Page 126 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

It was too much, and so I did the only thing I could. I released Thea into Jacqueline’s arms and stood, only to take my mate’s body once more. I carried her out of the cabin. My brothers were on the deck, throwing the Council guards overboard. I was glad. If they’d been left to me, I would have shredded all of them to pieces. I would not have let them live, let them wake up to their failure and the consequences of it.

Lysander placed a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched. He backed up a step, holding his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat.

“They killed your crew,” he explained. “We think they were tracking your yacht. We should leave on ours.”

Ours? I lifted my head and found a smaller vessel anchored nearby. A dark head of hair ducked out of its cabin and walked slowly onto the deck. I snarled when I saw her.

My mother.

“I’m not going anywhere with her,” I said through gritted teeth. She could have stopped this. “She’s Council.”

“She tried to warn you,” Jacqueline explained. She tugged her lower lip between her teeth. “She was the one who got us here.”

I didn’t move.

“Julian, we have to go,” Lysander said firmly.

I continued to stare at my mother across the distance before I finally started walking toward her. Thoren and Sebastian ran ahead, leaping from the yacht onto the smaller boat.

“I’ll catch her,” Sebastian called, waiting there.

But I couldn’t release Thea. Instead, I shook my head. “I can do it.”

This time my vampire senses didn’t fail. I made the jump easily, landing softly on my feet with her still in my arms.

Jacqueline and Lysander followed, each moving quickly to my side. I knew why they were flanking me. I stalked forward anyway.

“Thea is dead,” I spit the words at my mother. “You finally got your wish.”

“I did not wish for this,” she said softly, her eyes dimmed slightly as she stepped to the side. “Take her inside.”

I took the steps into the hull slowly. Below I found a tiny compartment with a double bed. No one followed after me. I placed Thea across the white sheets, trying to look past the blood soaking through her summer dress.

And then I fell to my knees.

This was wrong. She was life. I was death. It should be me lying there. Not her. I’d lived my lives and hers had just begun.

I couldn’t bear to consider our child. I couldn’t bear to think of how happy I’d been only hours ago.

Soft footsteps fell behind me, but I didn’t look up. I didn’t need to. I recognized my mother’s scent.

Her hand was gentle on my shoulder, but I felt no comfort.

“I’m sorry we were too late.” She sounded small, uncertain, and I knew she meant it.

“You disobeyed the Council.” It wasn’t a question, more of a realization.

“What’s one more enemy?”

“They will pay for this.” This vow I would keep. I’d failed Thea. I’d failed our child. But I would not rest until I slaughtered every last person responsible for this.

“As they should,” she murmured in agreement. She gasped slightly and her hand tightened on my shoulder. She released it and moved to the edge of the bed, ignoring my soft snarl of warning.

“No one touches her,” I growled.

But she held a hand up to silence me, her face contorting with concentration and then...shock widened her eyes. She turned and grabbed me by the shoulders. I started to protest, but she cut me off with one sharp word. “Listen.”

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the swell of sorrow I felt, and did as she said. Water lapped against the side of the boat. My family spoke in hushed, anguished tones, one of them tapping their feet against the deck above. My mother breathed in shallow, darting pants. But underneath it all, there was something else.

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