Tucker’s voice called to her from a great distance, but she held no stick, had no idea what obstacles lay in front of her. Couldn’t feel her way forward.
And with her very first step, she tumbled into an endless pit without a bottom.
Tucker paced on the backyard grass, his gaze glued to the bedroom window.
How close he’d come to making the ultimate mistake.
Sealing their bond by drinking her blood, dooming her to a life of servicing his hunger. Or sentencing himself to an agonizing death without her. And this…this was what it meant to have a mate. Because he could only think of the guilt his death would cause for Mary.
Not his own loss of life.
Her happiness and well-being was—and would always be—what mattered most.
That meant delivering her safe to Hadrian, who had the ability to make her see.
Tucker could never mess with that. He had nothing even close to offer.
“This is the longest I’ve ever witnessed you go without laughing.” Jonas said, looking up from his phone with a squinted eye. “Your circumstances must be dire.”
“I thought vampires weren’t supposed to get headaches,” Tucker complained, grinding his fist into his eye socket. “I want to file a complaint with management.”
“Sorry, we’re a little busy at the moment.”
“Figures.” He tore his attention away from the window. She was safe and sound in bed. No tile to slip on this time. “What did you come here to talk about?”
“What didn’t I come here to talk about? That’s the better question.”
The weariness in Jonas’s tone made Tucker really study his friend for the first time since he’d arrived. Concern lined the king’s forehead, tension bracketed his mouth. “Let’s start with the easy stuff.” Jonas leaned a shoulder against the fence, his stare taking on a far-off quality. “Just kidding, it’s all hard.”
“That’s what she said.” Tucker threw up his hands when the king leveled him with a stare. “I’m supposed to just ignore an opportunity like that?”
Jonas nodded at the house. “What did I interrupt in there?”
Tucker snorted, raked a hand through his hair. “Use your imagination.”
“No, thanks.” The king blinked once and drawled, “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
That was the last thing Tucker expected the usually crisp and calm king to ask him. But as soon as the words were spoken, he started to wonder the same thing. He was driving this girl to her wedding. She was marrying their enemy. And he’d been caught rolling around with her half naked like two teenagers drunk at a frat party. What the hell had happened to his judgment? “It’s complicated. You of all people should understand.”
“Yes, believe me, I know complicated well. Ginny is back at the hold.” Jonas’s eyes flickered with blatant possessiveness. “Based on the way you’re avoiding looking at me, I’m guessing I don’t have to explain why getting involved with Mary is a terrible idea. Her intended groom is already hell-bent on taking my throne. Now imagine Hadrian finds out my right-hand man has been intimate with his bride? He could very well decide to try and decimate us, instead of a mere battle for supremacy. Hadrian isn’t known for his even temper.”
That meant Hadrian had a bad temper?
And Tucker was going to leave his sweet Mary in the vampire’s company?
Fire ants crawled up the back of his neck and into his hair, swarmed in the palms of his hands until his whole body felt engulfed in flames. To his right, one of the fence posts freed itself from the earth, rising, rising, unsnapping from its neighbors and hurtling somewhere into the darkness. Tucker watched it go, then pitched forward, gripping his knees and trying to rein in the dark rage spearing him in the middle.
“Jesus,” Jonas whispered, coming off the fence. “She’s your mate.”
Tucker could only stare down at the ground, visions of the girl exchanging themselves in his mind. One for the other. “Yes.”
The king didn’t speak for long moments and Tucker could almost hear the cogs turning in his friend’s mind, running through the implications. “Am I too late, then? Have you already drunk her blood?”
Tucker shook his head vigorously. “No. I haven’t. But God, I want to.”
“Thank God you haven’t. This is one of the reasons I came here myself.” Jonas took a step in his direction, expression cautious. “Tucker, you need to know that fae blood can have ill effects on a vampire. Hallucinations, hunger that can’t be quenched. Madness. You cannot allow yourself to give in to the temptation.”