Page 36 of Wolf Queen Ruin
“I…” I shook my head.“I suppose I hadn’t considered the why, only the how of finding it.”
“Perhaps you should,” Selene suggested, her tone gentle but weighted.She ran her fingers lightly over a series of glyphs surrounding the central fang symbol.“Ancient texts speak of a price paid for the Fang’s creation—a bloodline sacrifice that bound the magic.Every healing has its cost.Are you prepared for what yours might be?”
The door to the Meridian Room swung open without warning.A member of Selene’s security team and Vivienne stood in the entrance, her perfect features arranged in a cold smile.
“My deepest apologies for the interruption, Madame Selene,” the security team member said with a formal bow.“But there’s an urgent security matter requiring immediate attention.A boundary breach at the western perimeter.”
Selene’s expression flickered with annoyance.“How inconvenient.You’ll excuse me,” she told us, returning the skin map to its container.“Security protocols require my personal attention for certain types of breaches.”
“Of course,” Damien said, his eyes narrowing at Vivienne.“We appreciate the time you’ve already granted us.”
As Selene moved toward the door, she paused beside me.“A word of caution,” she said, her voice lowered for my ears alone.“The Fang’s healing comes at a price.Be certain you’re willing to pay it before you proceed.”
With that cryptic warning, she swept from the room, leaving us alone with Vivienne.
“What a shame,” she said with mock sympathy.“These magical emergencies are so unpredictable.I do hope you saw enough to satisfy your scholarly curiosity.”
“Perfectly adequate,” I replied with equally false pleasantness.“Damien, let’s rejoin the main gathering.We’ve already seen the highlight of the evening.”
“One moment,” Damien said, his voice deceptively calm as he turned to face Vivienne.He moved with deliberate slowness, placing himself in front of me in a subtle protective stance.“I find the timing of this interruption too convenient to be coincidental.What exactly are you playing at, Vivienne?”
Well, hot damn.Damien had entered his moody, direct phase for the evening.Gone was the diplomatic vampire.In his place stood something far more dangerous—a predator who had tired of games.
Vivienne’s perfect composure faltered for just an instant.“Playing at?You wound me, darling.I merely happened to be passing by when the security alert occurred.”
“You’ve never ‘merely happened’ to be anywhere in the three centuries I’ve known you,” Damien replied, his voice dropping lower.The air around him seemed to cool by several degrees.“Every move you make is calculated.”
I’d never seen this side of him, this commanding, intimidating presence that made even Vivienne take a small step back.
“Perhaps we should continue this discussion elsewhere,” Vivienne said, her eyes darting toward the corridor.
Damien offered me his arm, though the cold fury radiating from him was palpable.“My fiancée and I were just leaving,” he said, emphasizing our relationship with deliberate intent.“Shall we, beloved?”
I took his arm, feeling the tension coiled in his muscles.“Of course.”
Vivienne stepped aside to let us pass, but as Damien drew level with her, she placed a restraining hand on his arm.The contact seemed casual, but there was nothing casual about the way her crimson nails dug into the fabric of his tux jacket.
“The Vampire Council has already requested an audience, Damien,” she said, her voice honeyed.“Tomorrow night.Regarding your maker’s condition and your recent unconventional choices.”
The muscle in Damien’s jaw tightened.“I’ll respond to the Council’s summons when I return to my residence.”
“They won’t be pleased by further delays,” Vivienne said, her gaze flicking to me.“Especially given the company you’re keeping.Really, darling, what will our people say when they find out?”
Damien moved so quickly I barely registered it, his hand capturing Vivienne’s wrist and removing it from his arm.His expression hadn’t changed, but the temperature around us dropped further.
“My choice of companions is not the Council’s concern,” he said, his tone carrying a deadly edge that dragged a shiver down my shoulder blades.“And if anyone—Council member or otherwise—attempts to interfere with matters that don’t concern them, they will find I am not as diplomatic as my maker.”
Vivienne’s perfect smile vanished.“But our families’ expectations for us, the laws for Council members—“
“Allow for any alliance I choose to make,” he said.“Good evening, Vivienne.”
Without waiting for her response, he guided me through the doorway and back toward the main gallery.Once we were beyond earshot, I glanced up at him.
“The Vampire Council of Elders wants to see you?”
“A complication I’d hoped to avoid,” he admitted, his expression still tense.“The Council oversees everything.My absence from certain responsibilities has apparently been noted.”
“And those responsibilities are…?”I prompted.
