Lustful Cravings (The Seven Sin Sisters) (6 page)

“Just as you did as a child,” Chiara brushed the hair away from Layla’s face and placed her own hand upon Layla’s cheek. Layla leaned into her mother’s touch and a silent tear slipped out.

“Mother…” Layla’s voice trapped in her throat by the raw emotion rolling through her. At once, she was drawn to Madden and desperately trying to hold onto her family, her innocence, and to everything she ever knew.

“
I got news from your sisters that you’ve
found your
mate.
Surely th
at
doesn’t have you in this sullen mood?” Her mother seemed confused.
Heck, Layla was just as confused.
She should
ha
ve known her mother would see nothing shocking about last night’s events.

Layla continued to sit in silence while her mother continued, “Layla,
my dearest one,
I know you are the youngest and likely the least interested in the prophecy, in finding a mate but you have known. You belong to the
Circle of Magdalen
a
.”

Layla understood the prophecy, she knew she held one of the deadly sins
—
some sort of curse put upon them for the indiscretions of their ancestors hundreds of years ago
—
and that being claimed by a Valendite Breed would render the sin gone. Fulfilling their obligation to sustain this breed of men provides the women in
the
Magdalena Circle
a long, illness-free life.

“Mother, please see this from my point of view.
I do not love him
,”
Layla
emphasized her words
, completely frustrated that her mother was giving her no sympathy
. Then she
paused, slow
ed
her breathing to keep her emotions in check, “Now I am mated
to him
.
I am bonded for life, for eternity.”

“Madden is a good man
from a good family
. Father and I couldn’t be more pleased for yo
u
when we looked into his background
, my dearest one.
They own a local vineyard and another in Italy still, in our homeland.”

“I don’t care about what he does for a living, mother. There is more to this. I wanted time to get to know him.”

“You will get to know him.
And
just as
I
did
with your father, you will grow to love him.
It is determined
, prophesied
.
Do you not feel it?”
Her mother’s eyes were imploring
Layla to be more reasonable.
Crap.
How could this be happening to her?
She’d imagined being able to see her older sisters go through the mating process first.

“I feel a need for him,” Layla admitted softly, “but not love.”

“And how might you define this need?” Her mothe
r was pushing her
now
.
Layla
could sense her mother using the same strategy she always used on her and her sisters to get them to understand something she thought so obvious
.
H
er mother’s hand then fell
on Layla’s
head, strok
ed
Layla’s
hair as she’d done when
her daughter
was a little girl
and caused Layla to consider her words
.

“It is lust, mother
.
J
ust lust.”

“There is no such thing with you, Layla.
It is de
termined that when you experience lust for the first time, it can only mean that is your
life’s
mate.
It is not a destiny with which we can argue,” Chiara’s gentl
e
voice soothed Layla while her soft strokes through Layla’s hair relaxed her tightened mus
cles.
Layla
curled into a ball
and
pull
ed
her legs up to her torso
for
comfort.

“I always thought I would feel love, that love and lust would go hand-in-hand,” Layla explained as she dried the tears that continued to fall.

“You are worrying far too much. Allow the Acclimation to pull you along.” Layla rolled her eyes at her mother’s reference to the process of forming the emotional bond with
one’s
mate. “I saw that, Layla. I’ve always known this would be difficult for you
,
but that makes it no less right. You do realize that your poor sister Eloise is green with envy?”

Thinking about Eloise upset for the very opposite reason Layla herself was upset made Layla laugh and sit up. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the nightgown she wore and attempted a smile.

“
What do I do?”
Layla implored her mother, hoping to
glean
wisdom from the woman
she
always
believed held the answers
.
 
R
ather than answering, Chiara turned her head to look towards the library doors.
Her head tilted as if she’d heard something but Layla heard nothing
until a moment later when Madden stepped from the shadows.
And it was from the shadows that Layla’s question was answered.

“You come back to bed, Layla
l
ove,” Madden’s voice broke the spell.
Chiara guided her daughter’s hand into Madden’s and stepped away with a slight bow
before leaving the room.
Her
mother had a deep respect for the Valendite breed they served, great reverence knowing that their unions s
ustained a necessary population of the near immortal
.

“Mother,” Layla called after her.

“We will have time to talk later, my dearest one,
”
the words faded as her mother continued to move away from her.

Layla cast her eyes up
to
Madden, who tugged slightly
on
her hand
before
he
loo
ked
over her shoulder and nodd
ed
to her mother.

“
T
hank you for your daughter,” he spoke
with reverence
.
Though
she wanted to be
angry,
he was speaking about her as if she weren’t there
, she couldn’t seem to muster the anger.
S
he
followed behind him
silently
,
h
er fingers linked in his
,
as they returned
to her bedroom.
Her skin was prickling again under his touch and the w
arm sensatio
n in her lower stomach returned;
her body
was
alert and ready for this man again
.
She had no idea lust could be this way, this warm
,
but Layla yearned for so much more.
Layla wanted love.

*
*
*
*

“Did she say when they’d return?” Eloise found Paige in
the kitchen preparing breakfast.
Eloise had
heard
the other sisters
stirring
but knew Madden was gone which meant that Layla must be gone as well. As much as Layla hated to hear her mother’s stories of the mating, Eloise
was quite the opposite and
ate the stories up
s
o she knew all too well that Layla wouldn’t be able to stand be
ing
separated from Madden in this early stage. During the Acclimation, separation was unbearable.
It was when the newly mated couple bec
a
me accustomed to the unique bond only the Valendite Breed share with their Magdalena mate.
Goddess, s
he couldn’t wait to have a mate of her own.

“She didn’t say,” Paige answered without batting an eyelash. Each of the sisters was thinking of
Layla. They were worried for the sister least interested in finding a mate
. Layla would be apprehensive and she wouldn’t have her sisters to help her. They had always been there for each other and now it was as if a part of each of them was gone.

“How long will she be away?”
Eloise pressed on for more information.

“I know nothing,” Paige took a long breath
and
clos
ed
her eyes to fin
d her center before continuing.
“Mother stopped in
to see Layla this morning
and said that Madden would likely take Layla away for their Acclimation.
”

“D
o
I smell
muffins?” Gracie bounced into the kitchen and onto a
barstool
.

Eloise slid the basket of muffins across the counter without taking her eyes from Paige, “So Mother knows? And she approves?”

“Shall I say that I have never seen Mother more joyous?
She was thrilled that Layla’s mate should come from such a highly regarded
Valendite
family as the Santuccis
.
” Paige rolled her eyes but her smirk spoke volumes. Paige’s
skepticism was nearly as high as Layla’s
b
ut Eloise was more in line with Gracie who was nearly giggling and clapping her hands like a giddy little girl.

“The Santuccis own vineyards here and in Italy,” Sadie interjected as she strolled into the kitchen and grabbed a muffin. “Why are we talking about them?”

“Layla’s mate is Madden Santucci, the oldest son from Santucci Vineyards,” Paige answered.

“I read an article about their vineyards just the other day. It’s amazing they can be such public figures while keeping the secret of their Valendite lineage.” Gracie was always full of information o
n
the local area happenings.

“Well, I’m jealous as can be of our little sister. Did you see him last night? He only had eyes for her. It made me
shiver
,
” Eloise shared her envy outright, her sisters knew all too well what her soul sin was.

“I wouldn’t be too jealous,” Gemma laughed, coming in and grabbing the basket of muffins, “Layla didn’t look so happy about it. And I heard her earlier this morning talking to Mother.

“Mother was sure she’d get over it. We all know Layla well enough to know she loves a good romance,” Paige assured her sisters.

“And according to the article, the Santucci men are some of the most eligible bachelors in the valley,” Gracie offered.

“Then it is as it should be.” Eloise proclaimed
it as truth.

Chapter
Three

She still felt very much out of sorts.
Once they drove into the compound where his family lived, she was all too aware that her life had changed irrevocably. Yet as much as
Layla
wanted to run, hide even, she knew where she’d most like to run is right back into his arms. She’d want nothing more than to wrap her legs around Madden’s waist and cling to his naked body.

“This is our home,” Madden’s strong, deep voice caused Layla to jump
.
She realized he had stopped the car and an enormous ho
use loomed just beyond a large black gate.

“Your home,” she corrected him.

“It
’
s ours now.
The Santucci Casa
has four buildings
.
My parents live in the primary estate that you see directly in front of us
, b
ut there are three other homes on the property
,
one of which is ours
,” Madden paused only to see Layla shake her head,
“Layla
l
ove, e
verything that belongs to me
now also belong
s
to you
.
” Madden turned Layla to
face
him as he spoke
.
He
plac
ed
one of her hands over his heart and us
ed
his
other
hand
to raise her chin up so their eyes could meet. “Everything I have is yours. Everything I am is yours.”