“I thought,” she said slowly, “we understood each other. You run her out of town, and we get to keep our power.”
“My power, mother. And to be quite frank, I never agreed to that. You assumed. I simply never corrected you. I have no intention of ever running Isadora out of town. Not now, not ever.”
“Oh, good heavens. Don’t tell me you’re attracted to the girl. There are plenty of others if you need someone to bed. We don’t?—”
“I’m not simply attracted to her—I love her,” I stated boldly. “She’s my mate.”
Seraphina froze as though I’d struck her.
Her painted lips parted—soundlessly at first. Then she blinked. “You… love her?”
I didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
She barked a short, incredulous laugh, sharp as a blade. “You love her? A Laurent? You must be joking, Lucien. They are beneath us.”
I sighed, realizing now how toxic and poisonous my mother was. “They are not beneath us, Mother. If you opened your eyes and ended this melodramatic bullshit of yours, you would see that no one is beneath us. I’m sick of playing your games, of lording power over other people’s heads. I came here tonight to inform you that Isadora Laurent is my mate. My fated mate. And when she returns, I plan to marry her.”
“Lucien!” my mother scoffed. “Her family is poison. They’re nothing. Worthless. I will not accept you marrying a girl steeped in scandal. For crying out loud, she has nothing.”
“She has me,” I bit out. “She doesn’t need anything more than that.”
“I will not stand for this?—”
“I don’t care,” I interrupted. “It’s not your choice. It’s mine. And I’ve made it. And know this, Mother. If you ever try to harm Isadora or her family, I will no longer be your son. I’ll be your enemy.”
My mother stared at me in stunned silence. Her fingers trembled and the bloodwine sloshed in the glass. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do. I will protect her until my dying breath from anyone who brings her harm.”
“Your father?—”
“Will understand, or he won’t,” I said. “But that’s his choice to make. As it is yours. Now, if there’s nothing else you want from me, I am needed elsewhere.”
Like in New Orleans.
I didn’t care what it took—I would find Isadora, and I would bring her home.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
ISADORA
I’d been sitting on Lucien’s couch for twenty-three minutes, and waiting for him to appear was exactly as agonizing as I deserved.
The house was dim and eerily quiet. It felt like he hadn’t lived in it for days. In fact, the living room looked exactly like Lucien and I had left it on our mad dash out after receiving the call about Thorne.
I’d come here first upon arriving in town, hoping to catch Lucien alone and give myself a chance to explain. But I was second-guessing everything now. Maybe I should have gone to The Crimson Veil first. The lounge was his second home—maybe he hadn’t left his office since I’d left town. Except, I hadn’t wanted an audience for this conversation, or for my apology. Privacy had seemed better when I’d planned this all out in my head. But what did I know? I was the one who’d bailed in the first place.
When I left, I hadn’t told anyone where I was going. Not even Thorne. Ending Trystan’s life had broken me. And the only thought in my head had been to go back to New Orleans and tell his family all that had happened. I’d walked out of Ella Black’s house without so much as a goodbye.
And now, I was back and had no idea how everyone would react to that.
What if they didn’t want me? What if, in my absence, they’d realized I wasn’t worth all the trouble? Or that their lives were better off without me?
Returning to New Orleans had been difficult, especially when it came to telling Trystan’s family about everything that’d happened—about what I’d done. But coming back to Eternity Falls? This was so much harder.
I wouldn’t run again, though. I’d promised myself that. I’d face them, say my piece, and apologize. Then I’d await their verdict. It was the least I owed them.
