Isobel pulled in a sharp breath. Julian’s gaze grew intense.
Lucien continued, “There is more to her, much more than I expected. Just Leah being Leah and more.” He studied his children and then shared, “She can mark me, with practice she may even be able to track me, tune me to her. I sense when she’s trying and it takes some effort to stop her from doing it.”
“Oh my God,” Isobel breathed.
“You’re kidding,” Julian whispered.
Lucien didn’t answer his son, he went on, “She senses danger either on her own or through me. She can speak to me with her mind not only when I’m reading hers but when she wishes to do so.”
Neither of his children responded, they both simply stared at him in shock.
Lucien continued, “And she and I are sharing dreams of The Sentence.”
“Christ,” Julian muttered on a wince but Isobel’s face went even paler.
Lucien carried on, “Leah’s dreams are vastly more powerful to the point where, if I’m not with her, even awake the dream doesn’t leave her. Indeed, the other night she nearly died by hanging such is the power of her mind.”
“Oh Father,” Isobel whispered.
“She’s special,” Lucien stated. “It will be intriguing to watch and see if these abilities form more fully and how. But I need to guard her, protect her in ways I didn’t fathom when I began this. I need to protect her from those who would harm her because of what she means to their way of life, concubines who wish to halt a change or vampires who wish the same. I need to keep her abilities a secret. And I also need to protect her from these dreams. I shared her dream just last night. It’s hideous. Simply her having them is bad enough. Her physically experiencing them, I will not abide. Her dying from one, I will not tolerate.”
“Of course not,” Isobel said softly. “That’s terrible.”
“It is,” Lucien agreed. “Now, we need to be certain Etienne doesn’t discover these things. We also need to be certain that Cressida nor even Magdalene learn about what Leah can do. And we need to be certain that Leah does not learn from any of them about Maggie or the fact that the additional component to the physical nature of our relationship is not commonplace with concubines.”
Isobel lost her ability to hide her reactions and her mouth dropped open.
“What?” Julian asked. “She doesn’t know?”
“No, she doesn’t know,” Lucien answered, his children glanced at each other but wisely did not question this and Lucien went on. “Also, Julian, you need to keep a tight rein on your mother. Leah is not like other concubines. She’s not even like other mortals. She’s spirited and unused to obedience. If Cressida presses for a reaction, Leah will likely give it to her and if that should happen, I will side with Leah.”
“You’ll side with Leah?” Julian asked. “Against a vampire?”
“Absolutely,” Lucien answered.
Suddenly, Isobel’s eyes narrowed and she queried, “Why are you both dreaming of The Sentence?”
“I’ve no idea,” Lucien replied.
Isobel instantly shot her next question at him. “Do you intend to take her as your mate?”
Lucien felt his body go solid as he heard Julian take in a sharp breath and he spoke low and slow when he answered, “No, Isobel, I do not.”
“Then why would you both be dreaming of The Sentence?” she pushed.
“I’ve answered that question, Bel,” Lucien returned.
Isobel kept pushing. “You obviously hold her in deep regard. You marked her twenty years ago. You’ve stated you’d back her even if she disrespected one of your own kind. And you’re putting yourself, your family, your friends and our way of life in danger and you’re saying all of that is just so you can f**k her?”
“Bel,” Julian hissed.
“No!” Isobel snapped back, her eyes cutting to her brother. “I want to know. I want to know what he’d risk burning for. I heard she’s not hard on the eyes and she smells divine but no mortal blood and definitely no mortal pu**y is worth burning.”
“Okay, but you don’t have to be a bitch about it,” Julian bit out.
But Lucien had had enough.
Silence! Lucien commanded. Both his children’s mouths clamped shut and when they turned to face him, he continued. Be still, and their bodies locked.
“Do not,” he spoke aloud, his gaze on his daughter, “ever speak that way in regards to Leah. What I have with her and why I’d risk what I’d risk for her, if you don’t understand it when you see it, is none of your f**king business. If you know nothing, you know me better than to think I’d take this risk if it didn’t mean something to me and that should be enough for the both of you. Am I understood?”
He freed their minds and Isobel clenched her teeth but nodded. Julian tipped up his chin.
“There will be no more talk of mates,” Lucien declared.
Julian tipped up his chin again but Isobel pulled in a deep breath.
Then her face changed. It melted and it so reminded him of her mother who was the most gentle vampire he’d ever known, much like Maggie, that some of Lucien’s temper fled.
“You’re loved,” she said quietly.
The rest of Lucien’s temper fled and he replied, “I know that, darling.”
She shook her head and looked to the water before she went on, “I’m just worried about you. I wasn’t around when vampires could take mortal mates but,” her eyes came back to him, “I heard that was what it was like. That they didn’t respect vampires. That they were treated as equals. That –”
“You’re wrong and you’re right,” Lucien interrupted her. “You’ve never experienced a taming. It’s about respect and equality. But, Bel, when you see Leah with me, you’ll understand.” He closed the distance between them, lifted his hand and put it to his daughter’s neck, his thumb moving to stroke her delicate jaw, also just like her mother’s before he murmured, “I promise, my darling, you’ll understand.”
Her black eyes hit his and it took a moment before her eyes grew warm and she nodded.
Lucien smiled at her and he received a hesitant smile in return. Then he felt Julian get close to them and both he and Isobel looked to their sides to see Julian grinning.
“Seriously,” he said through his grin, “I can’t wait to meet Leah.”