4. Nic

Chapter 4

"Miss Boucher?" Even suspicion looked good on her, the way she narrowed her eyes when I referred to her formally, handing her the distance she so clearly craved but didn't seem to believe in.

She didn't trust me, but she was right not to. One month would never be enough when I needed her by my side. But the month itself was little more than semantics. It was definitely long enough to get her to agree to remain with me.

I almost laughed at myself. I'd never tolerated humans well—that was understatement—yet here I was, negotiating to keep one.

Baby steps, as humans liked to say. I needed a virgin to secure my reign, but I needed her to come to me willingly.

I withheld a sigh. Oh, to be human, and behave as if I had all the time in the world when in reality, they had so little.

Leia watched me, and a shiver of anticipation worked through my body. Sitting with her so close was the most exquisite torture. Her scent almost drowned me, yet I couldn't prevent myself from taking breath after breath of it. If I hyperventilated, there was no better excuse than the scent of a virgin, especially one who tempted me like this.

The mere thought of having her in my house was almost enough to make me come in my pants…but I had no intention of coming anywhere other than her body. And that would require careful seduction.

I flipped through the paperwork and extracted the final contract Jason had made legal draw up.

"If you could just sign here, Miss Boucher." I indicated the dotted line and reached to my inside pocket for a pen.

She swallowed, the sound audible, transmitting her fear. "You brought an actual contract for this eventuality? You knew I'd agree?"

It had been mostly a certainty—humans always went with the least bad thing. And a month with me paled in comparison to losing every other element of her life. "Hoped."

As she glanced at me, more suspicion in her eyes, I stood and strolled casually to the fireplace, glancing up at the portrait of the woman above. It was her mother, but Leia didn't know I knew that. I'd been involved with this family since they started in Baton Rouge. I'd grieved for each of them as they'd died, even Camille, although we'd lost touch after Father…

I shook my head and stopped the thoughts of the past. There was no point to them now. I had too much future to secure to get lost in memories.

Perhaps my link to Leia's family line had been fate, although no other had ever held the same pull for me as Leia. "Would you like to show me around?"

Her head whipped up, her eyes meeting mine as I asked my question.

"The house won't be yours." Her words were cold. "You don't need to see it."

"I know. Consider me an interested friend." I injected just enough threat into my words that she flinched and shoved the signed contract in my direction before standing and walking to the door.

She didn't even glance over her shoulder before she started talking.

"Pretty self-explanatory. Entrance hall with a main staircase." Then she pointed like she was bored. "Formal dining over there, we were just in the old drawing room. Kitchen at the back and a sitting room. There's a TV in there but—" She broke off and chuckled. "That hasn't worked since they turned off the cable last month."

I turned a slow circle, taking in the crown molding that needed repair, the paint that was chipping off, the floor that was scraped and worn, and the furnishings that were battered and scuffed. None of the furniture was antique or original to the house, and nothing was as I remembered. I opened my mouth to ask about a particular console table I'd always admired, but that would give too much away, so I just murmured consideringly instead.

"What?" Leia asked.

"Nothing." I leaned closer to her, breathing her in. "Just thinking I maybe had a lucky break. This place needs a fuck-ton of money spent on it."

Her glance should have withered me. But it excited me, instead. She had spirit, and that was arousing.

"Not yours to worry about," she said. "Not yours at all now."

Not taking my gaze from hers, I inclined my head, happy to give her this point, to let her win a few battles. I intended to win a lot more before our time together ended.

I intended to claim her. I'd only heard stories of true mates, but the more time I spent with Leia, the surer I was. And a true mate—maybe the first in generations in my line—meant no one would dare challenge me once I'd claimed her.

Something in her blood called to me. I could hear it thrumming through her veins, and it perfumed the air of any room she stood in. It was delectable, and I could almost taste it on my tongue. My fangs ached with need, and my cock thickened.

I'd been in the company of virgins before—long before I'd ever needed one—and they were all young. Mere slips of girls with nothing in their heads. But their blood hadn't called to mine the way Leia's did. She was like a walking enchantment.

"And upstairs?" I glanced at the staircase. It needed attention, too.

Her eyes narrowed familiarly. "That's my private space."

"Absolutely." I nudged against her, the touch so brief it could have been accidental, but her heartrate kicked up, signaling her awareness of me. "But your contracted expectation to privacy only applies to my home. However, in the spirit of goodwill…" I moved away, putting distance between us, even though I would have been happier to take her with me.

I peered back into the drawing room. Jean was snoring, oblivious to the fact he'd gifted me his daughter, leaving me in the perfect position to stake my claim. "I'll make arrangements for your father to attend rehab."

"As we discussed." Her response was sharp, like I might go back on our agreement, and I almost grinned at her lack of thanks. But her outer confidence belied her obvious anxiety.

Every challenge she offered made me more sure she was meant for me. I'd never felt more alive than right now, standing alongside her in a house that was more hole than whole.

And fuck… my true mate was a virgin. It was like winning the lottery twice. A total mindfuck. A virgin and a true mate—not something I'd ever expected to find, even though I'd waited as long as I could on the off chance that true mates were real and there was one out there for me.

I always would have had to find a virgin to secure my reign after Father. None of us had expected the end when it came, though, and it had left me weaker than I liked. But humans.

Fucking humans.

Still, that part was unavoidable. Non-negotiable. I needed a virgin. Virgins were human. Vampire women were too long-lived. Therefore, that translated to me fucking a human.

But my true mate… my true mate could have been vampire. And although no one had forged a true mate bond in generations, a secret part of me had hoped to find mine. In stories, it was a mythical state of being. In reality, my true mate would amplify my vampire powers—I'd be stealthier, faster, stronger, heal quicker, and I'd have increased powers of compulsion.

In return, my mate would benefit from amplification herself. I'd never wanted to give even a part of myself to anyone, but now I longed to. I wanted to forge that bond, to share some of my abilities. Things that would keep her safe, like quicker healing, protection from other vampires, greater strength.

I could have claimed anyone as a simple mate, someone to rule alongside me. But I hadn't wanted to just claim anyone. I didn't have a problem finding women to fuck me, and I hadn't wanted to mate just anyone to be my queen. So I'd held out for the legend, for the promise of power and a rule stronger than my father's. Maybe if I had that, I wouldn't end the same way he had. Or maybe there was a romantic lurking somewhere in my creaky old heart.

I brushed aside that ridiculous notion.

No. It was the power a true mate could bring that I really desired. And in my family, that was the kind of power I needed. Lots of it.

I allowed my gaze to linger over Leia again. She'd need protecting. I wanted her close to my side, but bringing her into my world as an unclaimed virgin laid her open to all sorts of power-hungry vampires who might try to make her theirs. Not least my own family. They wouldn't hesitate to try to usurp my place as the new king.

My fingers formed a fist. It was a tricky line to walk, a tricky balance to keep. But Leia was mine, and she'd be at my side willingly by the end of this month, if it even took that long. Of that, I had no doubt.

When she looked at me, her cheeks red, I glanced away. "Sorry." I wasn't sorry at all. "I shouldn't stare."

She parted her lips but said nothing.

I leaned closer to her, and she watched me, truly prey caught in my gaze. She let out a startled whimper as I bent so close our lips almost touched.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this, Miss Boucher." When I touched my mouth against hers, it was faint and fleeting, and longing sent thin threads through me, tying me into tiny, painful knots as the start of our bond developed.

Before I could tease myself any more, I pulled away. "I'll be back for you later tonight. In the meantime, I'll make all the arrangements we've discussed."

I returned to the drawing room and picked up her signed contract before folding it into three and tucking it into my pocket. Then I reclaimed the rest of Jean Boucher's file.

"You won't be required at The Pour House today," I said as I let myself out into the mid-morning Louisiana sun, fighting against the ache in my gums.

If Leia made a response, it was contained behind the closed door, and it probably wasn't one I'd have wanted to hear anyway. I grinned as I strode down the steps, my attention on the cracked and decaying stone under my feet. Creepers wound around the columns, anchoring themselves to the masonry, and I wouldn't have liked to take my chances leaning against the balcony balustrade.

So much work to undertake to bring this place anywhere near to its former glory.

And my mate planned to do it all herself, it seemed.

I slipped my sunglasses on as I crossed the driveway to where Jenkins was still waiting, and as I slid into the backseat, I already had my phone to my ear.

"Yeah?"

I shook my head. Benedict rarely sounded respectful. "She's coming to live with me. Can you get everything ready?"

There was a moment's pause. "Yes, absolutely."

"And Ben?"

Another pause. "Yeah?" This time the word was hesitant, and I grinned as we traveled back into town, familiar scenery hurtling by and the dry AC in my car keeping the worst of the humidity at bay.

"You're managing a bar for the next month."

Benedict chuckled. "Now that, I can definitely do. So what made you call in the sub-clause?"

"She's everything I need." I'd intended to keep things vague, but I pressed the button to roll the privacy screen into place and filled Benedict in. He needed to know if he was going to help me. "I need to protect her from the others, though. She's mine for a month. That's the only time I have to spend with her and make her want to stay."

Benedict hissed an inhale through his teeth. "But she's a human. What have you found?"

I chuckled. "What haven't I found? A virgin to cement my ascension to the throne. More. But Sebastian could present a…problem."

My mind whirled as I spoke. Sebastian was my younger brother. He'd always been the spare to my heir, and he'd always been jealous. He'd see Leia as his opportunity to step into my place. Most likely by killing her to prevent my claim on a virgin. He was a ruthless son of a bitch, and he knew I'd never be officially recognized as king without staking my claim to a virgin to heighten my powers.

Benedict sighed. "You never take the easy route, Nic. When do you need me at the bar?"

"As soon as possible. I told Leia she's not needed there today. I'll collect her later. I want to talk to my staff before I bring her home." My chef would probably be most pleased of all—finally, someone to cook for.

"You got Jason on security detail?" Of course, Benedict was still focused on practicalities.

"Yes. And I'll warn him about Seb." I blew out a sigh. If only vampire families weren't so bloodthirsty.

"Maybe he won't try anything." Benedict's hopeful tone made me chuckle.

"Mm… History doesn't permit me that degree of optimism."

Benedict chuckled too. "Okay, I'll grab the address of this bar I'm managing from our files, and I'll head straight there after I make any other necessary arrangements for her stay."

"I think the bar's going to need some work." If it was anything like the house, it would need a complete overhaul. I was confident Benedict could handle it, though.

We finished the call, and I grinned as I slipped my phone away and considered all of the changes I needed to make my home a place where Leia would want to spend time. My seduction of her would start today.

My plantation home was everything hers should have been…could have been. Fucking would have been if her father hadn't spent all the family money on drink and gambling. If he'd been fucking man enough to earn some himself.

A sliver of guilt sliced through me at how many days I'd allowed him to prop up at a poker or blackjack table at La Petite Mort. But I pushed it away. I ran a business. The people who gave me their money were of no concern to me—especially when they were willing to part with such valuable things as Jean Boucher apparently was.

Almost made me want to believe in fate.

"We've arrived at La Petite Mort, sir." Jenkins's voice was tinny, his announcement unnecessary as it crackled through the car's audio system.

"It won't be a late night today, Jenkins. We'll be collecting Leia Boucher to take her to my home with me." I opened the door and got out before he replied, my head already occupied with thoughts of Leia and the way her scent wove right through me, drumming up a thirst like I'd never known.

As soon as I entered my office, I cleared my schedule for the rest of the afternoon and spent my time on the phone to my housekeeper. "Prepare the east wing, please Mrs. Ames, I'm expecting a guest."

"Wonderful, Mr. Dupont." There was a smile in her voice as she spoke. "Do I know the…" She paused. "Gentleman?"

I grinned at her clumsy attempt to get the information she wanted.

"Her name is Leia Boucher, and she's to have anything she wants while she's with us. Food, entertainment, the ability to roam at her will." I paused and rethought. "But of course, no access to my private quarters."

"Of course, Mr. Dupont. And this really is wonderful news. I'll see to the preparations myself, and I'm sure Chef will want to come up with an entirely new menu." She already sounded flustered, but she'd worked for me for a long time, and I knew she had everything in hand.

"Excellent. She'll arrive home with me this evening." Sudden excitement zinged through me at seeing Leia again, smelling Leia again, but I tamped it down. I needed her to ensure I'd cement my true place, and I couldn't allow anything to interfere with that—especially not the sloppiness of emotion. Plus she was human, and no human was worth this degree of excitement, in my experience.

This situation required the ultimate control. But I wasn't like my siblings. I could control myself, and had for years. I used donor bags of blood for feeding so I'd never lose myself to blood lust—no one could ever lust after the disgusting taste of this blood—and I could absolutely claim a virgin for her power without giving in to the baser mating instincts of my kind. It could perhaps be the ultimate business arrangement.

My entire life was a lesson in control—tempting others to lose theirs while honing my own.

All I had to do with Leia was make her comfortable enough to accept me… To offer herself to me within one month, and my entire future was secured.

Yes, that was all.

But the words true mate lingered in my thoughts before I had a chance to dismiss them.