Lover's Betrayal: Misfits of the Lore Series (11 page)

Mates were rare among vampires, but more common for other immortals. Most vampires did not want a mate. Mating meant such a complete belonging to one another that a separation from their partner resulted in a lifetime of despair and loneliness, culminating in a slow and painful death.

At least that’s what Olivia had been taught, and it was certainly how she felt. The years without Lucian were a permanent ache in heart that grew deeper with every passing year, leaving in its wake a suffocating emptiness—an emptiness that she could no longer fight. Now that he was standing there so close after all these years apart, he was a temptation she could barely resist. Her body was aching for him. Her heart was beckoning him to fill it once more, but her mind would not allow her to forget that too much had happened and too much time had passed. She might still yearn for him, but the look in his distant eyes confirmed that he would not forgive her. Any love he felt for her died along with the innocent girl she had once been before she married Daughton. He might desire her physically, which was natural for mates, but he would never want her emotionally. He would never allow himself to love the woman she had become.

Olivia was so lost in her thoughts that she barely heard Lucian speak. “Olivia!” Lucian shouted.

Olivia awoke from her memories, but she could not help but stare into those beautiful eyes that she dreamed about every night. Lucian was as ravishing as ever, with a power and strength that emanated from every ounce of his muscular body.

“What did you want to discuss with me?” Lucian’s tone was forceful and demanding. He needed to get Olivia to focus on official business rather than the desire that was afflicting both of them. His body heated from the way those violet eyes watched him with such intensity. He wanted her. There was no denying the need and passion he felt. Olivia’s beauty called to him like a siren and his body could not help but respond.

Olivia snapped out of her reverie. “How have you been, Lucian?”

Lucian hated that false look of concern in her eyes. He wondered if she knew just how miserable he had been since she walked away. He could not hide the bitterness in his voice. “How do you think I’ve been, Olivia?”

“You look like you have been doing well. You’re head of the Council now and I know how much you always wanted that. I’m surprised your father stepped down so soon, but I’m glad for you. I guess things are going well for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Does it ease your conscience to think that?”

“Nothing will ease that,” Olivia acknowledged. “I just wanted to know if you were happy, if you were well.”

“Why do you care? Do me a favor and stop pretending to give a damn about my life when you were the one who tried to destroy it. If this is your feeble attempt to butter me up so that I will help your son, then let me tell you now not to waste your time. Nothing you say will change anything.”

Olivia expected Lucian to be somewhat angry, but the hostility in his voice surprised her. Lucian had always been so calm and relaxed. He rarely showed temper, but it was obvious that her presence incensed him. “I know you’re upset with me. Please don’t doubt how much I care about you. I have always cared and I will until my last dying breath. I need to know that you’re ok. I need you to be ok. It means everything to me.”

“Well, mate, I can’t oblige you. How do you expect me to feel about this? How would any man feel knowing his mate, his other half, his entire reason for being -- had bedded another and bore him sons? Seeing you again brings up all those painful memories that I have spent years trying to squash. Now I’m trapped here dealing with you and your precious son. The son you conceived with Daughton on our wedding night.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Olivia whispered, trying to fend off the tears that were waiting to be unleashed. Lucian did not know the truth about why she married Daughton. She wanted so desperately to tell him, but Daughton and threatened her into silence for years. Now he was gone and maybe the truth could help her and Lucian find peace. “Please let me explain.”

“I don’t want your explanations. Look, that’s all in the past and nothing will change it. Right now we need to talk about Kaden. That’s why we’re here, right?”

Olivia could only nod her head. She could not face Lucian and see those eyes that used to look at her with the deepest affection now glare at her with such utter loathing. Her hands were starting to shake uncontrollably, a side effect of her secret medicine. Stress accelerated the impact of the drug and she feared the gnawing pain in her gut from his confrontation might kill her before she had a chance to save her son.

She knew she needed to compose herself quickly and focus on Kaden. Revisiting her history with Lucian would only lead to arguments and tension. Olivia walked over to the small bar and poured herself a scotch. Alcohol did not affect vampires as strongly as humans, but enough would calm her jittery nerves. Olivia was no fan of alcohol, but she needed something to get her through this confrontation with Lucian.

“I know you believe Kaden is guilty, but I know he would not and did not commit these crimes. I just need time to prove it.”

“Livy, no mother wants to believe her son could commit such sordid acts. I get it. But at some point, you have to face the reality that your son is not the man you want him to be.”

“Believe me I have no delusions about who my son is and what he is capable of doing if pushed. He’s no angel, but he certainly isn’t a cold-blooded killer of innocent women. Kaden is troubled and that is largely my fault, but he also has a good heart and a fierce desire to protect those he loves. He wouldn’t just destroy an innocent life for kicks. That’s not Kaden. He would certainly kill any threat without hesitation, but not kill for the sake of killing. He’s not some unfeeling sociopath.”

“You sure about that? He certainly has the genes for it. Daughton was more than capable of committing these crimes.”

“Kaden is nothing like Daughton,” Olivia defended. Any unease she felt before was now replaced with anger. Like a mother hen, Olivia would not stand by and allow anyone, including her mate, to attack her son. “You don’t know anything about Kaden and you have no right to compare him to Daughton.”

“I know more about Kaden than you realize. I know you don’t think highly of the Council, but we thoroughly investigate crimes before making judgments. I assure you, I have a lengthy file about Kaden at my office outlining his various nefarious activities. He brazenly violates Council law. He’s brash and arrogant and uses his abilities to threaten and terrorize other immortals. There’s a list of people who claim they were at some point physically attacked by Kaden. Now, we can pretend that everyone is lying and that Kaden is a misunderstood saint, or we can acknowledge the facts. He had sexual contact with each of the victims before they died, he is known for having a violent temper resulting in physical violence, and…”

“What about motive? What about his alibi?”

“I plan to look into any potential alibi when I question him, but I haven’t mentioned the most important fact. One of the victims did not die immediately. According to the local immortal enforcement, the last thing she said before she died was ‘Kaden, please.’ Now why do you think she would say that?”

“There could be plenty of reasons, none of which mean Kaden killed her. You just want that to be the answer.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it? Are you going after my son to punish me?”

An enraged Lucian grabbed Olivia shoulders and pulled her close to his chest. “Is that what you think of me? That I would go after an innocent just to torture you? This just proves how little you know of me and that you could never have really loved me. You’re not the woman I thought you were. Thanks for confirming this. Maybe now I can completely rid myself of you.

“Just to be clear, I take my job seriously and I’m committed to doing the just and right thing no matter how I personally feel about the situation. Don’t ever question my integrity or honor when you have demonstrated that you have neither. I don’t understand how the gods would have mated me to someone like you.”

Olivia’s stomach lurched as those harsh words echoed through her body. “I’m sorry.” She was sorry for so much, but especially the pain in Lucian’s eyes that she knew she caused.

Lucian released her and distanced himself from her once again. The fire in his eyes was now replaced with that cool calmness he used to mask his feelings. “I will talk to Kaden and find out if he has an alibi. If he has one, Lorenzo and I will check it out and see if it’s valid. If not, then we will have to take him back to Italy to be judged by the Council.”

“Please let me help you investigate this. Julian, Corinne, and I were planning to investigate this tonight just before you arrived. We can help with this.”

“You’re too close to the situation, Liv. I can’t trust that you won’t tamper with things to make Kaden look innocent.”

“I just want the truth, whatever it may be. You can trust that I will not do anything to interfere with the investigation. None of us will. I know this isn’t standard procedure and you like to follow the rules, but I’m begging you to let me, let us, help you with this. I know you hate me and you have no reason to help me, but please help me anyway.”

Lucian needed more distance from her. Her presence was unnerving. He had worked too hard to maintain his composed, controlled demeanor and in no time Olivia had broken him. His emotions were erratic, leaving him angry and confused. He resented her for making him feel this way. Lashing out at her for his current state was his only relief. “I have spent years hating you, but seeing you now just makes me feel pity. You chose the wrong man and bore him a murderer. Here you are desperately trying to protect him. It’s sad, really. Things could have been so different for us, Liv, but you defied me, our bond, our love -- and look at what you have left. Was it worth it?”

“Don’t do this, please,” Olivia begged, but Lucian would not relent.

“Do what? Make you face the truth? I have been living with this truth ever since your betrayal. Why should you be shielded from it? I would have given you the world. We could’ve had children of our own. You wanted six, right? We could have had the perfect love and the perfect family, but you threw it all away to please your parents and your greed. Now what do you have to show for it? Our bond is weak, but I can still sense your misery. Maybe I do still hate you -- because your pain pleases me. You deserve to suffer for the pain you have caused. That’s justice.”

Olivia’s face had turned ghostly pale and for a moment Lucian wanted to reach out and comfort her. He wanted to take back his painful words, but he could not allow himself to soften for her. He had to protect himself from further pain. Olivia was too dangerous for him. To soften toward her would weaken him, making him a target for more pain. He could not allow her to break him again, for he would not have the strength to put the pieces back together again.

Olivia could not speak. The depth of his hatred was overwhelming. None of the pain she endured from Daughton came close to the agony of this moment. The sickening desperation that was slowly killing Olivia was surfacing once again. Her stomach was clenching and her heart was beating so hard that she could barely keep her balance. She wanted nothing more than to see Lucian once again, but now he was here with hatred in his eyes and a desire to kill her son.

Part of her had harbored misguided hope that Lucian might look at her with love again for just a moment. She would be content to die knowing that he cared even a little. Now she knew that he would likely celebrate her death. Ridding himself of her once and for all would be the best gift she could give him. Maybe then she could ease the pain that had embittered his heart.

Her strength was waning. This painful conversation was taking its toll on Olivia. Her head pounded with a fury. She needed distance from him, but her body would not move. Her limbs felt like lead and she could barely control her body. She tried to look into Lucian’s eyes but she could not focus on him. She barely heard him call out her name before her world went black and she succumbed to darkness.

III

The next thing Olivia heard was a voice screaming her name, urging her to wake, but she wanted to stay asleep – to stay in this dream where she was wrapped in the arms of a warm body that felt like home. He smelled of the sea that matched the color of his eyes. His scent engulfed her and she just wanted to be buried in it. For the first time in a long time, she felt warmth, peace, and contentment. No. She would not wake from this perfect dream, but she could ignore that voice begging her to wake up.

Then she felt his gentle hand on her cheek as he urged her to wake. She could feel his breath on her face and knew he was so close to her now. Close enough to kiss….She tried to dismiss that desire, but the longer she stayed in his arms the harder it would be to resist the temptation.

She slowly opened her eyes to see his cerulean blues looking at her with such concern. Did he still care for her, she wondered? Maybe just a little? His eyes could not hide the emotion he was straining to hold back.

“Olivia, are you ok? I shouldn’t have said that to you.” His voice was frantic and Olivia wanted so much to soothe him.

As if compelled by some force beyond her control, she reached up to touch his face. Her reaction stunned him momentarily, but he did not push her away. She gently stroked his jaw and he closed his eyes and relaxed his face in her hand. To her surprise, he wanted this contact as much as she needed it. She wanted more. She needed to be closer to him. She forced her body upward so that her face was mere inches from his. She traced his jaw with her fingertips. Seeing his pleasure, she felt bolder and replaced her hands with gentle kisses.

Lucian groaned with this new contact. Olivia’s lips were so soft on his skin. He missed the way she touched him. As she sat in his lap gently rubbing her body against his, he thought he would die from the torment of this unfulfilled yearning. His body shuddered from need, hunger, and desire for that which he had been denied for so long.