Unafraid by Cat Miller Page B

ladies in attendance. He’d escorted Delphina to
the gatherings because his mother insisted he come with a date.
Delphina was angry that he didn’t pay her the attention he always
had in the past. He wasn’t sure how he’d missed her aspiration to
be his mate in the past. She’d hid it well. Now she’d convinced
herself that he was only trying to protect her from heartbreak when
his inevitable bonding arrived. It seemed he wasn’t the only one
trying to find a way to release him from his obligation.
    Griffin hadn’t taken another woman to his bed
and he simply couldn’t imagine a time that anyone but Tessa would
feel right in his arms. He dreaded the nights. He tried going back
to his home but every night he ended up in the space he’d shared
with Tessa. The place still smelled faintly of vanilla and woman,
particularly in the bedroom. It was torture being there without
Tessa but he couldn’t make himself leave. It was his last link to
her and he was not looking forward to the day her scent completely
faded away.
    He’d lay in the bed he’d shared with Tessa;
replaying all the ways they had loved each other in his mind. He
couldn’t understand how a person who had been in his life for such
a short time could rip him apart this way. His thoughts drifted
from lovemaking to quiet moments shared in front of the fire while
she read a book and he worked. When he came home in the evenings,
she would be waiting with a hot meal and tons of pent up energy
after being home alone all day. There was way more to the time
they’d spent together than hot sex. It was a real relationship and
he missed her deeply. He loved her more than he could ever imagine
loving another being, human or vampire.
    He kept coming back to a conversation he’d
had with Delphina and a tempting thought took root in his mind,
refusing to be plucked. Delphina suggested they be bonded without
telling their families first. You can only be bonded to one person
at a time. Once it’s done it’s done. If he made her his mate, Sarah
and her family would be shit out of luck. Delphina acted as if it
would be a sacrifice for her to forgo a big bonding ceremony, but
Griffin knew her family would be overjoyed. His family, on the
other hand, would be disgraced and likely owe a great deal of money
to Sarah’s parents for breach of contract.
    Griffin tried to remind himself that once he
was bonded to Sarah this pain would end. He should call his parents
and ask to be bonded to Sarah immediately. The thought of spending
the rest of his life without Tessa burned a hole through his
chest.
    Tessa was out there tonight alone. Griffin
knew she’d gone back to work at the restaurant because he’d driven
by a time or two and seen her working inside. That Italian asshole
who owned the joint wanted her badly. Sebastian couldn’t have Tessa
because she was Griffin’s future mate. He was going to get her back
and keep her this time.
    You could only be bonded to one person at a
time. Griffin had a lot of money to pay for whatever fine would be
handed down by the Council for his breach of contract. He smiled to
himself and crawled out of bed. Sarah deserved better than a
vampire who only wanted another woman. Griffin deserved to live his
life and love who he wished, even if she was human.
     
    * * *
    Tessa left Bella Notte at the end of her
shift and was surprised to find Mason waiting outside. She did not
want to deal with his holier-than-thou vampire ass. The agony of
losing Griffin was still too fresh in her heart and mind. She
walked past as if he wasn’t there, but he followed. A terrifying
thought came to her and her heart started to pound. What if Mason
had changed his mind about keeping her a secret to protect his
friend’s reputation? What if he had come to take her to the
Council? She picked up the pace. It was stupid because she would
never be able to out run a vampire, but the fight or flight
instinct made her do crazy shit.
    A hand reached to grasp her