Forbidden Feast

Ch. 14: You laughed

Mathew Ventura, after living twenty-three years in a world of monsters and magic, was rarely surprised. The ability to kill with a drop of his blood was unbeatable.

But as soon as Jace said they had met before, Mathew stopped all motor function. His life smacked into a wall, and he couldn't move on.

"What?"

"We've met before and you didn't recognize me, I guess..." Jace rolled his eyes. Warmth radiated out of Jace as he flushed, and Mathew bit the side of his cheek to keep from smiling. Jace Wright, scary werewolf bodyguard, was full pouting and Mathew wanted to jump out the window. He was so cute.

Jace admitted, "I acted like a brat about it. Meeting you meant a lot to me, and it was obvious it meant nothing to you."

"Jace," Mathew said. "You can't hold something I don't even remember against me."

"That's the reason I'm annoyed, though."

"I'm sorry..." Mathew peered at Jace, wondering if it was safe or not to ask. "How did we meet before?"

Jace sighed. "It was a year ago at the Ventura castle. I was waiting for my meeting with Dante to ask him to be a part of the coven. I... I didn't have a pack, so I was anxious, and my wolf was restless. I needed your brother to say yes, and not just for me, but for Lilly."

"I couldn't sit still. I just kept pacing the gardens and I wasn't myself. I was a little reckless when I tripped and fell down a couple of stairs. I was more embarrassed than hurt when you... when you appeared." Jace let out a breath, like it was stuck in his chest. His whole body relaxed at the memory. "I saw you thought I had died. You looked like an angel."

Mathew wished he could remember. If he could, he'd try to match whatever he did that day because the smile Jace had from just thinking about that version of himself made Mathew pinched with jealousy.

"You helped me up, and I was fine, but I still let you walk me to a bench. You checked my head for bumps and asked your niece to run and fetch me some water."

Jace shook his head. "It was kind. Kind for no reason. I told you I was there to see Dante, and I was nervous from the stories I had heard. You laughed. You laughed, and I thought there were no worries in the entire world. You said Dante was a lovable teddy bear, and he got a bad rap. I believed you because I didn't think an angel could lie." Mathew flushed. That was a new one.

This was the most Jace spoke in one sitting, and he couldn't seem to stop himself. "I requested something to hold onto during the meeting. You gave me a pen in your pocket..." Jace got up and walked to his desk, revealing a simple light blue and gold ink pen they kept around the castle. It was custom ordered by Mathew's mother to have an engraved butterfly on the cap in gold. It was her signature creature. There were butterflies all over the estate.

"And you were right. The meeting went well and now and then, while reporting back to Dante, I would see you. You'd be with your family, or you'd be alone, and I'd never dare to bother you. Then, Dante asked me to come to his office. He knew you were planning to run away, and I was so worried about you, I would have agreed to anything. He asked me to be your bodyguard while you attended school."

Mathew rubbed his thumb over the butterfly for courage. "Why didn't you ever come up to me?"

Jace smiled sadly. That was all Mathew was good at doing lately. "You might've forgotten this, but I was reminded of it all the time. You're a prince and I'm just a temporary guard. You are a vampire from a prominent coven, and I am supposed to stand quietly in the corner. You're the precious baby of your family and I have to parent a teenager. The best I can do for you is this."