Page 19 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

Maybe some manners would slow her down, but I doubted it.

I didn’t bother grabbing my ruined clothes. I knew exactly who was screaming outside my door, and if my mother was this pissed off, she’d have it off its hinges in the next ten seconds. There had to be wards—old incantations and spells—guarding the quarters, likely strengthened by magic’s awakening. My own magic throbbed in my hands, aching to be released.

But if that were the case, Sabine’s magic was stronger, too. And my mom was an old vampire. Ancient. Not that I would ever dare tell her that. That was a surefire way to wind up pinned to the wall and asking for forgiveness.

That was before, though. Things were different now. I was different. My mate was different. There were so many changes at once, but I knew somehow that nothing would be the same after this night, especially with my family.

My mother’s fist rattled the door’s hinges with the strength of a battering ram. I swung it open a second later and narrowly avoided catching the next knock in my chest.

Her hand froze mid-air, her lip curling as she took in her naked son standing before her. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

She was in her gown from earlier, but now it was covered in blood. Every strand of her hair freed from the careful, polished style she’d started the evening with. Dried blood caked her hands and was splattered across her face. Its scent was thick and coppery on the air, almost sweet, and definitely not human. If she’d gone on a killing spree in the court, there would be a mess to clean up. But if she’d come here planning to harm her new Queen, I’d be adding her name to the list of bodies to bury.

“We were just working on grandchildren, so you tell me.” I leaned against the door frame. I knew better than to bait her, but I couldn’t help myself. Not because I particularly liked her brand of homicidal maternity, but because I needed to wear her down.

I’d always suspected my mother hid whatever lingering powers she’d once had before the curse that had stunted true magic. If they had awoken, it was the last thing I needed to deal with tonight. I felt strong. Maybe stronger than I’d ever felt in my previous lifetime, but Thea had drained herself by resurrecting me, and through the new bond we shared, I sensed she remained depleted.

My mother’s soft snarl raised my hackles, and I allowed instinct to take over. My eyes blackened, fangs extended once more, and I shifted to fill the doorway. But she didn’t make a move. Instead, she simply stared.

Stared at the magical tattoo on my chest—at the symbol that now represented Thea’s power. Her reign.

My Queen.

“What have you done?” she murmured.

“There was a price.” Thea’s voice was soft but strong behind me.

Sabine tried to look past me, but I remained like a wall between her and my mate. “What price?”

“His life is bound to mine.” I heard her padding toward me, heard the gentle slap of her bare feet on the marble, but I still didn’t move. I felt her behind me and heard the steady beat of her heart as she said, “It’s okay.”

There was no tether locking me into place now—no primal, undeniable instinct to protect and defend. I could move to the side. I knew that. But I found it difficult to do so. She’d been taken from me. She had died.

I hadn’t been there to save her, and I wouldn’t make the same mistake.

I growled.

For my mate.

For my Queen.

Thea rested a hand on my shoulder, her magic seeping through her skin into mine. Golden and warm. Familiar but new. A song I’d heard a thousand times played with a new instrument. My own roared inside me as it rose to meet hers. It wasn’t like the tether that had been forged between us when I’d claimed her virginity. There was no demand. No push and pull. It was comforting. It was a circle completed. Our new connection was forged in choice and bound by our lives. Our souls had merged when we mated, but now I felt it more deeply. We were one—a single life contained in two bodies.

So, when I felt her magic, I felt the last of the wildness fade, and I took a step back.

Taking Thea’s hand, I drew her around me to stand beside me. She was wrapped in a sheet—fragile and vulnerable. But I knew that was an illusion. She was strong. She had proven that tonight.

I had to trust her. I had to trust us.

I alone couldn’t keep her safe. We would keep her safe—me, her, and the bond we’d forged between us when she gave her life for mine. We were Thea’s guard. We would protect her with our body and with our wits.

But for now, I watched my mother warily. My life was tied to Thea’s—whatever fate either of us suffered, the other would, too.

While Thea mastered her new magic, I would be her shield. I would face the threats and fight, even if it meant taking on my own mother.

Even if it meant killing her.

Thea’s breath was even and soft under my mother’s violent stare, and I tightened my hand around hers.

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