Page 30 of The Vampire's Bride

A wistful smile crests my lips. “I was eight years old, and I had always wanted to see the ocean.” Sadness tugs at the edge of the memory. “But we never had a chance to go. He died only a few weeks later from a fever.”

“I’m sorry you lost him,” Valaric says softly.

I’m not sure why I’m telling him all of this, but it feels good to say it aloud. After my father’s death, we never really talked about him. It always made my mother too sad.

“Things were really hard for us after he was gone. My mother had no family for support, and we lost everything. But then Buryk came around.” I pause. “They had met a few times, before my father’s death, when my father had invited him to dinner.” I shake my head softly. “I didn’t like him then either. He was nice to all of us in the beginning, but I always felt like it was a façade.

“Buryk has had several affairs, but he always manages to convince my mother not to leave him. He never fails to remind me and Stephen that we’re not his children, and we should feel fortunate that he took us all in.”

“Did he hurt you?” Valaric’s eyes darken with anger.

“He never hit us. But he has always treated my brother and me like we’re an inconvenience in his life. Until I came of age, that is.” I sigh heavily. “If not for my mother, he would have sold my hand to a man old enough to be my grandfather.”

“I wanted to kill him,” Valaric admits. “I still do.”

It probably shouldn’t make me feel good to hear that, but it does. I love that he cares so much. That I matter to him. For the first time, in a long time, I feel seen.

“I’m not sure my mother would forgive you if you did,” I reluctantly admit. “But I appreciate the offer.” A faint smile tips my lips.

“Of course,” he replies softly.

“And thank you for listening. It feels good to talk about my father.” I swallow against the sudden lump in my throat. “I know he’s been gone many years, but I miss him. Some days it’s harder than others.”

“My grandmother always told me that grief is just love with nowhere to go.” His gaze drifts to the opposite wall with a faraway look. “It’s all the love you want to give to someone who is gone.”

I nod softly. I’ve never heard it explained this way, but it makes perfect sense. I look at Valaric. “My father was always making people smile.” A soft huff of laughter escapes me. “And he loved to tell the most elaborate stories.”

“Like what?”

“He told my mother that the day they met, he had just come from the forest. That he’d made a bargain with a Fae to give him the most beautiful bride in all the realm.” A wistful smile crests my lips at the memory. “And that the minute he got back into town, he ran right into her when she was coming out of the bakery, and he knew the Fae had made good on their agreement.”

Valaric laughs, and as he does, his lips curve in a handsome smile.

I continue. “When I was younger, I was afraid there were monsters under my bed. So when he gave me this pearl, he told me it was enchanted to keep them away.”

“He sounds like he was a good father.”

“He was the best,” I agree.

We share stories back and forth about our childhood, but after a few hours, exhaustion steals through me. I cover my mouth to stifle a yawn.

He looks over at the bed, near the window. “You can have the blankets to sleep on the bed while I rest here.”

A twinge of disappointment and rejection settles in my chest. After what just transpired between us, I thought we were well past the point of sleeping apart.

Instead of bringing it up, however, I gather the quilt and then move back to the bed. Perhaps he prefers to sleep alone. After all, he did say we would be residing in separate rooms.

Lying on the mattress, I turn onto my side and glance at the shadowed area where Valaric lies. His crimson eyes glow faintly in the firelight, but instead of making me afraid, it makes my heart rate quicken.

I’d been worried it would hurt when he took my blood. I never expected it to feel so pleasurable. Heat flushes my entire body at the memory of his powerful, muscular form covering mine and his lips upon my skin as he drank from me.

Closing my eyes, I allow my thoughts to drift. I wonder about Valaric’s previous wife and why he didn’t mention her before now. Irrational jealousy rises within, but I force it back down, reminding myself that he has probably lived a much longer life than I have.

Of course it would make sense that he was married before. I’m not sure how old he is, but he could hardly be expected to have been alone all that time.

And yet, I can’t help but wonder about his relationship with her. It could not have been pleasant if his past experience made him believe I would fear him.

Sighing heavily, I roll onto my back and pull the blanket up to my chin, struggling to fall asleep. Valaric is very different from what I expected, and there is still so much I don’t know about my new husband. I have many questions, and what I’ve discovered so far has only made me curious to learn even more.

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