Page 22 of Break Her Heart
His jaw ticked. “Get through this meal. Be as indifferent as you can. They will be bored enough that hopefully we will see as little of them as possible.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
“You do.”
There it was again. That simple, absolute certainty that made my blood boil. He spoke like he owned me, like I was a stupid girl who didn’t know what she was walking into.
We stepped into the dining hall, a vaulted chamber lined with dark stone and towering archways that seemed to swallow the light. The only illumination came from tall candelabras pushed to the far corners of the room, their wax-dripped arms casting long, twitching shadows across the cold floor. None of the flames were allowed near the table—too dangerous, Irealized, for a room full of vampires whose very skin could catch fire.
The table groaned under the weight of food—glistening fruits not yet in season in Joveryn, exotic meats whose scents curled into the air like perfume, pastries that looked too delicate to be real. It all shimmered with wealth and presentation, but it felt wrong. Like it had all been arranged for a show, not a meal.
Halston shooed the servants through a set of double doors when he saw us, before stepping to the dining table adjusting the vase of roses in the middle and admiring his work.
Four other vampires stood together: three men and a woman. They turned toward us in eerie unison. Though their eyes were shades of brown or blue, I felt the familiar thrumming of magic that told me they were nothing close to human. They were just different, like August.
“Long time no see, brother.” One stepped forward with a languid elegance, lifting a silver goblet of wine with fingers that sparkled with rings. He had dark hair that curled at the edges, tousled like he had no care for his appearance. His striking blue eyes gleamed with mischief and something sharper underneath, and his smile looked more suited to a dance floor than a throne room. He wore a deep crimson jacket, open at the collar, exposing just a little too much skin in a way that felt deliberate. Every movement was theatrical, exaggerated, as though life was just one long performance to him.
“But here you are in the same form I left you in.”
Then he glanced at me, tilting his head in the same animalistic way August always had. “We are honored,” he said, bowing just slightly. “Though I admit, I never expected our dear brother to bring a human when he would only be here for a few months.”
August didn’t blink. No matter how much fear he had for Carrow taking over his body, he never showed it to anyone, which was probably smart. “This is Simon.”
“Of course,” Simon said, with a smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Your ways have always been… unconventional.”
The silence that followed was thick with unspoken insult.
“Bronwen.” I nodded, cutting through the tension. I refused to be called the human for the rest of my life.
He opened his mouth to speak, but someone grabbed him and pulled him to the side. Just as he stepped aside, a woman swept in with loose golden curls that glimmered like sunlight against the candlelight. Her lips curled into a wide, wolfish smile that didn’t reach her bright eyes. She moved with a predatory grace, like she was always circling someone, waiting to strike. It was the woman I had seen when we first arrived, and up close, her presence felt even more dangerous. She was stunning. And she knew it.
“You’re prettier than I imagined,” she said to me, tilting her head. “So soft. So pink. I wonder what you’d taste like if someone bit you righthere.” She reached out and traced a finger along the line of my throat.
Her eyes widened when her fingers grazed the mark. “Oh but it seems someone already has. Now Auggie, don’t you know the dangers of marking someone?”
I didn’t move. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction though every natural instinct in me told me to set her on fire.
“I guess all your time away has caused you to forget what happened to your dear mo-”
“Speak of her again and I will have your tongue cut out, Lavina. Do not forget who your king is.”
August’s mother was marked?
She straightened. “For a few months. It is a shame we lost our father, but at least we have you to bring him back to us.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she stepped back.
Then a third vampire stepped forward—his deep brown skin smooth and unblemished, a striking contrast to the golden embroidery of his dark velvet coat. His hair, a rich chestnut, was perfectly styled and tucked back behind his ears with the kind of precision that screamed vanity rather than habit. His deep blue eyes were sharp and assessing, and he carried himself with the confident ease of someone who assumed everyone in the room should already be watching him.
“We’re all very… curious, of course,” he said, swirling the dark wine in his glass. “We never see our brother and when he is forced back, he brings a woman with him.” He looked up at August. “You must really despise her to leave her for Carrow when he returns.”
“Careful, Corwin,” August warned.
Simon gave Corwin a sidelong glance, amused. Lavina, on the other hand, looked vaguely annoyed—like she hadn’t been the one to land the insult first.
“You can say that to my face, you know. I don’t need a man to defend me. Least of all him.”
Corwin inclined his head, and August placed his hand on my back as if silently reminding me of our earlier discussion. I took a deep breath as I tried to push my emotions back down.
