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No need to explain that I’d gotten a little panicky at how sad Eden had seemed last Friday. She’d lost her sparkle, and I hated knowing I was responsible. It felt like my mother and my old man all over again. Different characters, same story.
“She’s not a suitable mate,” Cain stated.
I stilled. “I know that.”
“Ah.” Brien lifted a brow. “The elephant in the lair.”
Cain’s focus remained on me. “Do you? Know, I mean?”
“Yes,” I said shortly.
“She’d be problematic,” Brien mused. “You could turn her, of course, but would we be able to trust her?”
I ground my molars together. “The woman made a mistake, okay? She agreed to pass a note and the little prick blackmailed her into spying for him.”
“So it’s like that,” Brien said.
“Like what?” I demanded.
“Just that I seem to remember arguing with you about Twilight being my mate. You said she was—and you were right.”
Cain sat up and pulled his legs in. His knee started to bounce.
“It’s different for us,” he told Brien. “You’re a pureblood. Mating with Twilight doesn’t affect your status, especially now you’ve turned her. And even if you’d had a spawn with Twilight while she was still human, you’re strong—and a primus. You could mate with anyone and your spawn would still inherit your power and a fuck-ton of magic. But Talon and I made a pact that we’d only mate with other vampires.”
I aimed a scowl at Cain. “I’m not breaking the damn pact. I like Eden, yeah—and I want to keep her happy.”
At least that’s what I’d told myself this past week, when I’d crawled into bed with Eden each night around her bedtime, holding her until she fell asleep…because I hated seeing her sad and lonely.
“But that’s it,” I added when neither of them said anything.
I was a planner. In the years I’d been Brien’s bodyguard, I’d turned my life around. The reckless twenty-year-old had been replaced by a man who thought five steps ahead, had long-term goals. I’d already adjusted my plans to offer Eden my blood bond. I saw no reason to change them further. Mating with a vampire was the best option for both me and the syndicate.
“I’m not so sure you can control it,” Brien said. “In fact, I know you can’t. It’s an instinct. Lilith knows I fought it, but you saw how well that worked. Not that I give a fuck.” His gaze turned inward. “Twilight…completes me.”
“You didn’t grow up with my parents,” I said. “I saw firsthand what choosing with your heart does. No, when I mate, it’s going to be with a vampire who brings something to the table, someone of value to the syndicate.”
Brien leveled a dude, get-your-head-out-of-your-ass look at me. “Even a vampire has a heart. You can’t choose a mate like you’d choose a horse. Even my father didn’t do that, and the gods know he was a cold-ass SOB.”
“And your mother was his weakness,” I returned, “and everyone knew it. No disrespect intended, of course. That’s why, when they couldn’t get to Jules, they staked her instead. So no, I will not take Eden as a mate. I’ll take care of her, keep her until she dies. But I will not mate with her. A blood bond is enough.”
Cain stirred. “The blood bond was a good idea, actually.”
“That’s not what you said a couple of weeks ago,” I told him.
He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking, and it binds her more tightly to you and the syndicate, aside from the fact that she’s carrying your spawn. Smart move.”
“Glad you approve,” I responded dryly.
Still, Cain was right. I hadn’t asked Eden to accept my blood bond for those reasons, but from a purely cynical standpoint, it had been the best way to keep her under control.
“That’s settled, then,” said Brien. “When the time comes, you’ll both look for a mate in the vampire world.”
Cain murmured agreement, but my stomach tightened uneasily. Had I agreed to that?
“Speaking of mates…” Brien rose to his feet. “You guys have a good night. And don’t bother me unless it’s critical because I plan to be busy.” His smile was pure sin.
Cain and I made a couple of rude suggestions, which only made his smile widen.
