The library had emptied thanks to the late hour and approaching curfew, so I had no fear that anybody was listening. Not unless they had cast an invisibility spell.
“Did you kill a bunch of horrible witches?” The thought of poor Ysabella being ripped apart from her soul-bonded mate made me sick.
“Yes, and I’m not sorry about that. They deserved it.”
“Did the coven really kill your brother?”
Rasmus moved over to the window seat, pulling me into his lap. “Yes, they did. We tried to talk to them to allay their fears, but they refused to listen. Ramona Du Boix was a narrow-minded bigot who would not accept that Ysabella and Radimir were soul-bonded mates.” A wave of intense grief filtered through the bond between us. “Sadly, nothing’s changed. The covens and mages are still pushing the narrative that cross-species bonds are taboo.”
“What happened to Ysabella?”
“I don’t know, my darling. We searched for her, but she’d vanished. I questioned Ramona, to no avail.” His eyes darkened at the memory, and I suspected Ramona Du Boix had not enjoyed a peaceful death.
“I’m so sorry about your brother. Losing him must have been very painful.”
“Vampires are very difficult to kill. The older we are, the harder it is. Radimir was my parents’ surprise baby; I was already a century old when he came along. When he met Ysabella, he was still young and therefore vulnerable.”
His eyes glazed over as he dug up old, painful memories.
“My parents adored my brother. His death loosened their grip on humanity for a very long time. It was partly why the Blood Wars lasted as long as they did.”
My mate’s arms tightened possessively around my waist while his fangs grazed my neck, although to anyone observing, all they’d see were normal teeth.
“Does it bother you I have blood on my hands,mea amica?”
I considered his question.
“No.” I knew Dunton was pushing his own agenda, and also that the diaries from the time were biased. Rasmus had no reason to lie to me. Besides, he wasn’t the only one with blood on his hands.
“If anyone tries to steal you from me, my queen, I will unleash hell on them all.”
He and Zane were very similar in that regard, and Zane’s comments about crunchy wolf shifters still concerned me, but I planned to quiz him later.
Knowing Rasmus truly was a vicious killer should have horrified me, but it didn’t. A dark part of my soul relished the idea that my soul-bonded mate was happy to eliminate any threat to my life.
The sweet, innocent witch dumped at the gates of Starfall Academy was no more. The new version of me had kick-ass magic that could fry witches and melt demons.
And she wasn’t afraid to use it.
“Do you miss your family?” I couldn’t imagine being the only one of my species left. It hurt my soul to think how lonely my vampire must be.
“Yes, but it’s possible some of them survived.”
I perked up immediately. “Maybe we can go searching for them?” Europe looked amazing from what I’d seen in books and movies.
“I would love to show you where I grew up, darling. But with demon attacks increasing and curfews in place, travel is impossible.”
My shoulders sank. He was right, of course. Our lives were becoming increasingly restricted by the whims of the Supernatural Council, specifically Tiberius Vane. What an asshole that mage was. No wonder Alar-dick haddaddy issues.
I’d have issues if my father were an asshole like Tiberius Vane.
Oh, wait…my father was worse.
Myfather was the king ofthe demon realm.
“That’s okay. I’m a patient witch,” I lied. “I’d better collect the books I need before the curfew begins.”
The librarian was as old as dust and half-blind. Glynda had told me she used spells to maintain order on the shelves, but whenever I tried to find the books I needed, they were always in the wrong place.
