Page 45 of Fated to the Vampire Prince
She swallowed hard, and I could tell she was nervous, but instead of letting it speak for her, Claire did this thing she sometimes did when I questioned her sharply—she rose to the challenge and answered with conviction. “It is cold, as you said, Your Grace. It was the gentlemanly thing to do.”
Your Grace.So, we were back to formality.
I let go of her chin and folded my arms across my chest. Tyson’s cloak puddled to the floor in a wet, useless heap. “You saw my nephew before coming to see me?”
She shook her head. “No. He came to visit me.”
As hard as I tried to hide my anger at this revelation, it was impossible. My voice shook with barely leashed fury. “He was inside our tent? With you?Alone?” I gritted out. “And you were dressed like this?” I asked, letting my gaze trace the slope of her shoulder. “In nothing but a nightgown?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head harder. “He was outside. The tent flaps blew open, and when I went to check to see if it was you, I noticed him across the way. I asked if he’d seen you.”
She waslooking for me?That knowledge satisfied something deep down inside me. Relaxing a tightness I didn’t know was clenched until now. I didn’t think the tent opened from the wind. I’d tied those ties myself. Tyson had wanted to draw her attention. He’d wanted to draw her out. But why? He couldn’t be foolish enough to make a move on my sanguine partner. Could he?
Then, understanding dawned.
“He’s the one who told you I was in a feeding tent, wasn’t he?”
She nodded. I turned around, needing a moment to think without looking upon her face. He told her I was here to force an uncomfortable interaction. He gave her his cloak—not to keep her warm—but to mask her scent so I wouldn’t sense her coming. I wasn’t sure why my nephew had pulled this little stunt, but I suspected it had something to do with me kicking him out of my council meeting. Or perhaps he wanted something to hold over my head.
Either way, he was smarter than I was giving him credit for. He wanted my castle, after all, and the prestige that came with my title. I had to tread carefully. If nothing else, it was a good reminder that I was getting far too close to Claire. I wasn’t making sound decisions. What I’d done with her in this tent, for anyone to hear, was expressly forbidden. I needed to get a handle on this mate bond, and there was only one person who could give me guidance.
Imogen.
I had to get back to Château Rose.
“I don’t understand why you’re so angry,” Claire interjected, her voice cutting into my thoughts. She grabbed my arm, wheeled me around to face her, and somehow reopened the internal communication line between us, speaking to me inside my own head.“Explain it to me.”
The way the world around me went silent stopped me cold. I stared back at her in confusion. This power should only be one way, initiated by me.
With the connection between us reopened, I was experiencing all her feelings again. The confusion. The frustration.The desire.She might be angry, but, Gods, if I wanted her, she’d let me take her right here. Right now. On Tyson’s cloak. But that couldn’t happen. I had to put more distance between us. Icouldn’t allow her to impose her emotions on me at any given time. This had to stop. There were other, more important things that required my attention. I had to remind myself of that.
Gathering my strength, I replied through the connection,“I broke the rules for you once. To indulge your curiosity. I won’t be doing it again.”
A harsh truth, but a truth nonetheless. With it came a rush of emotions, all hers, and the intensity of them was like being held underwater. I felt…ineptitude. A belief that she’d never be enough for anyone. I hated that I was making her feel that way, or that those sisters even put the idea in her head, but there was no way around it. This had to end.
“Didn’t you enjoy yourself?” she asked.
I knew she must not be able to sense my emotions, otherwise she never would’ve asked that question. Pleasuring Claire did more than satisfy a carnal desire. It drew me in to her completely.
I’d always felt detached during intimacy. It was all transactional. Whether I was with a man or a woman, it didn’t matter. But this—feeling her desire while I was touching her—was the opposite. I was engrossed in her. Invested in her. Breathing in tandem with her.
All I wanted was to be with her. Slowly, I fit my hand around her waist, drawing her against me. She sucked in a sharp breath as our bodies collided. Nothing was more satisfying than having her warmth pressed up against me. Nothing.
I realized,too late, it was happening all over again. I was losing myself in her, and I needed to focus. I couldn’t give in to our mate bond again. I released my hold on her. “Whether I did or didn’t is of little consequence. Rules are in place for a reason. When we reach Roselyn, your consorts can pleasure you all day and night if you wish.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could take them back, but I couldn’t. She was allowed to be pleased. It just couldn’t be with me.
Her brows knitted together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I couldn’t be the one to explain this to her. If I tried, she wouldn’t need to feel my emotions to know how I felt about it.
“Go back to our tent,”I told her. “I’ll have supper sent to you.”
I closed our connection, and it immediately shut off the flow of emotions coming from her, allowing me to breathe again. I opened the tent and stalked toward my horse, Lucien, who had been tied up for the night.
Claire followed after me, not abiding my command.
I forced myself to face her, intent on demanding she return to our tent, but when I did, I found myself speechless. Under the glow of the moon, she lookedotherworldly. The strands of her hair alight like stars. Her eyes, molten gold. Her skin, like Diana herself. Bright and glowing.
