AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tutted softly. “I never compelled your desire for me. I can’t impact that. Only your actions. Just how your feelings for the mortal are real,” she said, a muscle in her jaw feathering.
“I don’t love her. I don’t even like her.”
Her voice became softer, and she leaned in ever so slightly, her eyes holding a mischievous glint. “People think it’s the big gestures that give them away, but I know different. The hairs on the back of our neck stand up, goosebumps form along our arms, when we're near them. Our breaths quicken upon hearing their name, and our hands tremble when we perceive they're in danger. It's the slight movements that betray us.” She closed her fist against my chest, casting her gaze up to meet mine. “I can sense everything you feel just by watching you interact with her, even when you are pretending to push her away.”
My jaw clenched, the hairs on the back of my neck standing erect as she pulled away, then sat back on her throne. She continued. “See, we can’t help ourselves when we fall for someone. It’s all in body language. It’s beyond our control. Especially for you, the man who pushes away any genuine feelings. You do not know how to contain them when they arise. It was obvious how you felt about her.”
“I’m not in love with her,” I repeated, then gritted my teeth.
“How would you know?” she asked, tilting her head. “It’s okay. There’s no need to admit it to me when you can’t even admit it to yourself.” Her lip twitched, and I wondered what she would do if I did—not that I loved Elizabeth. I wouldn’t fall for a mortal. I mean, I cared for Elizabeth. Liked her even. But love never came into it.
“You’re wrong.”
“Then prove it.” She inched her hand closer to the crown on the other throne. “I want you to be king, Niall. Believe me, I do. You can reign at my side. People will look up to you, adore you. You can change the kingdom. Everything you want will be at your fingertips. When I return to my physical form, you won’t have to worry about any conflicts of war. Imagine,” she said seductively, her words oozing from her tongue like honey, “no one telling you what to do again. You won't need to fight for their respect, you can take it. You can’t tell me all those desires have disappeared just because I’m on the throne?” She chewed the inside of her lip. “Or is this about the mortal girl? Let me guess, she gave you a scrap of attention and you dropped to your knees.”
Anger consumed my better judgement, and I wrapped hands around her throat. I wasn’t sure what was worse—that she didn’t fight me off, or the look of enjoyment on her face. “What’s stopping me from killing you right here? Without your original form, you are powerless, just a vampire whose heart I can tear out as easily as the next.”
She grabbed my wrist with surprising force, her short fingernails digging into the delicate skin of my inner arm. “I’ll just possess someone else, again and again, until I return to my original body.” Her expression darkened, a ring of red rimming her irises as she rose to her feet. “You don’t want to make an enemy out of me.”
Our eyes locked, the intensity of her gaze almost making me look away. The untamed power she'd kept hidden shone through them, as if she hadn’t decided about something yet. A wave of dread swept over me when I spotted a darkness that could easily consume us all.
“How would I prove my loyalty?” I asked, referring to her earlier question. If I got the crown, then perhaps I’d get close enough to kill her, in her original form. Ridding the world of her and the underworld would be a worthy sacrifice. Perhaps the gods would thank me for carrying out the task Seraphina couldn’t finish.
“Kill the mortal girl. Then I will know where your loyalties truly lie. If you don’t,” she added, before I could protest, “I will kill her, and we both know I will be far less merciful than you.”
FOURTEEN
Niall
Adrianadjustedhiscollarafter he finished feeding on some mortal, his fangs fully receding, hidden under his upper lip. “Ready?”
“Almost.” He wiped the trail of blood lingering on his chin, then grazed his thumb against his lips, licking the rest. He shifted his attention back to the red sofa in the Blood Brother’s main entertainment room. His gaze glided over the half-naked mortal woman wearing a lace nightdress. She was new, I assumed, by the lack of bite marks on her neck. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her dark hair spilling around her face like a curtain as she lost herself to a venom high.
The last of the day’s light faded around the mountains as I glanced out the window. Adrian’s fangs protruded from his gums for a second time, flashing in the dimness. He lowered himself onto the sofa, then held her tight against him. I noticed purple finger bruises encircling her wrists as she writhed against him. She mumbled something unintelligible as he leaned into her neck, his low groan echoing through the room as his fangs punctured her skin.
Her body relaxed as a second dose of his venom reached her bloodstream. “Breaking her in?”
I asked, my throat drying at the sight of the slow trickle of blood slipping down her neck, gathering in the dip of her collarbone.
He stepped back, gently lowering her beside him. His tongue swiped across his lips, and he exhaled deeply.
My stomach gurgled as I breathed in the intoxicating scent of fresh blood, realizing I'd forgotten to feed since meeting Salenia earlier.
Adrian slowly rose from the sofa, a faint creak echoing from the wooden legs. He glanced around the room before turning towards the door, and I followed him out. It was far too empty in the rooms since the aniccipere had taken up residency in the castle, dwindling our numbers here. Although, our branches in the city were thriving. “How else will I make them obedient?” He asked. “I know you like yours a little feistier.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“How is Elizabeth?” His voice reverberated through the dark, narrow hallway as the candlelight cast a glow onto his pale, smoky eyes.
“That’s why I came to find you. Salenia wants me to kill her.”
He shrugged. “Then do it.”
A lump formed in my throat, my stomach clenching as a wave of emotions washed over me, settling panic into my dark heart. I imagined her lying lifeless, blood seeping out of her body, her warrior soul gone forever. “Why should I?” I snapped. “I’m not following Salenia’s orders.”
He paused, then turned to face me, the paleness of his skin exaggerated by the bright cleanliness of his shirt. Yet streaks of deep red stained it with evidence of violence. “You like her.”
“I enjoy her company—her blood,” I added.
