Chapter 701. Fear Into Spite
Jael held Mauve in his arms. She had a locked grip around his neck with her face pressed up against him. She had just woken up, and he was letting her hang onto him as tightly as she wanted, even though she obstructed his airflow. But he didn’t need to breathe—not when she was like this, and he was to blame for it.
When Louis had told him of his plan to give Seraphino the illusion that he could easily access Mauve and see what would happen, so they would have a good enough reason to kick him out, Jael had immediately shut it down. He didn’t even want to hear it, but Louis had pressed, assuring him they would protect Mauve in time. However, Jael didn’t like the idea of letting her revisit the horror.
He hadn’t accepted, but somehow the situation presented itself that Mauve couldn’t make it to the last meal. When Louis brought it up again, Jael grudgingly accepted—only because he didn’t think Seraphino would actually do it. He didn’t think the Lord was that spiteful and foolish. Mauve was his mate now; regardless of whether or not she was human, she was walking around with his mark. She was not to be touched by anyone else but him. No one understood that better than a vampire.
The instant Seraphino had excused himself halfway through the last meal, Jael had known. He had locked eyes with Louis, and they had left the table after him. Jael had instinctively taken the table knife with him.
Unfortunately, he had not been fast, as they did not want Seraphino to know he was being followed. Jael thought the guard in front of Mauve’s room would slow Seraphino down. He wanted to catch Seraphino red-handed but not put Mauve in danger. The horror he felt when there was no guard in front of her room had Jael flying up the stairs, straight to her room, where he met the scene of Seraphino strangling his mate.
It had taken everything in him not to break Seraphino’s neck instead. Seeing him walk out of the doors with just a bleeding neck had caused Jael so much pain that his vision blurred.
Mauve sniffed, pulling him out of his memories. She slowly pulled away from him, wiping at her face. She was no longer crying and, by her scent, no longer terrified.
"I am sorry," Jael said and placed his forehead against hers.
Mauve smiled sadly. "Don’t be. This is not your fault," she replied.
The sad way she spoke broke Jael into a million pieces. "Actually, it is," he whispered. "This is completely my fault."
Mauve stiffened slightly, pulling away from him to get a proper look at his face. "What are you talking about?" she asked softly, her voice still raspy from all the crying. "You didn’t know Seraphino would—"
"I did," Jael interrupted, his voice thick with regret. "Or at least, I should have." He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before continuing. "Louis suggested a plan, one I should’ve shut down more firmly. I thought... I thought we could handle it, that it wouldn’t escalate like this. But I miscalculated, and you paid the price for my mishap."