Page 51 of The Vampire's Bride

Juliet gives me a shy smile, a lovely blush on her cheeks. “Thank you.”

When we reach what looks like the dead end of the hallway, I smooth my hand along the stone wall. As soon as I locate the correct spot, I place Juliet’s palm over it and cover it with my own, relishing the touch of her skin against mine. “Press here,” I instruct. Like this.”

The wall shifts with a low rumble, sliding to one side to reveal a hidden passage. I step back, allowing her a better view.

“What is this?” She gazes into the dark opening. Where does this go?”

“It’s a secret tunnel that runs through the mountain and down to a set of caves just outside of Corvania.”

She blinks at me. “Why are you showing me this?”

“So that you know how to escape if you need to.”

“Are you worried because the villagers know what you are now?”

“They wouldn’t be the first humans to send hunters to end me. I am a Vampire, and monsters tend to have many enemies. Some of them might even try to hurt me by harming you. If any of them should somehow manage to break through my wards, this is where you would come.”

Guilt floods my veins. I’m not concerned for my own safety; I am worried for hers. Her marriage to me puts her in danger.

She’s silent as we make our way back to the kitchen to make some tea. When I set the kettle to boil, she walks to a nearby window. Gazing out at the gardens, her expression is troubled. “I’m sorry that you have been hunted in the past. That you’ve had to live your life like this.”

I walk up behind her, meeting her reflection in the pane of glass. “It is understandable because of what I am.”

“No,” she says firmly. “Outward appearance does not change who you are inside, Valaric.”

She still does not truly grasp the nature of what I am. If she did, it would alter the way she sees me. And I’m not sure I can stand to see her trust in me turn to ash.

I clench my jaw. I hate concealing my curse from her, but if she is to pass the test, to break the dark spell that controls me, she must accept the truth of my existence.

“There is something you must understand about my people, Juliet.” Her gaze holds mine in the reflection of the window. “With wolf shifters, the wolf and the man are one and the same. This is true also with Vampires. The primitive part of us that is driven by a thirst for blood… that darkness is as much a part of us as we are of it. It is the reason my kind are so dangerous.

“It is also why so many Vampires keep a bloodsworn. To sate the dark and primal impulses that would lead to uncontrollable bloodlust otherwise.” I pause. “The original Vampyr—the Ancient Ones—they were more animal than man. Ruthless predators ruled by their need for blood. And while modern Vampires have evolved with the ability to restrain these destructive and dangerous instincts, it is a constant internal battle to maintain that level of control.”

She studies me a moment, her eyes traveling over my face in the window’s reflection. I worry that I’ve scared her, but I cannot take back what I’ve said. Nor would I wish to. She needs to understand the truth.

“When you drank from me,” she begins. “It was… intense. Is it always like that when a Vampire drinks from someone?”

I’m so surprised by her question, it takes me a moment to formulate an answer. “It can be,” I reply a bit hesitantly. “If we release some of our venom, it can enhance the emotional state of the person we are drinking from.”

“What do you mean?”

“Vampire have the ability to inject venom into the bloodstream of the person they drink from,” I explain. “Asmall amount can be used to numb the pain of the bite. But if we use more, it can amplify sensation. For example: If someone is frightened, their fear and anxiety will worsen. If they were comfortable, their sense of calm would increase. Whatever emotion they were experiencing before the bite can be heightened by the venom.” I meet her gaze evenly in the window. “Including pleasure.”

We also use our venom to mark and claim our mates. Many even do this to claim their blood wives. To do so requires that we purposely inject more… enough to change our partner’s scent, marking them as ours.

“Did you use your venom when you took from me?” she asks.

“Only enough to lessen your pain,” I assure her. “Nothing else.”

While many of my kind have no qualms using their venom to heighten the emotional state of the person they are drinking from, I would never do this without Juliet’s express permission.

She looks away, her small brow furrowed deeply. “Does it… feel good for you as well, even without the venom?” she asks, a pink blush staining her cheeks. “When you drink from someone?” A hint of her arousal threads through the air as her green eyes search mine in the reflection of the glass, and I wonder if she is remembering what she felt when I drank from her.

As for myself, I have relived that moment several times in my mind. The need to touch her is a fire in my veins that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

My eyes darken with desire as I stare at her reflection. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I lean in. She shivers as my lips brush against the shell of her ear, and I whisper, “Could you not tell?”

My ears detect the quickening beat of her heart and my nostrils flare as her delicious scent grows stronger.

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