Page 40 of The Vampire's Bride

The red color returns to his irises.

“But it’s the reason why—” I hesitate, unsure how to explain.

“Why what?” he presses.

“Why I left the castle.”

His brow furrows deeply, and I realize that I must explain further.

“When you snapped at me, it reminded me of that day with Jonathan. And in that moment, I was afraid, like I had been then.” I wring my hands in my skirt. “But as I was riding, I realized that I had judged you too harshly. You arenothim.”

His gaze holds mine, patiently waiting for me to continue. “And I also realized that you must have reacted the way you did because you were at the end of your tether. You had denied your thirst for days, and you were afraid to hurt me… to scare me.”

“It’s true.” He looks away, regret playing across his features. “But it is no excuse for my actions. Elsie warned me to rest and eat, but I ignored her advice. She was right. I should have taken measures to slake my thirst before I came to you.” His red eyes meet mine evenly. “Forgive me. It will not happen again.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” I admonish. “All couples have arguments. But what’s important is how they are handled—the aftermath.” He gives me a puzzled look as I continue. “We must promise to never go to bed angry with one another. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” he replies solemnly.

A smile curves my mouth. “There is one more thing.”

“What is it?” he asks in earnest.

“We must swear to always tell each other the truth.”

Something—an emotion—flits briefly across his expression, but it’s gone too quickly for me to know what it was. Before he can reply, a sharp knock on the door interrupts.

“The sun will be up soon,” Minda calls from the hallway. “Are the curtains holding? Or will you be needing something else?”

Valaric gazes at the dark red velvet material. The first hints of light bleed in around the edges, but it is much more muted than it was before. “It is sufficient.”

“All right,” she replies cheerily. “I’ll not disturb you again until evening.”

I turn to Valaric. “Do you think the storm will be gone by nightfall?”

“Hopefully,” he says as he gently removes me from his lap and rises from the sofa to walk toward the windows. I follow him, observing curiously as he carefully pulls back the curtainjust enough to peek out at the landscape. It’s still snowing, but not as heavily as before.

The faint light of early dawn spreads out across the horizon. He grits his teeth as it touches his skin, but he doesn’t close the drapes.

“Does it not hurt?” I ask, concerned.

His gaze remains fixed upon the outside. “It is not unbearable yet.”

“Then, why—”

“It has been over fifty years since I was able to walk in the light.” His voice is thick with emotion. “The moon and the stars have a beauty of their own, but I find that I still miss the sun.”

My heart breaks even more for my husband. And because I cannot take away his pain, I take his hand.

He threads his fingers through mine as we observe the dawning sky. In the silence that settles between us, I begin to understand him. His face is an impassive mask, but his eyes reflect the anguish he tries so hard to hide. He has lost so much, but he did not let it break him.

When the growing brightness becomes too much, Valaric releases the curtain, allowing it to fall back in place, plunging us into darkness. “Is there anything else you wish to know of my past?”

I blink several times as my vision slowly adjusts to find his piercing gaze fixed upon me. A question sits on the tip of my tongue, but I’m unsure how to ask. “Minda seemed surprised when you told her I was your true wife. But you said you were married four times before…” I allow my voice to trail off. “Were they not also your—”

“You are my first,” he replies.

First?I frown as I remember him admitting to being married before. “I thought you said you were—”

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