I felt as though something horrible was building around me, only nobody wanted to directly tell me about it. I had stepped out of one dangerous situation and landed into a mine field, where a single misstep could result in catastrophe. While I was relieved to be led back into the Bryant Coterie Headquarters, I wasn’t allowed to stop and chat with any of the members. Not that I actually was able to see any… the place was in a tense silence even I couldn’t quite understand.

Between the fight against Corentine and Vincent, I felt exhausted and malnourished if not downright sick. A headache was building slowly behind my eyes. Something told me it would be a storm of a migraine over time and I wasn’t looking forward to it at all.

I was led deliberately up the stairs by a quiet Jacobi, whose mood I couldn’t discern through our bond. Whenever I tried to feel for it, it was as if he had learned to block my invasion enough to distort what I could feel in response. I frowned at his back, wanting to know what was bothering him but at the same time fearing it was me, though a stubborn part of me refused to submit to that thought and would have rather just blamed him for being moody.

Corentine had followed us without seeming to think about it. Something in the way she followed closely behind me made me associate her to a lost puppy, having decided who its new owner was. Normally, I would have felt annoyed, confused, or just plain strange at the fact that this woman, who had dedicated her entire time since before she met me planning to kill me gleefully, was now attached to me. Instead, something I couldn’t understand made me prefer that she was nearby, as if it was a comfort rather than a nuisance.

When we were halfway up the stairs, just before the level to Jacobi’s room, I halted when Jacobi stopped to turn to us. My heart jumped to my throat as his eyes landed coolly on mine, taking me in for a moment before turning to look at Corentine just behind me.

“Corentine, leave us. Your room has been left untouched,” Jacobi ordered sharply. Corentine didn’t even hesitate. She stood firm, not making a move to obey him. He narrowed his eyes at her, though not in a dangerous or angry way. It was as if he were scrutinizing her, trying to understand her motives behind her actions or lack thereof. “Corentine. Go. That’s an order.”

“You’re no longer my Master, Jacobi,” Corentine told him bravely, not even shifting under his look. I watched his expression, wondering if he would get angry at her disrespect, despite the fact that she hadn’t stated it in a spiteful manner.

“Who is your Master, then, Corentine? Why aren’t you running away and submitting to a rogue existence?” The way Jacobi shot the questions at her made me wince, though something told me he already partially knew the answer to them. Corentine didn’t seem bothered, though. She openly stared at him, not even having to think over the answers herself.

“I did go rogue, Jacobi,” Corentine told him carefully, “I told you already. She saved me. She’s my Master…” She turned her intense gaze on me slowly. “… for eternity or until death. I don’t know how I know, but I do. I’ll only serve her. I’ll only obey her wishes until the day I die.” Jacobi looked at me once again, his eyes dark as he watched my reaction to her words. I wanted to be stunned, to argue against her words. But something inside felt her words ring true. Corentine was mine; whatever that meant.

“Tell your vampire slave to leave, Elysia. We have things we need to discuss,” Jacobi growled, apparently not pleased with my reaction… or my lack of reaction. I felt shocked by his definition of Corentine, simply because she wasn’t my slave. For her to be my slave would mean she would be in servitude to me without my being in any way dedicated to her. I felt very much that, despite the bond feeling one-sided in its claim over Corentine, she had become something vital to me the minute I had used my spirit to bring her back from the darkness. I clinched my hands into fists, narrowing my eyes at Jacobi in response.

I wanted to snap at him, to tell him he had no idea what he was talking about, and to call him a hypocrite for the look he was shooting at me. Was he angry because of what I had done to Corentine? I had bonded myself to her without knowing the consequences. But Jacobi had bonded to me, had he not? He had sneakily completed a mating bond over me without my permission, binding me to him forever after telling me he would let me go free once he was done with me. He had tricked me. He would never be done with me.

“We do have lots to discuss,” I hissed at him, having riled myself up for a new battle. I didn’t tear my eyes from Jacobi’s face when I addressed Corentine. “Go on, Corentine. I’ll call you if I need you, and if not, I’ll see you later.” I felt the brush of her fingers over the skin of my arm, sending me warmth in comfort before she was gone. I wanted to cringe at her absence, but I wouldn’t crumble under Jacobi’s powerful gaze.

He turned without another word, leading me to his room. My heart began to pick up pace as we entered, now completely alone. The last time I had seen Jacobi, I was supposed to be watching the twin Royal vampires while he consulted Darsana about Adelaide’s letter. It felt like centuries ago. A part of me really wanted to forget everything and just have his lips mapping over every inch of my skin heatedly. The thought alone sent a subtle blush over my flesh, but it was squashed when he opened the door to the bathroom without a look in my direction.

“Go clean up,” He ordered me sharply. I stared at him for a moment and then stormed past him, slamming the bathroom door shut behind me. I took an angry shower. I hadn’t even known there was such a thing as an angry shower, but that’s what this shower was. I scrubbed the grime and dirt of my previous captivity from my skin furiously, only talking myself into more anger. I wasn’t going to let Jacobi push me around this time. I had just as much right as him to be pissed.

When I stepped back into the room, I was naked and mad, snatching an outfit from the wardrobe I had left in Jacobi’s closet. I didn’t even look at him as he disappeared into the bathroom to clean the rubble of his battle with Vincent from his body. There was a plate left next to the bed, where a medium rare steak had been cut into small bites and left for me to eat. My stomach appreciated it just by looking at it.

Despite my anger, I quickly began to devour the food, imagining the kitchen staff woman, Glenda, humming as she cut the pieces for me as I liked. There was a large mug of hot chocolate, which I knew must have been from Darsana. I wondered if it was the same as the drink she'd given me when she first met me, and when I took a drink I felt the replenishing magic Deacon had added to it doing its work. The headache was still there, but my limbs didn’t feel so tired.

Jacobi had finished his shower before I finished my meal, but he didn’t move back into the room until well after I had drank the last of the hot chocolate. My anger had ebbed over time, so that when I saw him, I wasn’t even sure what my arguing points were supposed to be. I wondered if that had been his plan all along: to throw me off by postponing our argument and softening me up by offering me protein and magic drugs in the form of hot chocolate.

Jacobi looked as addictive as ever, fresh from a shower and wearing only loose sweat pants. His ebony hair was still damp, falling around his intense facial features. I looked over his form longingly, imagining my hands running over every curve of his muscles. He tensed under my stare, sending me a wave of satisfaction knowing I could cause a reaction just by a simple look. He was still angry, despite the passing time. I mentally sighed, preparing for whatever my moody Mate wanted to discuss with me.

“I know what you’re going to say…” I began, but he interrupted me swiftly.

“You have no idea, Elysia Monet,” Jacobi said loudly, nearly huffing, but reigning in his anger quickly. “You were supposed to be watching the twins. Do you understand the honor… the trust that was involved, allowing you to watch over those children?” I twisted my hands together, feeling that shame rush over me at the reminder of my failing to do a basic babysitting job.

“I hadn’t meant to leave them long. I was going to be back within ten minutes…,” I whispered lamely, shifting my gaze to my hands. For this, I’d allow him to be angry. I had said I wouldn’t betray him, and instead of waiting for him to come back from his conversation with Darsana, I had left two obviously important children alone. “Are they okay?” Jacobi made a noise of irritation in his throat.

“You were supposed to be there, but you weren’t. Do you understand… no, can you even fathom what I… what I felt when your link to me just vanished? I couldn’t find you, Elysia. I looked everywhere,” His anger was only increasing with each word. I wanted to just be silent or apologize submissively, but I couldn’t fight back my own feelings.

“I didn’t seal myself, Jacobi! I didn’t kidnap myself and feed myself to Corentine! It wasn’t my fault,” I cried out in frustration, wincing at the flash of rage that escaped through his spirit. He clearly did at least partially think it was my fault, as much as a person would be blamed for being robbed while wearing a plethora of gold and walking down a desperately dangerous alley alone. The thought alone, of being completely blamed for just being outside and leaving myself open to being a victim, infuriated me. I rose to my feet.

“I only went to your stupid statues to get answers,” I snapped, trying to ignore the slightly pained expression that crossed his face at calling his statues stupid, “You weren’t going to tell me about my birth mark, why it prevented you from killing me that first night. You weren’t going to tell me it was the same mark Eve Raene had! I had to figure it out myself.” Jacobi hesitated at the revelation, obviously startled that I had figured that much out. Then his features hardened defensively once again.

“So you now know as much as I do. Do you feel better, Elysia? Enlightened?” His mocking tone only served to anger me further. What was his issue? I shook in my stance, wanting to just smack him, except that I didn’t believe in domestic abuse… even against vampires.

“I feel left out, you asshole! I feel like you’re keeping secrets from me for no other reason than to have power over me. Just like how you forced a Mate bond on me without even consulting me,” I spat, my heart rising with my voice. I ignored his tensing form and that terrifying look of rage that was building in his expression. I closed my eyes, if only to convince myself to continue, “You were never going to let me go, were you? It was just all some trick to make me your… your slave forever.”

I yelped when his fingers wrapped angrily around my upper arms. I opened my eyes and gasped at Jacobi’s proximity, feeling his full anger enveloped around him as he glared at me.

“Is that what you think of me, Elysia?” He snarled dangerously. As I looked into his furious eyes, I thought over the question deeply. A part of me wanted to blindly attack him, to hurt him for taking away a part of me without my complete permission. Another part of me wanted to forgive and forget the entire thing; to fold in his grip and just allow myself to be whatever it was he wanted: his slave, in body and soul.

“I don’t know,” I whispered uncertainly, confused by the momentary pain that crossed his eyes.

“You’re an idiot if you think I forced any type of bond on you,” His pain was once again replaced by his anger as his grip tightened on me. “Perhaps you’ve forgotten or didn’t pay attention during your readings, but a Mate bond can’t be forced or tricked. It requires consent. Whether or not that consent is accidental doesn’t matter.”

“You’re lying,” I whimpered, trying to tug from his grasp but failing miserably.

“I tried to resist you. How many times did I tell you not to consent?” Jacobi snapped, only now I could tell his rage had shifted into frustration. “I meant to only claim you, as I promised. I thought maybe then the mate pull wouldn’t be so strong, but you… you fought the claim. Don’t you remember, Elysia? I bit into that…” His eyes darkened hungrily before he pushed the thought away. “… your flesh, and I moved to enforce the claim. But you pushed back.”

I froze, remembering how his fangs had entered the flesh of my thigh, sending his spirit towards mine possessively. And me? I had reached for him with something else besides my own hand. I had crashed into his spirit with mine; not understanding what it had been at that time.

“You asked me a question that night when your spirit collided with mine,” Jacobi said lowly, his voice sending chills that I wanted to be repulsive but were instead excitingly pleasant. I closed my eyes once again, wishing I could fight against the truth. “You asked me to be your Mate, even if you didn’t do so verbally. And I, being the complete idiot I am, consented. Are you satisfied now, Elysia?”

“I didn’t want this!” I spoke without thinking.

Jacobi released me roughly, taking a step back. Something in the way he slightly moved away from me felt more dangerous than if he were advancing on me in his demonic form. I watched him, stunned by my own words. Had I wanted to be mated to him? Not really. I couldn’t even stay in a committed relationship before I had met him. Then to be in a spiritually bonded relationship for eternity… it frightened me terribly.

“There has to be a way to… to reverse…” I hesitated, my heart crumbling at my own words despite my coward mind agreeing with the idea. I didn’t want to look at the anguish in Jacobi’s face as my half-hearted words left my lips, but I couldn’t look away.

“You want me to break the bond, Elysia?” I knew the question felt like a trap, but the way he said it drew my thoughts immediately, despite my heart’s reluctance.

“It’s possible?”

“It is,” Jacobi stated darkly, his words like poison as if the idea was tortuous and hateful. “You would like that, wouldn’t you, Monet? Was that your goal all along?” I hesitated at the change in his tone. Suspicion had shifted his anger and left me confused. What was he talking about?

“I…,” He had called me Monet, as if I were that name: the blood of a vampire hunter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I took a step back as he moved threateningly towards me, causing me to stumble momentarily. It brought me memories of his previous self, before he had begun to trust and believe me to be innocent. What had changed his mind?

“Can you hear that?” Jacobi asked me, lifting his finger to indicate to the space around us as if I’d understand what he was talking about. I shook my head quickly. “When you were captured by Vincent, I had all present coterie members help to find you. They had sworn a vow, after all. They were more than happy to look for my mate.” The venom under his words made me flinch.

“Your father,” He snarled furiously, “Has killed six of my members in the past day, Monet.” I felt my heart stop in my chest. I forgot to be afraid of his anger. I was afraid of something else altogether. I had… I had set free Clio and she had said she would tell my father where I was. This was my fault. I shook my head, trying to reject the information.

“Yes. While they were looking to rescue you, your own flesh and blood killed them off one by one mercilessly and left them for me to find. But that’s not all, Monet,” Jacobi continued, ignoring my panic almost heartlessly. “He’s captured two more. He’s holding them hostage. He demands I bring you to him tonight, or else he’ll kill them both. Can you guess who they are? I bet you can, can’t you, Monet? How else would he know just who to take to really hit home, dove?”

No. I gasped, widening my eyes in horror. No, not them.

“Where is Aveline? Xander?!” I shoved past Jacobi, moving to hunt them down myself. He grasped my wrist firmly, holding me back from tearing through the halls to find them. “Let me go, Jacobi! You’re lying! Where are they?!” I tried to rip myself from his grip, his lack of response sending sheer panic through me.

“No! Where are they?! You’re lying! No!” I screamed then, clawing at Jacobi’s grip like an animal. He had to be lying; trying to get back at me for wanting him to remove his mate bond on me. When he didn’t try to steer my conclusions elsewhere, I began to cry out, tears building in my eyes. “You’re… you’re lying! Please. I’ll be yours forever. Please, where are they? Don’t lie to me! Please!”

Jacobi’s guarded expression wavered, confusion causing him to hesitate. He quickly put up that wall firmly, blocking his eyes with his hair as if he couldn’t stand to look directly at me.

“I won’t force you to be mine, Elysia,” He stated quietly, the fight in him just… gone. “You’re free to go. I trust you’ll make sure your father holds up his end of the deal. I give him you, and in return Xander and Aveline are released unharmed.” My chest tightened at his dull words. He abruptly released his grip on my wrist. Just like that, he was done with me.

“Jacobi…,” I hesitated, suddenly reluctant to leave him.

“Go,” He spat angrily, “You’re not worth the trouble. I’m done.”

I held my hand to my chest defensively, looking at his darkening form, a sick sense of grief taking over my body. For the last time, I reached for his spirit with mine timidly, looking for something… something that told me I had meant more than just a toy to fuck and leave behind when things got too bothersome. Jacobi growled lowly in his chest as my spirit brushed over his guarded spirit.

“Go!” He yelled, causing me to jump. With only a lingering look, I threw myself from the door and left Jacobi with tears in my eyes and a pulsing agony tearing through my chest. I finally had my freedom, but what had I lost?

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