Part 3

Tristan stopped his car and got out before reaching Stella's house. There was woods all around it, she loved it here and despite of his efforts, he hadn't managed to convince her to move into one of his many homes. Unfortunately she was very stubborn. He didn't have to wait for long when one of her bodyguards, a vampire called Theo, appeared from the woods.

"Good evening, sir," Theo greeted him.

"Anything I need to know?" Tristan asked.

Theo hesitated for a very brief moment before replying.

"Yes, sir, I believe so. Mrs. de Martel went to town this morning."

Tristan frowned.

"And?"

"She met someone at the restaurant. If I'm not mistaken, it was Mr. Castle."

Tristan's eyes narrowed.

"I see. Thank you, Theo."

Tristan certainly wasn't in a good mood when he got in the car and started it. Stella knew about her bodyguards even though they kept their distance, so there was no doubt she knew Tristan would hear about her meeting. She wasn't expecting him tonight though; he had wanted to surprise her. First he certainly needed a moment to calm down. He got out of the car and looked at her house. It was a small light green two-storey house with white shutters.

The lawn didn't look well-kept, there weren't any planted flowers, but there were plenty of wild flowers and all kind of ornaments, like strange garden gnomes, some stone trolls and a very decorative bird bath bowl, it was shaped like a shell carried by some kind of fairy. Stella had made them all, she was an artist. There were trees and bushes almost right next to the house and there was a big hammock hanging between two trees. They had spent some very nice moments in that hammock.

Silently Tristan approached the house. Stella hadn't closed the curtains, so it was easy to see inside. There wasn't any specific decoration theme, every single object and furniture was from a different decade and represented different decoration style. They weren't the kind of antique that would be valuable, more like the kind people bought from flea markets. Surprisingly the outcome wasn't distasteful; it made the place unique. Just like her.

He spotted her in the living room; she was listening to some music and dancing. She was wearing one of his shirts. The sight made him smile, he couldn't help it. He zoomed to the backdoor and unlocked it without making a sound. He managed to surprise Stella completely, she gasped when he grabbed her from behind.

"It's me, it's me," Tristan said before Stella bit him.

She turned around and slapped his chest.

"You scared me half to death!"

Tristan chuckled.

"Forgive me, my love."

She glared at him for a second before her eyes softened and her lips curved into a smile.

"Maybe I'll forgive you."

Tristan caressed her lips with his thumb.

"Good."

"I said maybe," she pointed out. "That wasn't a nice thing to do." She paused and twined her arms around the back of his neck, pulling his head down so his lips met hers. "But I'm glad you're home, I've missed you."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, keeping her close to him. Her beautiful green eyes looked at him warmly. He had most certainly missed her too and the moment would have been perfect if…

"Stella," he stated tensely. "What did you do this morning?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she didn't try to pull away.

"Why do you ask when you obviously already know the answer," she replied.

"I want to hear it from you."

Now she pulled away and crossed her arms.

"Fine. I met Lucien."

Tristan gritted his teeth, trying his best to stay calm.

"Why?"

"He wanted to ask my professional opinion about a sculpture he had recently purchased."

"I see. And you couldn't tell him no?"

"I could have, but I didn't want to," Stella replied, her tone of voice was challenging.

Tristan's eyes narrowed.

"Stella…"

"No, " she snapped. "I'm not your property, you don't get to tell me who I can or can't meet."

She turned around and tried to march away, but he zoomed in front of her and blocked her way.

"You are my wife," he snapped.

"Yes and I thought I would have earned your trust by now. Clearly I was wrong."

He pressed his lips together when she marched to the bedroom and slammed the door shut. That had gone well. Damn Lucien… Tristan sighed and went to the bedroom door. He knocked before opening it. Stella was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed.

"Forgive me," he muttered. "It's just… You know how I feel about Lucien and the thing is that you are mine."

She looked up and frowned.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. You belong to me."

She looked at him for a moment and grinned.

"You have to catch me first, caveman."

He licked his lips, he loved to chase her. No more than a second later she was on her feet, zooming around the room. He was right behind her, but she was very fast, she managed to escape to the living room. She giggled when he finally caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He lifted her up and carried her back to the bedroom bridal style.

"Alright," she hummed as he laid her on the bed. "The big strong hunter caught his helpless prey. What are you going to do to me now?"

He knelt on the bed with one knee and slowly crawled on top of her. They looked at each other for a moment before he spoke.

"I do trust you, my love."

She smiled at him and touched his cheek.

"I trust you too and I have always been loyal to you."

"I know."

She bit her bottom lip before continuing.

"Lucien is my maker and I owe him my life, you know that."

"Yes, I know," Tristan replied tensely.

"But I haven't told him about our marriage and I won't."

Tristan believed her; she knew how to keep a secret. The thought felt very unpleasant to him, a marriage wasn't supposed to be a secret. He wanted everyone to know that she was his wife. If only things wouldn't have been so complicated.