Page 59 of Foretold

A queen for a queen.

He wanted to kidnap me and then trade me for the Vampire Queen.

The one who doesn’t want to return to him.

“We will be in touch.”

Drake zips out, and Rave pulls me into his arms. With a bow, the rest of the men disappear.

Before Sinda leaves, Rave calls out, “Sinda, please ask Celeste to prepare Vale’s bedroom for him. He will be living here as of tonight.”

Sinda nods, bows again, and closes the wide brass doors behind him.

“What are you going to d-do?” I ask him, clearing my throat when my voice cracks a little. At the end of the day, Vera is Vale’s mother, and he does love her. I’m sure a part of Rave will always love her too.

He strokes his big hand down my back. “I don’t know, but I will put her in the dungeons until I figure it out. What do you think I should do?”

I can’t answer this for him.

This is his family and history, and he will have to live with his choices.

He’s the one who will have to look his son in the eyes every day.

If it were up to me, Vera would have been gone after the last stunt she pulled.

I’m saved from answering when Soren appears before us, hisgray eyes dark like storm clouds. “She’s gone and taken Vale with her. We must have just missed them.”

Well, if that doesn’t prove her guilt, I don’t know what does.

“I can’t track her when she’s next to Vale because he blocks her magical trace,” he explains, a muscle working in his jaw. “The second she moves farther enough away from him that his void magic doesn’t block her, I’ll be able to find her location.”

The temperature in the room drops.

I didn’t even consider the fact that as a void, Vale would block her signature magic trace.

That sneaky little bitch.

Rave squeezes the back of my neck. “Stay here,” he orders and then vanishes into black smoke.

“Fuck,” I whisper, sharing a look with Soren. He rakes a hand through his blond hair. “What a mess.”

At least she won’t harm Vale, so we know he is safe.

Soren soon wraps his arm around me, his warmth comforting. “We’ll find them, don’t worry. She can’t have Vale glued by her side forever. You know, I never fucking liked the bitch. I told him not to dip his dick in crazy—”

“You told him that? That doesn’t sound like anything that would come out of your mouth, pet,” I tease, calling him what I’ve heard him call his casual dalliances.

“Okay, maybe it was something about boning and bailing without leaving any trace of evidence,” he adds, smirking.

My lip twitches. “Now that sounds more like you.”

“And don’t let Rave hear you call me that, even as a joke. He will snap my neck without a thought,” he groans out.

“What? Pe—”

I don’t get the complete word out before his palm covers my mouth. “You want me to die, don’t you? Come on, let’s go outside. Your entire crew is still out there, wondering what the hell is going on.”

He’s right. Bane, Axe, Kai, August, and Pandora are all standing in a circle, looking stressed. Bane’s arms are crossed over his chest, and his dark eyes scan me from head to toe when he sees me.

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