Dani was glad when Mason told her he'd been forced to fill his mate in on all the gory details of the secret he'd kept from Griffin and her for all these years. It had been a burden for him to keep such a major event from her for all that time. Debbie had been upset with him for a few days, but she just wanted to help Dani adjust to her new life. Debbie didn't care that Dani was human. Mason and Debbie only had one child, and Dani could tell Debbie was happy to have a girl around the house, for a change. They'd spent the past few days watching chick flicks, eating ice cream by the pint, and talking smack about men.
"Don't forget, you have a date for tonight, and he will be devastated if you stand him up," Debbie reminded her.
A slow grin crept over Dani's face. "How could I forget? He's probably the best man in the entire world. Of course I can't stand him up."
"Your hair is done, your makeup is perfect, and your gown has been steamed and is waiting in the closet. Now, I have a gift for you." Debbie handed Dani a small white box.
"Debbie! You shouldn't have. This isn't necessary." She hated receiving gifts when she was in no position to give gifts. Christmas was going to suck.
"Don't be silly. Your godfather and I can give you gifts whenever we like. Open it," she demanded. Dani ripped into the satiny, white gift wrap and opened the box to reveal a pair of gold, dangly earrings. There were three sunbursts hanging from delicate gold chains. In the center of each of the suns was a sparkly diamond. Debbie had given Dani back her necklace, which she'd cleaned up and polished. The new earrings were identical to the necklace, except for the diamonds.
"This is too much. I can't accept this."
"You can, and you will," Mason said from the door. "Your date is here, and he looks as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs."
Dani hugged them both, before they left her to dress.
Dani's heart melted at the sight of her date pacing in the foyer. He was so handsome in his tux and tails. He even had a corsage for her. She practically skipped down the stairs to meet him.
"Are you sure you don't have a prettier girl you could attend the gala with? I'm not sure I'm up to the standards of such a handsome young man," she teased.
"There could never be a prettier girl than you, Dani." He hugged her waist. Her little brother was adorable. "I'm going to hog you all night, so the boys leave you alone. I will protect you." He gazed up at her with the cutest look of stern determination she'd ever seen.
I said I'll do it! Now back off! We have an agreement! I completed half of my task, and the other half will be done on schedule. You better hold up your end, or I will kill you where you stand!" The defiant shout filtered through the speakers of the limo's phone.
The rogue laughed at the threat coming from a lovesick idiot. "You know, for such a strong man, you have become quite soft. I'm really not sure what it is about that girl that turns every vamp in town into putty for her little hands to mold at will."
"I'm not being molded. I'm taking her as I am and making her what I want her to be. She will love me, and she will obey me. You just better make sure there's still breath left in her when you give her back to me, or I will expose you in an instant, damn the consequences I will pay!"
"I guess you can't see how weak you have become in pursuit of the fledgling. The fact that you are willing to sacrifice your name and freedom to avenge a child you will have to force to love you with a blood bond is very telling," the rogue taunted.
"The fact that you have been chasing the very same girl and coming up empty for months is also very telling. You have thrown everything you've got at her, and she slips through your fingers every time. You're not above me, and don't you forget it. You need me to get what you want as much as I need you to get what I want. I will be your trap, and you will be my alibi. Just don't be late, or we'll miss our window." The call disconnected.
Idiot. He would drink until he had his fill of her power. If she had any blood left, he could have it. A lovesick male wouldn't stop him from reaching his goals.
It was the night Kayden had been looking forward to for months. He was supposed to be at Dani's side. They would have entered the gala hand in hand. He even wore the damn tux she'd picked to coordinate with her dress. She'd gotten a kick out of making him wear purple, but it was only the vest, so he let her have her way and ordered the deep royal purple. He could have replaced the vest before that night, but he actually hoped she would see it and know he still wore it for her.
He hadn't seen her since Mason carried her out of the room, covered in blood and sobbing. Never had he known such pain or been so ashamed. He'd willingly given her up, and for what? A few DNA strands that made her a little different? She was a demi-vamp, and she was perfect, beautiful, powerful, and full of love. He still loved her. Those DNA strands wouldn't change that, no matter how badly he wanted it to.
She'd bared her deepest secret to him, and he'd smacked her away. She had tried to tell him she was different, but he thought he loved her enough to overcome any differences. All she had to do was wait a few more minutes, and none of it would have mattered to either of them. They could have kept her secret. Nobody could tell. He couldn't tell the difference until her blood flowed from her lips, and the thick scent hit his nose. There was just the slightest hint of sweet human lifeblood mixed in with her powerful vamp essence. Maybe that was why her scent was so attractive. She had that sexy vamp pheromone tinged with a delicious human sweetness that made him so thirsty he burned to be nearer to the source.
Kayden was outside when her limo pulled up. He'd heard she had a date, but he knew it wasn't Chase. Chase was already inside and way too happy, because Sam and Brandi were both staying home.
Kayden didn't know how he was going to deal with seeing her on the arm of another man so soon after she vowed her life to him. She had looked him in the eye and handed over her very soul to be his mate. He would watch other men enjoy her company until she found a mate. He wasn't sure what would be worse, watching her date a string of males, or knowing the soul she had promised to him belonged to someone else, because of his stupid prejudices.
The driver opened the door, and she climbed out in a gloriously sheer, strapless, royal-purple gown. The bodice shimmered and drew attention to her. Oh, man. When the light shone from behind her, he could just make out all of her luscious curves. She didn't try to hide her hair, either. She showed off her unique streaks in big, flowing curls. How was he going to learn to live without her when just looking at her ripped him apart?
Chase paced the ballroom floor. He'd worked hard putting that gala together, and it would be a special night indeed. Big things were in the works for the night. Griffin had a special announcement planned, and Chase had some important news to share with Lovely. He'd stayed away and given her space to deal with her sadness over Kayden. Of course, he was sure that was going to take longer than the few days that had passed since he last saw her. Staying away when he knew she was under his parents' roof in the room next to his childhood bedroom had been tough. Hell, the rooms even had an adjoining door! He'd wanted to comfort her and coddle her. He wanted to shower her with all the attention he should have given her from the start, but his father counseled patience, so he'd waited until that night to speak with her.
The place was already almost full, and her seat was still empty. Chase had to make some last-minute seat changes when his mother called to inform him that Dani had a date. There was space at the table because he'd overlooked moving Kayden away from her. It would have been miserable for her to sit with him all night. It didn't make Chase happy that he would have to sit across from her and her mystery date all night, but hopefully after they spoke, it wouldn't matter.
"Would you please sit down a minute? You're wearing holes in your shoes with all the back-and-forth," Griffin said lightheartedly. Griffin seemed nervous, yet more energized than Chase could ever remember seeing him. Mason said his mood was due to the coming announcement Griffin planned to make.
"I've never been so worked up in my life." Chase took the seat next to Griffin.
"Love will do that to you. It brings the greatest joy and happiness, and the greatest pain, simultaneously." He clapped a hand on Chase's shoulder.
Chase felt Griffin's grip on his shoulder stiffen, and he followed his gaze to the staircase where the guests were entering. At the top of the stairs was a vision with flowing dark hair accentuated by curls of white and red. Her date had his head held high. Seeing the two of them together was a little unnerving. They looked like they could be siblings.