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The limo started moving. My hand settled across the back of Tessa’s neck while I drew her in to deepen our kiss. Strands were escaping from the intricately mass of woven curls pinned at the back of her head. The tickling mingled with the butterflies that still fluttered in my stomach from her nearness.
“I want to taste you,” I whispered, going back to duel with her tongue. “I don’t want to wait until tonight.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
The voice had both me and Tessa’s heads turning to look further down the seat. Aetas sat there with a devious smile on his face. The threatening sound that left me was unstoppable.
“Were we not finished talking?” Tessa eased from my lap, but sat against the side of my leg, staying close.
“You walk a very thin line with me, Princess.” Anger once again seeped into his tone. “I offered you a gift and you denied my teachings, dismissing yourself from my presence. Do you not give regard to who I am? What you did is not done amongst vampires of any rank,” he roared.
Tessa’s head lowered, but her eyes didn’t leave him. “You do not need anything from me, Aetas. You’ve made that quite clear over the last few weeks. Your mind is set on Hunter—a human who killed me because of his hate for our kind. You turned him, despite the fact that he should have paid for his crimes. Instead of dying like our laws state, you gave him what should have been granted to me,” she said, getting louder. “Now you come back after I’ve settled in my city and you want me to leave my people and my husband to battle it out with Hunter, if and when, you find him? I don’t think so.”
“Marko is your mate, not your husband. You are not human anymore.”
Tessa’s back stiffened and I could feel her need to explode in argument. Her temper was rising, igniting my own.
“Mate, husband, whatever you wish to call it, he is mine, regardless. I find it astonishing that out of everything I just said to you, that is what you respond with.”
Aetas’ hand flicked through the air. “The rest is something I already know. It doesn’t deserve a response. It’s done. Hunter will benefit us. He’s a leader.”
“He’s a murderer! He hates us and kills us off, and he will do it again. You think he will lead us, but he will not. He will pick us off one by one until we are no more. Mark my words,” Tessa said, leaning her upper body in his direction. “Hunter will not be one with us. His intentions will be that of when he was human. He poses a grave threat, Master. If you listen to anything I say at all, please hear me when I tell you, I know him. Hunter Moretti is a danger to all of us. He will come with everything he has. Marie Bardot has seen it.” She paused. “If you were smart, you’d be getting the other cities prepared for him and the humans he’ll win over. War is on us, Your Highness. Our survival will depend on you. I’m willing to die for my people. The only question is—Are you?”
Chapter 2
Tessa
At Marko’s hand tightening on my hip, I knew I was going too far with my rant against our leader. But I couldn’t help it. For weeks I had waited to try to convince Aetas of Hunter. Of why he should choose me. It was all for nothing. He turned Hunter anyway, and now he was going to learn his mistake the hard way. Maybe at the price of each and every one of us.
“You question whether I will keep you all safe?”
I swallowed hard knowing if I admitted to his question, he could very well twist my words and call me a traitor. Marko picked up on my worries and his grip tightened again as a warning.
“I worry that you put too much trust into a man you hardly know. You speak of his blood and how strong he’ll be. With the personality I know Hunter to have, it has me afraid for those who might not be able to overpower him if the need arises.”
“Hmm.” Aetas crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re saying his passion will lead him one way. I say his love will lead him another. We could argue over this all night, but the decision is still mine.”
“Yes … it is.” I glanced back at Marko before I braved the next question. “Will you kill him if he shows signs of rising against us?”
Aetas smiled. “Do you think I’m such a poor leader? Of course I will.”
Something was underlined in his tone and my brow furrowed as I tried to detect what it was. Was he lying, or telling the truth? I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t help but go on.
“Will you let me kill him?”
“My brave princess.” A laugh left Aetas and it appeared genuine. “And what would I do if Hunter ended up killing you? Your Marko would be heartbroken and blame me for even more than he already does.”
Low sounds vibrated against me and I placed my hand on Marko’s knee.
“If Hunter kills me, I don’t deserve to rule. I want to be the one to end this. I deserve that.”
“Perhaps you’ll get your fight, Princess, but I’m not so sure. Hunter is lost. He’s a newborn, confused on where he’s supposed to be. Once I get him back, he’ll be monitored and begin to feel safe. After he comes out of his newborn haze, I’ll groom him and he’ll begin his lessons. When he’s ready, he will go to Dallas, where he’ll take over Sayer’s old position. You may see him as an enemy for a while, but time has a way of erasing the past. Ask your Marko. He knows what I speak is the truth.”
“I’ll never forget what he did to Tessa. Ever.” Marko’s deep tone left the hair on my arms standing on end.
“I was speaking of your feelings about the princess’s third. It wasn’t always good between you and Mistress Bardot.”
“No, it was not. I wouldn’t say it’s good now, either. More, tolerable, if anything. Tessa has a connection with Marie and I’m not going to tell her she shouldn’t. She knows what she’s doing.”
