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“Patient—at the least.”
After a breath, I turned to regard her head on. “We have the rest of eternity to be together—and you’re disappointed. You have the opportunity to be the strongest kind of vampire—and that’s inconsequential to you. Most people would do anything to stand where you stand now.”
“But it came at a cost. A cost I’ll have to pay later.”
“Or maybe never.”
She stared at me, her mood distant and cold.
My blood still existed in her veins, making her a part of me forever. I found that beautiful, but she found that despicable.
“It was my dream to have a family. And now I’ll never have that.”
“If I’d let you die, you wouldn’t have had them either,” I snapped. “I told you to hide away from Grayson with Fang until the war was over, but you insisted on staying. So don’t sit there and act like this is my fault.”
Her eyes winced at my cruelty.
“I made the best decision I could at the time, and despite your disappointment, I still don’t regret it. Your destiny is greater than dying young. Your destiny is to be the Queen of Vampires, Lady of Darkness.” I turned back to my pack and zipped up the top before I threw it over my shoulder. I headed to the door to walk out. “Embrace it.”
* * *
I watched the stable hands prepare the horses for the long journey. The cloud cover had returned to our coastal kingdom, the powerful rays of the sun fractured and minimized. I stared at the sky and remembered the afternoon when Larisa and I rode to the top of the mountain and basked in the sunshine. She’d sat there with her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth on her skin.
She would never have that again.
Cobra came to my side. “Ready?”
It took a second to snap out of the memory. “Yes.”
Cobra continued to watch me. “She’s not joining us?”
“No.” I gave my brother a hard stare, warning him not to press the topic.
Cobra looked away. “Then we should get moving.” He approached his large stallion and climbed up into the saddle.
I had just stepped over to my horse when I was interrupted.
Wait.
What is it?
We’re coming.
I backed away from the horse and looked to the gate.
A moment later, Larisa appeared in her armor and sword, looking breathtaking with her new strength. Instead of Fang following behind her, he was draped across her shoulders, her newfound power enough to carry his weight.
It was hard not to stare.
She moved to the stable hand. “Fetch me a horse, please.” Her eyes eventually found mine, but she didn’t stare for long. She avoided my gaze, still resentful of the decision I’d made on her behalf.
But she had come.
They brought her a beautiful white mare, and with Fang on her shoulders, she climbed onto the horse.
The looks on my brother’s faces were indescribable. Eyes wide, jaws slack, they looked at Larisa like they’d never truly seen her before. Cobra gave a quiet whistle as he looked her up and down. “Vampire looks good on you, honey.” He gave his playful grin.
I was too happy to scold him for the comment, seeing her on her horse next to ours, a part of our pack. “Let’s head out.”
