Page 30 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

“Never. I will never let them take you.”

I pressed my forehead gently to hers, letting her fully come awake. She stiffened in awareness and yanked her hands away from mine. She pushed at my chest, forcing me to move off of her. I fell to my side, immediately mourning the loss of having her beneath me.

She vaulted out of bed. “How did I get here? What am I wearing?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have dressed her in such a transparent negligee.

“You’re in my bed because that’s where you belong,” I muttered harshly, coming to a stand. She belonged in my arms. I could soothe her nightmares. She needed me. I reached forward, gently grasping her arms, forcing her frantic eyes to meet mine. “Who’s after you? You made me promise not to let them get you.”

“What? When did I make you promise that?” Her face was still pale, and she was visibly shaken from her dreams, her eyes darting away from me.So many secrets hid in her eyes. I needed her to share them with me.

I glared down at her, noticing she deliberately sidestepped the question. “When I woke you from another nightmare.” I gentled my hold slightly, though it went against every instinct I had. “I can’t protect you if I don’t know what’s coming.”

She pushed against my chest, my words returning the flush to her cheeks and her eyes sparking. “You want to protect me? Take these off!” she yelled, holding the cuffs up between us. “Then I can protect myself!”

She wrenched even farther away from me, pacing back and forth along the wall, muttering under her breath. Part of it was in English. I caughtasshole, high-handed, dickweed,but the other half was in a language even I didn’t know.

I grabbed her again, snapping her out of her tirade. “You would disappear the second I turned my back!”

Images of me trusting her enough to remove the cuffs and her rifting away in an instant played before my eyes. That future taunted me. If I trusted her completely, only to face her betrayal, it would devastate me.

Phoebe didn’t deny it. She was so eager to leave me. The madness that danced at the edge of my mind seemed to grow. If I claimed her, she would bend to my will. I could seduce her into seeing things my way. If I did that, I knew I would earn her eternal hatred. It had to be her choice. There must be trust between us first, and it had to be her choice. I would risk insanity to keep her. I would riskeverythingto keep her.

My fangs dropped into my mouth, blood pounding in my ears as I roared, “Let me protect you!”

“Release me!” she shouted back, standing toe to toe with me. I couldn’t remember another immortal ever daring to incite my anger like this. Even Cassandra would have backed down by now. Yet Phoebe demanded her way, refusing to submit. If I wasn’t so enraged, I would have felt admiration for her fearlessness.

“You stay with me!” My grip tightened, likely leaving bruises. “Accept it!”

Her head snapped back, her fiery brows furrowed. “You intend to keep me prisoner?”

My laugh was cold and mocking, even to my own ears. “No, my littlevrajitoare. This is yourhome.”

She shoved against me, forcing me back a step, making my hands drop from her in surprise.

“And you expect me to trust you?” she scoffed.

“You are my mate. Trustthat, at least.”

An immortal male would never let harm come to their mate. It was something she could trust even if she couldn’t trust me yet.

What if she never trusts me?

Her vivid eyes scanned mine repeatedly, pursing her lips, visibly debating my words. I could tell the instant she decided to tell mesomething. She sighed in defeat, and I checked a look of victory at the small measure of trust. It shored up my hope that she might trust me completely one day.Baby steps.

“I-I-um—” she struggled to begin.

I cupped her face tenderly, pushing back her hair and checking another look of triumph that she didn’t immediately flinch away from my touch. I could win her, but I had to go slow.

“Start from the beginning,” I coaxed, reaching out to lead her back to the bed.

Phoebe frowned down at her hands locked with mine. She didn’t pull away, and some of the tension in my shoulders relaxed as we sat back down. I reluctantly released one of her hands and placed a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to meet mine. I could only hope she saw my desire to protect her, to keep her safe. “Whatever has happened, nothing will change the way I see you.”

Her entire body softened, leaning into my touch. I held my breath, praying she would share her burdens with me.

“I made a mistake. I trusted someone I shouldn’t have, and I paid dearly for it.” The pain in Phoebe’s eyes nearly shattered me, and I covered a wince, knowing I’d only reinforced the idea that people were untrustworthy when I cuffed her.Fuck me.“The people after me, they want me to pay,” her voice broke, “with my life.” She shivered even though it was not cold. I pulled her against me, watching the emotions cross her face. She let out a deep sigh. “I did something horrible, Lucien.”

“You’re wanted by the Witches Council?” I asked, noticing the way she recoiled when I referred to the powerful group. There was only one entity that could sentence a witch, and they did so often. There was no shortage of fugitive witches on the run, though they rarely survived for long. I felt her nod against my side. She lifted her legs and wrapped her arms around them but didn’t move away from me. “That’s why you thought I was turning you over for execution.”

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