Dani was not going to like the party. It was supposed to be a small dinner party, but the entire council and their families were all in attendance, as well as Kayden's parents, Doc Stevens, Melinda Prince and her family, not to mention that overbearing jerk, Darren, along with a handful of single male vamps. Kayden was sure Veronica Stafford was trying to find a more upper-class mate for Dani.
He smelled her before he saw her. The delicious scent of floral vanilla hit him like a wrecking ball, just before she stepped into view. She was a dream in black with her hair swept up beautifully in a purposefully messy updo. Her white hair gave her what she would call a "Bride of Frankenstein" look. She was on the arm of Donovan Stafford.
Kayden looked over to Chase, and they shared an annoyed look. They couldn't stand that arrogant prick. It figured he would be the first one Veronica would push at Dani. Veronica had been trying to reform his playboy ways forever, and Dani was just the girl to make a man rethink his way of life. Hell, Kayden himself had joined the warriors just to be closer to her. His playboy status had rivaled Van's, but that had all changed the day Dani kissed him.
Everyone turned to watch the couple descend the grand staircase in the foyer, where cocktails were being served. Danielle's face flushed the sweetest pink, and Kayden couldn't resist anymore. By the time she was three-quarters of the way down, he went to retrieve his girl from Van's arm and take her the rest of the way himself.
Dani smiled his favorite naughty half smile and took his arm, happily before she kissed his lower lip by way of a greeting. It took his breath away that she cared enough for him to make it clear to the rest of the room that she was with him in a subtle but sure way.
"I'm pleased to be in your arms again, Angel," he told her quietly, and his heart melted when she proudly took his hand. Never having been insecure by nature, Kayden hated the feeling that others believed he wasn't good enough for Dani. She'd told him several times how ridiculous that was. She believed she was beneath him in that respect. She was born of an unknown family and raised by a reclusive human family servant. Kayden was from a long line of the most respected warriors in their history and was a fine warrior in his own right. She always had a way of dispelling his worries with a simple word and batting those long, dark eyelashes at him.
Kayden decided before Dani left the Enclave a week before to ask her to be his mate and bond to him. The only problem was he was aware of her aversion to bonding at such a young age. Having been raised in a human society, she found it hard to swallow that people wouldn't wait until they finished college and had established themselves first. In vamp society, it wasn't unusual for the young to have a bond arranged by their families and carried out at an early age. Chase was twenty-one and Samantha only eighteen, but they would be bonded within the next year or so. The point was, Kayden didn't want to let that night pass without telling Dani how he felt and what his intentions were toward her. He even bought her a traditional human engagement ring and was willing to take part in the human custom of an engagement period, if that helped to settle her nerves. He just needed to know that she was his and always would be.
Kayden hung back and allowed Dani to entertain the crowd that assembled to wish her well for her bravery and celebrate her acquittal. She was a trooper and swallowed her agony at being the center of so much attention. He would think she would be used to it, with everyone always trying to revolve around her.
In the far corner of the room, Chase looked about as unhappy as Kayden had ever seen him. Sam hovered over him and spoke animatedly to several younger vamps about how happy they were to be promised to each other. She tried to get Chase to commit publicly to a date for their bonding ceremony. Chase wouldn't even join the conversation.
Noticing Chase watching Danielle intently, Kayden decided to step a little closer. He placed a hand on her beautifully bare back, and Dani immediately responded to his touch by leaning in to his side. Veronica did her best to introduce Danielle to the cream of the vamp crop in attendance for her mating pleasure. Veronica was really trying to find her a suitable bond mate, but Dani wouldn't release Kayden for even a moment to give anyone the chance to make her an offer. It made Kayden even more sure that solidifying their relationship would be the right thing to do. People should be bonded for love. He loved Dani. It wasn't about a connection or prestige between them. He knew Dani wasn't in love with him yet, but they had a solid foundation to build on. Their bond would be strong and they would both be happy in the end.
Chase couldn't have been more annoyed with the situation. His Lovely was right there, and he couldn't even speak to her. He couldn't even move in her direction without Sam cutting him off. She did everything possible to keep them apart, and it worked. Every so often, Danielle looked at him, and he saw her longing. Someone who didn't know her as well as he did would have missed it, but he'd been in her very soul and could tell what she was thinking by the slightest expression, turn of her head, or the set of her jaw. Chase had convinced himself that seeing Sam hang on him, spouting happiness and love, hurt Dani, so she clung to Kayden for support.
Chase's mind returned to the first night he saw Danielle after the shit storm Sam caused between them in his bedroom. Dani had been injured by the physical beating she received from Nathan and the emotional beating she received from him. Chase had practically dragged her to his suite in the back of the club with the excuse of needing information to help recover another missing girl. He'd been so angry when he saw that human boy touching and kissing his Lovely.
She'd told him that night, I need his comfort to help me stay away from you. I have wanted you since the night I met you. I can't get you out of my head.
That was all Kayden was to her. A friend who dulled the pain Chase caused her. He was sure Danielle had true feelings for Kayden, but she wasn't in love with him. When she looked at Kayden, Chase didn't see the burning want he saw in her eyes when she looked at him, but seeing their cozy familiarity made him sick. How was he ever going to survive it?
"May I speak with you privately for a moment, son?" Mason cut into Sam's discussion with a group of women regarding where she would like to honeymoon.
"Yes, sir," Chase groused, angry with his father for keeping secrets. Mason knew a lot more about Danielle than he'd ever let on. The problem was he wouldn't share the information, and that really pissed Chase off. Whatever they kept from him was life changing. He knew it. How could his father allow him to suffer that way? Chase followed his father to the study and flopped down in a chair by the fireplace.
"We have a problem. I was just speaking to Gage. It seems that your boy, Kayden, has some big plans for tonight. It's only fair that I forewarn you." Mason's tone was thick with dread.
"What kind of plans?" Chase turned to glare at the closed door separating him from Lovely.
"Gage says Kayden can no longer tolerate being separated from Dani. Kayden told his parents he would ask Dani to be his mate tonight. He hopes to be bonded to her immediately so they will be inseparable." Mason frowned.
Chase growled and his eyes went instantly black with rage.
"I know you're angry with me for keeping information from you, but there is one thing I will tell you, and the rest is up to you. If she accepts him and becomes his mate, it will only be to stop the pain she feels over you. It happens frequently with our kind. In fact, I will share a secret with you and trust you as my son to keep it to yourself always." He paused again and took a deep breath. "Griffin was bonded before Sarah."
"I didn't know that." Chase was surprised by the revelation.
"Neither does Sarah. That's why it's a secret. His first mate was, well, she wasn't up to his parents' standards, but he loved her so much he bonded to her in secret." Mason knew he was on the edge of betraying Dani's trust, but he would do his best not to cross the line. He might not agree with her reasons for keeping the secret, but he did understand them. She wanted Chase to choose her no matter the cost. She didn't want her mating to be the product of a vision revealed by a heartsick girl, before Dani was even born.
"What happened to his mate?" Chase asked.
"She died in childbirth along with the baby. Griffin couldn't handle it. Before he went mad with grief, he agreed to accept the bond his parents arranged for no other reason than to stop the pain of his loss. He thought Sarah would replace his first mate in his heart and stop his torment."