Page 28 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

I struggled to calm the torrent of tears that threatened to wash me away, becoming more determined to escape from Lucien. I couldn’t face him when he realized I was utterly unworthy of being his queen.

XIII

The Realm of Mortals.

Întuneric Castel, Romania.

I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW TIRESOMEthe vampire nobles could be, each hoping to pull me into conversation as Cassandra led Phoebe away. No wonder I left this place behind for Tír nAill. I couldn’t stand their scraping and fawning. After ten thousand years,everythinggets old, especially the tireless,thanklessjob of being king. You would think they would be grateful that under my eyes our people have flourished and blossomed, but no. They always wantedmore.My eyes lingered on Phoebe’s plump ass as she strutted away. It took everything in me not to follow her.

I needed to relax. She was home, and she was safe. I’d have her to myself soon. She was upset with me, but there were stolen moments when she reached for me, looked for me, and allowed me to touch her. I heard her heart racing when I was close. I saw the way her nipples hardened. She wanted me, and if I had to seduce her into accepting her new role, so be it. My hands itched to hold her, to discipline her smart mouth and distracting ass until she couldn’t sit without thinking of me. But I wanted more. When I awoke in the plane with my arms empty, I imagined all the horrific things that could have happened while I slept. Things I’d done to my enemies’ mates in the past

Mates were a favorite target for warring immortal factions. There was no worse torture for an immortal than losing a mate. She was running, and despite the small tidbit about her parents on the plane, I knew nothing about her. An unknown enemy was chasing my queen, and I didn’t know how to keep her safe.

The list of people I cared about was extremely short by design. I hid my connection to Cassandra for the same reason and trusted my one friend to take care of himself. Now I had Phoebe, and she was the perfect way for my enemies to eliminate me permanently.

Each species dealt with the loss differently, but it always ended the same. When a vampire lost their mate, it destroyed us. We became lost to the frenzy, flying from rage to rage, and that was assuming we didn’t greet the sun first. As king, it fell to me to execute those lost souls, a task I found particularly distasteful. The look of despair on their faces, their relief when I swung my sword were images that haunted me. Those memories swam through my dreams constantly. I hadn’t understood their pain, even though I’d recoiled instinctively at the sight of it, but I was starting to. When I imagined a life without Phoebe, my fingers curled into my fists, and my claws cut into my palms. The sun wasn’t even an option for me, to truly die, I would need to be beheaded. Yet there was no one to wield the sword, or to inherit the crown. I inhaled deeply, trying to regain my control.

Something I never struggled with before now was constantly flitting out of reach. Even now, the madness danced at the edge of my mind. It would just continue to grow until Phoebe was mine completely. A lesser vampire would already be insane. I was the oldest born vampire in existence, and I was being brought low by a red-headed witch.

The vampires followed me like ducklings as I stomped into my throne room. A pang of disappointment hit me when I saw both obsidian seats empty. I knew she would not stroll into Întuneric, see her throne, and forget everything I’d done. Was I that fuckinglostwhen it came to my queen? I frowned at her empty throne and sat heavily in my seat, waving the first vampire noble forward.

Elijah remained on the outskirts of the throne room, watching the proceedings. I wondered if the other vampire noticed that not a single of the preening nobles wore a sun ring. Outside of the Elders, Elijah was the only non-royal to have one. I trusted Elijah. My gut told me he would be a staunch ally, and I didn’t doubt my instincts. Except with Phoebe,she was the exception to ten thousand years of rules.

“My king, it is with great happiness that we welcome you home. Especially now that you’ve brought your queen with you, after all this time,” one noble announced cheerily, though I could hear the strain in his voice.

I wondered what Phoebe was doing andwished Cassie had cleared out the castle until I could solidify things with my queen. I’d seen how their eyes lingered on the cuffs she wore. If I sent them all away now, it would only draw more attention to the unstable nature of my relationship, bringing the Elders down on us faster. I couldn’t introduce the Elders to their new queen when she refused to stay in the same room as me.

The rumors had already begun, hinting at my weakness, my failure with her.The king was spurned by his fated queen!My nerves were already shredded, but I forced it down. I need to be a king first. I would be the unpredictable, mate-deprived, unstable vampire, on the verge of setting a new record for beheadings, second.

“I would like to plan for Phoebe’s formal coronation as soon as possible. Make it a spectacle worthy of the name. I trust only you,” I said, gesturing to all the vampires present with a negligent wave of my hand, “to see this done.” The faux praise made them preen like peacocks. They rushed to obey my order, talking to each other fervently as they exited the throne room.

Elijah was the only one who saw me shift wearily on my throne at their exit. The vampire approached, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder in a silent show of support. “Well played,” he said.

I sighed. “If only Phoebe were so easily handled.”

Her continued absence only meant one thing, she was rebuilding her walls back. That is if she wasn’t already trying to escape me again.

Elijah grunted. “But would a queen who bent to your every wish, obeyed you in all things, be someone you would truly want?”

No. That would be boring.

Phoebe already challenged me where most beings cowered. She let me know her mind, unafraid I was going to hurt her when she displeased me. She made no secret of her intentions of running and had already slipped through my handstwice.I had no doubt she was likely planning to try again. I tried to recall anyone who incited my anger so blatantly and came up blank. Yet, I knew that my fury would do nothing to deter her. With her exceptional power, my little witch would never bow to my dictates unless we were in bed, which was the only time we seemed to be of the same mind.

Cassandra came skipping through the doorway at that moment, yanking me out of my thoughts. When I noticed Phoebe was not with her, alarm bells blared through my head. Had she already vanished?Already left me?

I bolted to stand, recalling how easily she’d slipped from the alley in New Orleans. All the logic I needed to reassure myself that she couldn’t escape Întuneric with her powers bound was absent. We were hours from the closest city, and the only way off of the castle grounds was across the narrow bridge.

“She’s not used to the time difference yet and passed out,” Cassie chided, reading my concern. Even if we’d barely seen each other in the last two millennia, she knew me too well. Cassandra saw a side of me that no one else did.

I fell back onto my throne, scrubbing my hand down my face. Since only Elijah and Cassandra were present, I admitted, “I don’t know how to handle her.”

Cassandra came closer, a frown lining her face. “She went from having no one, to having a ten-millennia-old vampire king insisting they belong together. She needs some space.”

I recoiled. Even now, I could only think of getting to her, breathing in her scent, and exploring her body at my leisure. Yet, Cassandra said she neededspace?I could barely tolerate the distance between us now!

Elijah seemed to sense my disquiet, offering another solution. “Youcouldtry charming her. Aren’t you famous for that?”

Charm her?I ran a hand through my hair, sighing loudly. I was so out of sorts around her and didn’t even know where to begin. In the past, I used my good looks to get people into bed but never concerned myself with convincing them to stick around afterward.

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