“Helena marched out of the bathroom after Felicity then shoved her into the crowded ballroom,” Dom said. His voice gave no indication as to how he felt about this whole situation.
“Also,” Felicity chimed in before the subject moved along, “the only reason why I acted the way I did is because she said she’s challenging me for Dominic tomorrow night.”
There. She’d said it.
And she’d been right.
Both Diane and Dom stiffened with tension they couldn’t begin to hide. Dom’s expression shuttered, hiding his thoughts.
“We don’t have to let her in the door, right? If we don’t let her in then she can’t challenge me.” Neither of them said anything. Felicity’s nerves started to feel frayed like a piece of thread reused too many times.
Diane cleared her throat. “Actually, it is against the law to bar anyone from the ceremony who wishes to attend. The punishment for this is death.”
“What kind of a stupid law is that!” Felicity said. Before, the challenge had only been a thought, something not quite real, but now it became a real, frightening prospect. One she did not want to deal with.
Diane nodded. “In fact it is there to help protect both the male and the bruid from being forced into mating. It gives either of them an out in case the mating has been coerced in some way. There hasn’t been a challenge in years. Isn’t that right, Dominic?”
“Indeed, mother.”
Everyone fell silent. A billowing anger began churning in Felicity. It started in her gut then worked its way up to her heart, making her face warm, and then down to her hands where she curled them into fists.
Finally, she had had enough. “Excuse me! Am I the only one having this conversation? Tomorrow night I’m going to be challenged for the rights to Dom and if I don’t win...if I don’t win...” her words faltered as her breathing turned into ragged gasps. Instantly, Dom was there, his arm around her shoulder pushing her head down.
“Breathe, sweets, just breathe. Everything will be all right. I’d never let anything bad happen to you.” His hand rubbed soothing circles across the tight muscles of her shoulders. Almost as if they were hesitant, her muscles twitched before finally easing under his touch.
She stood now that she had her breathing under control. “This is not all right. What if I lose, Dom. What if I lose?”
His eyes caught hers and something dark flashed in his eyes. “You won’t because if she tries to come she won’t be getting in.”
Diane took a step forward as if she couldn’t stop herself. “Dom, even you do not have that kind of power. If she comes then she must be allowed in.”
His jaw crunched as he ground it side to side. “I don’t care.”
Diane lifted her chin. “You’ll care when they call your mating void. When they cease to perform the ceremony, or worse, arrest you for breaking law. You know the sentence if they find you guilty.”
Dom’s voice suddenly rang through the halls, a harsh cry. “I don’t have time for this! God dammit! Why did you have to hit her? Why did you have to start this?”
Felicity heard what he said, but still her mind reeled at the tone of his voice. She replayed what he said. Blinking, she took a step back from him. She almost looked over her shoulder because he couldn’t be speaking like that to her. It wasn’t her fault that Helena came after her like a raptor searching for dinner. This wasn’t her fault. Her mind replayed tonight’s events, excluding the time spent with Dominic outside the ball. Helena had been aching for a fight, taunting her with what she would take from Felicity—Dom. Maybe she’d overreacted in hitting Helena first, though she didn’t regret the actions, but she didn’t start this.
“Dom, it’s not my fault.” Her voice trembled.
His jaw clamped and then he slammed his eyes shut as he visibly tried to get himself under control. “I know...I know. I’m sorry. I have to get some work done. Check the numbers again. Call Vas and Grayson,” he said, shaking his head like it was a heavy, tired weight. “I’m sorry, go up to bed.”
Felicity let him pull her up for a kiss but she didn’t kiss him back. The pain from his blow, so to speak, still too fresh. She’d accept his apology but she’d need time before she could forget it.
“Don’t worry about it. I won’t let her challenge you.”
Nodding, because what else was she to do, she headed upstairs to his bedroom. She undressed alone, showered alone, and when she went to bed, unable to sleep as the weight of tomorrow night hung over her head like a heavy cloud, she did it alone.
He never came to bed.
Chapter 22
Today was the biggest day of Felicity Shaw’s life, the day in which she’d become bonded to another vampire. A vampire even her mother could be proud of. Felicity frowned at that train of thought and quickly corrected herself because of course her mother would be proud that her only daughter was mating with one of the wealthiest vampires in the world. Her mother loved money. So much so that she had taken all of the money left after Felicity’s father’s unfortunate death after a gambling match turned bad and currently spent the large sum with her younger lover.
This morning, the morning of all mornings, Felicity had actually debated calling her mother. When her mother moved to some small island in the Caribbean with her lover, her mother had called once to leave her number. Felicity had let the answering machine take the call. She might not want to talk to her mother but she’d written down the number and had it tucked away in her phone book at home. If she really wanted to she could have someone fetch it for her and she could call her. But to tell her what? That today she was mating with Dominic Blackmoore and that she’d no longer be Ms. Shaw but Lady Blackmoore? Her face would be one photographed for magazines all over the globe. Her life would never be the same and all of it would be done with a powerful man who made her heart flutter right at her side.
A part of her really wanted to. A part of her wanted to see her mother sitting in a chair to represent her side of the family at the ceremony. It might only be one chair amongst the more than hundred that came with the Blackmoore family and friends, not to mention the seats open to the public. But one was more than none.
Felicity finished brushing her hair from her morning shower and stared back at her reflection. She looked tired and rundown, not like a woman on the happiest day of her life. Tonight she’d become Mrs. Lady Blackmoore with her love, Dominic Blackmoore, and then tomorrow was election day. She, vampires, and weres from across the country would head to their local governing office to cast their vote for the next president of the council. Those who wanted radical changes were leaning towards the wild alpha Zeke and those wanting to stick to tradition were staying with Dominic. She may be biased, but she knew who she was voting for.
For the first time that morning she smiled, the muscles of her face tugging. It was a small one, bordering on sad, but it was there nevertheless.
He never came to bed last night.
He did say he had work to do. Probably more than she could even imagine. After all, what did she know about running for president? Not a thing. Attending one campaign ball did not a political savant make.
She didn’t sleep well without him. In fact, she’d barely slept at all. Call it nerves or anxiety but she’d been bursting with it all night long. Tossing, turning, she’d flitted about the bed until her feet hung off, her arms slung around at awkward angles, the comforter stuck between her thighs and still sleep never came. Finally, she’d given up on sleep and turned on the TV.
She’d found a late night/early morning B-movie in black and white about a teenaged boy who was learning Ninjutsu in order to get vengeance on a man who killed his family. It was a bad movie in that purposeful way, but that isn’t why she watched it. She watched it because, no matter how crazy it might make her look, she was studying Ninjutsu. She punched the air and, in her mind, performed wild kicks in mid-air with both of her legs while picturing Helena’s face taking the hit. Did she actually believe that any of this would help her come late tonight during the bonding ceremony--no. Not at all. But a girl had to hope.