And Simone’s power…” I trailed off. “Yeah, ‘goddess’ is a pretty damn good descriptor for both of them.”

Thierry frowned. “I wasn’t aware wolves could sense it when a vampire uses their hypnotic powers.”

“Me either,” I admitted with a shrug. “There’s nothing in the pack’s lore about it. And I guess I’ve never been around a vampire long enough to see it in action. But it’s a type of magic, and wolves can sense magic, so that tracks.” I paused. “And it’s not like you’ve tried using your powers—”

I broke off as it hit me: he was ancient, exceptionally powerful, and absolutely could have used his mind-control abilities on me. Or on anyone, to get whatever he wanted. He could probably make me disappear with a single command laced with that hypnotic magic. Wolves resist most forms of control, but we aren’t immune. And Thierry had never once considered it.

“Stop that,” Thierry chided. “I’m not a wanker. That’s all that means.”

“I thought the blood bond only went one way.”

“Your mind is alarmingly simple and easy to read, even without magic,” he sniffed.

“Why do you do that?”