Page 81 of Veiled Yearning

Frederick and Cait fall to the floor, both of them convulsing and moaning in pain.

Grace lets out a startled yelp, and her turquoise eyes go dark and unseeing.

A blast of energy whips past me, slamming into Gavril. He staggers back, his face contorted in agony. But he steadies himself after a moment, and rushes forward.

Fires erupt all around the room, licking at the walls, spreading, surrounding us in flames.

I’m untouched. Unscathed. Just an intentional witness to this terrible violence.

Gavril moans, low in his throat, as another shockwave of energy hits him. I feel sick, nausea breaking over me in waves, and my heart is exploding out of my chest.

Nicolas’s eyes begin to glow.

I need to stop this. Now.

“Come on, Chiara.” Nicolas sounds like he’s having a casual conversation over dinner. “You know I can kill all of your friends. But I don’t have to.”

Gavril is creeping his way toward Nicolas, but it’s like he’s swimming through quicksand, the powerful magic pushing against him.

“What do you really want?” My voice shakes, but I force it to steady. “Why me? I can only do some silly magic. It’s nothing to you.”

“It’s not nothing. I thought you would have figured that out already.” Nicolas smirks at me. “Your ability is exactly what I need to expand the Veil.”

Nicolas is focused on me, but he hasn’t let up on the brutal assault on everyone else around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gavril moving closer to Nicolas, nearly within striking distance.

“So you want to kill me? Take my power?”

“Oh, no.” Nicolas gives me a patronizing look. “I have plenty of abilities, Chiara. Dozens of them. I don’t need yours for myself. I need you to help with the ritual. Expanding the Veil.”

“I will never,” I snap at him. “I’ll die first.”

“No, you won’t.” Another smirk. “I won’t let you. After all, what kind of husband would I be, letting my wife die? The most powerful vampire in the world, not protecting his precious wife?”

I gape at him. “Wife?”

“Yes.” He steps toward me, hand outstretched, and something deep inside tugs at me. It’s painful. Dark. Terrifying. “You’ll be my wife, Chiara. My partner. And if you come willingly, I won’t kill everyone you care about. Just most of them.”

Widening my eyes, I ask softly, “If I come with you willingly, you won’t hurt them?” But rage is building inside me. His wife? Expand the Veil? My friends?

Almost kindly, Nicolas replies, “I have to kill the men, Chiara. You know that. But these two women? And the blonde one I almost took before? I’ll let them go free. If you come with me right now. We’ll go into the Veil, and continue toward our destiny together.”

Gavril can’t be more than six feet from Nicolas now. He’s clearly in pain, lines of strain etched across his face, his normally golden complexion pale. But he catches my eye, and gives a tiny nod.

Yes. Now.

This time, our joining is instantaneous.

All our energy, our passion, our very essences come together, building into an incredible force inside us. Like a star about to supernova, our shared ability is too powerful to be contained.

And then.

Just as it’s about to explode out of us, I pull all the magic deep inside me.

It’s—

Terrifying.

“What are you doing?” Nicolas scowls. “Why are your eyes glowing?” A pause, and then, “I knew it. I knew—”

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