Page 170 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

He moved with inhuman speed, sinking fangs into the vampire’s exposed throat. Blood flooded his mouth, but it was the memories he sought. Images flashed behind his closed eyelids—scenes stolen directly from his captive’s mind.

A warehouse. Bardanes pacing while Lio gestured animatedly, outlining his revenge. A coven of witches huddled around a ritual circle, chanting. One—a powerful sorceress—weaving illusion magic around a trembling vampire who bore no resemblance to Lio.

But as the magic took hold, the vampire’s features shifted. Hair changing to match Lio’s golden blond. Build changing. Even scent altering to become an exact replica of Laurent’s progeny.

The glamour was flawless.

He saw it all—the staged confrontation, the death he’d witnessed, Lio’s escape during the chaos. The witches had owed Bardanes an ancient favor. They’d repaid it by orchestrating the most elaborate deception Laurent had encountered in his long years.

He pulled back, wiping blood from his lips. The memories left him cold. He’d been manipulated by his own offspring’s intimate knowledge of his habits and weaknesses.

But it was finished now. Lio was truly dead, along with his conspirators. The threat eliminated.

Yergoff was seething. Even if he let him go, allowed him to rebuild his family’s legacy, the resentment would remain. It would fester until another war broke out. Better to finish them off entirely.

“Kill him,” Laurent instructed Hassan, turning away. He had no patience for another rivalry. Especially not when Lily’s life was his to protect.

Hassan sped forward. The sound of Yergoff’s heart ripped free of his chest followed him up the stairs, back into the main house.

There would be political ramifications from today’s violence. Other houses would demand explanations, reassurances. But that could wait.

He found Lily exactly as he’d left her—curled on her side, dark hair spilling across the pillow. Moonlight painted her skin silver, made her appear ethereal.

He shed his clothes and slipped back into bed. She stirred unconsciously, seeking his warmth. Her hand found his chest, fingers splaying over his heart as she settled against him with a soft sigh.

He didn’t need to sleep, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t lay in bed with her all night, if only to listen to each breath, each beat of her heart. If only to hold her, feel her warmth.

For all the long years of his life, he’d believed himself incapable of the gentleness love required. He’d been content with isolation, ruling with a tight fist, maintaining distance from anything that might prove a weakness.

Lily had changed that. She’d seen past the monster, offered acceptance he’d never thought to deserve. She’d made him want to be better—not merely for her, but for himself.

Holding this brilliant, beautiful creature in his arms, he allowed himself something he’d rarely indulged.

Contentment.

The irony wasn’t lost on him. After centuries of violence and darkness, it was an amplifier with siren blood that had shown him what true power meant. Not through control or intimidation, but through love freely given and fiercely protected.

He pressed his lips to her hair, breathing in her familiar scent. Whatever came next, they would face it together.

It was more than sufficient. It was everything he’d never dared want. And it was only the beginning.

46

EPILOGUE

Istrolled out the doors to the lecture hall, shouldering my bag, eager for fresh air. My head was a jumble of complicated equations. Asymptotics and Perturbation Theory was one of several graduate level courses I was required to take while working on my thesis. It was a two hour lecture, twice a week⁠—

I stopped short. Standing in the middle of the quad, arms crossed with his legs braced, was Laurie. Students, both undergraduate and graduate alike, gawked at the sight of this magnificent creature dominating their world. My mouth fell open and I didn’t bother to close it.

He was in a bespoke suit that hugged his frame like a dream, his hair tied half up, half down, the loose tendrils framing his handsome face. I could just make out the points of his ears, though to anyone else, they looked like prosthetic ears. The rest of us mortals were bundled up in coats and scarves. It was the end of January, and only a vampire could handle the cold like this. Which made him stand out more.

A couple of girls nearby were clutching each other’s arms and whispering, “Oh my god, is that like, one of the new faculty members or something? He looks like that guy from the sword show—I forget what it’s called.”

“Taegan,” I said, turning toward them. “Shadowlands.”

“That one!” one of them said, giving me a shy smile.

I looked back at Laurie. The corners of his mouth had tugged up. I walked across the quad and stopped in front of him. “What happened to Hassan?”