Page 2 of Dermot

Celeste nodded. “Bastien is a Krsnik, but even though he knows how to defend himself, he’s not invincible.”

“The clan will be on standby. Once your brother is close enough, we can leave the village and get him if he needs us to. I can’t promise that nothing will happen, but Parrish doesn’t know that your brother is coming, and it’s not like he’s camping right outside the village entrance. I know telling you not to worry isn’t going to help, but I’m sure we can find a way to make this work.”

Dermot gritted his teeth. Great, another stranger was coming, and he was related to Celeste. There was no way this would go as smoothly as Clay clearly thought it would. Dermot didn’t know what would happen, but he was ready to bet his new house that something would, and he already wasn’t happy about it.

Hamlin patted Dermot’s hand, startling him. He didn’t seem to care.

“See,” he said, his voice still soft enough that the people around them couldn’t hear what he was saying. “You’re going to be rid of her soon. There’s no need to stare at her like you want her to vanish.”

“It won’t be soon enough,” Dermot muttered.

“Maybe not, but it’s better than nothing.”

“I just don’t understand how people can trust her.”

Hamlin watched Celeste for a second before sighing. “It could happen to any of us. Hell, it happened to Tamsin. There’s a chance for all of us that our mate is a Kudlak, and it’s hard not to feel for Celeste. It’s not her fault. Fate put her with Parrish.”

It wasn’t, but it was her fault that she’d accepted the bond with him.

* * * *

“I KNOW, MOM,” BASTIEN said into his phone. He’d be amused if the situation wasn’t what it was, but his parents were freaking out about Celeste, and Bastien wasn’t far behind. He couldn’t believe they’d finally found his sister. He hadn’t thought they ever would after Parrish had taken her away.

Bastien was trying very hard not to think about what had happened to her while she was with Parrish. The monster was her mate, and there was nothing she could do about that, but there was no way he actually cared about their bond. No, he’d taken Celeste to use her, to hurt her, and if Bastien ever got his hands on the Kudlak, he would ensure that he couldn’t hurt anyone ever again, especially Celeste. The problem with that plan was that Parrish was strong. Bastien had always known that, even when Parrish was doing his best to fool them into thinking he was a good person. He’d wanted to take Celeste away, and eventually, he had. There had been nothing Bastien and his family had been able to do to stop him. Celeste had wanted to be with her mate, and she’d left.

Now, she was back. When Rowan had contacted Bastien and their family to tell them that he’d found Celeste and had rescued her from Parrish, Bastien had been afraid. He still was. Rowan had reassured him that Celeste was okay, but Bastien wouldn’t believe it until he saw her. Besides, even if she was okay physically, he knew that she wouldn’t be emotionally. Her mate was a monster, and she was bound to him. That was bound to leave bruises, both on her body and her soul.

That was something Bastien and the rest of their family could deal with. First, though, they needed to get Celeste back. Bastien hadn’t thought it possible, but here he was, headed toward a tiny village he’d never heard of before.

“You have to let us know as soon as you see her,” his mom insisted. “I thought I’d lost her. I need to know that she’s okay.”

“You heard Rowan. He says she’s fine.”

“And I’m grateful that he called us to let us know. I don’t know that man, though. I know you, and you know your sister. You’ll be able to tell me if she really is fine.”

“Mom, you know that she actually isn’t. She won’t be for a long time.”

His mother sighed. “I realize that. After what her mate did to her, it’s going to take her a long time to heal. She can heal, though. Once she’s back with us, she’ll be better.”

“You know she might not want to come back.”

“She will.”

Bastien didn’t insist. He understood where his mother was coming from, but Celeste was an adult. She’d made her own decision when she’d left with Parrish, and she’d continue making her own decisions when it came to all of this. If she decided she wanted to stay in the village, then she would. Hell, knowing her, that was exactly what she was planning. She might want to see their family and let them all take care of her for a little bit, but she’d always been independent. She’d always wanted to see what the world had to offer, and she wouldn’t get that by going home.

Considering how small the village seemed to be, she wouldn’t get that there either. This seemed like a good place for her to heal, though, or at least to heal as much as was possible given the circumstances. Whatever she needed, Bastien would go along with it, and he knew that eventually, so would their parents. All they’d ever wanted was for their children to be happy, which was why they’d allowed Celeste to leave with Parrish, even though Parrish was a Kudlak. Bastien’s every instinct had screamed at him to keep his sister as far away from Parrish as he could, but it hadn’t been his place. Besides, the law was against it. No one could interfere with a mate bond, including the families of the people involved. The only thing they’d been able to do was sit back and watch as Celeste left.

When she had, they hadn’t heard from her for years. Bastien had known that something was wrong, but what could he do? There was no way for any of them to find Celeste. She hadn’t contacted them. She still hadn’t.

But he knew where she was now. In fact, she was so close to Bastien that he was tempted to hang up and just rush ahead. He didn’t, because he knew that his mother would freak out. She was worried about Parrish wanting Celeste back. Rowan had said that Parrish wasn’t dead, which, as far as Bastien was concerned, was a very big problem. It was a problem he was willing to take care of, though, and from the way Rowan had spoken, he suspected he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

“I’ll tell her that she’s welcome to come back home,” Bastien told his mother. He needed to hang up. The phone call was distracting him, and if there was one thing he knew about Parrish, it was that the Kudlak was patient. He wouldn’t let Celeste go just because it was what Celeste wanted. Rowan hadn’t gone into details, but Bastien suspected it was because he hadn’t wanted to hurt his parents. There had to be more than what Rowan had told them, and Bastien was going to find out what that was. He needed to know if he wanted to protect Celeste. He wanted to know everything, but he agreed that it was for the best if his parents didn’t find out. They should focus on Celeste. Bastien could focus on Parrish and making sure he could never hurt anyone ever again, especially his sister.

“You do that, and you call me as soon as you’re with her. She wants to talk to us.”

“I’ll do what I can, but you know Parrish is still around here.”

“And I know that you’ll take care of him.”