Page 148 of The Vampire's Bride

He frowns. “How do you know of this?”

“The prince sent his blood wife, Alayna, with a royal proclamation, recognizing our marriage as legal and valid so that the King of Aralon cannot claim I am here against mywill. He cannot take me from you.” I pause. “But what did you promise the prince in return?”

Valaric meets my eyes evenly. “My loyalty to him over the crown.”

Worry ripples down my spine. “But why would he ask this? What if he asks you to endanger yourself? To do something that could—”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says bluntly.

“How can you say that? Of course it matters.”

“If I had refused, Prince Raine had orders from his father to take you from me. The King of Aralon has demanded your return to his kingdom and to his nephew—Lord Jonathan Harker.”

“I wouldn’t have gone,” I deny. “I—”

“They would have taken you anyway.”

“If they did, I would simply run away as soon as I was back in Aralon,” I state firmly. “I would find my way back to you.”

He shakes his head. “When kings decide they want something, they will do whatever it takes to keep it. He wouldn’t have let you go.”

His crimson eyes stare deep into mine as darkness begins to bleed in around the edges. “I would have had to assassinate the King of Aralon and his nephew to get you back, possibly igniting a war between our two kingdoms. And I would have done it without hesitation.”

Perhaps there are some who would be afraid by such a declaration, but I’m not. With his words, his touch, his vows, his devotion… he shows me how much he cares. That he loves me and would fight to keep me at his side, no matter the risk or the cost.

Valaric cups my cheek. “You are my heart. My life. My everything. I cannot lose you.” He drops his forehead gently to my own. “You are mine, Juliet. And I will end anyone who dares try to take you from me.”

He tightens his wings around me as if afraid I’ll disappear, and I cannot help but wonder why he is so worried. The danger has passed. No one can force me to return to Aralon. Not now that our marriage has been recognized by the crown.

Worry gnaws at my gut despite my attempts to push it back down. Prince Raine hinted that Valaric is keeping secrets from me. At the time, I thought he said it to try to divide us. But now… I wonder if my husband might be holding something back.

I lift my gaze to his. “Is there something else worrying you?”

Valaric stills as silence settles between us, and I know that I’m right. Something is bothering him, but I don’t know what. I touch his face. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. You don’t have to carry it alone.”

He hesitates a beat before placing his hand on my chest, directly over my mark—a symbol of his claim, his love, his protection.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had something to protect.” His voice a low rumble that vibrates through me. “It worries me that you’re human. Your people… they’re so much more fragile than Vampires. The thought of losing you because of that fragility—” He stops, his jaw tightening. “It terrifies me.”

I take his hand in mine, squeezing it gently. “I’m not as fragile as you think I am.”

Sadness reflects in his eyes as he cups my cheek. “I know you believe that.” He brushes his thumb across my skin. “But I have been human. I know exactly what the differences are between our people, and they are great.”

“Then turn me.” The words leaving my lips without thinking. “Make me like you.”

His grip on my hand tightens, his gaze sharpening with a sudden, fierce intensity. “No. I won’t risk it. Not everyone survives the change. I won’t lose you, Juliet. Not like that.”

“But I’ll die eventually anyway,” I counter. “I’m human, Valaric, and you’re a Vampire. I’m going to grow old, and you’ll still be here, just as you are now.”

He shakes his head. “It’s a myth that my kind live forever.”

“Even so, you will still live much longer than me.”

As his gaze holds mine, I see the truth of it in his eyes. The fear, the sorrow, the love that he has for me. “Yes,” he murmurs. “But you won’t die now.”

My heart clenches at the sadness and worry in his expression. I wish I knew how to take it away, but I do not. So I do the only thing I can think of—I lean in and press my lips to his, soft and insistent.

His surprise is brief, and then he’s kissing me back, holding me close as if I might slip away if he loosens his grip.

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