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Did she have the same reaction to him as I did? I’ve never considered the possibility I might feel what I did toward her with anyone else. Although, I never knew if she felt the same. Our dalliance with each other was always a game to her, something to keep me begging for more. Loyal and exclusive only to her.
If she felt the same, she kept a secret, using it as a token of control.
Magnus moved toward Aida, assessing her with careful eyes. My beast determined he wasn’t a threat and was pleased with their interaction. But it was like I didn’t exist for a moment while the world spun around them, and a pang of jealousy hit my gut. I wanted to be in their orbit and exist in their gaze if only for a moment, to feel the desire pulsing thickly between them.
He licked his lips, offering me a peek at his pink tongue, and my cock responded with need. It wanted that tongue on it, soaking my hot flesh with his wetness.
“Talon,” Aida said my name sharply, tearing me from my fantasies.
“Yes, Mistress?”
“As you’ve been commanded.” She stepped back and nodded at Magnus. I frowned for half a second, processing what she was asking.
Her brothers told her to claim the vessel—Magnus’ body. She wanted me to kill an immortal—not truly immortal to me—and follow through with the plan. My heart sank.
“I …” I’d never denied Aida anything in the centuries I had served her. I was her faithful servant, but this … This was too much. “I cannot, Mistress.”
Magnus’ eyebrow lifted at our exchange. “What is happening here?”
I turned to look at him. “I cannot kill him.” I paused, determining if I should share the secret lingering inside me for centuries. There would never be a right moment, but this seemed the best of any. “He, like you, is my mate. To kill him would be to ravage my own heart, and while I’d enjoy the momentary bliss of beating flesh in my mouth, I would not be able to live long after taking his.”
My eyes found Aida’s again as she gaped at me in surprise. I’d never admitted my devotion came from a different level of loyalty than a pet to its master. I hoped she knew in my actions, but I’d saved the words to myself and guarded them like the fragile secret they were.
And she also had to process the immense betrayal that was my denial of her wishes.
“Talon.”
I bowed, sinking to one knee in front of her. I knew what had to happen next, and honestly, this would be a relief compared to having to do as she asked.
“You intended to kill me?” Magnus sounded amused, and I remembered he, too, might find my admission alarming.
“I was told this was merely a formality. I was to marry you for show and then run your empire with your vessel.”
Magnus laughed and walked away, grabbing his drink from the desk and turning to the window. He must’ve sensed he was safe with her, that she would never kill him herself. It was not in her nature.
“Talon, rise. Do as I ask.”
“I cannot, Mistress. Punish me as I deserve.”
She sighed in annoyance, grabbing the collar of my shirt and yanking me to my feet. “I am not going to kill you, Talon.” I rose and stared at her in confusion, glancing over at Magnus, whose back was still to us.
She stared at me for a long moment, and her features softened in a way I’d never seen before.
“You believe we are mates?” Her fingers stroked my jaw slowly, making me purr for her.
“I have always believed there is only one woman for me.”
Her eyes drifted to Magnus. “And one man, it would seem.” Her gaze returned to mine, holding it for a moment before she let me go. “Vampire, what were you told?”
Magnus turned again, sipping his blood-laden drink. “The council arranged for an alliance; to cement it, I would marry the woman who arrived today—you.”
She made a thoughtful noise before looking over at me. “What do you think is going on?”
“The demons and vampires wish to work together, perhaps because of the established presence the vampires have on Earth. It would expand the empire’s reach with humans, and the vampires would be able to compel masses of humans to give their souls to us.”
Aida looked thoughtful as she nodded in agreement. “And I am guessing the other offer made by the demons, besides this arrangement, would be that the vampires would be allowed to harvest the souls for feeding.”
“Yes, that seems correct,” Magnus spoke this time, stepping closer to us. “What confuses me is this arrangement. Why bind us in a ceremony that means nothing to either of our kinds? What purpose does this serve?”
