Page 41 of The Vampire's Bride

“I’ve taken blood wives in the past. But you are the only one I have taken as my true wife.”

I’m stunned by his admission.

Another sharp knock startles me before I can ask another question.

“Sorry to bother again,” Minda says through the door. “Just wanted to check that you’re warm enough.”

Valaric looks at me, arching a questioning brow, and I nod.

“Yes,” he replies, a hint of irritation shifting into his gaze. “We require nothing else for the day.”

“All right.” I hear Minda’s footsteps start to retreat down the hallway. “I’ll leave you be now.”

“She doesn’t seem as scared of you as she was before,” I mention.

“It is because of this.” He looks at the rune on his wrist. “She believes I am still a Shadow Blade.”

“Are you not?”

He turns away from me, but not before I see the pain in his eyes. “That life is no longer mine.”

Before I can say anything in reply, he gestures to the cleansing room. “You go first. I’ll bathe after you.”

I want only to comfort him, but it’s obvious he doesn’t want to talk anymore about his past. Not wanting to dredge up any more painful memories, I bite my tongue.

When he emerges from his bath, he is dressed in a pair of soft knit pants, his torso completely bare. He runs the towel over his body, and a few droplets of water drip from his hair, hitting his chest and tracking down the solid wall of muscle that lines impressive physique.

He walks to the fireplace, adding more wood to the hearth. My throat goes dry as my gaze travels over the powerful muscles along his broad shoulders and back, and the dark, leathery wings folded tightly against his body.

I wonder if he’s as attracted to me as I am to him.

My question is answered a moment later when he turns to face me. My threadbare sleep gown does little to hide my form. Valaric’s eyes swirl with black as they travel down my body.

My face heats under his intense gaze. I quickly look away, hoping he doesn’t notice his effect upon me as I gesture to the bed. “You can sleep there if you wish, and I’ll take the sofa.”

The heavy curtains block enough of the light that he shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor like the first day we were here.

“No. I’ll move the mattress, and we will both sleep here.” He points to the spot we slept in last night: under the blanket fort, between the couch and the chairs. I start to protest, but he cuts me off. “You are cold. It only makes sense for us to share so I can ensure you are warm.”

My heart rate increases as I remember how he kept me warm last time. I loved laying in his arms with his body curled protectively around my own. Softly I bite my lower lip as I watch him drag the mattress under our blanket fort as nervous anticipation thrums through my veins.

When I crawl into the makeshift bed beside him, he loops an arm around my waist, tugging me to him. Heat scalds my cheeks as I rest my palms against his bare chest. He folds his wings over me, surrounding me in a cocoon of warmth and the heady smell of his rich, masculine scent.

“Are you comfortable?” His voice is a low rumble beneath my ear.

I tuck my head under his chin, my heart hammering as he molds his powerful body to mine. “Yes.”

Closing my eyes, I try to force myself to sleep, but as Valaric’s wings tighten around me, I doubt I’ll be able to drift away anytime soon.

CHAPTER 14

VALARIC

Nestled securely in my arms, I hold Juliet as she sleeps. The warm firelight casts her features in a golden glow. She lies facing me, her palms resting against my bare chest.

Her trust is both intoxicating and terrifying in the same breath. The primal instinct to protect and possess her is a dark impulse that I can barely contain and I cannot ignore.

She is mine.The words whisper through my veins, imprinting upon my very soul as a maelstrom of emotions wash over and through me, unbidden and irrevocable.

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