8. Nic

Chapter 8

I walked away from the booth determined to return quickly. We were in the safest place in New Orleans, but nowhere was truly a safe place to leave my virgin mate. Not when she was the key to securing my reign and hadn't yet been claimed.

There were plenty of people in Baton Rouge and New Orleans who would either try to kill Leia to prevent me achieving the power granted to me by my birth or claim her themselves and remove me as a threat entirely. My blood heated in my veins at the thought of someone else taking Leia.

That wasn't acceptable, and I was here to make sure it didn't happen. And within The Neutral Zone, those threats were…well…neutralized.

Mixing business with pleasure wasn't ideal, but Percival and his attempts at subterfuge had made it necessary—I couldn't have him reporting back to Francois about Leia. I'd taken the right precautions—bringing us to The Neutral Zone, which guaranteed her safety as much as possible. She'd be fine in the restaurant for a little longer while I met with Francois.

I made my way up a grand staircase to the rooms upstairs. The red and black color scheme continued here, even more ornate, and it was like being in a whore's rotting pussy, regardless of Francois's delusions of grandeur regarding the regal atmosphere it projected.

Francois was heir to the New Orleans throne. He'd always been my peer in every way but age and experience—only my father had happened to die first, while his lingered in a stasis rumored to be caused by the slow descent into madness that seemed to run in the family. Francois ran The Neutral Zone as a safe place to conduct his political meetings, and generally, the clue was in the name. I'd never dared bring something as sought after as Leia through the door, though. I could only hope our negotiations here tonight would be worth the risk.

Leia was mine, and I needed the rest of the community to understand that—whether my mark was on her or not. And that included Francois. I was the only one in our position in possession of a virgin, and I intended to keep it that way.

I was here to stake my claim because vampires, especially young vampires, were like toddlers. If they saw something they wanted, they took it. So if I couldn't sway Francois with consequences regarding my ownership, I had something he might want almost as badly to secure his rule.

I hurried down a wide corridor. Crystal chandeliers hung above my head, reflecting and refracting hues of red like kaleidoscope droplets of blood, and a plush carpet beneath my feet cushioned my footsteps. Any vampire in the building would still hear me coming, though.

Leia's scent still lingered in my nose, solidifying my desire to return to her as quickly as possible.

I arrived at the door to Francois's office. Closed, of course. He'd want to start the meeting off in his favor—with me knocking like some meek subordinate for entry. And it wouldn't hurt me to play along, so I knocked. Like the good guest.

There really was no point in angering Francois when he already knew exactly what I had with me, the one thing that could secure either of our futures. Except Leia wasn't merely a virgin. She was also my mate. And that made her priceless. And mine.

"Entrez!"

I rolled my eyes at Francois's sharp command before throwing the door open, my gesture large and designed to take up space.

"Nicolas." He turned big brown eyes at me. He'd always struck me as a little insipid, possibly a little feminine, with hair that had been styled after a regency gentleman and his taste in clothes more flamboyant than my own.

But whatever worked for him. I wasn't here to exchange fashion tips like some fucking teenager.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Francois continued when I stood silently inside the door. He spoke heavily accented English, which was completely unnecessary because I wasn't sure he'd ever even visited France.

I sighed heavily, dramatically, falsely. "I'm afraid I'm here with bad news about Percival."

For a moment, Francois's eyes narrowed. Then he shrugged. "I'm not sure why you think I need to know about this Percival."

"He's no longer with us." I examined my nails. "Turned out he was a spy."

Francois gave a delicate shudder. "How unfortunate for him." Then he looked at me, his eyes cold. "But that doesn't explain why you are here, mon ami."

There was nothing friendly in his tone at all, and I scanned his gaze, tying to work out if the family madness had found him yet.

"To protect what is mine." I folded my arms, narrowing my eyes as I watched him.

Francois stood, his gaze reddening. "You came to my restaurant to stake a claim on something?" He advanced toward me. "You may have made a mistake."

His mild words didn't hide the sudden threat of violence emanating from him.

"The woman I'm dining with tonight—"

"Oui, the virgin?" Again, Francois sounded casual, but there was tension in the way he held himself. "She's a little old to be a true virgin, don't you think?"

But even Francois must have heard the lie in his words. There was no way he hadn't picked up Leia's scent. A hint of fang glinted as he smiled, and rage filled me. His fangs had descended while he thought of my mate?

"She is mine," I roared as I rushed him, grabbing his throat and pinning him against the wall, but he just chuckled lazily.

"Nicolas, Nicolas, Nicolas." He sounded so longsuffering. "If you were really staking your claim, why would you bring your new toy to play here?"

"My new toy—" I hissed the words "—means I can secure my reign as soon as I mate with her. You're still stuck waiting fifty fucking years until your father comes out of stasis—or is it getting longer each time, Francois? Does your father's death draw nearer even as we speak? Do you wonder if this time will be the time when he doesn't wake?"

He glared at me then seemed to remember himself and shrugged, the move careful and at odds with his red gaze. "As long as the woman you brought remains a virgin, it doesn't matter to me."

I squeezed his throat tighter. "You can find your own virgin and leave mine fucking well alone—and make sure your people do, too. I came to you to negotiate a political deal."

The red in Francois's eyes faded as he considered my words. He was always looking for new ways to stabilize his position without the protection of his father as king. As long as the king remained in stasis, Francois was vulnerable, a position I knew all too well. Anything that shored him up politically captured his interest.

"Ahh, but is anything you can offer me better than a virgin?" His tone was silky soft.

I nodded as I let go of his throat. "I believe so." I retreated a step back as Francois returned to his desk and pretended to look busy, even though his entire focus was still on me. "I've come to negotiate a truce."

"Really." The bored tone was back in his voice as he picked up a pen from the surface of his desk. He didn't even bother to make the word a question.

"A temporary truce, Francois. Don't sweat it." I goaded him like I would a sibling I'd grown tired of.

Our constant competition did tire me, but I also thrived on it. I just needed it to not exist right now. Francois smirked, and my temper rose again, but I gritted my teeth.

"Are you going to listen at all, Francois?"

"Oui." The word was a mere breath between his teeth as he waved a hand. "Continue."

"Leia is mine. She needs to remain mine until I have chance to claim her properly."

He shrugged like it wasn't his problem. "Oh, but Nicolas. We both know how I enjoy a hunt. The thrill of the chase."

"A month." I blurted the words as my control slipped. "For one month we won't interfere in each other's lives, and I will pay you for this agreement with that tract of bayou land you've always wanted."

The local shifter pack would be pissed at me for the deal, but Leia's safety was worth even their resentment. And the land got Francois's attention.

"And how many centuries has my family sought to relieve you of that land? All this time, it would have only taken one virgin?" He widened his eyes. "Mais non. Perhaps no one before now has needed any help to hang on to their virgin?"

He shook his head, the mock sympathy obvious. But instead of allowing him to goad me, I nodded stiffly, all of my muscles tense. Leia was too important to my future for me to fuck this up.

"The land you want in the bayou is yours for one month, free of interference by either of us in the other's life." I laughed, the sound empty. "Then we can return to our normal behavior."

It wouldn't matter to me after a month. I'd have claimed my virgin—my true mate—cemented my right to reign, and I'd have the power to defeat Francois and probably even reclaim my land.

I could have it all. But I still waited almost without breathing for him to decide.

And he knew what he was doing. He leaned back in his chair, and it shifted soundlessly under his change in position. He watched me for too long, like he was trying to make me squirm. The fucker. Final death was too good for him, but I couldn't afford a war right now.

Finally he nodded, just a gracious incline of his head as he rolled his eyes to look at me. "As you wish, Nicolas. As you wish."

Almost without acknowledging Francois's acceptance of my terms, I spun away from him and stormed down the hallway to return to the restaurant. That had taken way too fucking long, and he'd been a whiny little bitch about it, too. Couldn't he just be gracious for once in his fucking immortal life?

I jogged down the stairs and entered the restaurant, my gaze immediately on the booth where I'd left Leia. And it was empty.

The world seemed to slow, servers getting in my way as I sidestepped around chairs and other diners, like maybe I'd find her sitting where I'd left her if I just got close enough to inspect the seat.

But no. Still empty.

I slipped my phone out of my pocket and dialed Jason. I'd left him with the helicopter because a romantic meal didn't require my security guard and sireling as a third wheel, but what the hell had I been thinking? I'd left my virgin mate totally fucking unguarded.

Anything could have happened to her. I'd thought my presence in the restaurant and its reputation as a neutral ground would have been enough to deter any action against her—but obviously not.

"Jason." I barked his name into the phone when he answered. "Is Leia with you?"

He didn't answer yes or no. "I'll be right there."

My hand tightened around my phone at the words as I glanced around the restaurant again. I checked the ladies' room, walking right in like I owned the space, then the men's room, but she wasn't in either.

Jason arrived at my side.

"She's somewhere close, I can still smell her." Her light, floral scent was strongest at our booth, but it was elsewhere in the restaurant, too. "What if that bastard Francois…?" While I'd been upstairs, pursuing our deal, the deal he'd fucking agreed to—ah, but he'd made me wait. He'd fucking made me wait, the fucker. "What if he double-crossed me?"

Jason shook his head slowly, like he was considering the idea.

"I think I can track her. If someone took her, I can find her." I headed toward the doors. "Stay here and search. Don't leave any room out. If she's here, we need to find her. She's mine."

I ground out the last two words, my jaw painfully tense. There was no fucking way I was leaving New Orleans without Leia. No way at all.

I pushed through the door onto the street, careless of anyone standing on the other side as I thrust it to bounce from the wall. I only had one thought in my head. Leia.

I inhaled deeply, trying to detect her floral scent, taking in the mixture of swamp, stale urine, vomit, and coffee before shaking my head and trying again.

My mate was here somewhere, and I'd find her. She wasn't safe on the streets in New Orleans by herself, and anger cleaved me that I hadn't protected her better.

Then it was there. Something delicate. Something floral. Something mine.

I darted between groups of milling tourists, their vision hampered by both the night and too much booze, losing then finding her scent again as different odors clamored for attention.

Suddenly Leia's scent changed, blooming into something bitter and acrid. Fear so strong I could almost taste it, and my gut became a tangle of knots. I picked up my pace, almost knocking people down as I pushed them out of my way. I had no time to go around stupid fucking humans who wandered into my path.

I needed to go through.

The scent grew stronger, and I focused in on three males huddled around my mate, caging her into a doorway. I watched as their eyes reddened, their fangs descending as they laughed and hands wandered over Leia's body. One dipped his head like he might bite her, fangs grazing across the delicate skin of her neck, and rage flared inside me. Primal rage tainted with something that tasted a lot like fear.

I roared my fury and hurtled toward them, intent on their destruction, my pact with Francois be damned.

Only Leia's safety mattered.