Page 97 of Wedlock (Vampire Bachelor Games #3)

Yin kneels on the helipad before me, her head bowed. The rotors, although some distance away, swirl and whip our hair around our faces, stinging our eyes and making it impossible to know if the tears are real or a result of the pain.

For me, they’re real, but her leaving with the twins right now is the best solution I can come up with.

“Yin, stand up. You know this isn’t a punishment. I just can’t see any other way forward at this point.”

She stays down, but I can hear what she’s saying.

“We love who we love,” she says quietly, “you with your vampire, and me with Phil. I wish it were otherwise.”

“The difference is,” I sigh, leaning down and pulling her to her feet, “that you won’t be with Phil for what he did to you in the past, but I’m weak. I want to be with Falcon, even though it can never be.”

“You’re not weak. You know what you have to do, and I believe in you. I should never have agreed to Phil’s plan. Sneaking behind your back to try and assassinate Falcon was the most desperate and terrible thing I’ve ever done. Perhaps when we see each other next, you’ll be able to forgive me.”

“I already forgive you, but like I said, I need to work this out for myself. You just look after the twins and be there for Phil.”

“The doctors aren’t confident they can save him.”

I say nothing. In my heart, I hope he dies. For Yin’s sake I hope he doesn’t. I guess this is exactly how she feels about Falcon.

“Either way,” she sighs, “we both have decisions before us...”

“Because you don’t trust that Falcon won’t just kidnap Talon, or me, or both of us,” I finish for her.

“Yes,” she looks me in the eye, her own now determined.

“I don’t trust that he won’t do that when his mother, if his mother, tells him why it’s important he has flying kids.

If you can find that information out from him before you dump his ass, that will be helpful.

I also don’t trust that the Princess won’t try to end you again.

I don’t, for one minute, think she’ll reveal your heritage to The Families.

That would put an end to her plan to marry Falcon for good. She’ll stop at nothing to finish you.”

“And I don’t trust that you won’t take matters into your own hands again and try to finish Falcon.”

“You’ve lost all faith in me,” she moans.

“No, but love makes us do crazy shit,” I laugh gently, “and you love the children.”

“As I love you,” she says gently.

“I know,” I sigh. “that’s why you need to trust me. Concentrate on your own needs for once, be there for Phil.”

“I’ll stay by his side until the end. As he was airlifted out he whispered to me that he had to tell me something. Hopefully he’s cognizant enough to follow through on that promise. I’ll find out what I can; you do the same.”

“I will, then I’ll end things with him tonight, Yin.”

“When that’s happened, whether tonight, tomorrow night, a month from now,” she squeezes my hands between her own, “then you know where to find us.”

Turning, she makes for the chopper and I watch as they take off.

I’ve already said my long, sad goodbyes to the children. I told them I wouldn’t be far behind them and I intend to keep my promise.

As for Yin’s strength in being able to accept that she can never be with the man she loves, I only hope that one day I might be as strong. Now she’s gone I can’t lean on her resolve to bolster my own; I have to rely on myself.

As their chopper recedes into the distance, another appears on the horizon, and I take a deep breath.

As it lands and he steps out I can’t help admiring him. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, and it breaks my heart that we can’t be together.

“Angie.”

“Falcon.”

“Shall we?”

I nod and we both turn to walk up the mountain towards the retreat. He takes my hand in his as we walk, and I don’t pull away. Soon enough, soon enough our hands will part.

“I didn’t ask you,” I murmur as we walk, “why it was that you came back the night Revna attacked? Did you get word from the guards you had here? The secret guards, I might add, that you didn’t tell me you’d placed around the mountain?”

“You can’t expect me to have left you undefended,” he snorts.

“You know me better than that. It’s not just the Princess I worry about.

The Families still seek Yin. Spider and his son are still out in the world.

We’ve been enemies too long for me to think one setback will still his hand against my house.

Having his title only adds to that target, something I’m sure the Queen knew when she bestowed it upon me.

“Why would she do that?” I frown. “Why continue a feud that kills her subjects and other royals?”

“Life gets pretty boring when you’re immortal,” he snorts.

“As for why I came back, it’s because I know you better than you think, Angie.

You attempting to seduce me before our date to your parents’ home isn’t in your nature.

I knew something was wrong when you asked me to kiss you as I landed.

With one thing and another, it wasn’t addressed.

I came back to get to the bottom of it.”

I shake my head, and he stops. Pulling me to a halt, he reaches out with his free hand to grip my shoulder and turn me to face him.

“I know now why you didn’t want to continue a relationship with me, Angie. Our son, our second son, your fae blood…”

“It’s not just that,” I shake my head.

“The Princess will always be a threat,” he nods, misunderstanding what I’m saying. “I was going to marry her, Angie.”

“What?”

“When I left here I entrusted her to Wolf’s care until I could figure out how to proceed.

I believed my only option was to marry her and dissolve my seat.

I wanted you and the boys to live together, safely, far away from the madness of The Families.

I knew she’d agree to that if I consented to take her hand. ”

“Falcon, you can’t, I told you…”

“Yes,” he says quietly, “the talk of templates, or whatever. I hardly trust anything my mother says any more, especially when she told me there were no more secrets between us, only to disclose she chose you for your blood.”

“She’s lived for so long,” I shake my head, “and has so many secrets, I think she’s probably forgotten half of them. Did her talk of templates shock you?”

“We didn’t get into that.”

“What?”

“It’s of no consequence. I see the way forward now. Mother says she chose you because my father loved Spider’s mother partly due to her fae blood. She thought I could only love someone truly if they, too, had that blood.”

“That’s very noble of her,” I murmur. “And you believe her?”

“I have to, because it’s true. I do love you as my father loved Spider’s mother. It’s obsessive and wholly consuming.”

“Need I remind you that your father killed the woman he proclaimed to love?”

“As I almost killed you,” he murmurs, “and would have if Jag hadn’t stepped in and saved you.”

He takes a deep breath and rushes on.

“But I’m not that man any longer, Angie.

I need you to know that I’ve always had enemies.

Being who I am, I always will. And I’ve always had a temper, you know that.

I control it now as much as I can, but it’s there, plain and simple.

Despite all this, I promise you, I vow to you, that I will protect you and our sons once we are man and wife again in the true sense of the word and you are once more under my roof. ”

I pull my hand from his and step back, shaking my head vehemently.

“No, no Falcon. I’ll never, I can’t ever return to your castle — nothing you say or do will make me agree to that.”

“Do you think I’d force you back as Lady Dragonspur because our son can fly?” He groans, running his hands through his hair in agitation. “Of course you do. What have I ever done to you, or for you, to make you think any better of me?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“You fear hupotasso.”

‘What? He thinks I’ll let him bite me and we’ll live happily ever after? Oh Jesus! This, this is the reason I can get him to give me up!’

“I do think better of you,” I murmur. “But Falcon, I’ll never agree to you biting me. NEVER!”

He stares at me.

“Can you believe that hupotasso would be, between us, a loving bond? A link rather than a thrall? That I would do it only to keep you with me forever?”

“No.”

“You fear returning to me because you worry I’ll control you as my father controlled my mother.”

“Yes.”

He steps closer and takes my hand in his again.

“If you don’t wish hupotasso, then so be it.”

“Falcon,” I snort and roll my eyes, “without the bite you’d only get one human lifetime with me. What’s the point? I don’t believe you.”

“Believe me. I won’t force you. Your thrall under Viper will extend your life,” he shakes his head, “you’ll age at around half the rate of a normal human woman.”

“What?”

“I’ll have double a human life with you,” he smiles gently, “and love every minute of it.”

“Double? But I’ll still age. What about when I’m old and decrepit?”

“Even then,” he takes my hand and stares into my eyes. “Even then I’ll want you, Angie.”

I cast my mind around wildly, looking for an out. At every turn he has an answer, a sacrifice he’d make to keep me. But still, I can’t accept his hand. I can’t return to him.

“Jag told me you broke vampire law by not biting me on our wedding day. How will you explain my ageing to your queen?”

“I’ll always have something to explain to that hag,” he shrugs, “I’ll work that out when the time comes. I can brave any storm with you beside me, Angie. Say you’ll come back to me.”

I close my eyes and shake my head. Nothing I say seems to be working, and his words remind me of Mom’s assertion that if we loved one another we could slay our demons together.

But there are some demons that can’t be beaten; they can only be evaded.

“Falcon, I don’t want one lifetime with you.

I don’t want two. I want to live a normal human life in the real world.

I don’t want all the intrigue, the scandals, the fear.

I don’t want to live in a world where I have to be protected from your queen and your enemies.

I love you, I admit it, but not enough to sacrifice any more for you. ”

“You want no part of my life,” he murmurs. “Not the wealth, the immortality, the status or the titles…”

“No.”

“But you love me.”

I sigh and look down at our joined hands, and nod.