Page 7 of Dermot

“So you’re not leaving?”

Bastien grinned. “Not yet. That will give us time to talk.”

Dermot opened his mouth to tell Bastien he didn’t have anything to tell him, even though that wasn’t true. They definitely needed to talk about their bond, even if it was for one of them to reject the other.

Dermot just wasn’t sure that was what he wanted.

Before he could say anything, Bastien turned around. Initially, Dermot didn’t understand why, but then he saw Celeste step out of Rowan and Clay’s house. It was as if Bastien sensed she was leaving the house. He watched her as she stepped down the porch steps hesitantly and looked around. He was clearly worried about her, but he still didn’t go to her. He gave her the autonomy to decide what she wanted, and when she saw her brother, she smiled and started to come toward him.

Dermot hadn’t made it a secret that he knew what she’d been through, and he didn’t want to fight with Bastien. It had nothing to do with the fight between their mates and everything to do with the fact that Bastien was Rowan and Clay’s guest. They wouldn’t want anyone to be rude, but especially not Dermot, who was respected in the village. He was a powerful Vila, and along with others, he kept the shields running and kept the village safe. It would not be good if he, of all people, made things difficult for Bastien and Celeste. People would probably understand, but still. It would make things awkward.

“I’m sorry,” Bastien said softly before moving toward his sister. Dermot blinked and watched him go. He supposed that made things easier on him. He wouldn’t have to come up with an excuse to go back inside the house. He probably should, though, but he couldn’t seem to look away from Celeste and Bastien. Celeste still looked fragile, which was understandable after what she’d been through. She reached him, and Bastien pulled her close as soon as she was within reach, tucking her under his arm. Celeste smiled up at him, and for a second, Dermot wished he was in her place. He wanted to be pressed against Bastien, too. He wanted to be allowed to smile at him and lean into him.

He swallowed and looked away. He was allowed to do that. He was actually the only person forbidding himself from doing so. He’d been keeping his distance from his mate on purpose, and he only had himself to blame for that.

But it was the right thing to do, at least for now. He couldn’t do anything until he knew what kind of person Bastien was. He just couldn’t.

That meant that he had to watch Bastien walk away from him.

* * * *

BASTIEN DIDN’T WANT to walk away from Dermot when he finally had the man talking to him, but Celeste was more important. Celeste came first, always.

It was especially true after she’d told Bastien some of the things she’d been through with Parrish. Bastien had come here imagining the worst, and he’d been right to worry. Parrish was a monster, and he wished that Celeste had never met him. He also wished he could talk to fate or whoever had decided that Celeste’s mate would be a man like Parrish and get an explanation, because it didn’t make sense. Celeste had never hurt anyone. She was incredibly sweet and gentle. When they were kids, she kept bringing home stray pets, even after their parents had told her to stop. They’d ended up with five cats, three dogs, a rabbit, and two hamsters. Bastien still didn’t know where his sister found all those animals, but she’d always been kind, and they felt that.

And she’d been through hell. It wasn’t fair. No one deserved to go through that, especially not at the hands of their mate, but especially not Celeste. Bastien wanted to rage and demand an explanation, but he didn’t have anyone to ask. He wasn’t even sure if someone had chosen Parrish for her or if it was simply biology. His parents believed in fate and all of that, but he’d always wondered.

He couldn’t believe that everyone got the mate they deserved. Celeste didn’t deserve someone like Parrish. He was also dubious about the idea that mates met when they most needed each other. Celeste hadn’t needed to meet Parrish. She hadn’t needed anyone at all. She’d been happy with her family back home, and now, here she was, more fragile than she’d ever been, hurt and maybe broken. It was all Parrish’s fault, but he wouldn’t have been able to hurt her if they hadn’t been mates. She never would’ve talked to him if they hadn’t been. He was a Kudlak. Krsnik and Vila knew better than to have anything to do with Kudlak.

“You need to stop worrying about me,” Celeste said as she patted Bastien’s arm.

Bastien blinked down at her. “Was it that obvious I was worrying about you?”

“I suppose it might not be about me. Maybe it’s about Dermot?”

“What do you know about him?” Bastien hadn’t told her about Dermot being his mate. It was clear that Dermot wasn’t planning on telling anyone just yet, and Bastien didn’t want to antagonize him. He’d decided that they should talk before doing or saying anything, but Dermot wasn’t making it easy. Of course, neither was Bastien. He was focused on his sister, and he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to dedicate time to Dermot. He was pretty sure that Dermot would have pulled away even if he’d tried, though.

Dermot behaved as if he didn’t trust Bastien. Bastien wasn’t sure why he felt that way. He wasn’t a Kudlak. They didn’t know each other, but Krsnik had always lived alongside and protected Vila. Why would Dermot not feel safe with Bastien?

Of course, Bastien didn’t know anything about Dermot’s past. Maybe a Krsnik had hurt him in a way that made him wary. Maybe someone had hurt him as badly as Parrish had hurt Celeste, and their bond wouldn’t mean anything to Dermot because of that. If that was the case, Bastien wouldn’t give up. He could be incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be, and there was no better reason to be stubborn than his mate.

Celeste sighed. “He’s wary. I don’t blame him, considering who my mate is, but I do wish he would give me the chance to show him that I’m not like Parrish.”

“I think that if you give him time, he’ll let you in.”

Celeste glanced up at Bastien. “Really? Why would he?”

Should Bastien tell her that Dermot was his mate? She’d be happy for him, but it might complicate the situation even more than it already was.

Bastien looked around. He understood why Celeste felt safe here. The village and clan were small, but everyone seemed to be happy here, or at least, as happy as they could be with Parrish hanging around and being a threat to them. From what Bastien had seen over the past few days since he’d arrived, everyone wanted to be here. They were ready to fight for their home, and everyone helped protect it. They were working to keep Celeste and Bastien safe, even though they didn’t have to. Hell, it would’ve been easier for Clay and Rowan to ask Bastien and Celeste to leave as soon as Bastien had arrived. It would have kept their clan safe. Having Celeste here made it a target for Parrish, although from what Bastien knew, Parrish had already had Rowan in his sights.

The situation was complicated, but the clan was making it easier by allowing Celeste and Bastien to stay. It meant Bastien didn’t have to worry about his sister being safe, at least not right now. He didn’t have to wonder how he’d get her home without Parrish trying to grab her. They couldn’t stay here forever, but hopefully, they wouldn’t have to. Bastien had every intention of making sure that Parrish didn’t live for much longer, and once he was gone, Celeste would be safe.

But for now, he wasn’t gone, and that was Bastien’s main problem. He didn’t think he could take Parrish on his own, especially when Parrish had a bunch of followers who would sacrifice their own lives for him. Not all of them might be strong enough to defeat Bastien, but together? No, Bastien couldn’t do anything on his own, but maybe he wouldn’t have to. He and this clan wanted the same thing. They wanted to be rid of Parrish and make sure he never came back. That meant killing him, which was something a lot of people would be hesitant about, but not Bastien. He didn’t care what it took to keep his family safe. After what Parrish had done, he’d kill him with a smile on his face. He was pretty sure no one here in the clan would blame him for that. They might even help him.

He wondered if Dermot might. What was Dermot’s history with Parrish? Did he have one? Was that part of the reason he was so careful when it came to Bastien? Was there more to it? It couldn’t be about Bastien himself, because Dermot didn’t know him.

“Bastien?” Celeste asked, squeezing Bastien’s arm.