Page 25 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

Other than its gargantuan size, it almost seemed too ordinary of a place to house a vampire coven. Then again, if my dad had arrived here on the Mayflower with the intention of making this place home to him and his brood, he would have gone out of his way to fit in among the witch-crazed, overly superstitious colonizers of the time.

The grounds were well groomed, filled with beautiful gardens, a barn with a fenced-in pasture that contained sheep and goats, and a giant hanger on the opposite end of the grounds. Vincent pulled the car into the structure, and I couldn’t bite back my gasp. It was packed with dozens of luxury and vintage cars, from Lamborghinis and G-Wagons all the way to Model Ts.

Vincent parked alongside a collection of motorcycles. “Who do all these belong to?”

“The coven,” Corry answered. “Although most of the bikes are mine,” he grinned back at me. “Want me to take you for a ride sometime?”

I wasn’t sure when we were going to take a “ride” since I’d already told him I was planning to bail after tonight, but I found myself nodding, the idea of being on the back of a motorcycle sending a thrill down my spine. “Maybe, yeah.”

Vincent cut the engine, barked at us to “get out,” and left the car, slamming the door behind him. Corry and I exchanged an uneasy glance before exiting the Rolls-Royce.

I started to follow Corry’s lead out of the hanger toward the mansion, but strong fingers gripped my wrist, holding me back. I spun around, glaring daggers into Vincent. “Let go of me, asshole.”

Corry turned, his brow arching as he registered the way Vincent was holding me. “Dude, what the fuck?”

Vincent’s brow cut his scowl so deep, the look had me shivering in his grip. “Go inside, gather the Elders and tell them the princess has arrived. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

The youngblood’s gaze connected with mine, and I could see the conflict banked in his oceanic eyes. He wanted to protect me from his brother, but Vincent was his superior, and as the older vampire, he was stronger.

A lot stronger.

“It’s okay, Corry. We’ll be inside in a few minutes,” I reassured him through a shaky smile, repeating what Vincent said. The young vampire gave a slight nod, flinging his brother a nasty glare of warning as if to say, “be nice.” Then he slipped from the hanger into the night, leaving me alone with the vampire whose nose I’d broken, authority I challenged, and rightful place as king I threatened.

And fuck me, I’d loved every potentially lethal second of it.

There was something so intriguing in the way this Feral King regarded me, something that made my entire body burn with curiosity. Maybe it was the way his sanguine eyes blazed with dark and brutal promises if I dared stick around and try to take the throne from him.

And fuck, I was almost half tempted to.

But a brute like him could swiftly turn into a dark and unhealthy obsession. But hey, I’d never been afraid of death. Not while locked up in my pink prison in Quincy and certainly not pinned under the deliciously wicked gaze of Vincent Feral, my dark and damned knight.

Chapter fourteen

A Dark Addiction

Myheartpoundedsohard in my throat, it was still embedded in my brain to instinctively check my heart monitor. But I couldn’t move. Vincent’s cool fingers gripped my wrist, making the plastic bite into my flesh.

“What do you want, Feral?” I bit out, my words sharp and deadly like shrapnel.

“I need to know exactly what you’re planning on telling the Elders before I let you go in there.”

I shot him a sour glare and yanked my arm out of his grip, rubbing the bruised skin. “I told you. I don’t want anything to do with you or your creepy little cult. Have your throne, play the cruel king. Knock yourself out.”

He straightened, his dark gaze falling into shadows as he contemplated the authenticity of my conviction.

It was almost like he could see straight through me. Like he knew a small part of me wanted to stay.

“You don’t belong here.”

“Look, I’m not the one who told you to come bust me out of my suburban prison. You forcibly dragged me here. Remember?”

“You should be thanking me, Princess.”

I scoffed. “Forwhat?”

“For setting you free. You think busting you out of that house was the end all, be all? Please. Your mother wasn’t your only jailer. It was the wish of your father and the Elders that you stay there, locked away from the world. Only so you could be set free when you could be useful to anyone.”

My heart beat like a roaring engine in my ears.

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