Page 38 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

Lucien’s hand lightly collared my neck, not hurting but reminding me. “Agree,” he demanded.

“Fine,” I puffed out. I would just wait until I was alone…

“And don’t think of hiding and getting yourself off. I’ll know.” The way his eyes narrowed made me believe him. “If you disobey me, I’ll punish you longer.”

More time in this state of painful arousal? I nodded in defeat.

He sped through his own shower, leaving me alone in the glass stall after a few minutes. My skin felt wrong, oversensitive, and every touch caused a rise in awareness. I rubbed my arms as I showered, the feeling of loneliness crushing me.

I shouldn’t feel guilty about keeping things from Lucien, but I did. I recalled how the look of delight on his face when he realized I was watching him spar had died at my frown, and it sent a pang through me. He’d looked so hopeful, and I’d killed it.

As I finished my shower, it was so tempting to get myself off when I ran my soapy fingers between my legs, but I didn’t. I could do that for him. There was no way I could stay with him, but I could resist. I stepped out of the shower, quickly toweling off, my body still feeling wrong.

I strode into the massive dressing room and gaped at all the clothes delivered for me. It was filled with gowns, jeans, sundresses, shoes, accessories, and everything I could ever need. When I’d arrived at Întuneric, half of the closet was empty. My meager belongings had filled three hangers on one side. But it wasn’t mine, would never be mine, unless I decided to stay.

I purposefully pulled on my own worn jeans, a long sleeve shirt to hide the cuffs, and my own shoes, refusing to touch any of the new clothes Lucien had bought me.

My stomach growling, I stormed back to the kitchen. Elijah sat at the round cook’s table by himself. He stuffed his cell phone into his pocket when he caught sight of me. I pulled out the seat next to him, grateful that he wisely remained silent.

XVII

The Realm of Mortals.

Întuneric Castel, Romania.

“Please, not again, no, not again. C-Come back. P-Please.” Streaks of water cut through the black ash on her familiar face. She would never smile at me again or huff in exasperation at my millions of questions.

Why are there rules? Why can I only learn one type of magic? Why does my bloodline define my life? Define all of our lives? Why can’t I bring them back?

I HAD JUST FINISHED AN AMAZINGBLT, brushing the crumbs from my fingertips, wishing for another, when I heard voices echoing down the hall. Several of them sounded almost likegrowls, and I stood, turning to face the newcomers, preparing for whatever was about to come around the corner.What in all hells was it now?

Elijah moved to stand protectively in front of me as they approached. I peeked over his shoulder, and my mouth dropped open at the sight of four gorgeous, rough - will growl and scratch you in bed sort of - men enter the kitchen. All of them were laser-focused on the feast. So that was why they were preparing enough food for an army.

Their eyes blew wide, and they descended on the chef’s table, moving faster than I could track. Chairs flew out and back in. I watched in fascinated horror as they tore into the food with their hands andclaws.The men all stopped and focused on something just behind me. I jumped when I saw Adelaide at my back. I was certain the housekeeper had not been there a second ago. She cleared her throat, indicating Elijah and me with her eyes. The men didn’t take the hint. Instead, one jumped up and fake chased the unimpressed woman around the kitchen. Adelaide swatted at him, though she cracked a hint of a smile.

“Now, Addie dear, when are you going to leave the leech king behind and come work for us?” he teased, his voice hinting at an accent.

The housekeeper smacked him hard on the arm, but it didn’t deter him. She sniffed, turning on her heel, leaving Elijah and me alone again with the men. They ate until they’d decimated the food. Satisfied, several of them leaned back in their chairs, patting their stomachs.

I shoved at Elijah’s back to get him to move from in front of me. The vampire stumbled to the side, and we finally drew the attention of the new arrivals, their eyes locking on me. A single moment of silence pulsed between us. I gulped nervously. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, especially with my powers locked down. Even here, under Lucien’s protection, I was vulnerable. What if one of them was a bounty hunter? Fuck, being in this castle was making me lose my edge. I held my breath, waiting for them to make the first move.

Seductive smiles slowly spread across their faces. There was one outlier who appeared more interested in the food in front of him than anything else. His eyes were locked on the plates as he continued to plow through what remained of the feast.

One male, several braids twisted in the mass of blonde hair hanging in shaggy waves past his shoulders, was all charm. His smile was predatory, and his grey eyes flashed at me. He approached me with feral grace, his feet stepping over each other without stumbling.Okay, seduction was not a normal bounty hunter tactic.I pushed Elijah away when he tried to step in front of me again. I could do this. Seductive men were not a challenge for me. Well, except for Lucien.

The big man stalked closer, his electric steel eyes predatory. I expected my heart to race at being the center of a gorgeous man’s focus, but there wasnothing. My body didn’t react at all.

“Now, who mightyoube, gorgeous?”

“Phoebe.” I grinned, my smile as predatory as his. His eyes widened before becoming hooded in interest. What was it with immortal males and challenges? They couldn’t resist.

“The name is Leif, beautiful.” Hmm, Norse name. That explained the accent and his appearance of a Viking of old. If he was from Norway, it narrowed down his species significantly. But my experience with immortals touched by the Norse Pantheon waslimited.Witches were from the Greek Pantheon, touched by our goddess, Hekate. Each immortal species hailed from a different pantheon, touched by a god from a time before record.

My eyes darted to the other two immortals who closed in on me, another blonde and a brunette. The man still sitting at the table was also blonde. They looked like an advertisement for a Baltic cruise.Come away with us! Escape to the land of Vikings!Too bad I preferred Romania. Wait, no I didn’t!I was completely neutral, like Switzerland. I was Switzerland.Why did that sound familiar?

The other blonde smiled at me. “Don’t settle on Leif, pet. His bark is worse than his bite. Me, however? My bite isbetterthan my bark.” An abrupt laugh escaped from me as he pointed a thumb at his chest and said, “Thurston.”

The brunette stood next to Leif and said in a deep, rumbling voice, “Don’t listen to these two pups. You want a man who will make you howl? Look no further. I’m Viggo.”

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