Moon Bound

Chapter 8- His Two Scents (advisory Mature Content 18+)

"What a fucking disaster." Codrin Lupescu growled to himself in his native Romanian as he stalked down the hall towards his rooms, which, in his opinion, were not far enough away from those of his mate. Even now, her scent still lingered in the air. His guardians swiftly opened the double doors to let him in, then seeming to recognize his foul mood, they made themselves scarce. He marched straight to the well-stocked bar carved into the stone wall of the large sitting room and poured himself a bourbon neat. Then, thinking better of it, he poured a double before collapsing into the soft, warm leather of the large armchair closest to the blazing fire. Loosening his tie and unfastening his top button with his free hand, he sat back with a long exhale.

"Fuck," he cursed, reaching down to adjust his trousers and relieve some of the pressure on his swollen, aching cock. 

Holding the glass up, he watched as the firelight danced through the heavy crystal, making the amber liquid glow. He took a sip, rolling the warm liquid over his tongue before he swallowed it down. Laying his head back, he closed his eyes, savoring the smooth, spicy notes that were now another reminder of his mate. He could still invoke the faint scent of vanilla on her breath as he carried her through the long passageways of the den, her body pressed tightly against his. The memory made him swell further, and his canines ached and elongated with the unfulfilled need to mark her.

"I see you have returned."

He opened his eyes to Selene coming towards him from deeper in his rooms, her perfect hips swaying seductively. She was still dressed in the red number that accentuated all of her gorgeous curves and would leave any unmated male wanting to see the rest of her.

Codrin knew firsthand, that given the chance, they wouldn't be disappointed.

She sat down on the arm of his chair and handed him the leather folio she carried while simultaneously taking his glass and stealing a sip.

"Mmm," she said, licking her lips. "They sure know how to find a good barrel around here. A welcome gift from Alaric and Silas, I presume." She held the glass to her bare cleavage and looked down at him with a soft chuckle. "Speaking of which, how did it go with the whelp? Did you get her tucked away? Clearly, your plan to avoid her isn't going to work."

"Clearly," he replied acerbically.

She smiled seductively, sat the glass down on the cocktail table, and leaned into him, pressing her ample breasts against his arm. Rubbing her hand down between his thighs, she gently grabbed his obvious erection and squeezed, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from his lips.

"I can help you with that, you know. You don't have to suffer through it alone." She whispered wickedly in his ear. Standing up in front of him, she positioned herself between his legs and slowly slipped down to her knees.

She reached for his belt—

"No, Selene." He stopped her hands. She looked up at him from under thick lashes, surprise in her large, sultry eyes.

"I will suffer as I have made her to suffer." He said quietly in explanation of his rejection. He had left his mate in tears. Even the thick oak doors of the den were not thick enough to keep her quiet sobs from his sensitive ears...it had gutted him.

Selene shrugged. "Very well. I only meant to help." She stood and smoothed out her gown. 

"You put her at risk if you can't control the urges of the mate bond. She is young and fragile just as Ecaterina was—"

"I do not wish to speak of Ina," he growled, eyes flashing gold. Standing, he snatched up his glass. Stalking over to the fireplace, he stared into the flames.