Page 73 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

“I’ve been crowned,” I argued.

He sighed and released his hold on me. I instantly felt adrift and reached to clutch his shoulders. His mouth lifted into a sad smile as he brought his hands to cradle my face. “Listen to me. There’s one thing I’ve learned over the centuries. When people are afraid of change, of the facts, they will do everything they can to bury their heads in the sand to avoid seeing the evidence. And if someone threatens that, it’s easier to bury that person than admit the truth.”

My mouth went dry as I understood what he was saying. I’d seen it myself in human politics and drama. But vampires were centuries older. They had to be a little more self-aware.

“Older and wiser does not always apply where vampires are concerned, my love,” he said dryly. “You need to be on your guard. There’s a reason they didn’t invite me, too.”

For a moment, I considered asking him to come anyway. Then I remembered the disastrous move I’d made at court. He’d said it himself moments ago. Vampires didn’t like change, and I was changing things at breakneck speed. My very existence changed things.

“I’ll have Aurelia and Jacqueline. No one will touch me.” I believed that. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t risk going. And somewhere deep down, I knew that if it came to it, Sabine would step in.

“No, they won’t,” he murmured, but he sounded distant. His mind remained utterly silent, and I resisted the urge to ask what he was thinking about. What haunted him? What made him keep those mental shields so firmly in place?

“You don’t want to know,” he repeated and bent to kiss me. “I love you.”

I sucked in a deep breath, torn between pushing him on whatever he was hiding and letting him work through it on his own. Finally, I smiled up at him. “I love you, too.” Pulling away, I turned for him. “How do I look?”

He twirled his finger, and I spun around. I’d opted for something more modern than the gowns my wardrobe had given me for court. The Council, unlike here, wasn’t stuck in some bygone fantasy era. It still wasn’t the jeans and T-shirts I craved, but I doubted it would go over well if I showed up in my Bite Me shirt. Instead. I’d chosen a pair of tight-fitting black pants that rose high on my waist and a matching tailored jacket with a nude-colored camisole. Paired with a ridiculously tall pair of nude heels, I looked more like a CEO than a Queen, but that was the point. This was a business meeting, and I wanted them to realize I knew it. If they expected me to walk in and take orders, they were going to be very surprised.

“Perfect,” Julian said. This time the rasp of his low voice set my skin tingling as warmth spread through me. It turned me molten when he added, “Delicious.”

Before I could act on that particular instinct, someone banged on the door to my quarters loudly enough we could hear it in the bathroom. It wasn’t a human knock.

“I think my best friend is here,” Julian said dryly.

I snorted. “We better not make her wait, or she’ll break down the door.”

We walked, hand-in-hand, to the adjoining living quarters. The fire had been lit for the day by some sort of magic, and part of me longed to stay locked in the cozy room.

That wasn’t an option. We needed to know what the Council had learned, and I needed to know if they planned to be my enemy or my ally. But before we reached the door, Julian pinned me to the wall. His hands grabbed my wrists and lifted them over my head. Lowering his face, he brushed his lips down my jaw, his fangs scraping my skin before his mouth found mine. There was a desperate edge to the kiss. Desperate and hungry. The longing in it physically hurt, and I knew whatever he was keeping hidden behind those mental shields was causing him pain. I just had to figure out how to get him to let me in.

When he broke away, we were both breathing heavily. His eyes burned with a need that shook me to the core. “I hate that they wouldn’t let me come with you.”

“I don’t want you to worry,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “I can face them without you there, and it’s only for a few hours. They won’t try anything.”

He raised an eyebrow. Are you sure about that?

I brushed a kiss over his lips. “I’m a Queen, and they don’t want to make enemies of the court. Plus, Aurelia and Jacqueline are with me.”

I gave him a reassuring smile and did my best to veil the real fear building inside me. The truth was that I might be a Queen, but someone had assassinated Ginerva, and until we knew who, that threat remained. “Don’t sit around worrying while I’m gone. Find Lysander. Have a drink or something.”

It was both an order and a plea, and he nodded slowly. But his expression remained hard, and I knew he wasn’t ready to let me go. “If you’re relaxed when I come back, we can start off already…unwound… wouldn’t that be nice for a change?”

The banging on the door sounded again.

Releasing my wrists, he gave me a quick nip on the neck. “Go before Jacqueline breaks down the door and kicks my ass.”

I forced a laugh past the knot in my throat and complied.

I opened the door and found Jacqueline grinning at me. “You’re late.”

Her hair was pulled into a tight bun that showcased her high cheekbones and sparkling eyes. She was dressed in a slim black trousers and a tailored jacket like she knew this was as much a diplomatic meeting as it was business. Her ever-present heels gave her an extra few inches of height that sent her towering over me even with my own stilettos.

“I’ve been out here five minutes. It seems you two were…busy.” She winked.

Camila joined her and leaned against the doorframe. “Gross.”

I didn’t have time for this. Not when I was about to face the Vampire Council. Not when I felt like I was balancing on the edge of a precipice. One wrong move could spell disaster—and maybe that’s exactly what the Council was hoping would happen. I cast one more look at Julian.

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