Page 49 of Darius

Darius gathered her into his arms and cradled Mara against his chest. Her tears wet his shoulder as he rocked her, rubbing her back. His whispered compliments and praise seemed to soothe her. Mara hugged and pressed kisses to his neck.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“Little girls have important lessons to learn. I love you, Mara. Be safe for me, okay?”

She nodded against his shoulder. “Am I a good girl now?”

“The absolute best,” he answered. “My sweet Little girl.”

Mara sighed contentedly and snuggled closer. Darius rocked her slowly, giving her a chance to process her punishment. Her breathing deepened.

When he thought she was asleep, Mara jerked and pushed against his chest to sit up. “Do I need to stand in the corner?”

“Not this time, Mara. I think you’ve learned to follow my directions completely.”

She nodded and yawned widely. Slapping a hand over her mouth, Mara struggled to keep her eyes open. Darius stood and carried her to the crib. Helping her sit up on the mattress, he then stripped the leggings and panties from her legs before removing her princess dress and tunic.

“Nap time, Little girl.”

“I don’t take naps,” she protested, blinking hard.

“Try for Daddy.”

“Okay, but I’ll never sleep.”

He helped her settle under the covers and pulled the crib railing up to keep her safe. Remembering her stuffie, Darius tiptoed across the hall and returned with the well-loved unicorn. He tucked Sparkle into her arms. Seconds later, soft snores assured him his Little girl did indeed take naps. Darius lifted the rocker silently to shift the chair next to her crib.

Chapter

Nineteen

“No! I’m not staying home,” Mara said emphatically. “The mate bond has relaxed again.” She’d even tested their connection by running down the driveway while he stayed on the front steps.

“I would prefer you avoid the bank today as well.”

Of course he did. If she were honest with herself, Mara didn’t really want to return, but she’d worked to get this position. She couldn’t risk her career.

“I took yesterday off even though I had things on my schedule because you weren’t comfortable with me returning to that bank branch. Today, I have to go back.”

“That location isn’t safe,” Darius said as he stood with his arms crossed in front of the door.

“I am fully grown and responsible for myself. If you try to keep me here, I will call the police and have them escort me from your house.”

“Our home, Little girl.”

“What this building feels like now is a prison.” Mara glared at him. How could she ever have thought that this would work between them? A vampire who’d lived so long and a young woman who’d dreamed of finding her Daddy.

“They will risk anything to take you, Mara. You have to listen to reason. I can go to the bank president and convince him to allow you to connect from home.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she said with as much sarcasm as she could muster. “Go talk to my boss about people he probably has hired. My position is working with the public. I’m an Executive Banker. I’m there to support people who come in with problems. I can’t stay at home. I am going to lose my dream job and get banned from a banking career. Is that what you want to happen? For me to be destroyed and dependent on you because I can’t support myself?”

“Of course not, Mara. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Me, ridiculous? Listen to what you are saying.” Mara threw her hands up in the air as her exasperation skyrocketed. “Maybe two hundred years ago a woman would have followed your commands without saying a peep in her own defense. This isn’t that era. I give you my submission as a gift. Letting you be my Daddy isn’t a right. And to be honest, I’m seriously thinking you could be the worst mistake I’ve ever made. Fuck being a mate.”

His eyes widened as she lashed out. Instantly, Mara felt bad. She shouldn’t have said that much. She couldn’t keep that bottled up any longer. “Darius, I’m sorry.”

Darius shook his head. “A mate bond isn’t something you enact one day and reject the next. The connection between us will continue whether or not you wish to acknowledge it.”