Page 78 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

“Your bar?” I repeated.

“Why do you think I stuck around this swamp? It’s not for the company,” she grumbled. “I bought this place in the forties. It’s my longest relationship.”

She uncapped the bottle and poured some over her arm.

“You’re hurt?” I asked, prowling forward and feeling that old protective instinct kick in. She rolled her eyes, and for a second, she was just a kid again. I blinked, and the moment passed.

Maggie wasn’t a child anymore. She hadn’t been for a long time, and between her training to protect the Queens and being a centuries-old vampire, she could hold her own—a point she’d just violently proven.

“It happens, and I’m not mortal anymore.” She took a swig from the bottle and held up her arm to show that it had already healed. “Now, which one of you assholes wants to tell me what’s going on?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

THEA

“Be on your guard,” Aurelia warned me. We’d taken a speedboat to reach the Vampire Council’s Venice Embassy, a solitary island on the outskirts of the city.

I nodded. I already was. Upon leaving the court, I’d felt my magic shift. It ached in my veins, wanting to be freed, although I had no idea for what reason. Maybe it missed Julian. I wondered if his magic was bugging him,.

Jacqueline helped me onto the dock, the ocean stretching around us in a deep indigo blue that blended into the sky. Waves rolled toward the island’s shore in heavy white-capped sheets of foam. I could taste salt on the air as the tide came in. Just like in Venice, there were isolated homes along it, but they were in far worse shape. Even the ground looked like a wasteland of concrete, rocks, and sand. A few other islands dotted the horizon, but they also looked deserted. Maybe it was a trick to keep tourists away. I shivered as I considered what would happen to a human who wandered onto an island occupied solely by vampires.

“You look preoccupied,” Jacqueline said as I stared at the desolate world in front of us.

“I could say the same.” I tipped my head toward Camila. The two of them had been whispering in the corner the entire trip. I lowered my voice, hoping the crashing tide would keep Julian’s twin from hearing me. “Everything okay there?”

“It’s complicated,” she said with a sigh, “and it’s probably about to get a lot more complicated.”

I couldn’t help laughing as we followed Aurelia down a neglected stone path. Not because what she said was funny, but because she might as well have read my mind.

She frowned. “Thanks. That really helps my confidence this is going to go well.”

We both knew it wouldn’t. But Sabine was here, and despite what she’d said, I didn’t think she would remain neutral and silent if we found ourselves cornered. “If things go south, how far will Sabine let things go?”

Jacqueline raised an eyebrow. “Do you want the truth?”

“Of course.”

“She won’t step in.” Her lips pressed into a hard line and she shook her head, blonde locks rippling behind her.

“That’s what Julian said,” I said sourly. “He wanted to come. Maybe I should have let him.”

“You’ll be fine.”

I stopped and turned on her. “Will I? I mean, I graduated from college a few weeks ago, and since then, amongst other things, I’ve found out I’m a siren, died, come back to life, and been given a freaking crown. Nothing about this feels fine.”

Jacqueline took a step closer and wrapped her arms around my shoulder.

“Sorry,” I muttered, taking deep breaths. “I didn’t want him to know how nervous I was.”

“So you bottled it up.” She pulled back and gave me an understanding smile. “He won’t think less of you.”

“I know that.” I did. “He’s been so worried lately. I didn’t want to make it worse.”

“When you were kidnapped...it screwed him up. I haven’t seen him like that for a long time.”

“You mean you haven’t seen him that violent for a long time,” I whispered.

Jacqueline nodded, and her eyes slid to the others walking in front of us. Aurelia and Camila were dutifully ignoring each other. I wondered how much of our conversation they’d caught. “Julian has always adapted with the times, but being here...”

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