Page 103 of B Positive

“Sure. Sounds easy enough.” I held my stomach as a hunger pang gripped me.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I just slept the day away and haven’t eaten or had any blood since lunch.”

Sunny stopped midstep. “Eden, we don’t have time to get you any blood. Can you hold off until the blood flutes are served?”

I’m gonna have to. “I’ll be all right.”

We walked silently arm in arm across the compound to the main courtyard entrance. A row of vampires, all dressed to the nines, stood behind a partition screen, waiting for their turn to enter the courtyard.

Sunny deposited me at the front of the line, earning glares from every single vamp.

Not a minute after I arrived, a booming voice called my name. “Eden Vaughn, mate to the King of Laurel Cove, Julian Bashra.”

Every snickering, sneering vamp face behind me stilled as I stepped out of line and walked down the—

Whoa.

Thirty-Six

The witches out-fucking-did themselves.

Every bit of magic the courtyard held before was amplified, from the shrubs to the birds to the cobblestone path. Even the slate steps into the courtyard had been increased to a full set of stairs so the courtyard itself was now well below the ground level of the compound.

I glanced around, as I took the steps carefully, wanting to take in every change, every detail. My ankle wobbled two steps from the top on a loose bit of slate or uneven spellwork, I wasn’t sure which, causing me to set my sight on my feet instead.

I’d find Julian when I got to the ground.

Except I didn’t have to. Julian was waiting for me at the bottom, hand held out for me to take on the last few steps. I slid my hand in his and resisted the urge to curl myself under his arm.

I wanted to be as close to him as possible. And either he did too or he’d heard my thoughts, because the moment I reached the bottom, he put his arm around me and tucked me against his side.

We both took a long, deep breath and settled into each other as we walked to the center of the courtyard. I let Julian lead the way so I could keep my gaze on his profile. I was taking Sunny’s advice to the extreme and holding out on meeting Titus’s gaze until the very last moment.

I did not want to be here or meet that man or dance with him.

Julian squeezed me tighter, as if telling me he understood. That he knew and he was grateful I was anyway.

If only I could hear his thoughts as well.

Julian purred next to me, a low rumble that I felt more than heard. Was he trying to soothe me?

I stared into his golden glowing profile, putting every bit of affection, lust, and appreciation I had for him in my gaze.

“Titus, glad you could make it. Allow me to introduce you to my mate, Eden.”

My heart thudded, palms slick with sweat as I slowly turned my head to meet the man who killed Odette.

“Enchanté, mademoiselle. You are absolutely radiant next to your king.”

My muscles locked but I managed to keep a smile on my face as I offered him my hand. “King Titus, you flatter me.”

He placed a chaste kiss on the back of my hand. “Ah, but it is not flattery. It is only truth.”

My stomach turned and I griped at the back of Julian’s jacket to keep steady. Titus’s speech had the same affectation, the same muddled French accent on specific words that Odette’s had had.

I would rip his lanky arms off and feed them to him.

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