Page 53 of Queen of Vampire Hearts

It was a moss-covered cathedral, the bones of the once magnificent structure left to the wilds. A cloaked figure was pacing frantically across the room, her steps echoing on the stone, a bundle tucked in her arms.

I moved closer and saw that she was cradling a small, swaddled infant in her arms. A brief glimpse beneath the hood left me with the impression of dark hair and lilac eyes, far too similar to my own. Was she an ancestor of mine? The woman continued forward and back, the child not letting out a whimper of protest at the movement.

Another cloaked figure appeared directly behind me, calling out, “Majesty.”

The woman turned, and I caught full sight of her face. Was she wearing a golden circlet? As far as I knew, the Council had always controlled the witches. Was that a lie?

The woman’s tears fell silently down her face, but she didn’t acknowledge them, her steps sure as she approached the new arrival.

“You are sure she’ll be safe?”

“Yes, my queen, only you and I know she is from your line. We’ll conceal her with another family. No one will know. They believe her to be from a distant relative, orphaned and alone. Not even she will know the truth.” The man’s voice was confident and reassuring but did nothing to stop the woman’s tears.

“My sweet daughter, the future of our kind rests on you flourishing and surviving,” she murmured to the bundle before handing the baby off to the man. She brushed back the hair that had fallen into the infant’s face, her touch so filled with love it was nearly reverent. My heart broke for both of them. She muttered under her breath, and I recognized the spell as a glamour.

Without taking her gaze from the babe, she said to the man, “I hope that by the time the little one has a child, our people will have long forgotten the significance of it.”

Of what? The eye color? Did my eye color mean something? I knew it was rare, but unique eye colors were not exactly uncommon in the world of immortals.

As the man turned to leave, the woman kneeled next to the small familiar at her side I’d previously overlooked. The woman’s tears still flowed from her eyes as she petted the small black cat with eyes identical to hers. “You’ll keep her safe, won’t you? Until it’s time?”

The familiar nodded, darting after the departing man.

Before I could puzzle through the meaning, I bolted upright out of the dream. Lucien had carried me back to our bed and was asleep beside me. As the implications of my dream—vision?—wore off, I looked at him uninterrupted. I delicately traced my fingertips across his lips and felt my heart thud in my chest. I was all too easily forgetting the rules that had kept me alive.

NewRule No 1: Trust No One...except maybe Lucien.

I pulled my hand back, hoping to shore up my emotional walls. It was just three more days. I could do three more days without succumbing to his allure, to the desire to put down roots here with Lucien. My mind shied from the thought of leaving him. I squeezed my eyes shut as if I could force the thoughts from my mind and feelings from my heart. I couldnotafford to fall in love with him. Malcolm’s betrayal had devastated me, but I survived. I wasn’t sure I would if Lucien did the same.

XXV

The Realm of Mortals.

Întuneric Castel, Romania.

I AWOKE THE NEXT MORNING, the now familiar panic that Phoebe had disappeared during the night seizing my heart and lungs. The fear eased when I felt her resting on my chest, her breaths even and deep.

I pulled her closer and slowly relaxed as I watched her sleep. Her brow furrowed, and she murmured. I soothed her with soft words in Romanian, as I had before, wishing I could take the nightmares. I hoped one day soon she would trust me enough to reveal the secrets that haunted her. Demons hid in her eyes, plaguing her day and night. I would fight them for her if only she let me. Eventually, she settled, allowing me to gaze at her and memorize every slope and dip of her face.

I twined a lock of her fiery hair around my finger, rubbing the silky curl against my lower lip. She had stayed, and that reality eased some of the cloying panic in my chest. It gave me enough hope to wonder what it would be like when I finally claimed her. When she was totally and completely mine.

Though my body ached and I was weaker than normal without our bond in place, I didn’t regret the decision to postpone the official claim. I was desperate to have her and know what it meant to be inside my mate finally. If I made love to her and she still left, it would kill me. It was better only to take that step when I knew she would stay, even if I became weaker by the hour.

Phoebe snuggled closer, slowly coming awake, her bright eyes gazing up at me. “Hi,” she murmured softly.

Unable to resist, I pulled her in with a long kiss, and she mumbled something against my lips I didn’t catch. She broke away, blushing slightly. I liked that she still blushed. Despite her often brazen attitude, some of her innocence was still there. The monotony of eternity hadn’t yet scraped it away.

She cleared her throat and asked, “So, what are our plans for today?”

“Hmm, let’s see, first on my agenda is making you climax at least three times before lunch, then some conference calls, followed up by another three orgasms for you.”

She slapped my chest lightly. “Who do you have conference calls with?”

I sighed. She would focus on the least interesting part of my day. “I have to speak with some of my COOs about research and development. They’re not as far along as they should be.”

“You have COOs? For what?” she asked, resting her chin against my chest and raising an eyebrow.

“I own several medical research labs. I’m hoping to invent a synthetic blood that vampires can survive on. In the age of smartphones, I just know some dumbass vampire is going to get caught feeding on someone, and it’ll go viral. Less need for blood means it is less likely one of them is going to fuck up.” I couldn’t control everyone, no matter the stories of my legendary acts of retribution.

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