Unbound (57 page)

“I never thought I would get married in a black dress.” She looked down at herself and laughed nervously.

After admiring her hand with his ring on it, Cayden tied a length fabric around her wrist the same way he had tied one around his. The blade was open on the bed between them.  He grasped her hand as if they would shake hands. She’d seen it done once before at the bonding she’d attended. He wrapped his length around their hands to bind them together, and spoke in a low husky voice.

“I vow to love you for the whole of my existence. I vow to protect you to my last breath. I vow to cherish the gift of your returned love for all time. And I vow to always remain grateful for the woman that will from this day forth be the one and only mate of my soul.”

Her heart was pounding and he was as calm and content as she’d ever seen him. The decision he was making would affect the rest of his life in ways he couldn’t understand, but he said he didn’t care. With a deep breath and shaky hands, she wrapped her length of fabric around their hands and repeated his vows.

“I vow to you love for the whole of my existence. I vow to protect you to my last breath. I vow to cherish the gift of your returned love for all time. And I vow to always remain grateful for the man that will from this day forth be the one and only mate of my soul.”

Cayden pulled her to him by their joined hands and held her to his chest. His eyes were overflowing. He sat back and picked up the blade. She watched him lower his head to cut himself and knew she couldn’t finish this unless he knew the truth. She couldn’t do this to him just to end her own pain. The blade touched his lower lip.

“I’m human, Cayden.” She blurted it out. His eyes shot up to her face incredulous. “It’s true. I’m half-human. That means our children would be part human. I couldn’t let you do this until you understand that fact.”

“You can’t be human. This isn’t funny, Dani.” His forehead knit into a scowl.

“It’s no joke. My mother is human and my father is a vampire.” She stopped short of confessing her father’s identity. “His family wouldn’t accept us and wanted us dead. We were an embarrassment. So my mother faked our deaths to stop them from killing us. I am apparently a disgrace and an abomination. I was a normal human baby. I didn’t start showing signs of my power until the day befor
e I left home for college. I
never tasted blood until the night Nathan attacked me.”

“That’s when you came of age.” Cayden put the blade down and watched her, wide-eyed and confused. She could see the wheels turning in his head. He had to decide right now if she was worth it to him.

“I had no idea why I was getting such special treatment the night I met you at the club. You guys knew what I was before I did. I’m weaker than you because I’m human. I’m mentally stronger because my mother is psychic and my father is telekinetic. I don’t heal as fast as you. I can get drunk. I have no idea how long I will live or how our kids will turn out. I assume they will be more vamp than human when we combine your full blood with my half-blood, but I can’t be sure. That is the truth. I could have waited another minute and it wouldn’t have mattered to you but I couldn’t damn you to a life full of the stigma of a human mate without your consent. It’s up to you now. You said nothing I could say would change the way you feel. Was that true or will you abandon me now, too?”

He watched her for a long moment. She knew what was about to happen. She was going to lose her only true friend. She did love him, but not enough. She was not
in
love. The fact that losing his friendship hurt her more than losing his love proved that she didn’t deserve that love. The tears of pain and disappointment began to stream down her face.  He took her in, looking for clues that would have given her away as a human. There weren’t any. To her surprise, he picked up the blade and sliced his lip.

“I love you, Danielle.” He smiled and handed her the blade. “Nothing else matters.”

She took the blade and followed his lead, placing a shallow slit on her lower lip. They were really going to do this. He loved her no matter what. Cayden went up on his knees, she met him chest to chest, and she waited. She would let him come to her. This must be completely of his doing. He leaned his face to hers and paused, blood running down his chin onto his crisp white shirt. Her blood was dripping onto her chest. He looked into her eyes and hesitated.

“I can’t do it,” he whispered in a shattered voice. “I love you, but I just can’t do it. I want normal healthy kids and a mate that will live as long as I do. I just can’t.” He pulled back from her then.

Angry and hurt, she wiped the blood from her face, “So much for all that bullshit you were spouting in the hall. So much for the vows, you just spoke to me.
‘…grateful for the woman that will from this day forth be the one and only mate of my soul.’
I am still the same person I was five minutes ago, Cay.” She struggled to get the damn ring off of their still joined hands. He watched her struggle while silent tears streaked down his cheeks.

* * *

Chase made it to his car before he turned back to the house. He couldn’t leave his Lovely like that. She was so upset. Chase hated seeing her with Cayden but Cayden was always there for her when he couldn’t be, always by her side. She must feel so betrayed by Cayden
,
and Chase had don
e nothing to comfort her. He
just stalked off to lick his own wounds. He couldn’t find Danielle anywhere. Out in the atrium he found Mason.

“Have you seen, Lovely?” he asked his father.

“Why do you call her that if she doesn’t like it?” Mason inquired.

“She’s too lovely to be called a boy’s name. She didn’t mind the nickname until I hurt her,” he returned.

“She never came back to the party. I really don’t blame her. That girl gets kicked every time she’s down.” Mason shook his head.

“It seems that way doesn’t it?” Chase reflected.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Mason quipped under his breath.

“What I would like to know is how you know so much and why you won’t share your information.” Chase scowled at his father.

“Maybe she’s still upstairs. Come to think of it, I never saw Cayden leave either.” Mason avoided the question.

“What about Sam?”

“Griffin rushed his whole crew out of here as soon as he had them all gathered, and bid his farewells to the hosts. Brandi made sure to spread the news about the break up between Dani and Cayden so the guys are buzzing with anticipation for her return. No doubt, it was another Vaughn girl attempt at keeping Dani away from you. You may want to warn her if you find her.”

Darren approached the two Deidrick men. “Mason, I’m going to look for Dani. I know we aren’t supposed to be protecting her, but she has been missing too long for my liking. She is too precious to lose again.”

“How would you know how precious she is, warrior?” Chase didn’t like that comment at all.

“She is a friend of mine. I’ve spent more time with her than you and your sorry ass ex-buddy combined. I taught her to shoot a gun, to defend herself hand to hand, and drive a car like she stole it if she was ever being chased. What have you done besides hurt the girl? You don’t need to answer because I already know you haven’t done shit. So don’t question my motives!” Darren growled.

“Well, why don’t you tell us how you really feel, Darren?” Mason stepped between them. “I am always breaking up a fight over that girl. I can’t wait for the rest of the guys to get in on the fun.”

“What do you mean?” Darren groused.

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Danielle is a single girl again and every man in a twenty-mile radius has been informed that our own little super vamp is accepting applications for a mate. Brandi thinks she is a matchmaker of a sort. Maybe we should all fan out and find her. She could have a line of applicants by now.” Mason joked. Chase looked at him like he could not believe he just told Darren, who was known to want Danielle, that she was single. Darren went to search the lower level of the mansion.

“Why did you tell him that?” Chase asked his father, annoyed.

“He was her warrior. Why do you care? I didn’t see you trying to comfort her. If you won’t do it there are plenty of guys who will.” Mason hit him low.

“I’m going to check upstairs. Maybe she is in her room.” Chase ground his teeth.

At the top of the stairs, he checked several guest rooms until he found the one containing Danielle’s belongings and her delicious scent, but no Danielle. He checked the upstairs library, which was empty and had a sickening thought she could be in Van’s room. Begrudgingly, he knocked on the door. Van answered, annoyed at the disturbance. He indeed did have a female in his room. Chase inhaled deeply, ready to pounce if it smelled the slightest bit like his Lovely. It didn’t.

“Forgive the disturbance, Van. Have you seen Danielle?” he asked politely, since he knew she wasn’t in his room.

“No, but I’m flattered you thought to check my room. She doesn’t seem the type to fall into bed quickly. I’ll need to work on her. A challenge is always fun isn’t it? I believe she’ll be worth the fight.” Van paused a half a second as it dawned on him that this was the last place Chase would look so she must really be missing. In a much more serious tone, he buttoned up his pants. “When was she last seen?”

Chase was just trying not to kill the bastard and be sent to trial for a crime of passion. “She is not one of your throw away girlfriends, Van. Stay away from her.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. Whatever. Trust me. I wouldn’t throw that one away. How long has she been missing and who is looking for her?” he asked again, not caring for the younger man’s attitude.

“No one has seen her in about thirty minutes. Darren is searching the first floor and I have searched this floor.”

“I’ll check the lower level and immediate grounds. Has anyone called the gate to see if she left?” Van wanted her found now. He went to call the gatehouse. “She hasn’t left the grounds.” Van took off on his task and Chase went toward the rea
r stairwell that he and Dani
followed Brandi up earlier
that evening
.

On the way past, he t
ried the door to the room Cayden and Sam
occupied earlier, but it was locked. Why hadn’t he checked that room first? She was probably still holed up in there. The adjoining bathroom door was still open. Relief washed over him when her scent hit him hard and he heard her whimpering cry.

“Lovely, are you still in here? Let me walk you to your room.” He stopped with a jolt and his relief was washed away by overwhelming grief at the scene in the room. Blood. Danielle’s blood and Cayden’s mixed.

It couldn’t be. Cayden didn’t deserve her. How could he talk her into this? She was way too smart for this.

His father’s words echoed in his head again. “The point is she may be willing to do anything to stop her pain. I know the two of you have not been bonded, but the connection she feels with you is as strong as any bond I’ve ever witnessed… If she bonds to Cayden she will forever be bonded to him, but her true heart belongs to you.”

Cayden and Dani were on the bed together, their hands bound together and he was holding her and murmuring to her while she cried on his shoulder. There was a blade on the bed and Cayden had blood running down his chin and on his hand. He was inadvertently rubbing the blood down Danielle’s back as he stroked her gently. Why were they crying? Was their brand new bond so strong and overwhelming already? Every chance he had with the only girl he ever loved, the only girl he ever wanted for his
own was shattered because he
walked away and left her to fend for h
erself with the only man who
bothered to stand by her. Again, Cayden was there when Chase wasn’t and this time Chase would pay with his very heart and to the depth of his soul.

“What have you done to her? Why is she crying? Oh God, I’m going to be sick.” Chase went down on his knees.

“Get out, Chase! You drove her to this! She is not ready to deal with you or anyone else yet! Leave!” Cayden continued to pet her and she cried louder.

The shouting brought Mason in through the open bathroom
door to investigate. He was
looking for Chase to tell him Danielle’s
car was still on the grounds. Mason looked as
stunned
as Chase felt
at the scene he found.

“Chase you need to
get up and leave the room. You’
re intruding on their private ceremony. Move it, now,” his father demanded.

“Mason. Mason, please help me. Y
ou’re the only one
. Please, Mason,” she whimpered, and leaned away from Cayden. Cayden’s cut was already healing but Dani continued to bleed down her face, neck
,
and chest.

Cayden’s shirt was covered, “I do love you, Dani.” His bottom lip quivered. “You know I do. Don’t do this. Maybe I just need some time to adjust.”

Mason moved to the bed and Dani fell back to lean against him, trying to put distance between her and Cayden. She rolled toward Chase but didn’t open her eyes. Chase was finally able to look up again and what he saw made no sense. Her face was not the face of a happy new bride but a mask of despair. Mason was untangling the couple’s hands. He looked at Cayden.