Page 57 of Awakening the Dhampir

I swallowed hard and rubbed my palms on my knees.

“Each Court has slightly different rules about heirs to the throne,” I said. “In the Summer Court, the oldest child will inherit the throne unless the sitting monarch deems them unworthy. If that happens, the title is passed to the next oldest and so on. The only exception is if one of the royal children finds their soulmate.”

I cleared my throat and forced myself to hold Nathan’s glare. I could already see him anticipating what I would say.

“The fae believe that a soulmate will stand by their beloved with undying loyalty and not fall prey to politics.” I scoffed at their naïveté. My father tried to keep the Queen from allying with the Winter Court’s plans for the dhampir, but she wouldn’t listen to her mate. I truly believed she loved him, but her love for power surpassed everything else.

“I heard a rumor several years ago that my oldest sister found her soulmate,” I continued. “If that’s true, I have nothing to worry about. If it’s not true, and if my mother finds out about my claim, Lorna’s life will be in danger. The royal family doesn’t want me on the throne. The easiest way to remove that possibility is to take away my mate.”

Nathan squeezed his eyes closed and pulled his palms over his face. Waves of anger pulsed through the vehicle, battering me with their intensity. I waited patiently, enduring his rage in silence. Unlike other vampires, Nathan didn’t normally react with violence. I’d never met someone with as much control over their feral side.

“Why did you not tell me sooner?” he growled after several minutes.

“I never thought I’d meet my soulmate,” I admitted. “I didn’t think about the implications until we stood before the Exiled Council. I can see Alyssa telling the Queen about Lorna just to spite me.” I would not forget Alyssa’s hate-filled glare. She wasn’t capable of compassion. “I’ll need to hide my claim on Lorna. The Queen cannot find out about her.”

“What about Brance?” Nathan asked.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He’s from the Winter Court and was awfully interested in Conrad. Would he know about the contract to find Lorna? Could Brance be the mediator between Conrad and whoever paid his contract?”

I looked out the car window and considered his question. I didn’t think Brance knew anything about the dhampir research. He’d been exiled for almost eighty years, well before I destroyed the research compound. But the information we found on Conrad’s computer implied that someone outside of the fae realms knew about Lorna. Conrad’s emails didn’t say it was the Exiled Fae, but they also didn’t say it wasn’t. I’d just assumed the Fae Courts wouldn’t deal with the Exiled. Maybe I’d been wrong.

“I’m not sure,” I replied, glancing at the home I’d just abandoned. “And I may have just burned the bridge to finding out.”

The car’s engine rumbled to life, and Nathan drove away from the Exiled Fae. He didn’t react the way I’d expected. I hadn’t even considered Brance’s comment about Conrad, and Nathan seemed to ignore my concerns about hiding my claim on Lorna. Part of me wanted to ask him about it, the other part didn’t really want to know the answer.

Chapter 22

Lorna

Ilonged to prop my feet up on the bench across the table from me, but I somehow managed to refrain. Somehow. My feet ached from walking for hours in the uncomfortable pair of flipflops we’d bought at the shopping center on the way back from Vermont.

Elliott and I had been shopping since before lunch, and the sun was less than an hour from setting.

“You ready for the next store?” Elliott asked, drawing my attention away from my aching feet.

He sat right next to me in a busy café. His closeness felt good even though I’d never allowed people in my space before. Well, not until I'd willingly snuggled with Kenrid and Damon.

That was not snuggling, Mir stated.

I ignored her and wrinkled my nose at my newest almost-mate. “No. I’m done for the day. We surpassed my spending limit over an hour ago.”

Elliott leaned a little closer, making my face flush. He’d spent the day almost touching me and teasing me with his subtle innuendos. His ease at being in my presence almost had me convinced we’d spent a lifetime together and not just a few days.

The night before I’d wondered about the way he seemed to gravitate to me while we rearranged my room. When we were done, he strolled into the living room, peeling off his shirt along the way. Teasing me. Then he slept on the couch. I was equal parts relieved and disappointed.

He was right, though. I wasn’t ready for another mate. Even if I ignored the fact that I was new to the supernatural world, I was still hung up on my previous relationships and lack of willingness to explore sexually. But my body wanted him. Or maybe it was Mir and her never-ending need for sex.

After spending the whole day with him, the anticipation of feeling his body pressed against mine was killing me. Hell, I didn’t even need his whole body. A light caress with one hand would do. Would I ever understand this crazy need?

I hadn’t felt this with Kenrid or Damon. I thoroughly enjoyed their company, but I craved Elliott’s touch. It didn’t have to be sexual contact, just any contact. I’d stopped myself from reaching out to hold his hand so many times while we shopped. I wasn’t a hand-holder, just like I had never been comfortable with hugs or cuddling in bed.

I had a creeping suspicion that Elliott would change all that.

“You can’t set limits on my gifts,” Elliott whispered in my ear.

“We already talked about this,” I argued, trying to ignore the shiver running down my spine. “I’m paying you back for everything.”

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