18. Nic

Chapter 18

I sucked in a sudden breath I didn't know I'd needed, and it wedged in my chest like something sharp. As soon as Leia started asking questions, I should have known where this was headed.

I'd been stupid to think I could sit around being honest without it coming back to bite me. I should have just shut the conversation down, taken what I wanted, turned her for her own protection. Forget my own selfish requirements for my full ascension and reign. I could still fucking rule…it just wouldn't be the same for either of us if I didn't come into my full powers.

And I needed my full powers to truly be the male worthy of Leia. My head pounded, and I considered another mug of blood. But it tasted even worse than usual with Leia sitting across from me, her scent teasing me every time she moved.

I upended the mug and drained the dregs of my drink, ignoring the gritty texture of the last mouthful. Then I stood and walked to the small stainless sink in the corner, buying myself time as I washed the mug rather than simply rinsing it. I dried it, too, and selected the exact perfect spot in the cupboard where it should sit until I needed it again.

All that time, Leia didn't speak. She barely even seemed to breathe. She just waited. And usually, I excelled at a game of chicken. I was a patient man. I played the odds. The house always fucking won.

Always.

But I'd never played this game. And not with so much on the line.

I was about to fucking reveal my hand.

I'd planned to keep my distance and lay everything out carefully, concisely, matter-of-factly. But as I turned and looked at Leia, I couldn't. I couldn't stay away, I couldn't be detached.

It was all too important to be clinical and scientific. And Leia was more to me than that.

I sat next to her, probably taking up more room than I needed, and reached for her hands. She didn't resist, but there was no encouraging curl of her fingers around mine, either. I lifted her hand to my cheek, nuzzling it a little before I pressed a kiss to her skin, my gaze never leaving hers as I did.

Her cheeks pinked, and hope hammered my heart. She still reacted to my touch.

"Leia…"

She lifted an eyebrow. "A Leia moment? Must be important."

I kissed her hand again. "You're Leia, and I'm Nic."

Her lips parted, and I wanted to kiss them, but I needed to tell her our story first.

"And I know that's who we are, the only thing that matters, because…you're my true mate." I swallowed, seeking the words to make it plainer. "My bride."

She flinched a little, and I reflexively tightened my grip and pressed her palm to my cheek, unwilling to lose her or let her slip away. I watched her to make sure she was okay. I didn't want to hurt her. I just wanted to hold her close to me a little while longer while I explained everything.

"I need a bride, a virgin bride—"

She gasped.

"Don't worry. I've always known. I can tell."

"But how?" He cheeks darkened further.

I shrugged. "It's a difference in your scent."

A difference that aroused me more than I could describe. My gums itched, and I swallowed, trying to focus on something else that wouldn't make my fangs think it was time to come out to play.

"I smell?" She nearly drew away, but I shook my head.

"I don't mean it like that. Your scent is like a beacon for me. For all vampires. You're a siren, calling us all to our doom." I chuckled, the sound oddly self-conscious. "And I've never desired someone more in my whole life."

"Oh." The word was mostly silent as her eyes went wide. "But do all vampires want me like that?"

I nodded but changed my mind, ending on a shake. "Yes and no. No other vampire will want you more than I do because you're my true mate. No one else can claim that."

"True mate?" She swayed a little. "I thought the vampire shit was big news, but now you're saying things I don't really understand."

I drew a deep breath. This was the hard part. "In order to complete the ascension to my throne like I should, with the full respect of my people, my right to rule confirmed completely and to avoid challenge… I need to claim you. As a virgin, you can cement my right to rule." I paused to let that part sink in a little. "But as my true mate, my soul's other half, you alone can elevate my rule by increasing my powers beyond what they are now."

"Your powers?" She withdrew her hand from my cheek, and I let her go.

"Yes. Vampires naturally have increased strength, healing, speed, and also the power of compulsion. With you willingly by my side as my bride and my mate, my ability to command all of these things would be increased even further. I'd become truly the most powerful among my species."

"Willingly by your side?" She seemed to have lost the power to think of full questions and was just repeating things I'd said.

I wanted to reach for her and cradle her against my chest, but I resisted the urge. Crowding her seemed like a bad idea. "Yes. If we were to exchange blood, if you agreed and gave yourself to me willingly—"

She stood, her hands out like I'd advanced toward her. "But you said you don't take from the vein. I heard you say those words, Nicolas."

"Nic." My voice was soft, but I wanted nothing more than to hear her refer to me with that intimacy. As my mate, it was her right.

She shook her head, her denial clear. "Mr. Dupont. Don't think I don't remember you saying you don't take from the vein."

My chest ached as she sneered my name so formally. I wanted to stand and wrap my arms around her, to comfort myself more than her, but I didn't want to scare her. "I'd take from the vein for you."

She backed away. "Sounds like you benefit from that a whole helluva lot more than I do. Where would you keep me? Do I get my own fridge in your little blood room?" She gestured around as she spoke.

"As my claimed mate, you would benefit from increased protection from other vampires. No one would be able to hurt you again. It is the safest I can keep you."

But she wasn't listening. She was still taking small backward steps to the door, her arms out, warding me off. "Our contract was for a month." Her eyes blazed. "Just one month and then I'd be free forever, with my house, my bar, and hopefully a dad who isn't an addict. That was what I agreed to, what I signed up for, and now you're acting like this thing is a forever deal."

I stood, making the movement slow as she took a breath.

"I can't be your mate. That's a fucking ridiculous thing for you to say. We don't even know each other, and we don't have a relationship, no matter how hot you are!" She stopped abruptly, her chest heaving with deep breaths as she fought to control herself.

I'd just dumped a lot of information on her. I would have done this so much more gently if I'd been given the chance. But when I found her in here I…I had no choice.

"But you do think I'm attractive?" My gums ached again as pleasure spread through my chest. I stepped toward her, my hand out. "I can offer you anything your heart desires. All of the things we agreed to—your home, your bar, ongoing help for your father. At my side, you could have anything you've ever wanted, forever."

She froze, not even blinking.

"But it must be by my side." I lowered my voice. "Because I can't rule without you."

Her breaths were shallow, and I could almost see her brain cranking, so whatever I'd offered her must have been an interesting prospect.

"I can make you a very powerful woman," I said. "And you'd be safe."

She shook her head. "Don't be so fucking ridiculous. How could I ever be safe living among vampires?" She looked pointedly at the fridges. "I just watched you drink blood, and you've admitted that you want to drink mine. I don't know why you think that's safe—and I don't know why you think I'd even consider it."

"The mate bond would keep you safe. I would keep you safe. You belong to me." There was no reason for her to resist. I could give her everything she'd ever wanted and keep her safe from harm. "At my side, you'd never want or fear again."

She flung the door open. "No, Nicolas. This isn't what I signed up for, and I don't belong to anyone." Her words caught on a sob as she whirled from the room and slammed the door behind her, leaving only silence in her wake.

I sank onto the loveseat, regret leaving me hollow. I'd handled that all wrong, and I didn't know how to fix it. Leia was really angry, and I'd lost any of the trust and maybe even the mutual attraction that had been building between us.

If I chased after her now, it would likely make things even worse. I'd prove everything she thought she knew about vampires being predators and scary.

I looked at the closed door like I was trying to see through it, because if I couldn't fix this—if I lost her—I didn't know what I'd do.