"What if he takes her, and she dies later? We will never know what happened to her. Do we even know if she can live without her power?" Tessa asked Gage.
"He actually wasn't able to absorb her abilities. He almost killed her trying, until he realized-" Darren said, but Chase spoke over him.
"He couldn't because she's human. All the pain she endured was for nothing. He didn't know she was human." Chase was back on his knees and stroking her hair, as Darren snarled continuously. This was it. He wouldn't ever hold her again. He couldn't protect her from her own mate. Everyone looked at Chase, stunned.
"He actually did know she was human," Darren said, "He had kidnapped her human mother, after all. He just didn't know her psychic power was seated in her humanity and amplified by her vampire coming-of-age. He said her mother was psychic. That's why he couldn't reach her gifts," Darren admitted.
"You knew she was half-human?" Mason asked Chase.
Chase didn't look up from his Lovely when he answered, "Yes. I've known since the day we found her beaten at the club. When Doc asked me to try to reach her subconsciously, we spent a lot of time speaking telepathically, and she gave me access to her beautiful mind. Because she was weakened, she wasn't able to hide anything from me. Her gifts were so new to her, she couldn't control her projections. I knew then I would have to protect her from the things in our world that could harm such a fragile being. Just to be sure I wasn't crazy and misreading her mind, I had Doc run her DNA from the blood samples he'd taken from her. He verified it for me. She was so afraid of vamps finding out and killing her. I knew she would tell me, when she was ready. I wanted her to tell me the truth. It didn't matter to me, Dad. I need her, love her. No matter what kind of blood runs in her veins, she will always be my Lovely." Chase's throat closed around the agonized scream trying to escape. He fought the tears burning the backs of his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kayden snapped.
"I told you, I was protecting her! It was her right to tell people when she was ready and not before. It's not like she told me willingly. I couldn't betray her. She told you she wasn't what you thought she was." Chase shook his head. "She was absolutely correct. She is so much more than I ever thought she was."
"She said we could have human kids, and she didn't know how long she would live. I was afraid, and it will be the biggest regret of my life." Kayden left the locker room and stalked down the winding corridor. Even Darren had been able to accept her for what she was, and Kayden had pushed her away. A knot of guilt began to form in his gut. If he hadn't been too afraid of the unknown, Dani wouldn't be suffering. She would be his mate, his to protect regardless of any council dictate, and this never would have happened. He'd failed her yet again.
Chase could do nothing to ease Danielle's pain. She let out a scream and began to thrash about in Chase's arms. Her eyes were open, but she didn't seem to be seeing anything.
"What is wrong, baby? Mommy is here now. Shhh … " Tessa tried to comfort her, but she continued to twist in Chase's arms and clutch at him in pain. Chase whispered to her, and Gage tried to hold Darren back.
"Give her to me now!" Darren demanded. "Why is she burning? It hurts!"
"What is happening to her, Griffin?" Tessa was panicked.
Danielle seemed to come around a bit and clutched Chase's arms. "Chase! It hurts!" She gripped him to her like a lifeline. "Don't let them hurt me anymore!" She was begging, gasping for air, and panting.
"I know it hurts, baby. It will be over soon. Just hold on, my lovely Soleil. I will stay with you." He soothed her and rocked her like a baby in his arms. He looked up at Darren with disgust. "She will never forgive you for this. You have taken a precious part of her that she will mourn forever."
"What is happening to her?" Tessa frantically tried to soothe her daughter.
"She is changing, Tessa. Darren had to give her so much blood to save her life that the vampire blood is trying to overtake her human blood. There's a war raging inside her body. This is usually done in stages so the person can adjust slowly, with a better chance of survival, but she was forced to bypass a more gentle transition," Griffin explained. "Our baby is losing her humanity. I didn't know if it would happen, given she was already a vampire."
"No. She was perfect and precious just the way she was." Tessa fell into his arms, weeping.
"I want her now, Gage. She needs her mate," Darren growled. Gage went to Chase and held out his arms to cradle the suffering girl.
"We must hand her over, son. I don't want to arrest you or anyone else here."
Gage removed Dani from Chase's tight grasp, but she clutched at him, trying to hold on. "Don't let them take me!" Dani held on to Chase and pleaded with him. His heart was shattering, but he had no choice. Bitter rage coated his tongue and choked him when he was finally forced to release her. Gage took her and handed her to Darren, who immediately walked away, murmuring comfort and praise to his mate.
Chase wanted to die. He had just gotten her back. He experienced heaven in her arms, just hours before. He had been bathed in the smell and taste of her. They were true mates, already bonded by love, ready to seal that commitment with blood. Finally, she'd held him in her arms and shared her mind, body, and soul with him, all at once. Her scent still clung to his skin after the bliss of their lovemaking. But she was gone. The sun had been forever snatched from his sky. His world would not be allowed to revolve around Soleil.
Dani awoke suddenly. Confused, she looked around the strange room and the huge four-poster bed with sheer curtains around it. Where the hell was she? She got up unsteadily. Her legs felt like noodles, but other than that, she felt great. What had happened? Something important lingered around the edges of her memory. She had no clue where she was. Making her way to the door, she saw herself in the mirror. Great, she was all black-eyed freak again. No wonder she felt so weird. She was starving. The door opened, and Darren stuck his head in the room.
"I knew you were up, Danielle. I felt your mind stirring. I've been so worried." Darren embraced her and stroked her face lovingly. "Would you prefer I call you Danielle or Soleil?" What the hell was up with that? He needed to cut out the inappropriate contact.
"I don't care what you call me. What do you mean you felt my mind stirring?" That was passing weird. What was she doing with Darren, wherever here was?
"Okay. Since Danielle is the name I have used the most, I'll stick with that, unless you change your mind. You look hungry. Come back to bed, and I will let you feed. I have been anxious to feel you at my neck since our bonding." Darren led her back to the bed. He was acting weird. The super-cocky warrior suddenly seemed needy, even desperate.
The world suddenly tilted on its axis as the memories flooded back. He'd betrayed her to the rogue. He let the rogue rip her throat out. She should have died, but he'd saved her with his own blood. Oh no, please no! She couldn't be his mate. She loved Chase. She couldn't do it.
"You've been resting for several days. You lost so much blood. But Doc said your body just needed time to adjust to the change. It was very hard on you, due to the speed with which it was done. Doc said if you hadn't been half-vampire already, you would have died." He came to stand between her legs where she sat on the edge of the bed. "You can imagine that everyone is very upset with me, but I don't care. I love you, and you are my mate." He paused and looked at her sheepishly. "Are you angry with me? I'm sorry for the way I went about it, but I knew he wouldn't let you live in peace until he got what he wanted."
"I'm so confused. What changed about me? I think I still feel my power, but I feel so weak." She needed to get her head on straight, and Darren looked at her as if she were his most prized possession. It was creepy.
"He wasn't able to take your power, because it was rooted in your humanity. Your gifts came mostly from your mother and were, shall we say, activated and amplified by your father's blood when you came of age. The rogue can't absorb human powers," Darren explained while pushing her farther back on the bed.
"I guess I understand that, but I don't understand why you think I've changed." She tried to crawl away, but he had a tight grip on her.
"This is going to be hard for you to accept, but honestly, it's for the best. We'll be able to live a normal life, without people looking down on us for your flaws." He stalled a moment, searching for the right words. "You were so weak and close to death when I found you. I had to give you a lot of blood to save you." He peeked at her from below his long lashes and tried to crawl over her on the bed, but she forced him back.