Page 80 of The Vampire's Bride

“How a place so beautiful can be so… terrifying at the same time.”

My protective instincts flare. “Did something happen before I returned to you?” Anger surges through me. “Did someone try to—”

“I’m fine.” She rests her hand over my own. “I just keep thinking about Maryl.” She shakes her head softly. “Lord Stryker is cruel to her. He treats her as if she were an object or an exotic pet—athingthat he owns.”

I wish I could tell her she is wrong, but I know Lord Stryker Blackthorne and his true wife, Lady Davara. Like most of my kind, they have little regard for humans. I can only imagine how they must treat his human blood wife. Stryker is the Vampire king’s brother, and the royal family is known for their cruelty.

“I felt so sorry for her, Valaric. I didn’t know what to—” Her breath hitches. “I invited her for tea.” A tear slips down her cheek but she quickly brushes it away. “I wanted to do more for her, but—”

“You offered her what you could—your kindness.” I speak softly. “I’m sure she appreciated it.”

She looks up at me, her gaze pleading. “Is there nothing we can do for her?”

My wife has such a tender heart, and I hate knowing that my answer will probably break it even further. “She is his bloodsworn. It is a bargain bound by blood magic. There is nothing that can be done.”

“I cannot accept that.” She clenches her jaw. “It’s wrong.”

“It is,” I agree.

She goes silent again, and I turn my palm up to clasp her hand in mine, entwining our fingers. “I’m sorry, Juliet. If there was a way to free her, I would do it. I would save them all if I could.”

Gently, she squeezes my hand as her eyes meet mine. “I’m glad it was you.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“Of all the Vampires the blood witch could have summoned to help me… I’m glad it was you.”

Guilt twists deep within. If she knew the truth of my curse, she would not think herself so fortunate to be bound to me.

She leans into my side and I curl my wing around her. Her trust in me is humbling, and it nearly breaks me. I cannot lose her to my curse. I must do all that I can to convince her to love me. To break the dark enchantment that will destroy us both if I do not.

When we reach the manor, I help her out of the carriage.

Eben gives me a curious look, having picked up on Juliet’s melancholy. “Is everything all right?”

“Go on ahead,” I tell him.

He nods and then heads for the entry.

Juliet came here with me because she wanted to see the ocean. Instead, all she has witnessed is the unjust treatment of her people at the hands of mine. She deserves so much more than this life that fate has given her.

She is a creature of light that has been chained to the dark, and I worry her spirit will suffer. I want her to know that despite the darkness of this kingdom, there is beauty here as well. She expressed a desire to see the ocean. Perhaps that will help lift her mood.

I hold my hand out to her. “Would you like to walk along the beach?”

I’m pleased when she slips her palm into mine without hesitation. “That would be lovely.”

Carefully, I guide her down the path along the cliff wall that slopes from the manor gardens to the beach below. It’s not very steep, but I take great care to go slow, making sure she doesn’t lose her footing.

When we reach the water, I remove my boots as she toes off her slippers. She gathers her skirt, tying the fabric in a loose knot just above her left knee, lifting the hemline to keep it dry.

She takes my hand as we walk along the beach. The cool water rushes over our feet and ankles as waves crash along the shoreline, leaving trails of seafoam in the sand as they retreat.

I’m struck by how small and delicate her footprints are next to my own. She is dainty, my human wife, and fear rises in me once more at the thought of how fragile her people are compared to mine.

I stare at her, completely and utterly transfixed. “Is this what you imagined when you thought of the sea?”

The wind catches her hair, lifting the silken strands and carrying her delicate scent to me on the breeze. Her luminous eyes are alight with wonder as she gazes out at the ocean.

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