The five hours it took to drive back to my mansion, was the longest five hours of my life.
Marley and I didn’t speak much, and I was glad, because I knew if we did, the inevitable talk of Johan would arise and we would argue.
Seeing the gates of the mansion loom ahead of us though… my stomach churned. And when I drove up the drive, to see more than twenty cars lined up in front of the building, the churning became worse. I knew those cars and why they were there. I turned my head a little, looking across to Marley, as her gaze took in the vehicles, as we drove past and toward the back of the mansion to the garage. “I am not going to be able to speak with you much, once we get inside. Othello will want to speak with you alone.”
“Awesome.” Marley muttered and I could hear not only the emotion in her voice, but the way her heart fluttered quicker, the closer we came to the garage. “If you knew that I was in danger, why com
“So, this is the murderess of my Coven member?”Barely had I stepped out of the elevator, when I was overcome with the scent of spoiled blood. Great… he was one of those vampires.Looking past Rhayden, who had stopped in the middle of the corridor, I looked at the vampire before us; his skintight on his bones, his eyes copper with anger, claws descended.In seconds, Absinthe had stepped past me, and was standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother, blocking the volatile vampire from reaching me.“You are in my mansion Mathias, remember that. If you even lay a finger on her, I will rip your head off and use it for a soccer ball.” Abe’s tone was blunt, to the point and my fear kicked into overdrive. What would happen if the vampire didn’t heed Abe’s warning? Would I become a casualty of a fight between them?Mathias leaned forward, looking past the vampires protecting her, lee
I paced the room, aware of Absinthe watching me from his comfy chair. My mind was on the woman in the room, near the armory.It had broken my undead heart, pushing Mars into that room and closing the door.“Rhayden, you’re making me dizzy.”Rolling my eyes, I glared at Abe and kept pacing.How the fuck had everything gone so fucking wrong? And Mathias…“I’m going to gut him.”“Othello wouldn’t approve of you slaying one of the vampire Lords, little brother. No matter how much of an asshole he is.”And by god, Mathias was one of the most assholey of all assholes. He had a mean streak to him, which came to the surface with his superiority complex. He thought he was better than everyone else, just because of his bloodline, because he was a vampire lord.Yeah, well that didn’t excuse his behaviors. Especially in our mansion.“Rhayden.”&ldq
There was someone in the room with me…“I will get you a better bed.”My body stilled as the voice spoke and chills sped across my skin. Slowly, I opened my eyes and rolled over. There was a man standing at the door, barely taking up the doorway, but the authority he threw off, told me he was important.I climbed to my feet and stepped back, pressing myself against the wall, as he stepped inside the room and the door closed with a heavy thud behind him.The man… no creature in front of me was old. There was a blue tinge to his pale skin. Head bald, mottled with dark spots, he wore a dark suit, which hung off his thin frame. But there was not even a hint of danger coming from this man.Finally, I found my voice. “W-who are you?”There was a moment’s silence, “I am Othello, human hunter.”Oh shit.This was The Lord of the Vampires. The one every coven in the United
If I could have been in the cell with Marley. I would already be there.Not being allowed to be anywhere near her, while she was going through this was breaking my heart and my spirit. And not to mention what it was doing to Rhayden.My brother had always told me he would never sully himself with a human, that because he was a born vampire, sleeping with a human was beneath him… Until he set eyes on Marlene Brennan.I had to admit, even I was quite surprised with how visceral my attraction to her had been when we first met.Now I sat here, in an empty parlor, watching my brother pace and brood. “I don’t give a fuck who he is, if Othello touches a single hair on Mars’ head I will skin him.”That threw up images of my pale haired, alabaster skinned brother, covered in black blood, while he carved Othello’s skin from him… and honestly, it painted quite a pretty—“Are you listening to me?”Rolling my eyes, I looked at my brother. “Of course I’m not.”“Asshole.” Rhayden spat, continuing hi
Othello had walked me to a bathroom, leaving me to do my business and then back to the library, where a plate of food was waiting. “Eat, I will be back in a few moments.”I stared at the food, my stomach rumbling with hunger, but also churning with sickness.Othello was nothing like the monster others had told me he was. He’d been sweet and kind, listening to me speak about my sister. He had questioned me about my working relationship with the Raynes and what had me agreeing to the contract I’d signed with Absinthe.I’d even told him of my doubts about my lover, about him keeping information about Johan from me. Which had been rebuked.“Absinthe wouldn’t do that.” “Which part?”“All of it.” Othello had replied. “I was present when he was born, with Absinthe being the heir to the Raynes’ coven, it was my duty as Lord of the Vampires to oversee the birth. Strapping, healthy young vampire he was, his hair as dark as night. So, I know Absinthe and what he is like, he would not tarnish th
All I wanted to do was break down the doors of the library and go to Mars. But I waited patiently behind my brother, as the doors opened, and we calmly walked through them.Marley stood as we walked over to the table and at any other time, she would she poked her tongue out or said something snarky. But not this time. Her gaze dropped to the table and she sat down as Absinthe and I took our seats.She looked tired.Beyond tired. She looked drained and… sad.“Marely, are you okay?”My head turned to Absinthe as he asked her what I’d been wanting to and I looked back to her in time for her to nod. “I’m fine. Lord Othello and I have been talking.”“About?” I asked.What had they been discussing for the last few hours. For that was how long we’d been pacing and waiting.Mars’ gaze went to Othello, who nodded. “Go on, you can tell them.”S
He looked younger in the picture than when I’d spoken to him two weeks prior. But that smug look… was still there.I let my hand off the page, letting Rhayden flip to the next one. He turned the book, turning it toward me.Looking down at the picture, my eyebrows furrowed. “He looks like… Hang on.”I reached out and grabbed my phone, and held it to the book, looking between photos. “It’s… It’s him. The one in the alley.”“It might not be.” Absinthe muttered, pulling the book toward him and I stared at him.“I’m not fucking stupid Absinthe; I know it’s him. It’s the tattoo on his neck.” I said, turning the phone and stood, putting it next to the picture of the man. “See, there.”Rhayden leaned in, looking at it. “She’s right you know.”“You shut it.” Absinthe said, looking at me and he pushe
My hands were on Mars again, grazing over soft flesh, raising goosepimples along her skin. Marley tipped her head back as my lips trailed up her neck, nipping at her skin with my fangs, drawing tiny drops of blood which tasted sublime. “Mars.”She wrapped her arms around my neck, letting me plunder her mouth with my tongue. I didn’t know why the simple act of kissing this woman sent me crazy. Maybe it was the difference in temperature. My cold tongue against her hot mouth, the sensation was phenomenal.My hands gripped her buttocks, squeezing them and she sighed against me, pulling away and looked up at me, raising an eyebrow. “You know he’s in the other room, right?”“So?” I asked, smirking, kissing along her jaw.“You’re going to fuck me, with your brother in the next room?”“Yep.”I turned Marley around, pushing her against the cold tiles, bringing her hips back
My hand went to my mouth, and I looked at Absinthe. Tears were on his lashes, and he closed his eyes, letting the drops slide down his cheeks. “Oh my god.”“Now you know. You know why I didn’t want to tell you about Johan, or where he was. It’s not the fear of you leaving Marley. Honestly, I could live with that, to know you are safe…” He opened his eyes, his irises almost white and I heard the pain and anguish in his voice. “It’s the fear of him taking the one thing—which is worth more to me, than my own immortality. That is what scares me.”My hand reached out to him, and I gripped his hand in mine, squeezing it. “As much as I want to be angry with you, I understand why you did it. But Abe… he has to be bought to justice for what he did.”“I know, and he will. I just need time to make a pla—” The phone rang, making us both jump and Absinthe reached out, pick
My hand went to my mouth, and I looked at Absinthe. Tears were on his lashes, and he closed his eyes, letting the drops slide down his cheeks. “Oh my god.”“Now you know. You know why I didn’t want to tell you about Johan, or where he was. It’s not the fear of you leaving Marley. Honestly, I could live with that, to know you are safe…” He opened his eyes, his irises almost white and I heard the pain and anguish in his voice. “It’s the fear of him taking the one thing—which is worth more to me, than my own immortality. That is what scares me.”My hand reached out to him, and I gripped his hand in mine, squeezing it. “As much as I want to be angry with you, I understand why you did it. But Abe… he has to be bought to justice for what he did.”“I know, and he will. I just need time to make a pla—” The phone rang, making us both jump and Absinthe reached out, pick
“Abe?”Absinthe slowly lifted his eyes, looking at me. “I was wondering when you would get here.”I closed the door to the library, and leaned against it, looking at my dark-haired lover.He looked sad. Lost almost and I sighed, walking over and sat next to him. We didn’t speak for a few minutes.His gaze couldn’t hold mine… that’s when I understood, and my heart broke into a million pieces. “You knew about Johan and Johnathan.”“Yes.”He knew… I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why didn’t you tell me?”Absinthe’s bottom lip trembled, “Because I knew you would have a one-track mind about it. That it would cloud your judgement.”“What judgement? That he is as crazy as his ancestor—”“Father.”“What?”“Johnathan was Johan’s father
It had been twenty-four hours since the trial, and while things should have been feeling fairly normal… something was niggling in the back of my mind. Something didn’t feel right.I hadn’t seen either Absinthe or Rhayden tonight, but I knew I would probably have Rhayden between my legs any time—“Hey, what are you doing?”I looked up at Rhayden, seeing him standing at the door, arms crossed over his chest. He still sported the remnants of the braids I’d done the night before, and I smirked, returning my attention to the device in my hands. “Recovering from your brother.”“Was he rough with you Mars?”There was not an inkling of concern in this ass’ voice, and I rolled my eyes at him, flipping him off, which earned a chuckle. After Absinthe had fucked me three times, and sent me insane with pleasure, we’d laid quietly and not spoken. I had been drained, not only mentally,
I waved to Othello as his entourage took him out of the mansion grounds to a hotel owned by our kind, which would house him and the other coven leaders for the rest of the night.There was no fucking way I wanted them in my mansion any longer.It had been a rough night.There were moments where I thought I would have to fight Mathias, or tear my brother off him. But in the end, justice prevailed and Marley was safe.Speaking of Marley.I turned and walked back into the mansion, seeking out her scent.I knew she would be with Rhayden. Hopefully not impaled on him again. That, I had only just barely tolerated. While I knew they fucked, I didn’t want to see it.There.Turning to one of the four parlors in the lower halls of the mansion, I stopped at the doorway. Marley was sitting a small armchair, Rhayden at her feet and she was… was she braiding his hair?I chuckled as the pure bliss on my brother’s fac
The vampire at the end of the table had everyone’s attention. Even his so-called supporters stared at him as if he had just sacrificed a small child in their presence.Mathias sat down and leaned back in his chair, looking at us all. “It wasn’t Johnathan.”Wasn’t…? this guy was just so fucking negative. What the actual fuck?“It was. I saw the tatt—”“It wasn’t.” Mathias snarled, crossing his arms over his chest. “It was his brother. Kendrick didn’t like the fact his brother had been slaughtered by Absinthe.”“I did not slaughter him. He attacked me.” Abe spat and Mathias rolled his eyes.“Whatever. Kendrick said Absinthe had no right to ruin his family’s legacy like he had. Johnathan’s final wish was to destroy his own coven, kill out the bloodline. He never liked the fact he was a vampire. Never accepted what he
You could have heard a pin drop in the room… well, you could only hear my breathing, and I thought that worse. Why the fuck did I have to be surrounded by dead things?“Mathias, you called this trial, I call for you to make the opening address.”My attention turned to the man at the end of the table. Surrounded by other vampire coven leaders, Mathias tried to look impressive as he stood. But in reality, I could see what a weak creature he really was, and I wondered if he had been like this when he had been human; because I could tell with the fang marks on his neck, he wasn’t born a vampire like my lovers.Mathias leaned forward, his knuckles going to the table as if to be intimidating, and glared at me. “This human, killed one of my Senior Coven, without evidence of any wrong doing on my member’s behalf. She needs to be punished for it. And I would gladly punish her if you cannot.”He was kidding, right
I walked beside Marlene, Rhayden on her other side, as we moved through the quietened mansion toward the library and to her fate.This was going to be a shit show.I could feel it in my bones.Never in the history of the vampire nation, had a human stood trial for killing a vampire. They were usually dealt with quicker than this. Slaughtered, or drained of their blood, or left in the wilds to die. This whole situation was unheard of and the fact it was happening to our human, set my teeth on edge.This could go one of two ways.Marley would be found not-guilty, in which she would be free and we would be able to continue on how we had been.Of she would be found guilty and her life would be forfeit; and I would not be okay with that. This meeting could potentially be the death of my beautiful lover, and I had to decide if I would stand for it.Would I allow Othello end Marlene’s life?No. I knew I wouldn’t.An
My heart fluttered. God damn it. Again?I hated serum so fucking much. My head pounded, and my eyes slowly opened.Absinthe and Rhayden were leaning over me, their hair curtaining their beautiful faces. I smiled, reaching up and stroked their cheeks, my touch melting the tension from their features as they looked down at me.“My boys…”“Marley.” Absinthe cooed, leaning down. He gently pressed his lips against mine, before Rhayden did the same.“We thought we’d lost you Mars.”“I’m not going anywhere just yet.” I smiled, moving to sit up and Absinthe helped, propping pillows behind my back.Rhayden smiled, looking to his brother as he climbed from the edge of the bed. “I’ll go tell Othello she’s awake.”Absinthe nodded, turning back to me as Rhayden closed the door. “You left a dead Lycan on Othello—”