Page 42 of The Vampire's Bride

I’ve heard stories about the fated bond and never truly believed them. But as I study her lovely face, from the rounded shell of her ear to the plush bow of her lips, I know it is true.

My heart is not my own anymore. It is entirely hers.

Rage swirls through me as I remember when I first saw her, lying upon her deathbed, balanced upon the edge of the dark abyss. Whoever harmed her, I will discover who it is. And when I do, I will end them.

Juliet murmurs, pulling me back from my dark thoughts. My breath hitches when she whispers my name and snuggles even further into my arms. It seems she is dreaming of me, even now.

As I watch the gentle rise and fall of her chest, I cannot help but think that she has woven a spell upon my soul. Binding me, changing me.

For the last fifty years, all I have known is survival. But as I study my bride in the warm firelight, I feel alive for the first time since I was turned.

Gently, I run my fingers through her hair, the long strands slipping through my fingers like fine silk. I will do whatever it takes to be worthy of her—to win her love.

Without warning, the world around us falls unnaturally silent. The hairs rise on my arms, and dread coils around my spine as a subtle ringing begins in my ears. I tighten my wings around my bride, desperate to shield her from what is coming.

A dark haze gathers before me. Amber eyes meet mine a moment before the witch appears and steps out of the smoke.

“What are you doing here?” I hiss, trying not to wake Juliet.

“You don’t have to whisper.” She waves her hand and a wisp of red magic curls around her fingers. “Only you can see me, and I’ve made sure she cannot hear us. She will not awaken right now.”

“Why are you here?” I ask again, this time more forcefully.

Her cat-like eyes drop to Juliet and a menacing grin spreads across her face. “This is interesting,” she muses, ignoring my question. “You were never this close with any of the others.” She lifts one brow. “Could this be the bride that will break your curse?”

A low growl rises in the back of my throat.

“I think not.” A cruel smirk twists her mouth. “After all, she doesn’t know everything about you, now, does she?”

When I don’t answer, her grin widens, revealing a hint of gleaming white fangs.

She leans down and a vicious snarl rips from my throat as she lifts a lock of Juliet’s hair, allowing it to slip through her sharp, black claws. “Do. Not. Touch. Her,” I grind out, pulling Juliet away from her grasp.

“My, my. You’re already halfway in love with her,” she says mockingly. “Aren’t you?”

I narrow my eyes.

“It begs the question: How can she love you when she doesn’t knowwhatyou really are?” She tips her head to one side. “And once she does, will she be able to truly love you?” She shakes her head in mock sympathy. “I think we both know the answer to that, don’t we, Valaric?”

“Leave,” I grit through my teeth. “Now.”

“Enjoy this”—she glances at Juliet—“while you can. She may speak the words… profess her love, but when she sees your cursed form, any love she has professed will be swallowed up by her fear.”

My fangs extend and my claws lengthen. If I could, I would tear her to shreds.

“You believe I am wrong?” Talindra asks incredulously. “Well, consider this: She already ran from you, and she hasn’t even seen the dark creature within—the feral and monstrous thing you become when the new moon is upon you. And if she cannot accept it, if she cannot love both the monster and man, once she knows… then she will not be the one to break your curse.”

Even as she says this, the darkness stirs inside me, restless and thrashing beneath the surface, demanding to be freed.

I clench my jaw as I force it back down. The blood witch is wrong. Already, Juliet is different from the ones who came before her. I gaze down at her sleeping form. None of the othersever trusted me to touch them, much less hold them like I am holding her now. And they never made any attempt to know me as she has.

The witch is wrong. Juliet will pass the test. I will earn her love and she will break the curse.

“I can see your mind working, Vampyr.” The witch’s lips curl up in smirk. “You believe she will be different, but I already know she is not.” She chuckles darkly. “You have until the last petal falls before you must place her in her lovely glass coffin like the others. Perhaps then you will know the pain of heartbreak like I do.”

Frustration burns in my veins. “It is not my fault your lover didn’t survive the change, witch.”

“Don’t you dare speak of my mate.” Anger twists her features. “I’ve been merciful to you, Vampyr, and you have taken it for granted. But perhaps I should up the stakes.” An evil grin splits her face. “What do you think of that?”

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