Page 98 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

He turned to face me when we got to the bottom of the stairs and leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. The corners of his mouth pulled into an amused grin, his brows cocking. “A fort? And what are we defending against, fair princess?”

“All these males who supposedly will be drawn by my womanly half-blood pheromones or whatever. That’s why you asked me to stay with you through the day, isn’t it? To protect me from them?”

“While I think it’s true that both genders can get savage during breeding rituals, I think in this case we’re protecting the males from you. If one of my brothers tried to offer themselves to you in your current state and you find them lacking, you may attack them.”

I rolled my eyes. “If that’s the case, bring Vincent in. A few of these heavy-ass books have his forehead written all over it.”

Sterling’s ghostly pale eyes pinned me down with something that made me shift uncomfortably.

“You like him,” he mused with scary accurate perception. “Don’t you?”

“No,” I retorted, a little too quick on the draw.

Sterling’s smile stretched into a knowing smirk that looked too good on his lips for me to be angry. “Your heart rate makes a liar out of you, Miss Baxter.”

“Vincent Feral is an asshole. He’s cruel, and he’s a bully. Plus, he’s with that Lexi chick. If I was stupid enough to pick him as king, he’d toss me aside and give her my throne.”

“Alexandra?” Sterling’s brows popped so high I thought they might come off. “No, the Elders would never allow that. Even if we did, why would Vincent choose that ice-cold harpy as our queen over you?”

A deep warmth bloomed in my chest to match the blush on my cheeks. Sterling’s tone suggested that the notion of Lexi being queen over me was a ridiculous fear, easing my nerves about the whole thing in an instant.

Sheesh. I should have come to Sterling way sooner. When I met Lexi, her frigid-bitch glare instantly set loose a parasite of doubt in my stomach that had been eating me alive ever since. And Sterling had squashed it with just a few words.

“I thought that maybe because she was a full-blood…”

“You’re still a vampire. And you’re the blood heir of Thomas Knight.”

I felt stupid saying my next words, but I was already addicted to Sterling’s soothing words of comfort, his reassurance. “Doesn’t Vincent only go for full-blooded women?”

Sterling’s nose wrinkled. “He doesn’t like to take human mates, but to say he doesn’t care for half-bloods, well, that would be very hypocritical of him.”

The enticing curve of Sterling’s lips curled downward when he realized what he’d just admitted. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t figured out myself. Vincent was only half-vampire, like me. But from the obscenely delicious flavor of his blood and how his imposing energy wrapped around me like a chloroform-soaked cloth, he wasn’t half-human.

“What is Feral?” Might as well come right out with one of the many questions weighing on me and try my luck. Sterling was way less aloof than the others so far. Well, except for Corry. But judging by our conversation at Clown Car Burgers, Corry didn’t know what Feral was either.

“He’ll tell you when he’s ready,” Sterling muttered, moving through the library. I trailed behind him, weaving with him as we worked our way through the maze of shelves, various furniture, and stacks of books.

“Vampires really love their secrets, don’t they?” I tutted.

“What else do we have, if not our secrets?”

“I don’t know. Being so powerful that humans still fear you but somehow still want to have sex with you? Plus, you can live forever.”

Sterling whirled around so fast I almost slammed into him. I stumbled back, catching myself on a table. My throat constricted when I took in the severity of the scowl on his face.

“And to you, all these are good things?”

“I–I don’t know. Being a full-blooded vampire has to be better than being half. Lately, I don’t feel like a human or a vampire. I just feel like—” My voice began to tremor dangerously. I sagged against the table, hanging my head. Suddenly I felt so exhausted. I hadn’t told Sterling about my plans on asking him to turn me into a full vampire. And at this point, I had decided not to tell him.

Because I had changed my mind.

When I laid eyes on his mating mark, something inside me had shifted. The idea of being a full-blood still held appeal, of course. Once I became queen, the other covens’ loyalty would be easier to keep if I was a full-blooded vampire on the throne. But Vincent wanted a kid. He’d come right out and said it in a very unsubtle manner. The cleft between my thighs still throbbed at the memory. Eros and Corry had been a little more subtle about it, but they had more or less hinted at wanting kids too. And even though Sterling was more guarded when it came to his desires for me, he wanted it. I could feel it.

And damn it. I wanted it too.

I had to admit it to myself. No matter who I ended up picking as my mate and king, I wanted to give them an heir.

When I became queen, I would want to have a baby.

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