Page 39 of The Vampire's Bride

“You wish for a true marriage between us?” I cannot help but ask, holding my breath as I await her answer.

She takes my hand, studying it a moment before she replies in a soft voice. “I would like to try.”

My heart simultaneously plummets and soars. I already know how this will end if it goes wrong. My curse will take her from me and I will be left alone again. But she is my ashaya, and I cannot ignore the hope that sparks in my chest.

What if she could be the one to break my curse? What if I could keep her by my side forever?

I look down at our joined hand and cautiously thread my fingers through hers. And for the first time in a long time, I allow myself to dream of the future.

CHAPTER 13

JULIET

When I told Valaric I would keep his schedule, I never imagined how hard it might be. Because it’s dark outside, my body seems to think I should be asleep right now, despite my resolve to remain awake.

He places another log on the fire and then returns to his seat on the sofa beside me. I’m completely bundled up in the new clothes Minda brought, and under two blankets, with my knees pulled to my chest, while he appears unbothered by the draft in the room.

Valaric looks over at me, my entire body shivering despite my many layers. He wraps his strong hands around my waist and lifts me as if I weigh nothing, settling me across his lap. Extending his wings, he curls them around my form. “Is that better?”

I rest my hand on his chest, his heart beating a strong and steady rhythm beneath my palm. With a soft sigh, I relax against him, reveling in his warmth and the smell of his rich, masculine scent. “Much. Thank you.”

I feel so small in his arms, but instead of being afraid, I feel cherished and protected as he envelops me in his wings. His gaze is fixed on the fire, the dancing light of the flames highlighting the handsome lines of his face.

He is something of a mystery, my new husband. I assumed he was born a Vampire, but I was wrong. Now that I know what happened, I can only imagine how terrible it must have been, and how lonely he must be. First, he lost his family and village, and then he had a falling out with Damar.

My heart hurts for him. I don’t know how long ago he was married or when he lost his previous wife. And I wonder how long he was alone before Elsie and her family found him. There’s a sadness in his eyes that I wish I could take away. But first, he must let me in so I can figure out how to help him.

“My grandmother used to do that.” His gaze sweeps to me. “She’d sit before the fire. She always said that if you stare into the flames long enough, the answers will come.”

“What answers?”

“Whatever it is you are pondering.”

A slight frown creases his brow.

“Tell me.” I touch his face. “What is it you are thinking on so intently?”

He hesitates a moment before answering. “You are different from the others.”

Others?“You had more than one wife before me?” I ask, just to be sure I’ve heard him correctly.

“Yes. There were four before you.”

I frown, doing the math. If he was twenty-six when he was turned a little over fifty years ago, four seems a rather large number. Then again, I remember attending the wedding of a gentleman who was on wife number three, and he is only forty-seven.

Unexpected jealousy rises within. “Did you love them?” The words escape without thinking.

“No.” His sharp gaze pierces mine. “And you? Did you love Jonathan?”

“I wanted to.” I look down at my hands. “He seemed like everything a husband ought to be: dashing, handsome, well-mannered, and of good family and fortune.” I sigh heavily. “My mother said when she met my father, she felt a spark between them. But I never felt that way with Jonathan.”

As the words leave my lips, I realize that Idofeel this way for Valaric, but I’m too shy to admit it to him yet. Besides, it is still so early in our relationship that I doubt he feels the same for me.

“My best friend, Lucy, would always talk of her fiancé, James. She said it was agony waiting until their marriage because she could hardly wait to”—my cheeks flare red hot as I catch myself before I say the words “make love” and instead say—“consummate their vows. Jonathan was eager too. And when I refused him, he grew angry.” I close my eyes briefly at the dark memory. “And in his anger… for a moment, he became someone I did not recognize, and it scared me.”

Valaric’s eyes darken. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Like I mentioned before, I broke off our engagement.”

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