Page 63 of How to Dump a Vampire

Thorn makes a distressed noise. “How many did I kill?”

“Hush. You saved me, Thorn. Vampires can heal from almost anything. They will all be fine in time.Technically, you saved quite a few people with that show. They were attacking turned vampires, Thorn, people who have no rights or safety in our kingdom. A place that is supposed to be a refuge for vampires isn’t safe for them, and you saved them when I couldn’t. Thank you.” I cup her cheek in my palm. “Now we have much to discuss, you and I.”

Her green eyes, clouded with shame and fear, reluctantly meet my gaze.

My brave, fractured mate. What burdens have you been bearing alone all this time?

I wait patiently as she gathers her courage.

Thorn sits silently for a long moment, pale hands clutched tightly in her lap. When she finally begins speaking, her voice is soft and hesitant. “My mother was a gifted healer and witch. She fell in love with a vampire fugitive fleeing the king’s persecution. When I was born different, it drew suspicion… Something happened to my village and family as a child. The slaughter.” She closes her eyes briefly as if to block out the memories. “Soldiers came under orders from the king to kill me and my family. My mother hid me in the cellar, though it tore her apart to leave me.” Her shoulders hunch inward, making her appear smalland vulnerable. “I smelled the stench of smoke and death and heard the screams as they tore through our home… and my mother’s final agonized cry as they cut her down.”

A single tear trails down her cheek. I ache to draw her into my arms but don’t dare interrupt as she unburdens herself.

“When the soldiers finally left, I crawled from the ruins numb and in shock. I didn’t understand why our peaceful village had been targeted, why innocent lives ripped away. I learned that when I was much older.” Her voice takes on a bitter edge. “But I learned quickly why I had to hide my true hybrid nature. The kingdom showed no mercy to those deemed unnatural abominations.” Thorn meets my gaze then, eyes burning with remembered grief and anger. “So I survived on the fringes of society, keeping my vampire instincts suppressed with the tea that my mother had taught me to make. Always hiding, always wary of discovery.” Her voice breaks on the last word.

My heart clenches at the pain in her words. No child should have endured such trauma and persecution. I long to somehow erase the scars of her past, but these wounds run deeper than any magic can heal.

As Thorn continues, I focus on keeping my expression open and understanding, inviting her to unburden herself fully.

“The tea recipe was my mother’s gift, her attempt to give me some normalcy. She created it to help hide and protect my father as well as me.” Thorn smooths a hand over her skirts, as if drawing comfort from the memory. “With it, I could blend in and ignore the relentless blood cravings. I could become only a witch.” Her jaw tightens, hands fisting in the fabric. “But today, seeing you wounded and in danger, my control shattered.” Self-loathing drips from each word.

Unable to stop myself, I cover her clenched hand with my own. “You are no monster, Thorn. You were protecting me, whatever the cost.”

She shakes her head bitterly. “I never want to become someone who kills without a reason, a reason for that person specifically. I don’t want to become like the people who killed my family.”

“You were not yourself,” I insist firmly. “The bloodlust took over. I know you would never harm innocents.”

Thorn looks unconvinced.

I press on. “What you did today changes nothing between us. Your past, your true nature—those make you no less worthy in my eyes.”

Her wary gaze searches mine. I will my sincerity to show through. Slowly, I see her shoulders lose some of their tension. The barest hint of hope dawns in her expression, driving back the clouds of despair.

“You would still have me here, knowing what I am?” she whispers.

I lift her hand and kiss it reverently. “I would never cast you out for being true to yourself. I’m not like my father and brother. You are not a threat. You are my redemption and my hope.”

Anthony’s face, kind but etched with the lingering sadness he tries to hide, flashes through my mind. His parents also suffered greatly due to the callous power struggles at court. As a young turned vampire, he endured cruelty and mistrust. It was why we bonded so fiercely as outcasts and forged an unbreakable loyalty.

I hope to shield Thorn from the same prejudices that have stained this kingdom and cost Anthony so much. She has faced enough hardship. With understanding and care, perhaps the wounds of the past can finally begin to heal for all.

But if my brother takes the throne, he will only continue the cycle of oppression and fear.

“You are safe with me, Thorn,” I murmur. “I swear it.”

The lingering fear in her eyes pains me. I vow silently to help heal the scars left by the cruel prejudice she suffered and show her she has a home here now and someone to rely on.

I will do all I can to prevent others from enduring the same tragic fates as those we have lost. I will be the change this kingdom needs. Thorn and Anthony give me hope I can help turn the tides before it is too late. I cannot fail them.

She nods slowly, a tentative, fragile trust taking root between us. We have a long road yet to travel, but this first step of understanding feels significant.

“The village massacre you described… I found records indicating it was your home that was destroyed,” I tell her grimly.

I should have realized sooner that the cryptic reports of a slaughtered settlement with suspected vampire hybrids pointed to her hidden identity. I guessed but chalked it off as not possible. After all, she was only a witch.

“Your mother’s sacrifice saved you that night.”

Thorn meets my gaze at last, her eyes glistening. “Yes, but the scars from what I endured never fully healed.”

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