Page 34 of Forced Vampire Mate

He walked away, leaving me to slump over my food. Of course, he hated me. He hated how I made him feel vulnerable, how I was able to resist his charms. He wasn’t used to people telling him no; he wasn’t used to people falling all over themselves to love him because he was the most important man in any room he stepped into. I had no reason to wish he actually cared about me more than his ability to gain power.

So why did my heart feel as though I’d sliced open my chest and ripped it out?

***

Luken didn’t stay gone for long. I’d just finished eating when I realized he’d taken the key with him. I didn’t have time to work up any sort of accusations, though, because he returned moments later.

“All we have to do is touch the border with the key, and a door will open,” he told me, packing the still-dirty pot.

“That’s good, right?” I said cautiously.

Luken nodded once, but the movement was jerky. “It means we can get to the Silver Forest easily. But it also means there are other methods of protection that we’ll have to be wary of. We’ll have to move quickly.”

I grabbed my stuff and pulled the pack onto my shoulders. Luken moved around the camp, removing the magical protections. As I watched him, I knew I had to say something. Maybe we couldn’t have any sort of real emotional connection, but… but this bond was still powerful.

“If you need to drink from me again, I have no objections.” My cheeks flushed as I spoke. “If we can’t get along, at least we can still have sex. So whenever you need to drink from me, let me know. And we can decide to fuck or not before it reaches that point. Because regardless of everything else, I do like it when we fuck.”

Luken didn’t answer. It was probably for the best that he didn’t.

“Are you ready?” he asked, shouldering his pack.

I nodded, picking up my staff, and we headed back to the shimmering barrier. Once there, Luken held out the bronze key. He touched the tip of it to the barrier, and a ripple appeared in the shimmer. A hole opened at the point of impact and opened wider and wider, until there was a large enough space for a person to step through. Luken wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me up close to him. I yelped in protest, but he ignored me as he stepped through, pulling me with him. The door shut instantly the moment we were free. The key disappeared from Luken’s hand.

“Welcome to the Silver Forest,” he said, releasing me.

I looked around, and my jaw dropped. No wonder they called it the ‘silver’ forest. Everything was soft and pale, even the light. It looked as though we’d stepped into something spun from moonlight. Giant ferns surrounded us, and the trees were unlike anything I’d seen before. They were fuzzy, the trunks covered with rippling tendrils that reminded me of a moth’s antennae. No branches crowded the canopy, just these tall, straight trunks that seemed to reach up forever. It was also quiet, no sounds of animal life anywhere.

“Is it always like this?” I asked as I inspected the white fronds of the fern closest to us.

“Yes. Elves see color differently than the other species, so this place is bursting with color to them. And magic.” He touched my hand, bringing my attention back to him. “I believe that if we were to open the bond fully, you’d be able to use and sense magic the same way I can. This place is beautiful, if you would let me show you.”

It was an olive branch. But if he was sharing that much with me, how much would I share in return? “I think I’d rather stick with the status quo right now. I’ve never wanted to use magic.”

If he was disappointed, he didn’t show it. Instead, he started to walk. I followed after, our footsteps unnaturally loud in the forest. How did he know where to go? I kept close to him, not wanting to get lost. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, but when I glanced back the way we’d come, I saw no sign of our passage.

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been walking when the ferns ahead of us shook.

“Halt.” A man dressed in leather armor stepped in front of us. He carried a spike, holding it upright in a way that would make it easy to swing it into action at any moment.

“I am Luken Holokas, King of Taimarah,” Luken called, his expression disinterested. “My wife and I have come to see Queen Donelle of the Silver Forest.”

More guards materialized around us, all heavily armed. Their armor was the same design as Draven’s mercenaries. My heart jumped to my throat as I gripped my staff tighter. The first of the elves viewed us both with a gleam in his eyes. No surprise showed on his face.

“The Queen is expecting you,” the guard said. “Hand over your weapons, and we will take you to her.”

Luken hesitated, but unsheathed his sword. I made no move to hand over my staff. The elf cast me a dismissive glance and didn’t seem to think I was a threat. Good. My greatest strength was people underestimating me. I leaned on the staff, trying to make myself look weaker.

“Come,” the elf said, turning on his heel. He marched through the moonlit forest. Luken tucked an arm protectively around me, and we followed.

Chapter 16

Queen Donelle’s palace was just as grand and impressive as anything I’d seen. Like the rest of the Silver Forest, it was shades of paleness, from white to silver. While the vampire palaces I’d been to were built like huge mansions, with sprawling estates, this seemed to have grown into a massive tree. A real tree this time, with broad branches and leaves as wide as I was tall.

The guards walked in a tight formation around us. Luken’s arm kept tight around my waist, his eyes never staying still as he took in everything around us. He showed no sign of awe or nerves, and I couldn’t read him.

“Have you been here before?” I asked him.

Luken nodded once, his jaw tightening ever so slightly. It seemed like it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience. I wanted to question him more, but he sent me a warning look, and I swallowed my questions. We were approaching the large doors to the palace.

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