Page 260 of Flirting with Darkness

Bal nodded and glanced at the door.

“Sorcha will be protected,” Dav assured the Count, who nodded again, and I was sure I saw relief in his eyes.

The three males strode away, leaving Dav and me together.

“That was Victor, wasn’t it?” Dav pulled me into his arms and held me tightly.

I wrapped my arms around him. “Yeah. He had an English accent, but it was definitely him. I’d know his voice anywhere.”

He grunted, but didn’t move. We stayed like that, wrapped in each other as minutes passed. I eventually relaxed into my mate.

“Well, if Bal’s hunting him, at least we don’t need to worry about revenge. He’ll be dead before the moon rises again tomorrow.”

“Will he?”

“Yep, or as good as—Bal’s prisoner.”

I hugged my mate tightly. “Good.” But nerves fizzed in my belly. I’d known Victor was cruel, but the level of cruelty I’d just heard on that video sickened me.

A crash of pans and a screeched expletive echoed deep in the castle.

Dav’s chuckle mirrored my own. “She’s burnt or dropped the dinner again.”

Hand in hand we sauntered down to the kitchen.

Sorcha darted a look at us as we entered before she dropped her gaze and fell to her knees to pick up the mess of cooked pasta off the floor.

“Do you need help?” asked Davlov, his voice coolly professional.

I squeezed his hand hard in warning. The poor girl already seemed anxious now Bal had left. I’d have to tell my mate not to mess with her so much. I recognised the signs of previous abuse, and though she tried not to show it, she was wary in his presence, even though he would never hurt her. He shrugged at me, but relaxed his features a bit.

“N-no, I-I’m fine, Davlov,” she stammered.

“Well, let me know if you do.”

I rolled my eyes and detached my hand from Dav’s, dropping to my knees. Smiling at her, I helped scoop up the pasta, shrugging when she gave me an unsure look. “You can trust us, Sorcha. The Count might not be here, but you aren’t alone. Let us know if you need anything. Okay?”

She nodded, looking a little less flustered. When the mess was cleaned up, we both stood.

“See you later,” I said as Dav pulled on my hand leading me out of the door.

Side by side, we wandered through the dawn light towards our home. It was a new annex, built on the back of the castle as a mating present from the Count. I loved it. It was our own personal space. Dav had handed over responsibility for decorating it to me, and it had filled me with joy to choose the furnishings and all the little bits of homey stuff that made it uniquely ours.

“The war’s escalating, isn’t it?” I asked with a heavy heart.

“Yes, it is. Balthazar is the King’s champion and advisor. He commands hundreds of thousands of vampires across the world, our kind and Mades. The King’s own troops, together with Bal’s, are enough to make anyone of any race think twice about trying to take the Blood Throne.”

I frowned despite the emotion and sense of belonging in my chest at being classed ashis kind. “Is this really all about the Blood Throne?”

Dav pulled me down onto the small bench outside our front door. We sat and watched the birds as they landed in the courtyard feeding on insects.

“Yes, as I explained before, it’s the seat of power for the Vampire King. Whoever sits on it has dominion over the Vampire races. Including the Mades who are still loyal. If vampires don’t abide by the King’s rules they die. Balthazar and I enforce that.”

I smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Powerful as fuck, aren’t you?” I teased.

Dav smirked, but his eyes remained serious. “El, the fighting is increasing. Victor has attacked the most powerful shifter in existence; our ally. We need the shifters and the fae on our side, no matter how powerful Balthazar is. If Bal’s enemies can get to him, weaken him by any means, it will mean bloodshed for everyone, not just the vampires. The fae and shifters are leaders in finance and technology. Our enemies have already started a financial war. They are closing banks that used to be sympathetic to vampires. They are stealing the money of ancient Original families, cutting them off and using it to finance their war. They have technological capabilities far beyond us, and are stealing and laundering money via electronic means. But most disturbing of all, they are turning the humans against us by using the bloodlust virus to cause mass slaughter. We are strong, but if all humans turn on supernaturals it will be a global slaughter on both sides. The only way out of this is to hunt down the ones who are fuelling this war and end them.”

“If Balthazar has so many vampire covens and councils on his side, surely the war will be over quickly? Even the most ancient Mades can’t be powerful enough to stand a chance of winning.”

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