Unbound (Forbidden Bond Book 1)(19)

Vampire bonding was a strong connection. Vampires would always be aware  of their mates and their mates' emotions. Vampires could feel their  mates' fears, joy, and sometimes pain or pleasure. That was why vampires  didn't share blood unless they were bonding, or in extreme emergencies  to save another's life. The connection was soul deep and so strong that  even if the vampire weren't in love with his or her betrothed before the  ceremony, it would be different afterward. Being without that person  would be unthinkable. There was no divorce in the vampire world. The  only separation was in death, and that would be crushing for the one  left behind.

The day he went to break the news about Griffin's engagement, Tessa was  out of her mind. Griffin was supposed to meet Mason later that day, and  Mason intended to bring him back to Tessa. They would have to figure out  how to break his engagement without starting a family feud. Griffin and  Sarah were to be bonded in only a week.

Tessa raged, and Mason began to think that Griffin had given her too  much of his blood. Maybe she was becoming a vampire after all. Her heart  broke at the news that Griffin had consented to bond with another woman  less than twelve hours after he learned of her supposed death.

After she managed to break every dish in the house and several pieces of  furniture, she calmed a bit. Her next request was against Mason's best  wishes for his friend, but Tessa had a right to protect her child, and  she felt betrayed by her mate. She asked Mason not to tell Griffin she  was alive. She reasoned that if they broke the engagement, Griffin's  parents would suspect foul play. They would follow him and come for the  baby. Losing her baby was not an option, and Griffin hadn't even mourned  their loss.

Mason had no idea how Griffin's new bonding would affect her. It had  never been done, to his knowledge, unless the first mate was actually  dead. He left her that day, and when he returned to see how she was  doing after Griffin's bonding, she was gone.

Mason felt the weight of blame for not trusting Griffin to do the right  thing to protect his mate and child. If he'd at least given Griffin some  hint that Tessa was waiting for him with their child, everything would  have been different. With a heavy heart he'd returned Tessa's call the  previous night and was surprised to hear her account of the recent  events in Soleil's life. She'd made it to twenty-one years old before  her father's genes made themselves known. Mason was on his way to meet  Tessa. They had to decide the best way to help Soleil make the  transition.

As he pulled up to the restaurant, Tessa was crossing the parking lot.  She was still absolutely perfect, slight and curvy in all the right  places. Her hair was shorter, but the same glossy dark blond. She didn't  look to be any more than three years older than the last time he saw  her, much less her actual forty-one years. The vampire blood she'd  ingested years ago was responsible for her agelessness. Griffin had  chosen his first mate well, Mason had to admit.

As he entered the dining room, she saw him and came to wrap him in an  embrace. Her sorrow immediately overwhelmed him. Mason was blessed-or  cursed, depending on the point of view-with an extrasensorial gift. All  vampires had certain abilities, like strength, speed, mind control of  humans, and incredible eyesight and hearing, but a few had extra  abilities. Some were able to read minds or predict the future, or, in  Griffin's case, had telekinesis. Mason was empathic. He could read the  emotions or manner of a person or vampire with a touch. If a person was a  cold-blooded killer, he could feel his or her evil and anger with a  touch. If he were a humanitarian, Mason could feel his love of others  and his giving nature, as well as his current emotions. It was very  difficult to lie to Mason.         

     



 

When he touched Tessa, he realized that she'd been in mourning all those  years, and his heart felt the anguish of her daily struggle. He pulled  back and looked her in the eyes. He thought he would cry at the pain and  the rawness of it, as if no time had passed since the day he'd told her  of Griffin's engagement.

She smiled weakly and said, "Oh now, don't you do that. I'm fine, Mason.  It's been a long time, and I've learned to deal with it just fine."

"My God, Tessa, how do you breathe? It's stifling." He was suddenly  angry at Griffin and regretted going along with the plan so many years  ago.

"I said I'm fine. And that's not what I've dragged you out here for. I'm  very sorry about having to involve you in this situation." She tried  not to show her pain and apparently had become a pro at it. As they took  their seats, she handed him the most recent picture of Danielle she  had. It was from the day she'd left for college. She was leaning against  her car, wearing a university T-shirt. He stared at the picture  appraisingly.

"She looks so much like Griffin with that hair. It's unreal. She has  your eyes and figure, and the rest is all him. It's actually surprising  this hasn't happened sooner, given the resemblance. She is a  breathtaking beauty."

"Thank you. Does she look anything like her siblings?" She looked at the table.

"Yes, she looks like her little brother. J. R. is also the spitting  image of his father." Mason looked at her cautiously. "How did you know  she has siblings?"

"I know heirs were very important to his house, but I also felt his joy  when his kids were born. It was the same as when Danielle was born.  Overwhelming pride and adoration is the only way I can describe it. I  believe one child was born slightly more than a year after Danielle and  another maybe ten years ago." She still couldn't look at him.

"You can still feel him?" The thought made his stomach sick.

"I feel him every day," she whispered.

"You are correct. He had twin girls a couple of months after your  daughter's first birthday and a son who is now ten." Pausing, Mason  thought about the fact that Tessa didn't call the girl Soleil. "You  called her Danielle?" Mason had noticed twice she'd used the new name.

"Her name was changed. I thought leaving her with the unusual name her  father gave her would make it easier to find her, but we both kept his  last name," she explained.

"You never remarried?"

"I'm still bonded, Mason. When he broke his bond to me, it didn't change  mine to him. I still feel him, even if he doesn't feel me. I can't even  look at another man. I'm sure if you considered leaving Deborah for  another woman, you'd see what I mean. I'm still his mate." Tears began  to well in her eyes. "Even if I forced myself to move on, it wouldn't  sever our bond. Humans don't bond the way vampires do. Humans don't  share blood, and there is no soul connection. I suppose if I bonded to  another vampire it might break my bond to Griffin, but there aren't many  vampires who are willing to do more than feed on my kind. I'll be  honest, even if I found a willing vampire, I don't think I could do it  again."

"I see your point. Has Soleil … I mean Danielle, ever asked any questions? How much does she know already?"

"She's been asking questions about her father since she was old enough  to understand she should have one. I never gave her any answers until a  couple of years ago, and even then I didn't tell her anything other than  his family didn't approve of me, and that he had married someone else.  She asked me yesterday if her condition had anything to do with her dad.  I told her it had everything to do with him, and then she ran out."

"Do you know if she has fed yet?" Mason pondered Danielle's state of  mind, and if she had bitten someone while having no idea what was  happening to her. He also believed she would need to feed soon; and once  she did, her abilities would make themselves known. The poor kid  probably did believe she was going crazy.

"No, I don't think so. I haven't been able to reach her since she left yesterday."

Mason stared at Danielle's picture. "Is this the school she attends?" he asked, pointing at her shirt.

"Yes, she transferred there this year."

"That university is no more than forty-five minutes from my home. It  shouldn't be too difficult to keep an eye on her, but we're going to  have to figure out how to break this news to her. She'll likely need a  little Vampire 101. We can't have her out there breaking laws she isn't  aware of yet. The sooner, the better, I think." Mason hesitated before  asking, "Do you want Griffin to know?"         

     



 

"Not if he doesn't need to know. I'm afraid of what his family's opinion  will do to her. I can just imagine the slurs other vampires will fling  at her. Not to mention the displeasure he will have with you if he  discovers your part in our disappearance." Tessa spoke with her head in  her hands. She lifted it when the waiter came to the table, and she  ordered a martini and a salad.

"No wonder you're still so thin." Mason smiled and ordered the same martini and a steak with potatoes.