Page 171 of The Vampire's Bride

“Oh, Valaric, do not look at me like that,” she tsks. “This was fun, wasn’t it?”

She holds up a purple gemstone, black smoke swirling in the center.It’s a shade stone.

Anger burns through me as she changes into a High Elf and then shifts back into her true Goblin form. An evil grin lights her face. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this little game we’ve played, haven’t you?”

“The curse has been broken,” I state firmly. “Our bargain is settled.”

Her amber eyes flare with anger. “It’s settled whenIsay it is.”

“That’s not how this works.”

“Tell me.” A disturbing smile curves her lips. “What are you willing to sacrifice so that she may live?”

“Everything,” I answer honestly because I’m sure she already knows this anyway. “What do you want?”

“An open bargain.” She smirks. “Do this, and I will allow you to save her.”

An open bargain is the same as we agreed upon last time. It means she could ask me for anything. It’s reckless. Dangerous. But I don’t have a choice.

Damar’s eyes are wide behind her as he shakes his head.

I clench my jaw as his words repeat in my mind.Sometimes there are no good choices. But still, you must choose.“Fine. You have my word and my bargain.”

“Excellent.” She smiles. “Now, give her more blood.”

Talindra releases the spell holding me in place, and I position my wrist over Juliet’s mouth, allowing more of my blood to pass her lips. Relief courses through me as her color begins to return and the bruising fades from her cheeks.

Holding her to my chest, I glare at Talindra. “What did you do with the others? Where are they?”

“With me, of course. I will release them all, including Juliet as per the terms of the curse.”

Suspicion tightens my muscles. This feels like a trap, another cruel game.

“And what of our new bargain?” I grit out. “What do I owe you now?”

Talindra cocks her head to one side. “I cursed you because I wanted you to love. To know what it feels like to love someone deeply, only to have them ripped away from you.”

“I warned you,” I remind her. “When you asked me to turn your mate, I told you he could die. Not everyone survives the transformation.”

“So you said,” she replies venomously. “Did you truly think I did not know what she was to you, Vampyr?” My blood runs cold. “I knew before you, that she was your Fated One.”

Talindra continues. “The ones before her meant little to you. So I cast a spell to find your true mate—your Fated One. I did not expect it to actually work.” She huffs out a sinister laugh. “Imagine my surprise when it did.”

The witch shrugs. “You should thank me, you know. After all, I’m the reason you found each other.”

Anger sears through me as all the pieces fall into place. I glance at Jonathan, lying in the snow, barely alive but still breathing. “Juliet said he was spelled.” I look at Talindra. “It was you, wasn’t it? You bewitched him and made him attack Juliet. Both then and now.”

“As soon as I discovered her, I began to work on him.” An evil smirk twists her mouth. “It started with little changes to his personality here and there.” She shrugs. “He was so easy to manipulate.”

“You will pay for harming my mate,” I grit through my fangs. “I swear it on the old gods and the new.”

“You’re no match for one of my kind.” Her eyes flash with anger. “No, you will not have your revenge. Instead, you will suffer. Greatly.”

She looks at Juliet. “I thought of having you turn your beloved, so you could suffer as I did. But then I realized that she might actually survive the transformation. So instead, I have decided to free her and the others as promised.”

An uneasy feeling churns in my gut as I wait for her to continue, unsure if she is offering a twisted form of mercy, or perhaps another layer of her curse, designed to torment me further. Whatever it is, I refuse to allow her to control us any longer.

My thoughts turn to the Oathrend blade hanging from my belt. The prince claimed I would need only to draw blood once. The blood witch is fast, but so am I. I swore one day I would end her. And today, I will keep that vow.

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