Black Magic Rose (34 page)

“She would not have approved of the way it was made.” She cast a sideways glance at Jankin.

“She would have known—” Jankin began.

“Why did you let him lie?” Sofia pointed toward Dragomir, disturbing the gently rolling wave between them.
 

“If I had not and the truth was known, you’d never be safe, not even here,” Jankin answered.
 

“That brings us to fate. I was not supposed to live. You are not God. You had no right.” She could hardly believe she was saying she should die, but that was the reality. She hadn’t been meant to live.
 

“I don’t believe one’s fate is cast in stone. Every decision affords a new opportunity.”
 

Sofia stared at Jankin without any sense of how she felt. She’d gone past rage, to heartbreak, to incredulity, to not feeling a damn thing. “And now death waits for me just outside Cader. Poisonous roses grown just for me.” She shook her head, realizing how difficult this situation had become. “Now more people than you or Dragomir or my parents must offer your lives to save me. I can’t let that happen.”
 

She stood to leave.

“I knew the moment I introduced you to Dragomir you belonged together. If not for that, I’d have never allowed him to bear this burden. You are his true mate. There is none other for him. Nor for you.”
 

Another lie. Sofia was sure of it. She couldn’t live a life of lies.
 

“If that’s true, then we weren’t meant to have love.” She walked out the door.

Chapter Thirty-two

The cafeteria was empty, which was just as well. Sofia was in no mood to hide her feelings and put on a professional face. She really wanted to break something.
 

“You did not honestly think you’d make it out of the building. Did you?” Noelle opened another chart and skimmed a patient’s record.
 

Sofia bit the spoon as she pulled it out of her mouth, letting her teeth slide along the metal. She’d gotten as far as the stairwell leading up to the ground floor before Fergus caught her. She’d had no choice but to agree to stay with Noelle until the Black Magic Roses had been cleared out of her house and the greenhouse behind the farm.
 

Apparently, being a mate meant you could be the bossiest prick on the planet and it was acceptable. She’d stood in the stairwell arguing about whether she should or shouldn’t leave Cader with Fergus, Jankin, and Osgar for twenty minutes before Dragomir made an appearance.
 

“I forbid you to leave the building,” was all he said, then he rushed past her, up the stairs and out onto the ground floor, his black duster flapping in his wake.
 

Sofia had marched up the stairs demanding to know just who he thought he was but he’d left the building before she’d made it to the top step and out of the fake supply closet. When she’d tried to exit the building the damn sparkles attacked, surrounding her and holding her captive.
 

“What the—?” She was held suspended a half-foot off the ground until she stopped fighting.
 

Of course, once her feet hit the floor she tried to leave again and had the same experience. And, stubborn as she was she kept trying to find a way past the damn bond.
 

It was Noelle who finally tired of the situation and carried her back downstairs. “Come on. Let’s get you some decent clothes.”
 

So here she sat across from Noelle in the Cader cafeteria wearing borrowed clothes and eating split pea soup at midnight with a swirly-twirly-sparkly dust cloud encasing her.
 

“It actually seems happy with itself,” Sofia complained.
 

“Oh, it is. It’s keeping you safely where your mate wants you.” Noelle didn’t bother to look up from the chart.
 

“I’m irritated.”

“No kidding. Not a soul in the house could have figured that out.” Noelle stacked the chart in the finished pile.
 

Sofia huffed.
 

“They’ll be back shortly.” Noelle sat back and smiled. “Ah, these don’t look so bad.” She tapped the charts. “The nurses are doing a fine job with documentation.
I
am doing a great job with this group.”

Not too smug, are you?
Sofia tried to keep a straight face. “How do you know?”

“About the charts or the return of the team sent to deal with your roses?” Noelle shuffled the charts around, placing them in alphabetical order.
 

“The team.” Strained calm coated Sofia’s answer.

“With Dragomir and Jankin and the four wolves there’s no way it will take long to clean out the house.”

“What about the farm?” Sofia wondered if she could possibly get lucky enough to have this whole episode end in one night.
 

“Jankin sent a contingency to the farm. They’ll wait for the others to finish the task at your house then together they will deal with whatever’s happening on the farm.” Noelle smiled. “Not to worry. Dragomir will be fine.”

“I’m not worried about him,” Sofia lied.
 

The cloud clung to her. It was like being hugged by a giant glitter storm.
 

Sofia sighed.
 

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“Do vampires have radar for that?” Sofia dropped her spoon on her tray.
 

“Why? Heard it before?” Noelle smiled. “Your bond knows what you need. It’s comforting you. I like to see it work.” She tilted her head. “I’ve only ever gotten to see a bond like this once before when Jade and Dice first came back from their honeymoon. And I only saw it for a few minutes—the length of time it took him to carry her from the car to their quarters.” She grinned.
 

“Did it ever occur to you that I might be agitated over being stuck here and then strapped to a vampire for eternity?” Sofia balled her napkin and threw it on the tray, too.
 

“Did it ever occur to you that everyone in this building might be worried about you? Or that everyone here cares for you and your mate? Or that Cader is actually where you belong and not in some unprotected little house by yourself where Jankin and Dragomir can do nothing but worry about you?” Her eyebrows pulled together, and she drummed her long fingers on the stack of files.
 

Sofia frowned. So now it was her fault they worried about her? She’d never asked for this, never once. It hadn’t occurred to her to request a supernatural husband from the underworld. She rolled her eyes and stared at the parking lot.
 

“Your uncle and mate are the two highest ranking vampires in this branch of The Alliance. Their heads should be in the game not up your ass,” Noelle hissed. She leaned over the stack of files. “Listen up. We’re all tolerating a lot of bullshit with this no violence in the workplace crap. We’ve tried to play nice in the sandbox with you. And for the most part we like you. But if you think allowing your mate to sacrifice himself to please you is acceptable to anyone, you are sadly mistaken.”

“What are you talking about?”
 

“If the right players are at the farm, Dragomir will make a trade tonight. Him for your safety.” Noelle’s eyes widened as her brows flicked up for a split second. “How’s that for true love?”

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Sofia leaned forward. “That’s a horrible idea.” She gripped the table with the sudden urge to toss it through the window.

Little pulses flowed over her skin and she huffed at the bond.
 

“Yeah, well that’s what happens when you bind yourself or at least when you love the person you’re bound to. You make sacrifices to please her.” Noelle stood and gathered her stack of files. “Get your shit. We’re going below.”
 

Sofia cleared away her tray and followed Noelle to the security office.
 

“Any word Ray-Ray?” Noelle asked as they walked by the night vampire guard.
 

“Nothing yet. Should be soon. Can’t take long for Jankin to torch the—” he stopped short.

Noelle glared.
 

“Torch the what?” Sofia asked.
 

“Never mind. Let’s go.” Noelle led the way to the Lower Level.
 

“Torch what?” Sofia repeated.
 

Ray-Ray looked from Noelle to Sofia. “Um…”

“Zip it, Ray-Ray,” Noelle snapped from the stairs. “Let’s go, Sofia.”

Ray-Ray turned his back to Sofia and from the cold wall he presented she knew not to bother with any more questions.
 

“You’d better just tell me.” Sofia jogged to keep up with Noelle. They went down the same corridor that led in the direction of Dragomir’s place, but took a left and two right turns instead of following it to the end.
 

“In.” Noelle held open the door and Sofia stepped over the threshold.
 

Noelle’s place was much cozier than Dragomir’s. Pictures hung on the walls. A fish tank bubbled in one corner. She had chairs and pillows and area rugs. She even had a TV, which she flipped on.
 

“You might as well get comfy. You’re not going anywhere any time soon.”

“I thought you said they’d be back shortly.” Sofia sat on the overstuffed sofa.
 

“They will. But then they’ll meet with the rest of The Board and decide what to do next. That’s if Dragomir comes back. If he’s already offered himself, then it’s done and Jankin will meet with you to get you set up alone.” Noelle kicked off her shoes and plopped into the reclining chair angled toward the TV. “Course, if that happens, you probably shouldn’t come back to work here.” She pointed the remote at the tube and surfed the channels. “It’s a pity you don’t love your mate. Most women would die for what you have. I know I sure would.”

Sofia gulped. She’d wanted a friend. Someone to talk to, to spend some time with, but this wasn’t what she’d had in mind. She’d hoped for someone who liked her.
 

“I never said I didn’t love him.” Sofia wasn’t sure she’d ever said she did. But after the revelation from Jankin, she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about anything.
 

“Well, if this is your display of love, I’d hate to see what over-the-top joy looks like.” Noelle tossed her legs over the side of the chair.
 

Sofia pulled her feet under her and sat cross-legged. “This is all new for me.”

“What? Caring for someone? Letting someone know you care? Or is it giving a damn about anything other than your policies and letting the wrong people have every opportunity to get away with shit?” Noelle dropped the remote in her lap and glanced toward Sofia. “Maybe you’d like to allow Kiernan to explain himself before we kick ass.”
 

“I’m not sure I know what we’re talking about.”

“We’re talking about you and Dragomir. Mates are a fated pairing.” She gave Sofia a once-over. “Most spend years, sometimes centuries searching for one another. And most times they don’t find each other. But you were pulled back from death, snatched right out of its hand and tenderly guarded, although Jankin certainly did not know how precious you were.” She pointed the remote at Sofia. “If I could, I’d change your channels so you’d get a better picture. Dragomir will offer himself in your stead. Essentially, he’ll be a prisoner until your natural death so that you can live a happy little existence without him.”

Sofia’s head pounded with the worst headache she ever remembered having. Her heart thumped erratically. The thought of Dragomir imprisoned because of her was too dreadful.
 

“Yeah, happy, happy Sofia. Then when you die, you can bet his death will be a long and drawn out, merciless slaying. Oh, fuck Dragomir. He’s only your mate, right?” Noelle swept out of the room like she was racing to a fire. “I’m not sure I can even stand to look at you.”
 

Sofia ran after Noelle. “It’s not like that. I don’t want—” A door slammed in her face. She didn’t bother with the knob. She kicked the door and smashed it to the wall.
 

Noelle glanced up from her bed. She lay on her side, cuddling a gray kitten. “You’re scaring my cat.”

Sofia caught the door as it swung back toward her after slamming into the wall. “I don’t want him to die or be tortured. I never asked him to do this. I want him to be happy and safe.”
 

“Strange way of showing it.” Noelle cooed at the kitten then kissed him between his ears. The cat purred happily.
 

“What do I need to do?”

“Well, you can’t leave. He’s forbidden it.” Noelle glanced toward her. “Used your bond as it was meant—to bind you.” She nuzzled the kitten. “A powerful thing, that glittery fuzzy cloud. You wouldn’t expect it to have such far-reaching power.”
 

Sofia studied the specks surrounding her. They swirled away with a push from her breath then resettled in their place. There were fewer now than when she was at Dragomir’s. Only about half as many.
 

“Does that bossy prick move work from both sides?” she asked.