Page 82 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

“Why didn’t you tell me after I imprisoned the Council members?” If I’d known, could things have been different? Could we have been in Întuneric for the last four days? I wasn’t sure.

“You wouldn’t listen to me,” he said, his voice hoarse as he recalled it. “And I couldn’t blame you.”

“You weren’t tempted to force me back home with you?” It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done so.

“I couldn’t do that to you again. I wanted you to be with me because—” He broke off.

My head tilted. “Because what?”

He turned his face away, muttering something unintelligible.

“What was that?”

“Because you loved me as I love you,” he whispered. My heart stopped in my chest. Had he just said he loved me? He’d talked about fate and mates, kings and queens, but never about love before.

“You love me?” I asked, stunned. He sent me a look as if it was an obvious conclusion, one I should have been able to deduce from his actions. Sometimes even I needed things spelled out for me, needed the words.

“You know that,” he said as if his reaction wasn’t clear enough.

“How would I know that? You never said as much.” I smiled and could have sworn I saw actual hope flourish in his eyes. I was going to forgive him because I loved him. Not that I wouldn’t bring up the time he had hid the truth of the bounty from me every time we argued, but it was a start. It was ababy step.

“Do you think…” He cleared his throat as if speaking had suddenly become difficult for him. “Do you think you could ever feel that way about me?”

“Hmm.” I tapped my finger on my chin, enjoying torturing him for just a little longer before I fessed up. “I don’t think I could.” His face dropped. “IknowI could since I already do.”

Cautious optimism sunk in, and he pulled me into his lap. “Do you mean it?” he asked, his eyes shining with emotion. I rested my hands against his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat under my palm. It felt like the organ was trying to burst from him.

“Yes. I love you, Lucien.” I placed a soft kiss on his lips. He yanked me closer, deepening the kiss, and I felt his hands shake as they traced across my hair and face.

“You forgive me for being an unmitigated ass and almost fucking things up between us beyond repair?” he asked, cupping my face.

“I expect prolific apologies for at least the next hundred years before I consider it.”

His voice dropped huskily. “Do you accept payment in the form of orgasms?”

I smiled, kissing him again. “I suppose I could be talked into a payment plan of some sort,” I said, barely getting the words out before he tossed me on the bed.

XLII

The Realm of Mortals.

Întuneric Castel, Romania.

IT TOOK SHOCKINGLY LITTLEconvincing for Phoebe to move her Witch Queen residency to Întuneric.There was simply no possible way I was going to allow us to live on separate continents. When she was concerned about uprooting the witches to Romania, I explained we weren’t just merging two species. We were creating a new future, one where vampires and witches could live in harmony.

Her first step was to replace our harsh and daunting thrones. She’d raised an eyebrow at my destroyed one. I gruffly admitted that I hadn’t taken losing her well.She wordlessly created new custom thrones for each of us. Though black obsidian like they once were, the smooth surface was now littered with golden runes and spells. When we sat, golden crowns etched into the stone appeared to hover over our heads. I thought the effectwas a bit much,but she winked at me and ignored my disapproval.

She took her role of decorator seriously and also redid our bedroom, filling the space with herbs, mortars, spell books, and enchantments. I would have found it disconcerting at one time, but as long as she stayed, I didn’t care what she did.

With my help, Phoebe established a stable rift that led directly to Salem. It opened into the bowels of the castle, so both she and her advisors could come and go as they pleased.

Our efforts to merge the two species, to mix the magic of the witches with the strength and energy of the vampires, met resistance on both sides. However, the Vampire Elders were thrilled Phoebe had returned with me, and they were willing to try anything to make her stay. They even agreed to the outlawing of feeding on witches, except for mates or consensual feeds.

Most of the Elders departed for their territories to ensure others followed the new law, but my uncle remained. It almost appeared as if Ambrogio was waiting for something as if there was something more he wanted to happen, something he wouldn’t reveal to us.

With the establishment of the stable rift, Phoebe worried about whom to let come and go. The rift allowed access both to our home and the very heart of the castle that protected the witches. We could not assume that all that crossed would be friendly. I offered to threaten death to any who dared approach. She rolled her eyes and decided on a spell to warn of someone’s intentions when they crossed the boundary going either way. If an immortal tried to take her coven unawares or invade Întuneric, mystical alarms would alert everyone in both places.

I didn’t mind the constant coming and going of witches through our home, so long as they knew better than to show anything but absolute loyalty to Phoebe. I hadn’t even minded when she informed me that since witches didn’t have mates or consorts. They didn’t recognize me as her king. I didn’t care, especially since I had a surprise for her. Well, I had three surprises, in fact. One weighed heavily in my pocket as I caught her coming out of the library and swept her off her feet.

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