Page 98 of The Vampire's Bride

When he retired for the day, he pressed a tender kiss to my palm and told me he’d see me in the evening, leaving me in my chambers while he left for his own.

Ever since the arrival of Stryker’s messenger, Valaric has been on edge. Even Aerlyx and Eben’s teasing barely got any rise out of him earlier.

It’s as if he is waiting for something—expecting an attack, despite Aerlyx’s assurance that his protective spells are strong.

We seem to have traded one threat for another. After our stay at the inn in Corvania, I worried a hunter might come to kill my husband. I was also concerned that my attacker could come for us too. Here, we are safe from those dangers, but we still face yet another from the Vampire nobles.

I’ve often heard that it does no good to worry over things you cannot change. Danger will find us or it won’t. I only know that whatever happens, Valaric and I will face it together.

Closing my eyes, I allow myself to tumble away into a deep and welcoming sleep.

I’m alone in the gardens at Brimley Hall. A waltz played by a stringed quartet drifts out from the ballroom, carried on the night breeze.

Ice fills my veins as the shadow of a man stalks toward me. My pulse pounds in my ears as I race for the manor, the light of the ballroom just out of reach.

My eyes fly open, and I jerk up in bed. Panting heavily, I lean forward, pressing my hand to my chest as if that will somehow calm my racing heart. Tears flow unbidden as the echoes of remembered terror whisper through my mind.

Sunlight bleeds in around the edges of the thick curtains. I glance at the clock on the shelf across the way, and it is the middle of the day. Groaning, I drop my head into my hands. I’ll never be able to get back to sleep now.

Standing from the bed, I pull my heavy robe over my sleep gown and toe on my slippers. When I step out into the hallway, the manor is eerily still and quiet.

I make my way down the stairs, intending to go to the study, but my feet carry me instead to the staircase that leads to Valaric’s chambers. As I descend to the lower level, doubt begins to creep in.

What if he doesn’t wish to be disturbed? What if I knock on his door and he sends me away?

The times we’ve shared a bed were out of necessity—not because he sought me out or asked me to stay with him. And while I understand that he refused my advances when he thought I was influenced by the wine, the sting of his rejection was still painful.

I pause in the stairwell and rest a hand on the rough stone wall. I glance back up the way I came as indecision wars within me.

I could go upstairs and seek out Eben, Reyla, or possibly even Aerlyx. One of them is probably awake at this hour. I’m sure they would keep me company in the study, but what I want right now is the comforting embrace of my husband.

Something about him always seems to calm me. He makes me feel safe. In his arms, I have always felt cared for and cherished. I know it was only a nightmare, but what makes it so terrifying is that it is also a memory. My mind’s way of trying to piece together the events of my attack. An experience I’m not entirely sure I wish to recall for fear that I’ll never be able to sleep again.

A shudder of fear moves through me, and I glance back down the stairs. I don’t want to be alone. Not right now. So even though I risk being turned away, I press on.

When I reach his door, I gently knock. “Valaric?”

The door opens almost immediately. Valaric is dressed only in his soft knit pants. His hair is slightly mussed from sleep, and he stares down at me in confusion. “What is wrong, Juliet?”

“I had another nightmare and I—” I hesitate, unsure what to say… how to explain what I want. What I need. But as I stand before him, I suddenly feel foolish for coming here in the middle of the day. I’m not a child, I should be able to handle bad dreams.

Sighing heavily, I lower my gaze. “I should have just stayed upstairs,” I murmur. “I’m sorry to wake you.”

I start to leave, but Valaric steps forward and curls his arms around my waist, gently enfolding me in his wings. “It is all right,” he whispers. “You are my wife. Never apologize for coming to me for anything.”

“Thank you.” I melt in his embrace, all the earlier fear from my nightmare dissipating as he holds me close.

He is my safe place. My heart. My home.

He presses a tender kiss to my temple. “Come.”

Carefully, he scoops me up and carries me to the bed. He lays me down beneath the covers, and I remove my robe, leaving me in only my silken sleep gown.

The bed dips as he crawls in beside me, and I turn and roll toward him, pressing my palms to his chest as I nestle into his warmth.

He curls his wings around my form and tucks my head under his chin. His fingers trace a soothing path up and down my spine as I close my eyes, listening to the strong and steady rhythm of his heart beneath my ear. “Do you want to talk about it?” he murmurs.

Softly, I shake my head.

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