Page 37 of Taken By The Vampire King

“The deal is off. The truce no longer exists. The bayou land remains mine. I can’t trust him. My mate couldn’t even walk down the street safely in Francois’s territory.” My stomach clenched over the fact she shouldn’t even have been out there. If she’d have just stayed in the restaurant as I told her to, I’d have taken her anywhere she wanted to go.

My sudden vehement thought surprised me. But it was true. I would have taken her anywhere, bought her any trinket that caught her eye.

Jason sighed again. “I think you should—”

“Not interested in what you think.” I snapped the words out as my concern narrowed into irritation. Worry for Leia had become claws buried deeply in my chest, and each breath I drew in dragged them deeper.

A clock ticked on the wall behind me as I listened to Jason’s regular inhales. Finally, he spoke again. “Maybe wait a few days. Make a decision then.” He left off the fact that this was the thought I’d just told him I didn’t want to hear, but my phone screen still cracked worryingly under my tightening grip.

“That’s your suggestion for my next move, is it?” My voice was soft, almost a purr, but Jason’s reply was strong.

“Yes, it is. Don’t burn a bridge you might need to come back across. And how could Francois let everyone know so quickly? How would they know about the truce?”

I barked out a harsh laugh. “Francois burned down the bridge and the whole fucking town the moment my mate was attacked in his territory by vampires under his control. He’s lucky New Orleans is still standing. He needs better behaved subjects.” I boomed the last words out and they echoed inside the cavernous two-story space in my home. Then I glanced behind me at the open doors to the east wing and lowered my voice. “Just make sure the message gets through to him, Jason. I was serious about protecting Leia when I spoke to Francois earlier, and I’m fucking serious now. No truce.”

“Okay.” Jason’s tone said he still didn’t agree, but he knew better than to continue to argue.

“I’ll send the helicopter to the airport. Call me when you get there.” Even though he could be stubborn and a little resistant sometimes, his safety was still one of my top priorities.

“Okay. Talk to you soon.” He hung up, and I swung around, my thoughts already back with Leia as I covered the distance from the top of the stairs to the guest wing.

I hesitated outside her door, unsure whether I should enter her private space, given privacy had been one of her negotiations before agreeing to spend a month with me.

But how could I protect her if I wasn’t there at her side? It was where I needed to be.

I’d never felt a pull like this before, and I rested my forehead against the door for a moment as I sucked a deep inhale, but it didn’t help. Her scent pervaded my senses. She was everywhere, all around me.

I opened the door, and it whispered across the carpet before I crept in and moved the armchair from the sitting area to beside the bed. I sat down with a heavy sigh that seemed to well up from somewhere around floor level and focused my gaze on Leia’s face.

Unable to stop myself, I leaned forward and brushed some loose hair back from her cheek. Emma had taken out the pins holding her hair in place, and it rested loose around her shoulders. Hopefully the gray dress had gone to be cleaned, although that was the least of my worries. I could buy her a new gray dress for every day of the year if she’d liked it. And I would, if that was what she wanted when she woke up.

“Hey.” I spoke softly. “I am so sorry about today.”

The words were out of my mouth before I even thought them.

I didn’t apologize. I didn’t get things wrong.

But today I had.

Today, I’d fucked up so badly, I’d nearly lost my mate.

Maybe I needed to tell her the truth about me, about vampires, about those fucking New Orleans freaks, so she knew exactly how seriously she needed to take her safety. But then what?

Then I’d be scary. I’d be something out of a horror movie.

And no one went willingly to the villain in a horror movie. I would put everything with Leia at risk if I told her now. I hadn’t spent enough time with her yet to convince her I was worthy of making my claim. Unless she accepted me, I’d just be a monster.

I didn’t want to be a monster to her. Fate was drawing us together, but she needed to fully accept me, to give herself to me, or… Fuck. I needed willing blood, willing surrender of her body, and I couldn’t risk what little trust I might have built between us.

She shifted a little in her sleep, and a small crease appeared between her brows. I ached to smooth it away or to know what had caused it. A murmur drew my attention to her lips, and I longed to feel them against mine again.

I took her hand between my palms, and I was the willing one. Willing her to wake because I needed my mate.

My queen.

Chapter 11

Leia

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