Page 13 of Taken By The Vampire King

“I know. Consider me an interested friend.” I injected just enough threat into my words that she flinched and shoved the signed contract in my direction before standing and walking to the door.

She didn’t even glance over her shoulder before she started talking.

“Pretty self-explanatory. Entrance hall with a main staircase.” Then she pointed like she was bored. “Formal dining over there, we were just in the old drawing room. Kitchen at the back and a sitting room. There’s a TV in there but—” She broke off and chuckled. “That hasn’t worked since they turned off the cable last month.”

I turned a slow circle, taking in the crown molding that needed repair, the paint that was chipping off, the floor that was scraped and worn, and the furnishings that were battered and scuffed. None of the furniture was antique or original to the house, and nothing was as I remembered. I opened my mouth to ask about a particular console table I’d always admired, but that would give too much away, so I just murmured consideringly instead.

“What?” Leia asked.

“Nothing.” I leaned closer to her, breathing her in. “Just thinking I maybe had a lucky break. This place needs a fuck-ton of money spent on it.”

Her glance should have withered me. But it excited me, instead. She had spirit, and that was arousing.

“Not yours to worry about,” she said. “Not yours at all now.”

Not taking my gaze from hers, I inclined my head, happy to give her this point, to let her win a few battles. I intended to win a lot more before our time together ended.

I intended to claim her. I’d only heard stories of true mates, but the more time I spent with Leia, the surer I was. And a true mate—maybe the first in generations in my line—meant no one would dare challenge me once I’d claimed her.

Something in her blood called to me. I could hear it thrumming through her veins, and it perfumed the air of any room she stood in. It was delectable, and I could almost taste it on my tongue. My fangs ached with need, and my cock thickened.

I’d been in the company of virgins before—long before I’d ever needed one—and they were all young. Mere slips of girls with nothing in their heads. But their blood hadn’t called to mine the way Leia’s did. She was like a walking enchantment.

“And upstairs?” I glanced at the staircase. It needed attention, too.

Her eyes narrowed familiarly. “That’s my private space.”

“Absolutely.” I nudged against her, the touch so brief it could have been accidental, but her heartrate kicked up, signaling her awareness of me. “But your contracted expectation to privacy only applies to my home. However, in the spirit of goodwill…” I moved away, putting distance between us, even though I would have been happier to take her with me.

I peered back into the drawing room. Jean was snoring, oblivious to the fact he’d gifted me his daughter, leaving me in the perfect position to stake my claim. “I’ll make arrangements for your father to attend rehab.”

“As we discussed.” Her response was sharp, like I might go back on our agreement, and I almost grinned at her lack of thanks. But her outer confidence belied her obvious anxiety.

Every challenge she offered made me more sure she was meant for me. I’d never felt more alive than right now, standing alongside her in a house that was more hole than whole.

And fuck… my true mate was a virgin. It was like winning the lottery twice. A total mindfuck. A virgin and a true mate—not something I’d ever expected to find, even though I’d waited as long as I could on the off chance that true mates were real and there was one out there for me.

I always would have had to find a virgin to secure my reign after Father. None of us had expected the end when it came, though, and it had left me weaker than I liked. But humans.

Fucking humans.

Still, that part was unavoidable. Non-negotiable. I needed a virgin. Virgins were human. Vampire women were too long-lived. Therefore, that translated to me fucking a human.

But my true mate… my true mate could have been vampire. And although no one had forged a true mate bond in generations, a secret part of me had hoped to find mine. In stories, it was a mythical state of being. In reality, my true mate would amplify my vampire powers—I’d be stealthier, faster, stronger, heal quicker, and I’d have increased powers of compulsion.

In return, my mate would benefit from amplification herself. I’d never wanted to give even a part of myself to anyone, but now I longed to. I wanted to forge that bond, to share some of my abilities. Things that would keep her safe, like quicker healing, protection from other vampires, greater strength.

I could have claimed anyone as a simple mate, someone to rule alongside me. But I hadn’t wanted to just claim anyone. I didn’t have a problem finding women to fuck me, and I hadn’t wanted to mate just anyone to be my queen. So I’d held out for the legend, for the promise of power and a rule stronger than my father’s. Maybe if I had that, I wouldn’t end the same way he had. Or maybe there was a romantic lurking somewhere in my creaky old heart.

I brushed aside that ridiculous notion.

No. It was the power a true mate could bring that I really desired. And in my family, that was the kind of power I needed. Lots of it.

I allowed my gaze to linger over Leia again. She’d need protecting. I wanted her close to my side, but bringing her into my world as an unclaimed virgin laid her open to all sorts of power-hungry vampires who might try to make her theirs. Not least my own family. They wouldn’t hesitate to try to usurp my place as the new king.

My fingers formed a fist. It was a tricky line to walk, a tricky balance to keep. But Leia was mine, and she’d be at my side willingly by the end of this month, if it even took that long. Of that, I had no doubt.

When she looked at me, her cheeks red, I glanced away. “Sorry.” I wasn’t sorry at all. “I shouldn’t stare.”

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