Page 26 of Forced Vampire Mate

We walked in silence for some time until we reached the edge of the forest. It cut off abruptly, as though it had been clear-cut. Right along the edge was a shimmering sort of light that lifted up toward the sky.

“And here we are, at the border of elven territory.” Lukan dragged his hand through his hair. “What do you see?”

I squinted at the shimmering. “A field. It looks like it stretches on until the horizon. It’s very… flat. Unnaturally so.”

“That’s because it is unnatural. Everything within the bubble is an illusion. The elves are secretive. If we went through their territory by train, even the images out of the windows would be false. Bain was right to set us here. As soon as we’re in elf territory, they’ll know we’ve arrived. Our glamour won’t do us much good.”

I turned toward him. “Then what is the plan? If we weren’t going to jump on a train and go all the way to the temples in the first place, why haven’t you told me what we’re really doing?”

Luken grimaced. His fake face was handsome, but not nearly as good-looking as his true form. “Because I’ve been hoping for another option. There’s only one elven queen who will help us, or even let us into her kingdom. The queen of the Silver Forest.” He turned away from the shimmer and stared back at the thick, green forest. “Her name is Donelle and she’s Draven’s mother.”

“The fuck?” I gasped.

“I suspect he might go to her help. Even if he doesn’t, she will be best suited to intercept him and his mercenaries before they can take Thessa to the temples,” Luken said quickly. “Then we can send her back to Taimarah and focus on saving Darcie without worrying about another complication.”

I shook my head slowly, unable to fully wrap my mind around this. “I thought his mother was dead. Like—” I cut myself off.

“Like mine?” Luken pinched the bridge of his nose. “No. Elves live long lives. And Donelle was very… fond of my father. She’s often expressed an interest in a closer alliance with my kingdom.”

Wouldn’t that give her more of a reason to kill Luken, so her son could be king? He wasn’t telling me something. I didn’t need the bond to know it. He turned back to the shimmer and frowned at it.

“This is new,” he said in an obvious attempt to change the subject. “Normally, elvish magic merely turns travelers around. I wonder…” he reached out, a slight glow in his palm. He touched the shimmer, and a crack like thunder boomed. Light flashed at the point of contact, and he was thrown back into a tree. The tree cracked, and Luken slumped to the ground, gasping.

I raced over to him. “Luken!”

“I’m alright. But that’s some strong magic.” Luken grimaced as he rubbed his chest. “I’ll have to think of the best way to get through that. For now…”

He looked at the sky.

“For now, it’s getting dark, and we need to camp for the night,” I finished.

“We need a place that I can shield and have natural defenses,” Luken said. His mouth pressed tight as his gaze swept over me. My skin prickled, and I automatically drew back and grabbed the staff with both hands. Luken’s eyes flicked back to my face, and amusement entered them. “We don’t have time for a sparring session right now, Elara. As much as I would like to.”

I wrinkled my nose, fighting not to show the way his words affected me. We headed back into the forest and found a lovely space in a circular outcropping of boulders. They formed a natural oblong shape that Luken could use to anchor a shield to, but inside was tight. There was barely enough room for us to both lie down.

It was a warm night, so there was no need for a fire, but the closeness of Luken’s body was… intense. I pillowed my head on my arm with my back facing him. I felt the heat of his skin radiate toward me in the small space. My mind kept drifting to the feeling of his breath on my neck, the sounds of his moans as I stroked him. My palms itched with the desire to reach around behind me.

Eventually, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I jerked to my feet, snatching up my staff as I did so.

Luken lifted his head, glancing over his shoulder. His back had been to me, too. “Elara?”

“I need some air. And space,” I added when it looked like he was going to get up.

“Stay close. Only our camp is protected,” he murmured.

I quickly stepped away through the boulders and headed some distance away. With the full moon, the night was bright enough, but it could have been a cloudy day. I went far enough away that I couldn’t see the boulders, then set my staff down and wrapped my arms around myself.

Was this really just lust I was struggling with?

I had so many thoughts running through my head that I felt like it could burst at any second. But the strongest of it was the reluctance I’d noted when Luken told me about Donelle. He clearly didn’t like her, yet was taking me to her to get Darcie and Thessa back. If he was willing to make that sacrificeforme, would it be such a terrible thing to let him have what he wantedfromme?

I closed my eyes, imagining the feel of his lips on my throat, of his fangs piercing through my skin. Maybe it would be best if I let him feed on me, let us fall prey to the desire we were both fighting against. I had repeatedly told myself I’d give Luken anything he wanted if he would only help me save Darcie. Now he was helping me, but I still hadn’t let him touch me. Not really.

If it wasn’t just lust I was fighting against, my reasons for fighting weren’t just anger and hate.

As I found a place to sit, a shimmer caught my eye. I squinted, frowning. That wasn’t where the elf barrier was. I took a step toward it but stopped. It wasn’t safe to go off exploring on my own. The pain from the orc warlock’s attack still lingered strongly in my mind, enough to warn me off being rash. Reluctantly, I opened the bond just enough to send a summons to Luken, then shut it down quickly again.

In a few minutes, he dropped down beside me, silent in his approach.

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