Page 58 of Death God

She was obviously one of his former lovers.

A shot of jealousy tore through me. All I wanted was to lunge at him, punch him in the nose, and make him bleed, then I’d turn on her, destroying her elaborate hairdo and dragging her by her hair until she was down on the ground, whining and sobbing. Then I’d put my boot in her face while giving Marlowe a clear view of how I humiliated his old girlfriend.

“How do you like it now, Princess? Is this private enough?” I imagined myself mocking her.

“Why didn’t Lord Lucian come to see me in person?” Marlowe asked, barely containing his anger, a muscle jumping in his perfect jaw. “I requested his presence so we could discuss how he’d aid me with his army. That was the agreement we drew when I allowed him to dominate North America.”

“I can represent my brother and make a proper decision,” she said in a clipped tone. “If you haven’t noticed, the world isn’t ruled only by men now. I command half of the army as well.”

“Then your army should also follow me into war,” Marlowe decided.

“We all know that your army is stuck in the leylines,” she said softly. “You need us more than ever. My brother’s and my forces will join yours under one condition, and you know what I want.”

“I can’t make you my queen, Princess Luna,” Marlowe said. “Even before I found my Bride, I told you the same.”

My breathing evened out. That was more like it, but I’d like him to punch her for me or grab her throat and toss her out of the window for an outrageous request like that. The Vampire God was mine and no one else’s! I only hated that I couldn’t be there to defend my territory when someone tried to encroach on it.

“She ruined you and your court, yet you’re still doing everything for her,” she said. “Is your Bride really worth it?”

Bitch! I shouted. I knew that I’d wronged him and his court, but my mate had agreed to start over and put the past behind us. Who was she to try to put a wedge between us?

He didn’t answer. Why didn’t he answer?

“You’re going to war for her, a war that you might not return from, considering what kind of enemy you’re facing,” she said. “You’re going against the angel of war. And for my and my brother’s armies to follow you, at least you should give me something that’s worth my trouble or even my life. Don’t you even care for me?”

“I’ll offer my blood and make you and your brother day walkers,” Marlowe said.

Greed glinted in her crystal blue eyes. She was indeed a knockout, perfection. I hated to admit it, but she looked good standing by him. They looked like they belonged together as king and queen.

“I’ll accept it plus one addition,” she said, stepping closer to him. He didn’t move away but fixed his attention on her as if she was the only thing he could see. “One night. Spend one night with me, and our armies will be yours.”

She reached out to trace her fingers over his cut chest beneath his designer shirt. “Don’t deny us the pleasure, Marlowe. Fuck me good and hard, like you have many times before. No other man can satisfy me like you did. I’ve never stopped craving you, my love.”

I lunged at her, ready to give her a black eye before going for her throat. I swore that Marlowe suddenly looked in my direction as if he sensed my presence. His pose tensed, a storm of rage and longing brewing in his sapphire eyes.

By sheer will, I made my phantom self move and jumped on the vampire princess, but my mighty fist only passed through her left eye instead of giving me a satisfying bone-cracking sound, and then I was tossed out of the scene and back into my body in the bathtub in War’s castle.

Hadn’t Freckles said that I could meet Marlowe for real with the assistance of the talisman’s power?

I clenched the talisman to my aching chest and searched for my mating bond deep within, willing myself to go back to the room with Marlowe and try again to take down that vampire princess, but I could no longer transcend time and space to reach them, no matter how hard I tried.

Enraged, I kicked the bathtub and cracked its side.

Then I curled into a ball and sobbed. I had never felt so abandoned, jealous, and full of fury, yet I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. My insecurity also ate me up. Marlowe was going to have an affair while I was stuck in enemy territory. I was afraid that even if I made it back to him by some miracle, there might be nothing for me to go back to.

It didn’t help that my mind kept looping to how Marlowe used to fuck that vampire princess. I knew that Marlowe wasn’t a virgin when he’d mated me, and it was a bit unreasonable to demand an ancient and sexy superior being remain pure for an eon before he met me. I hadn’t needed to think of those nameless and faceless women before me. Yet this vampire princess was a different issue. She was so real, and I’d had to watch her seduce my mate.

She’d bragged that she’d shared so many nights with him and he’d satisfied her like no other man could. I just couldn’t get the images of how he’d fucked her out of my mind. I might even be lacking compared to her. I wasn’t even experienced.

My thoughts kept dwelling on the image of her tits studded with diamonds under her flimsy gown. They looked so enticing, so how could Marlowe turn her down? She might have diamonds adorning her cunt as well. Marlowe had seen it. What if he wanted to revisit it? Plus, she had promised him an army for one fuck.

How could a man resist layers of temptation?

I didn’t know anything anymore.

I suddenly felt that perhaps I’d never known Marlowe at all. I knew so little of his past, and I wasn’t sure what he would do next. What if he chose her? She seemed to have a lot more to offer, and I had a big target on my back.

The Alpha King had once cast me aside for a princess. It wouldn’t shock me if history repeated itself and Marlowe also chose a princess over me. He could have an easy way out if he went with her. He didn’t need to fight my war anymore. He could move on and return to Europe with his new love, and the horseman wouldn’t go after him. They might even reach a truce.

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