Chapter 4
4
RIORDAN GRAVES
A fter my morning was thoroughly fucked by Blake and his noble idea of talking sense into me, I went on the hunt for Silver. I couldn’t say exactly why I went looking, only that nothing made sense right now.
For fifty years, I’d had one clear cut goal.
Kill Tyrell and save my clan.
Now that the first part was done, I had no idea how to accomplish the second part.
Blake and I had spent years making our plans, talking about how we’d unite the royal houses and purge Tyrell’s loyalists, all the ways we’d build this clan into a powerhouse where every vampire—rich or poor, powerful or not—would be equally respected and safe.
Only to discover the royals we considered allies were hesitant to back a new regime, while our enemies were more than willing to unite against us.
Then there was this new power flowing unchecked through my veins. From an early age, I’d learned to contain my fire magic, lest my sire—and Tyrell—consider me a threat to be eliminated. I’d spent years playing the meek, docile son…until the night it behooved me not to.
But now…every moment was spent shoving this dark, malevolent magic down deep enough I could actually fucking breathe .
Barely two weeks in and I was exhausted.
Blake was right. I was a fucking mess. These past days had been an exhausting tug of war between my will and this magic I’d inherited, but I swore to find some way to wrestle this churning behemoth to its knees.
I was stronger than Tyrell and I had a fucking kingdom to save.
Somehow, being around Silver helped.
Not that I wanted to examine that fact too closely.
I was too grateful for the one and only benefit this sinister magic provided. I no longer lost my mind to bloodlust whenever I was around her. Yes, the urge to glut myself on her blood still lurked beneath the ebb and flow of power, but I could control my hunger.
Control myself so I wasn’t dangerous.
Unlike Blake, who couldn’t be within a thousand yards of his own mate, the poor, heartsick bastard.
I’d spent so much time anticipating today’s visit, when the guards revealed a cold, empty room with no apparent means of escape, my fury exploded into fear as a hundred different scenarios unraveled in my head.
I was trying to keep her safe, trying to protect what little I had left, and if my enemies had breached the walls of my home and taken the one thing I truly cared about…
I despised the unraveling panic, my sweaty palms, the knot of dread growing roots in the pit of my stomach…until I finally had the presence of mind to simply follow my nose outside and around the back of the castle, through a thick, overgrown hedge to the newly restored barracks.
What I didn’t expect was to find Evangeline sitting on the back of a Humvee, kicking feet barely brushing the ground, deep in conversation with the grizzled, scarred commander of my new Knightsguard, a male I didn’t know well.
Or at all.
Fenrus Nash had been Blake’s top recommendation, an experienced male who’d—within two weeks—assembled a respectable force to protect our newborn court.
Silver looked completely at ease, her hair blowing in the wind, strands of gold stretching across her pale, freckled face, like some delicate, ethereal creature. Nash, on the other hand, towered over her with violent intensity, dressed in full battle gear, at least ten weapons within easy reach.
My gut clenched painfully; magic surging to the surface before I called my jealousy to heel.
“Silver.” They turned as my voice echoed sharply. “You were ordered to remain inside the castle at all times.”
“Ordered? Really?” One eyebrow went up like a shot across my bow. “I don’t remember there being an actual order . More of a growl. Maybe an incoherent snarl.”
Every cell in my body prickled when she turned on me, that cold blue stare settling over me slowly enough to send a chill racing down my spine. Her gaze stripped me bare, reduced me to exactly what I was—a king barely holding his shit together.
This fucking girl . She crawled under my skin with a simple glance and my cock jumped, a prickle of lust burrowing deep, the sheer defiance in her gaze searing my blood.
“I’m finished, anyway.” She jumped down off the back of the vehicle, her low-cut shirt showing off the bounce of her breasts. If Nash hadn’t been looking away, I might have gouged his eyes out.
“I was bringing the commander up to speed by filling him in on potential threats. You can’t expect me to sit inside and do nothing, Riordan. Not when…”
“ King, my lady.” Nash corrected, in a loud whisper, eyes still skyward. Good male . “When you’re in public, or around other common born vampires, it’s customary to address his majesty as King Riordan Graves the first.”
I reassessed the commander. While I’d only met him briefly in passing, Nash had been friends with Blake for over a hundred years. He’d seemed solid enough, but I didn’t like any male this close to Evangeline.
“Excuse me, King Riordan Graves the first ,” her lips twitched, a preview to the absolute shit she would give me later when we were alone. “You cannot possibly expect me to sit around when my family is out there, planning God knows what. I made some suggestions and Nash will tweak his rotations accordingly.”
“You had suggestions ?”
“Do you have a problem with that, His Majesty Riordan the Great?” Her other eyebrow went up. “Or you can say thank you and we can get on with our day.”
Correction, the shit was starting right the fuck now.
I smothered my chuckle beneath a cough. Seeing Silver like this, chin defiantly tipped, feet braced apart, made me hard as a rock. Even when I’d sworn our last time really was our last time, I’d known that was a lie. But I hadn’t expected to crave her this intensely.
Not just Evangeline’s blood, but…her.
I wanted to steal every breathy moan, every contented sigh, every fucking scream of my name as she broke apart. I wanted her so completely; I doubted desire this intense was normal.
“I need to talk to you.” I told her abruptly. “About Blake. ”
The only possible subject that might pull her away from whatever this bullshit was with Nash and into a private room where I could…be around her.
Yes, I craved her blood, and her luscious body, and every thought in that interesting head, but lately I kept returning to the peace that seeped into my soul every time her fingers touched my skin.
Nobody had ever made me feel so settled before.
Contented, maybe, though I was afraid to call this anything more.
“Is he alright?” And that was always her first impulse, I noticed. To agonize over him , a flash of fear causing her pupils to dilate, her mouth pinching as she searched my face. She never worried over me like this. Jealousy streaked through me like a hot blade.
“Riordan? Answer me. Is Blake hurt? Did something happen?” Her racing heart, the utter panic in her voice drove that knife in even deeper, cutting me in places I’d thought had long been calloused over into a hard shell.
“Blake is still a complete pain in my ass. This is about another matter.” What, I had no idea, I just wanted to get her away from Nash and his pointy weapons and back under my roof where she’d be safe.
Then I laughed.
Safe.
None of us were fucking safe.
Darkmore Castle was an island surrounded by a sea of enemies and it was only a matter of time before we disappeared beneath the surface. All my grand plans were for nothing because Tyrell had fucked us from the very beginning and he’d fuck us at the end, too.
But that didn’t stop me from extending my hand to Evangeline, pasting a smug smile on my face I knew she’d despise on principle. “Come, Silver, walk with me. I want to ask your opinion on something.”
When her hand slid into mine, I took that as todays’ greatest victory, a battle that I actually won, even if I had no idea what I was doing otherwise.