Page 91 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

“It will come for him.” She tilted her head to my brother. “And all vampires that were turned, and when it’s through with us, it will come after the rest of you. The monster is insatiable, and now that magic is awake...”

I waited, already knowing what she was about to say.

“No creature is safe.” Her lips twisted into a mocking grin. “Not even your beautiful mate.”

I swallowed, but refused to give in to the swell of fear that surged through me at the threat. “And what would you have me do?”

“What you do best.” She looked me directly at me, her piercing gaze cold and unyielding. “Find this monster and kill it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

JACQUELINE

Sabine’s smile was a crimson slash on white snow as deadly as the whisper of a knife across skin. A loud buzz grew in my ears, the world dimming around me, as I processed what she had said—what she had done.

She had chosen me.

“No,” Camila’s voice cut through the blur in my head.

“You have no say in your mother’s choice of champion.” Selah clicked her tongue like she was shaming a small child. And I realized that was how they saw her. Because Sabine had coddled and confined her. Even now as she stood before the Council, demanding her retribution, they only saw Sabine’s daughter.

I saw Camila.

I saw her rights and her wrongs. I saw her anger and rage and vulnerability and madness. Why couldn’t they? I saw how her shoulders squared not in challenge but to hold the weight of her past. I saw a million questions when I looked at her. I saw a stranger that I’d once known. And I saw the answer to every question I’d ever asked myself.

And I knew why Sabine had chosen me. Not because she wanted to hurt her daughter. It was a test.

One that Camila would fail.

Because despite everything that had happened to her, Camila still had goodness inside her.

She wouldn’t allow me to fight. Camila would drop her challenge. She would walk away because she loved me. She had always loved me. I didn’t know what that meant for us in the future. I wasn’t sure we could ever heal the wounds that threatened our relationship. I wasn’t certain I could be in love with this version of her—that I could make it work.

Or if she even wanted me back.

But she wouldn’t kill me.

And that was the problem.

I started forward, but Thea stopped me. “You can’t do this. Please.”

“Trust me.” It was the second time I’d asked this of her since we’d arrived.

Thea froze before nodding slowly. Julian’s poor mate had been thrust into this world, and it had shaken her up. But I had lived my whole life dealing with vampire bullshit, and I knew one thing that Thea didn’t.

There was always a loophole.

I carefully avoided Camila’s eyes as I approached the Council. Bile rose to the back of my throat, my stomach roiling as I walked. I was going to vomit everywhere and give away my true feelings.

It was one thing to bluff, but I was playing a much more dangerous game. I was toying with not only my life but the life of the woman I loved.

Sabine blinked, the only sign she hadn’t expected me to acquiesce to her demand. Still, she held her ground. Her form was elegant, tall, and proud—a lioness who didn’t need to pounce because it was obvious how deadly she truly was.

“I challenged my mother, not Jacqueline,” Camila cut in, her voice sharper than it had been a few moments ago.

“And we have been clear about the rules.” Selah bowed her head, her curls falling over her black cloak in a swirling wave. “Sabine will not fight. She has chosen her champion. But if you wish to withdraw your challenge...”

The implication of her words hung in the air, and I couldn’t stop myself from turning toward Camila. Our gaze locked, lingering in an unspoken conversation as the invisible connection built between us. The deep blue of her eyes was captivating, yet raging in its depths was a vast and tumultuous sea of grief. I wanted to reach out, to offer her comfort, but I could sense her walls, built out of years of hurt, blocking me from getting close. They would never come down. I would never reach her. Not until she was free of this.

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