“So your plan makes me a leper, or a john. That’s great, Sar.”
“It’s only for a little more, Lash,” I said, giving him a hug. “Then we’ll go home.”
As I moved past him to go back to the party, Lash grabbed hold of me, and kissed me. I knew he was nervous and needed reassurance, so I kissed him back, then hugged him close, finally drawing back to gaze into his dark worried eyes. This is our first Christmas together. I want him to relax, and enjoy himself. “I’m glad you’re here with me tonight, that you came with us. I love you very much.”
“What the hell is this?” I turned to see my stepfather looking at us from the bottom of the stairs. It was obvious he’d heard me, from the expression on his face.
Ah shit. “I...” I trailed off, not sure what to say.
Lash slipped his arm around me possessively, took a deep breath, and gave my stepfather a forced smile. “I’m your daughter’s lover, as well as Devlin now. She means a lot to me. She loves me, and I care for her. I’m not going to hurt her, like Danial did, or leave her, like Theo did. I care for her children as if they were mine. And I’ll protect her with my life.”
My stepfather was looking at Lash with his mouth open.
“Now that you know the truth, welcome me, or tell me to leave,” Lash said quietly, not letting go of me. “I’ll go right now, if you ask me to, and never darken your door again. But she and I will be together as long as I live, or until she dissolves us. And about that, you have no say.”
My stepfather looked at us a long moment, and then he shifted his eyes to someone else. I looked over and flushed to see my mother standing there, looking at us appraisingly.
“Are you the reason Theo left Sarelle?” my mother asked flatly.
“Some of it,” Lash said flatly back. “But mostly it was because he wanted Sar to become what he was, and she refused.”
“Define ‘some of it’.”
“We were intimate one time, when we shouldn’t have been. Theo forgave Sar that, but he couldn’t forgive her caring about me, because he hated me. It drove a wedge between them.”
“That’s all of it?”
“Pretty much,” Lash replied.
“About time someone told us the whole truth for a change,” she said, her eyes flinty. “Theo gave us some bullshit about irreconcilable differences. I like that you were honest. Come back in, as it’s time to eat. You are welcome here, Lash.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Lash drawled respectfully, smiling for real this time.
Dinner was a good affair. Devlin had brought a tiny bit of the potion with him, and he ate a little bit, shocking my mother, though I knew it pleased her, that he had gone to such trouble to be able to eat her cooking. When he complimented her in glowing terms on her roast, she began to soften a little towards him.
Venus opened a few presents afterward, but she was the only one who did that night. T and Elle had opened their presents the previous night, and of course, my parents had not been expecting Lash. My parents had not gotten me anything this year, it seemed. I didn’t know why, though I suspected it was because my mother didn’t want to get Devlin anything. But I was pleased to see they had already started sampling their coffee gift basket.
Terian arrived at nine to collect Elle and T, and with a last hug, they left. I was sad to see them go, but I suspected that they were worn out. Two sets of holidays couldn’t be easy to manage, especially with not only a new stepmother, but also a new stepfather-to-be.
When they had left, and Venus was again coloring on the floor, my stepfather brought me and my mother another glass of wine, and some scotch for himself and the guys. And we sat for a while and watched the flames flicker in their wood stove. I felt a pang, seeing that. I missed my wood stove; it was nothing but rusting metal now, and utterly useless.
“Are things safe yet?” my mother asked bluntly. “Is that bad man dead?”
“No,” Devlin said, rolling his glass in his hand. “But he will be by the end of this week. Next week I fight him, and I’ll kill him.”
“What if you lose?” my mother said with worry. “What about Sar, and V?”
“I don’t intend to lose,” Devlin said, fixing her with his eyes. “I’ve defended myself against up-and-comers for two hundred years, Tina. This is not my first fight. Don’t concern yourself.”
“Sar will be with me,” Lash hissed in what I suspected was supposed to be a comforting voice. “She’ll be safe, and so will V, while the fight is taking place.”
“But are you any good?” my mother said frankly, and Lash burst out laughing. He finished his scotch, and then grinned at her.
“You know of Theo’s reputation? What he truly does for Danial, that it is not security? That he is better known for his body count in Danial’s service than for any other reason?”
My mother went a little pale, but my stepfather cut his eyes to Lash, and nodded.
“I saw that, on the Internet,” Chris whispered. “Nothing proven, all conjecture, but there was a lot of it, a lot of killings that were attributed to him, and to Danial, though your brother, Devlin, he was only mentioned once in passing.”
“Then you saw my name too, I’ll bet,” Lash hissed with an evil looking grin. “Though Devlin pays well to see there is no mention of him on the Internet that isn’t favorable.”
“Yes, I saw that,” my stepfather said, swallowing hard. “I wondered about that—”
“Lash,” Devlin hissed, his eyes tinted red. “Don’t go into all this now.”
“They should know this,” Lash said with a snarl, turning to Devlin. “They may need to live with us someday, if there is danger. Better for them to find out now who we really are, and take it seriously. The time for being polite and fake is long over.”
Devlin shrugged, and sipped his wine. Lash turned back to my parents. “Anyway, as I was saying, I do what Theo does, but I’m better than he is at it. Your daughter and granddaughter will be safe with me.”
“But what if Devlin loses?” my mother said a little frantically.
“I’ll be there to make sure he doesn’t,” Lash said, a cruel grin again on his face. “So will Titus. Don’t worry about it.”
“But—”
“Drop this line of thought, Ma’am,” Lash hissed. “Things may need to be done. Bad things. You don’t really want to know this anyway. I hear that in your voice.”
“You are right, I don’t,” my mother said, taking a long drink of wine. “I don’t.”
“We should go,” I said, looking at my watch. “It’s late.”
“Before you do, your mother and I need to ask you something,” my stepfather said uncomfortably. “We didn’t get you any Christmas presents this year. We had planned, back when your house burned, to chip in some money to help you rebuild, instead of getting you and Theo presents this year, for your birthdays, or for Christmas. But now that you’ve separated, it looks like he’s living at Danial’s house with Theoron, and that you plan on living with Devlin and Lash?”
“Yes,” Devlin said, reaching out to grip my hand. “Lash, V, and Sarelle will live with me.”
“Will you sell the property?” my mother asked. “Your barn?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “I have asked T about it, and he’s considering maybe building something there again.”
“You shouldn’t sell it,” Lash said firmly, and we all looked at him, a little shocked. He had never voiced any opinion on this at all.
“Elle always liked to ride, and so did T,” he continued. “So do you and Dev. Maybe you could keep horses there. There’s a barn for it, even if you’ve never used it for that purpose.”
“I never thought of that,” Devlin said slowly. “Danial always liked to ride so much—”
“Is he dead?” my mother said quietly.
“No, but he’s still comatose,” Devlin whispered. “His heart beats, but that is all.”
“I’m sorry,” my parents both said. Devlin nodded, but said nothing.
I decided it was time to go, before Devlin’s mood turned from introspective sadness to melancholy to anger, which was the usual progression. I got to my feet, and so did everyone else.
“We’ll wait then, until you decide,” my parents said, hugging me, and then Venus. “You have most of the winter yet.”
“Shh! I’m already thinking of spring,” Lash said with a grin. “I’m looking forward to it!”
My mother hugged him, and though he seemed surprised, he hugged her back. Then she released him, and turned to Devlin. He looked at her hesitantly. She gave him a long-suffering look, and beckoned him to come hug her. He gave her a radiant smile, and picked her up off her feet as he hugged her.
“I still don’t really like you,” she said with a grin. “But I love my granddaughter very much.”
“I love your daughter, Tina,” Devlin said with a wide grin. “So consider the feeling mutual.”
My mother burst out laughing, and relief washed over me. Things aren’t going to turn out so bad after all.
After we got home, I put Venus to bed, then made my preparations.
* * * *
Devlin sat before me on his bed, waiting naked under the covers, just the upper half of him revealed, his golden chest hair shimmering in the candlelight. I stood before him in the same gown I had worn for him the first time I had given him my Oath. Lash was beside Dev, but he was leaning back on top of the bed in his black jeans, his arms under his head, watching me with his dark eyes. His chest was bare, his wiry muscles even at rest looking ready for action in an instant.
“Repeat after me,” Devlin said commandingly. “I, Sarelle O’Connor McGarran, promise you, Devlin Dalcon, and your brother, Danial Racklan, that I shall be yours, and no other vampire’s, under pain of death, until life should leave me, or both of you should perish.”
I repeated what he had said.
“I shall share myself with no other man, unless they are men you give permission for—”
Lash eyes darted over to Devlin, but he remained silent.
“—or Tristan Valeras, also known as Lash, under pain of death.”
Lash relaxed considerably, as I repeated the words.
“I give you my love, and authority over me, understanding that I am given in return your love, your protection, and your life’s blood, that is now my life’s blood.”
I repeated that, too.
“I promise that I shall not enter into any separate bond with Lash, be neither married nor mated—”
“She can’t promise you that,” Lash hissed angrily.
Devlin and I stopped talking, looking over at him in confusion.
“She can and she will,” Devlin said simply. “I’m not having another jealous husband in you, Lash.”
“By were law, she’s already my mate,” Lash retorted flatly. “And I’m hers.”
Confusion evaporated in Devlin’s angry intake of breath. Get away from him, he’s going to lose it!
Before I could bolt, Devlin’s fist closed on my hair. “You traitorous bitch!” he snarled at me, his eyes bleeding to red. “You said nothing! When did you mate yourself to him? After I let you be together as snakes—?” Devlin let out a sudden pain-filled cry as he fell to his knees, the tip of Lash’s knife poking out of his chest. I went with him to my own knees, as he didn’t release me.
“Dev, let her go, right now,” Lash hissed softly, twisting the knife a little. “This is not her fault. She couldn’t tell you what she didn’t know.”
“I should kill you,” Devlin uttered, releasing me. “Stabbing me in the back like this.”
Lash pulled out his knife, and helped Devlin to his feet. Devlin promptly punched him in the face, and Lash fell sprawling to the floor, his mouth bloody. Devlin stood over him, his wound already healing, though blood glistened on his newly formed skin.
“Stop it, Devlin!” I yelled. “Lash, what are you talking about? We aren’t mated.”
“You fucking shit,” Devlin said icily, staring down at Lash. “You’re my best friend, and you do this, mate the woman I love to yourself, and you don’t even tell me? On top of everything else you did in Florida!”
“I deserve that,” Lash hissed shamefully as he got to his feet. “I’m sorry for it. I never intended to hurt you by doing it, or even to have either of you know.”
I went silent, because I thought I understood finally. This is the promise he was talking about, our first night back together.
“How would I not know?” Devlin said incredulously. “What are you saying?”
“I was dying,” Lash said softly, his eyes moving past Devlin to center on mine. “I knew I’d met a woman I could finally care for, in Sar. I sent her a knife, and carved on it a symbol that said ‘mate’. With it, I asked her if she would be mine. I didn’t expect her to say “yes,” Dev, or to ever see her again even! But she came to me, wearing the knife, and let me have her—”
“And by doing that, she said ‘yes’,” Devlin finished, slowly nodding. “You’re right. But she didn’t know what she was doing.”
“Her actions spoke louder than any words,” Lash continued, looking at me with pride. “She risked her life for me, told me she’d let me change her, if that’s what it took to save my life. That was enough for me. I’ve thought of her as my mate ever since.”
“That’s why you were faithful to her, taught T what you did.”
Lash glanced at Devlin and nodded, then turned back at me, his eyes moist. “It almost killed me, being with you that night. But you’d come to me wearing the knife, and you didn’t reject my advances. I had to try to consummate us, even if it hastened my death.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I cut him off, shocked. “I asked you what the symbol meant, Lash. You told me to leave it!”
“You were married then,” Lash said, averting his gaze. “Your thoughts after I healed were only of your husband, and your son. I thought if you knew what we’d done, you might tell me that you couldn’t be my mate, that you wanted it nullified. I didn’t. I wanted to share that with you, at least while there was the chance that you would give Devlin your Oath, and ask him to include me. I wanted to mean something to you, Sar.”
Even if you can’t tell me you love me? I kept silent, not wanting to speak my thoughts.
“I understand your desire, Lash, but she can’t be your mate,” Devlin said with a trace of reluctance. “I want Sar to be immortal, not weresnake. Part of her Oath tonight is her word not to let you change her.”
“It’s enough she’ll change for me magically,” Lash supplied quickly. “She doesn’t have to be weresnake for real. I don’t want her to lose the chance to be immortal, either. We can still be mated, according to the literal were definition, so long as she comes to me regularly as both snake and human.”
“That’s why you always wanted this so much?” I asked, enjoying this romantic side of him I’d rarely seen. “Because you wanted that commitment from me?”
“Well, that, and it feels really good having sex with you that way.” He grinned lecherously.
I rolled my eyes, unable to resist smiling back.
“I’ll agree to this, so long as you don’t interfere with her and me,” Devlin said reluctantly. “Don’t ever get between us again, Lash.”
“I’ll defend her with my life, if I think you’re hurting her,” Lash replied in a low cold tone. “Even if it means hurting you to get you to leave her alone. You didn’t want Theo to harm her. That was part of the first Oath she gave you. I feel the same way about you hurting her. I know you like to hurt women sometimes. I’ve cleaned up the messes often enough over the years—”
“Shut your mouth,” Devlin growled.
Lash went silent, but the damage was done. I’d been feeling romantic about tonight’s Oath, if a little uneasy. Now I felt like I was making the biggest mistake of my life.
I backed away toward the door from the both of them. “I’m done with violence,” I said, my tone mirroring Lash’s i
n its coldness. “I know you both have dark sides, and I’m telling you right now, I want no part of that. So if you think you can’t restrain yourselves, say so now, and we’ll call this off.”
Devlin sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you, Sar. I’m done with that, Lash. If I need to get off that way, I’ll go to Hillary and Tiffany for that. They are masochists, as you well know.”
Lash looked at him for a long moment. “So long as that’s understood, I won’t get in the way of you and her, no matter what you do together. And if she agrees to do something that causes her pain, I’m not going to get in the way, either. So long as she’s willing, it’s okay by me. But you’re never going to force her again like the first time you had her, Dev. Not ever. And I won’t stand for you making her cry like you did in the past, either.”
“I promised her that I would try to be the man she needed me to be,” Devlin said softly, his golden eyes on me. “I mean to keep that promise.”
There was silence for a moment.
“Sarelle, do you want to be his mate, officially?” Devlin said finally. “Or do you want to break the bond between you?”
I looked at Lash, who was waiting nervously for my answer. “Can I be his mate, if I’m still married to Theo? It seems unlikely it’s legal, to say nothing of being moral.”
“You aren’t married anymore, you’re legally separated,” Devlin corrected grumpily. “And it doesn’t matter, anyway. The literal rules for weres are that you are mated if you both promise to be with each other and not another of your species. Usually, that is taken to mean monogamy, but that is not a requirement for all types of weres, as some were species allow several females to a male, or vice versa. I know you aren’t going to be with another weresnake, Sar. The only requirement besides wanting to be mated is that you have to be together with your mate-to-be sexually in both animal and human form. You’ve already done that. Technically he’s right, you are already his mate, though in the strictest terms you weren’t really mated to him until you assumed snake form and let him be with you—”
“Stop with the technicalities, and let her answer you,” Lash hissed, angry.
“Yes,” I said tenderly, looking at Lash. “Yes, I want to be his mate.”
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