Page 36 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

Each House favored different types of teas. Laurent’s was lighter and more flowery. Harker used a darker, more robust blend that resulted in a black tea with a bolder flavor. I was loathe to admit it, but I preferred the sweeter tea of Laurent over Harker’s.

My aunt was well aware of my love of sweet things which was why she added several spoonfuls of honey into my cup before handing it over to me.

“Thank you.” I blew on the steaming brew before taking a sip. The decadent flavors danced along my tongue, and I sighed. Delicious.

Surprise flickered through me when Carmilla put even more honey into the next cup and handed it to Alaric. I stared openly at him, but he stoically ignored me as he sipped his tea. She’d put almostdoublethe amount of honey into his drink. Just how much of a sweet tooth was he, and how did I not know that?

Carmilla took a seat in one of the chairs opposite the couch and placed the last teacup down in front of the chair next to her. She took a swig of hers before setting it down on the table as well.

“I sent the paperwork off to House Laurent this morning with my seal of approval,” she said kindly. “You and Alaric did an excellent job in getting that together. I think we both knowthat Marvina will likely not accept, at least not right away, but I do believe that we’ll be able to get this resolved quickly.”

“Thank you,” I said, and I meant it. Carmilla had never wavered in her support of me, and I hoped to be able to repay her one day.

“Of course.” She smiled gently at me. “Not only are you a member of House Harker, but you’re the only family I have left. Once we have the marriage dissolution finalized, I’ll officially reinstate your full status as Heir. As part of that role, I’d like you to serve as one of my advisors.”

“Really?” I breathed out, setting my teacup down before I spilled the liquid in my excitement.

Her smile grew wider as she nodded back at me, and exhilaration pumped through my veins. I’d hoped that Carmilla would allow me to help her run the House, but I didn’t expect her to do it this quickly or in such a major role.

“I won’t let you down, I promise,” I swore.

“I know you won’t,” Carmilla replied warmly. “Marvina was a fool to let you go. You have one of the sharpest minds of your generation, and I’m lucky to have you back.”

A quick glance at Alaric told me just how excited he was about this turn of events. He was scowling deep into his teacup, which only made me grin harder.

But the grin faltered slightly when I realized that meant the two of us would likely be working closely together constantly since he was one of Carmilla’s other advisors. Shit. My aunt’s eyes twinkled with amusement as she saw this dawn on me.

“Given how well you and Alaric worked together this week, I trust the both of you will have no problems working together for the benefit of House Harker?”

Her no-nonsense expression made it clear this was more of a polite command than a question.

“Of course,” we both answered at once.

“Excellent.” She gave us a beaming smile before continuing, “Vail should be here any moment, and then we can get started.”

“I’m here.”

I turned towards the doorway where the low, gravelly voice had come from, and my lungs seized as I struggled to breathe.

He was exactly as I remembered, if a little broader. His dark graphite eyes latched onto mine, and I suddenly felt very much like prey. I waited for the silver fractures in his eyes to widen, but his eyes remained dark grey, not a flicker of emotion in them as he lurked in the doorway.

Carmilla spoke, breaking some of the tension between us, even though neither of us took our eyes off the other. “Come sit, Vail.”

My lungs wanted to suck in a deep breath as soon as Vail tore his gaze off me, but I forced myself to breathe normally so as to not draw attention to just how much Vail’s presence affected me. I could feel Alaric’s curious gaze boring into me, but I ignored it.

It wasn’t a secret that the Marshal of House Harker despised me. The secret was why, and I wouldn’t be telling Alaric that anytime soon.

Even Kieran didn’t know. Only Cali and Rynn were aware of the whole story.

And Vail.

My fingers remained steady while I wrapped them around my teacup, using the warmth of it to ground me. I sipped from it slowly and looked through my lashes as Vail sat in the chair next to Carmilla.

I’d never understood how a man so large could move so silently. Both Kieran and Alaric were tall and in good shape, although Alaric was always on the slender side, even more so than Kieran. Vail was several inches over six feet and had a body built for battle. He didn’t have Kieran’s carefully carved muscles and perfect flat abs. Instead, he had slabs of thickmuscle layered over his body, covered in scars from fights that he’d survived, if not won.

I fought to keep my eyes off the jagged lines that ran down the right side of his face and continued down his neck but failed. The memory of hot blood running through my fingers burned through my mind, and I quickly looked away and set the teacup down, its heat no longer comforting.

“Thank you for coming,” Carmilla said. “I know you wanted to head directly to the outposts that were attacked, but the Sovereign wants more updates, and I’ll be traveling to discuss the attacks and other things later this week. I wanted to speak with you first.”

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