“At the rate she’s going,” Lucien drawled, “it’ll be the next century before either you or Stephanie see a return on your bet.”
Cosmo again burst out laughing but Lucien’s mind turned to something about their conversation that was unsettling.
Cosmo had mentioned Maggie and for the first time in hundreds of years, the mention of her name had not felt like a knife twisted in his gut.
He scanned his memories, all of which, over eight hundred years of them, stayed sharp in his mind.
He remembered Maggie’s taming. It had been the sweetest moment in his life, both up until that point and since. The submission, the gift of her trust, the laying of her life in his hands for his safekeeping. He’d rewarded her and she’d flourished immediately. He could still feel her underneath him, her legs opening of their own accord, her welcoming of his body in hers, the taste of her blood in his mouth, the scent of her filling his nostrils.
He could also see her smile, hear her laughter, taste her skin and feel her warm body pressed against him in sleep.
Every second with Maggie was burned on his brain, none of it was forgotten nor was it any less sweet.
It was just that the familiar pain of the memory which fused with the memory of her loss had vanished.
“Lucien?” Cosmo called and Lucien focused on his friend. “Maggie,” Cosmo murmured, his face grew concerned and he continued in a soft voice, “Sorry, that’s twice I’ve –”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lucien cut him off, not about to share his revelation.
Cosmo nodded, taking another sip, his eyes on the crowd, letting the matter drop as he had learned to do with a good deal of practice over the years.
“I hear Katrina is causing troubles,” Cosmo noted and Lucien sighed.
“I filed Severance,” Lucien shared.
“I know. Everyone knows. I’m pretty certain her phone is fused to her ear, she’s been so f**king busy.”
This didn’t surprise Lucien. It annoyed him but it didn’t surprise him.
“She tried to attack Leah today,” Lucien disclosed. He heard Cosmo’s sharp intake of breath and felt Cosmo’s eyes turn to him.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Cosmo whispered.
“I’m not.”
Cosmo continued to stare at him. “How did that happen?” Cosmo asked, still sounding shocked as he would be.
It was not done to go visiting a mate’s concubine, no matter what you might suspect was happening.
Concubines were sacrosanct. They were under the protection of their vampire and only allowed in the company of other vampires with their vampire’s permission. To arrive on one’s doorstep with or without the intent to harm was not only not done, it was against the law. To attempt to harm the concubine was warrant for deadly retribution.
Katrina had likely come to confront Lucien and Leah had gotten in the way of her rage.
It mattered not that Lucien was flying in the face of the laws that ruled all vampires. It was Leah’s safety that mattered. Katrina’s behavior had been condemnable and even though Lucien was breaking the law on his own and flaunting it, he was within his rights, even if she was his mate, to hunt her and make her burn.
“She arrived on our doorstep this morning spoiling for a fight,” Lucien answered his friend’s question.
“And she attacked Leah?”
“She tried, yes. Twice.”
Cosmo let out a low whistle before enquiring, “Good Christ, what are you going to do?”
“If she continues to be just a nuisance, I’ll let her burn out her temper and move on, which is what I’m expecting she’ll do. If she ever gets near Leah again, I’ll see she burns a different way,” Lucien answered calmly but with deadly seriousness.
“You know The Council has heard all of this. Not only from Katrina but from Nestor, who was there last night when you kissed Leah,” Cosmo told him.
Lucien was not surprised about this either mainly because he’d seen Nestor watching them.