Authors: Melissa Schroeder
Diana opened her mouth to argue with her, but Nico came to
her rescue.
"Darling, I have some family I need to introduce you
to." He lifted her hand to his mouth, brushing his lips over her flesh.
When he looked up at her, the banked fires she had seen in his eyes earlier
were still simmering. When he straightened, he did not relinquish her hand.
Instead, he pulled it to his arm and faced Diana. She did not miss the silent
message he was giving her sister. He let her know that he was by her side now
that she was his wife. She swallowed and blinked a few times. It had been so
many years since someone had taken the time to protect her, and Nico seemed to
have been doing it since the night of the ball.
"I hope you do not mind if I steal her away, do you,
Diana? My mother was looking for you. She wanted to talk to you about
something, but I am not quite sure what."
Diana looked like she wanted to argue, but Nico had made it
impossible.
She studied them for a moment, and Cordelia wondered what
was going through her mind. There was something in her expression that Cordelia
could not decipher. After a long pause, she nodded.
"Of course."
Nico lead her through the crowd, and once again, she noticed
people moved out of his way without even realizing it.
"Thank you."
His lips twitched. "For what?"
"For saving me. I was not in the mood to hear about how
wonderful it is to be related to my brother and the rest of the family."
"You think I saved you? I think not. I was worried
about your sister. You looked like you wanted to hit her. And while we did
marry under a scandalous cloud, I did not want a scene at the reception. I
believe that might be too much for my mother to accept."
For a moment, she didn't know what to say, then she
chuckled.
"Ah, I like the sound of that. It is your wedding day,
my bride. You should be happy."
"Of course."
He led her over to a gaggle of men and women and started to
introduce her. They had a receiving line, but many of these people had been
late. When he got to the end of the line, a massive man dressed in a kilt
stepped forward. She had to lean her head back to be able to see his face. She
thought Nico was tall and powerful, but this man was amazing.
"Saint, I would like you to meet my bride, Lady
Cordelia. Cordelia, this is my cousin, Alistair the Earl of St James."
"Oh," she said, recognizing the name. "So
wonderful to meet you."
He looked at her, his eyes the same shade as Nico's, but
somehow mesmerizing. His unbelievably long auburn hair was slicked back and
tied behind his head. Then his lips curved, and he smiled. He had been an
attractive man before, but now he was stunning.
He took her hand and raised it to his mouth. Unlike his
cousin, he kissed just above her skin. "It is I who should be saying that.
I did not know what to expect when I found out Nico was getting married, but I
would say that he picked well."
His Scottish burr was so heavy it was very difficult to
understand him, but for Cordelia it did not matter. The accent was enough to
entrance her.
"That's enough of that, Saint." Nico huffed.
"And you can let go of my bride's hand."
His cousin’s smile widened as if he knew what he was doing.
He released her hand then glanced around the room. "I
understand you have a sister?"
She nodded. "She is with Mrs. Blackburn."
"Do not bother, cousin."
Saint shook his head. "No worries, Nico. I just want to
see what had Malik so enthralled. By the by, I will be stopping by tomorrow to
discuss my findings."
Before he could leave, Nico stopped him. "Talk to my
father. I do not know if I will be in tomorrow."
The tone in his voice told her he didn't plan on leaving
their bedroom.
Saint gave him a salute and wandered off, apparently in search
of her sister.
“I cannot believe you said that to him."
Nico gave her a lopsided smile that had her heart seizing.
It lightened his usually serious expression. It made him look years younger, as
if he did not have a care in the world. How did a woman deal with that?
"If I hadn't, he would have been here early in the day
wanting to discuss business."
"And what did he mean about your friend Malik? And why
do you keep calling me your bride?"
"First, Malik was a little...taken by your
sister."
"Really?” She searched the room for her sister. She
found her next to Adelaide. Then she looked for Malik. He was across the room
with a few men, but he watched as Saint ambled up to them and did the pretty.
It only took a few seconds before Malik was making his way over to her sister.
“I would have never guessed."
"Well, he is. I am not sure what he is going to do
about it."
"I can assure you there will be nothing from Diana. I
might not know my sister well, but I do know that she will not marry
again."
Nico nodded.
"And the bride moniker?" she asked.
"You are my bride."
"I am also your wife."
His lips curved slowly, and the heat in his eyes flared
hotter.
Lord
.
"You are not my wife yet."
She swallowed as her heart started a wild tattoo against her
chest.
"Oh?"
He nodded without taking his gaze from hers. He leaned
closer, so close that she could feel the heat of him. "But you will be by
tomorrow morning."
If her face could get hotter, Cordelia was sure she would
die. She could not form a word in response. He had dissolved every thought from
her head.
"Nico, I need to talk to you."
It was Gray who stood beside them, but neither of them
acknowledged him.
"Blackburn."
She tore her gaze from his and realized that something was
bothering the young duke. "Nico, Gray needs you."
She could tell her husband did not care, but he did look at
Gray. When he saw his expression, Nico's entire manner changed.
"I will return shortly, love," he kissed her hand
as his mother and Diana appeared by her side.
"Everything will be all right, Cordelia," her
mother-in-law said.
She nodded, agreeing with her mother-in-law though not
knowing what she was talking about.
"Why don't we get a drink and talk to some of Nico's
aunts?"
She agreed, but she could not seem to stop worrying about
the look on Gray's face. Just what did the duke want to talk to Nico about? She
glanced at the hallway where Nico and Gray had disappeared.
She had a feeling that she would never truly know her
husband.
*
*
*
*
The door shut behind Gray, and Nico was surprised to find
that his father and Malik were already in attendance.
"What is going on?" he asked.
"There has been another attack,” his father said.
"Where?"
"Mayfair." His father shook his head. “This Born
is getting more and more gutsy. The fact that we know now of two peers of the
realm who have been changed…I wonder how many more have? This is not a good
development.”
"Did the Made get taken care of?" Nico asked.
"Yes, he's dead, thanks to the woman he attacked."
"She's a Carrier?" Nico wondered how a woman was able
to fight off a Made in Blood Lust.
"Yes, and an earl's daughter. Lady Elizabeth,"
Gray answered.
"Lord. She killed him?"
Gray nodded. "She is not all that well after the
attack. He raped her, or at least started, but she had taken to carrying a
stake with her apparently. She struck him in the chest."
"Where is she now?" Malik asked.
"She is at Doctor Bingam’s house. He is caring for
her."
"For her sake, we need to keep this quiet," his
father said. "Do you think we should have your mother take care of her?"
"She will need a woman, and Bingam is a confirmed
bachelor," Malik said.
He nodded. "What did you do with the Made? Was he
someone we know?"
Gray's lip curved in disgust. "Yes, that damned Baron
Walton."
"Ah." The baron was known for his debauchery. He
had even been rumored to have injured a few whores...one he was said to have
killed. He was one man Nico had refused to lend money to. He was filthy, but
because of his title he was allowed to do what he wanted.
"Well, no one deserved it more than he did. I have a
feeling knowing the baron that he was in the Devil's Temptation."
Just then, the door opened slowly, and a head popped in. It
was Saint, and he didn’t look happy.
He slipped in and closed the door behind him. "Not nice
leaving me out there with all the Carriers trying to match up their
daughters." He apparently sensed the mood. "What happened?"
"Another attack," Nico said. "The woman
survived. The man did not."
Saint’s eyes widened. "Truth? I don't know if a woman
has ever survived one of those attacks. Can you think of any Samuel?"
His father shook his head. "Not only that, she fought
him off and killed him."
"The Made was taken care of, but he is definitely the
kind of man who would frequent the hells," Nico pointed out. "It
would be best to really infiltrate that one. We need more people."
His father shook his head. "The Alliance will not give
us any more."
"Then we need to find them,” Nico said. “I can think of
a few tonight we need to talk to.”
“No, you don’t, son.” He glanced at his father. “I know more
than anything you want to find the bastard who is doing this, but you are
married and until you mate with her, you will be off your game.”
Saint chuckled. Nico shot him a quelling glance.
“It is true, Nico,” Malik said. “Add in the fact that all
eyes are on you now because of the wedding, and it makes you a target. Let your
father, Gray, and I talk to some of the others.”
“I can help with that,” Saint offered.
“I don’t want people to be threatened,” Nico said.
“Some of them need to be. Because if what you are saying is
right, the Born is not going to stop now. Even if he is, it might be something
we deal with more often.”
He wanted to argue with his cousin, but Nico knew it would
do no good. Nico had worried what Saint had said would come true. Once some
devious Borns understood what they could do by turning humans, it could be
disastrous for their kind. Humans would not take kindly to the results, and
they would once again be hunted.
“But threatening them will not work, and you know that. I
agree we have a huge problem, and the threat is growing by the day. Still, we
need to convince them it is the right thing to do.”
After a little more discussion, everyone filed out but his
father. He said nothing, just studied Nico.
“What?”
“You do know your life is now changed?”
“Is this where you give me some fatherly advice?” he asked,
worried that was just what his father was about to do.
“No, not truly. I know that Cordelia does not understand her
situation, and while your mother thinks we should have told her before the
wedding, I disagree. You will have your hands full tomorrow morning trying to
explain everything. Just don’t forget you have a family to help you through.”
He nodded.
“And remember, a woman does not make you weak. In fact,
binding with the right woman can make a man stronger than he ever expected.”
With that his father left him alone. It was the first time
that day he had several moments to himself. His father knew of Nico’s
declaration not to bind. It was not something he ever wanted to do. He would
have disagreed with his father’s comment, but did not out of respect. Binding
with a mate made you vulnerable. She would become the center of his world.
Worry had his head throbbing. A regular Carrier would be
upset if he did not bind with her tonight, but Cordelia knew nothing of their
world. And binding to him would not be advisable. It was possible he would be
injured in this war he felt approaching. He could not risk her life that way.
He walked back to the ballroom and immediately found her. It
was easy enough for him. Even before drinking from her he was empathic to her
presence. He watched her and wondered what she was thinking. The expression on
her face was one of amusement, and much better than the sadness he had
witnessed earlier. Her loneliness had struck him hard, and his protective
instincts took control.
She must have sensed him. Her gaze met his across the room
of people. The crowd melted away, and it was as if only the two of them were
there. He could not stop the smile that curved his lips thinking of the night
ahead of them. She had already proven to be a match for his sensual needs, and
he looked forward to teaching her. Her cheeks pinkened, and for the first time
that day, his heart felt light.
With determination, he made his way through the crowd. It
was time he claimed his mate.
Cordelia stared at herself in the mirror. Who was the woman
staring back at her?
She recognized pieces of herself. The long tangle of curls
dripped over her shoulders. That was normal. The blue eyes, the same face, but
there was something different. She knew that part of it was the nightdress she
was wearing.
Adelaide had insisted on buying her the most decadent silk
negligee she had ever seen. What was she thinking? She had never really paid
attention to such things before. Plain linen had been fine for her, until she
found herself married.
The neckline dipped low between her breasts, revealing more
than it concealed. It was not even stitched up the side. Instead, it tied
closed, easy to undo.
She shut her eyes. It had been bad enough shopping for her
nightclothes with Adelaide. Having her try to explain what would happen on her
wedding night had been painful. Cordelia had come to the realization that her
mother-in-law had no embarrassment talking of personal things.