Page 2 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

With the Fae king momentarily distracted, I slipped away, darting through more writhing bodies. Fuck, coming to this was a mistake. I thought coming here would distract from the echoing emptiness of Romania, but the crush of bodies had the opposite effect.

I noticed the only empty balcony and headed toward it. Maybe I needed a moment alone to reinvigorate my desire or to pick a new opponent in my planned war. I needed something, anything, to keep from retreating into myself.

The doors to the balcony remained open as I stormed past them. I came to the edge of the marble balustrade and rested my hands against the cool stone, staring out over the exterior courtyards. The skies of Tír nAill were lit up with colored streaks from its various inhabitants’ fabled dust. It drifted into the sky when it fell from their wings. I supposed the sight would cause most immortals to sigh in wonderment, but such sights became commonplace over the years.

When was the last time I sat in awe of something?I bowed my head, and the ache that plagued me, that hole inside me, seemed to grow bigger for a moment. For ten thousand years, I’d tossed everything I could think of into it, hoping to stem the icy loneliness creeping up my spine. I needed something to relieve this monotony. I tried to force my thoughts to battle, to war, anything but this emptiness.

I took a deep inhale of the wind whistling by, the ambrosia and perfume of sex almost negating my enhanced sense of smell. Usually, I could scent an immortal from afar, but with so many present in the room, my nose was overwhelmed, unable to differentiate one from another.

Maybe I should stop looking for a challenge and settle for a fight instead. There was a reason I maintained my rule over my volatile, blood-hungry subjects for so many millennia. I was indomitable, or at least I acted like I was, and attitude was everything.I should really keep track of how many wars and skirmishes were put down by word of mouth. Rumor and reputation puts down more insurrection than a massacre once a millennium.

I lost my focus on the scenery, no longer interested in the silver trees with golden leaves lining the palace courtyard. Instead, I stared sightlessly beyond them, forcing myself to consider more opponents for my war. Maybe the witches?No.Not enough had survived the years of persecution to be a threat to my army. The witches were immortal spell-casters and one of the physically weaker species. With their magic, they could have been a formidable opponent, but constant infighting and treachery tore them apart. Their governing body, the Council, was more dangerous than any other immortal court.

The demons held promise. They were always good for a fight. When Pandora released all the evils of the world, she created the daemons, the first of the lineage of demons. Each daemon lineage was unique. Descendants of the daemon Lyssa became almost invincible when enraged. Whereas, descendants of Thanatos could travel all realms to gather souls. All demons appeared human until it was too late. In their natural form, their eyes turned black, horns sprouted from their heads, and their mottled skin changed colors depending on their daemon lineage.

In the mortal realm, there were a plethora of demons, each faction holding different root powers. Some grew wings, and others could manipulate emotions, while others were poisonous. All demons were rumored to bow only to one being—their queen. Though no one had ever actuallymether, and I was starting to think she was only a figment of their imaginations.

Once, in a fit of boredom, I tortured a high-level demon to get him to reveal her location. But after almost a decade, I realized that the demonliterallycould not reveal anything about his queen. My interest waned, and I finally granted the demon’s pleas for death with a short beheading, one of the few ways you can truly kill an immortal.

I was reflecting on which demons would present the most intriguing battle when a female’s voice carried across the balcony to me. My back snapped straight at the realization that my guard had slipped.That hadn’t happened in thousands of years.

“The only immortal not taking part in a Fae orgy. How could I resist my natural curiosity?” she asked. People didn’tsurpriseme. Yet, now I’d been taken off-guard by a being of, as yet, undetermined species. Was she cloaked?

There was something about her voice. Even without turning around to face the unknown female, her rolling lilt sent a shiver down my spine, a reaction I barely managed to conceal. Her voice pulled at something deep within my chest, yet I made sure not to let on that she affected me. I slowly turned to face her. An intruder surprising me was one thing. It was quite another to let themknowabout it.

I could not cover my sharp inhale of breath when I caught sight of her. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she…she wasn’t it. Her eyes locked on me, and I froze. Even in the muted light, they appeared to glow a vibrant shade of purple. I’d never seen such uniquely colored eyes. I summoned more willpower than I could have suspected I would need and pulled my gaze from hers.

Red hair, the color of burning embers, spilled from the golden comb she’d used to keep the mass up. A few rebellious locks played against her bare shoulder, and I wanted to snatch the clip from her hair and unleash it. I imagined the length of the fiery mane splayed across silk sheets—my sheets. I could almost feel it wrapped around my fist and sticking to her sweaty back as her arms were locked above her head. She would pant and beg for me to let her come.

Her heart-shaped face was clear of the freckles that often plagued beings with her hair color. Her pink lips were full, and her cheekbones slashed high on her face. I could imagine that mouth around my cock, sucking me dry and whispering all the words I wanted to hear from her.

Clad in a Grecian-style gown pulled tight over one shoulder, her dress lingered on her form, though the flowy material and the slight light concealed most of her from view. My mind short-circuited the longer I looked at her, too busy imagining all the ways I wanted to lay this female out for my pleasure, taking her to new heights.

Had she said something? I couldn’t recall.

“I don’t see you taking part either,” I croaked. My answer seemed to amuse her, drawing her further into the colored lights of the Fae sky.

I finally saw her body in the light, no longer hidden by the shadows cast by the ballroom, and my mouth went dry. The cock I’d bemoaned for being unresponsive went rock hard. I could barely process how quickly my shaft became like steel in my pants, and I shuffled my feet to cover it. I needed to bend this beauty over until she begged for relief. My mouth watered at the thought of tying her up and see her pale skin flush with my handprints.

Her breasts were pert and full, her nipples becoming hard little buds as I watched. My hands ached to squeeze them. Her petite waist flowed into generous hips, enough for a male to grab and hold while fucking her for dear life, enough formeto grab.

I must not scare her and let her come closer. For the first time, I wished my reputation didn’t precede me. I just wanted her here with me, or not here. I wanted her under me and above me, anyway I could get her. What the fuck was that? I wanted to turn my gaze back to the courtyard, to feign nonchalance, but I couldn’t force my eyes away from her for a moment. I had a feeling that if I let her out of my sight, she might disappear.

She sidled closer to me, appraising me as I had her. I didn’t want anything between us and was thankful I was shirtless, though I wished I’d forgone pants. I craved to have her skin against mine and could barely stop myself from yanking her against me. At my height, I towered over her petite frame, covering a relieved exhale when I failed to sense any fear in her. Most women and men came to my bed for two reasons. They either liked my face, or they got off on the fear they felt at being with someone of my reputation, and sometimes it was both. When did that start to annoy me?

The mysterious female continued her approach, rolling her hips seductively as she closed the distance. Who was this woman? I bit my tongue until it bled to keep from panting. I didn’t think I had ever been so affected by someone. She stopped an inch away and jumped to sit next to my hand on the marble railing, facing the open doors to the ballroom.

The slit in her gown revealed one toned thigh, and her scent hit me like a freight train. I closed my eyes, trying to inhale more of the cherry blossom smell. I turned back to the courtyard, hoping she didn’t notice my hands were clutching the marble banister. My nails darkened and became claws, digging in to keep from reaching for her.

“Would you like to know a secret?” her throaty voice whispered, her breath teasing my ear. I couldn’t stop the shiver this time, and I half-expected her to gloat at having brought me so low.

“Anything from you.” Was that desperate voice mine?

I planted my feet to prevent myself from rocking my hips, imagining I was plunging inside her. The confusing cloud of aromas nearly obscured the scent of her arousal. I didn’t know why I hadn’t grabbed her yet and kissed her. Desire was usually so simple. Yet, I didn’t want to rush this, to rushher.

Her lips came closer to my ear, her breath ruffling the wisps of my hair. “I’ve never been to an event like this.”

Slowly, I turned my head toward her. Her face was even closer to mine than I’d thought. My gaze locked on those magnificent lilac eyes of hers before dropping to her lips.

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