Chapter 1
One
Mina
I placed my trembling hands against my stomach as my mother did up the choker that had been waiting here for me on our arrival. It was white gold and studded with pink diamonds.
“This must have been very expensive,” my mother said a little breathlessly. “Your mate is generous, Mina, that’s a very good sign.”
The jewelry was nice enough, but the male who gifted it to me was most definitely not, and as my mother fastened the heavy chain, it felt like hands being wrapped around my throat—like a claiming of some kind.
“There. It looks beautiful,” she said, beaming at my reflection in the mirror.
I forced a smile in return, but only because I could see how nervous she was. Unlike me, she didn’t know who was coming to take me away tonight. The identity of our mates had been kept a secret even from our parents. It was safer that way.
All she knew was he was one of The Five, warriors all and the most ruthless, terrifying, and brutal vampires of our race, males who had spent their lives patrolling the borders of our territory, and protecting our kind. Our people spoke about them in reverent, hushed tones, as if they were a myth or a legend.
The Five needed to be able to travel in and out of our enemies’ territories undetected, so their identities were a closely guarded secret. They were powerful males who moved in and out of society, never revealing who they were, and therefore never getting the recognition they deserved for all they’d done for us.
Tonight, the veil would be lifted.
A new fae king had been crowned, the war had ended, and The Five were rejoining society for good and would be lauded as heroes.
No, I didn’t know the name of the male who came to me every year, taking pleasure in tormenting me, in watching me suffer, ignoring the rules that had been created to protect me from pain and humiliation, but I did know a male like that was most definitely not a hero.
He was a twisted psychopath.
“Everything has been arranged, and your bags have been taken to the parking garage and will be collected by your mate’s driver,” Mother said.
I nodded.
Worry filled her eyes. “Are you nervous? I have an elixir I purchased. It’s very good for steadying nerves.”
“I’m a little nervous, but I’ll be okay,” I said, downplaying what I was feeling for her benefit. Besides, those elixirs Mother bought from a store in Seventh Circle were potent, and I needed my wits about me tonight.
“You can take comfort knowing that you’re not alone in the way you’re feeling.”
Four other females were somewhere here in the Grande Rozala. The ancient castle on the outskirts of Roxburgh was reserved for special occasions and ceremonies, and it was far enough from the city that it felt like another time and place. But what was happening here tonight was also happening elsewhere. Blood moon ceremonies were about to take place all over the city.
Others would be preparing for their mates to claim them, but unlike me and the other four females here tonight, their males would have sensed them at an appropriate age. They would have introduced themselves to their female and her family. The couple would have dated for a while, allowing their bond to grow at a natural rate.
They would have fallen in love, like most beings did.
“Now, Mina…” Mother cleared her throat. “There are some things I need to prepare you for…things that will happen tonight.” She dipped her gaze, no longer meeting my eyes. “First, your mate will drink from you, and you from him. This must happen before the blood moon goes down, bonding you together.”
I nodded, even though I knew this from the book I’d sneaked from our library.
Unlike some much older vampires, my parents weren’t emotionless. They were in love. Something I’d desperately wanted for myself but knew now would never happen for me.
Mother’s cheeks were flushed when she looked back up at me. “I know you’ve never fed from the vein before, but you must not be afraid. You are a vampire. It’s how it’s supposed to be. It is…” She cleared her throat. “It’s natural, and very enjoyable. But your mate will guide you. He’ll explain how it should be done.”
“Then what happens after that, after the feeding?” I asked. I knew there was more to becoming mates, I just had no idea what that more was. I’d already been cosseted, like a lot of female vampires were. My knowledge had been restricted, but the last four years it had been so much worse. No friends, no outside influences that could corrupt me. I had to be innocent in all ways for my powerful mate.
She chewed her lip, a strange expression on her face as she dragged the brush through my blond hair. “You will be bound together…but there is one more step, to um…make you mates in truth.”
I turned to her. “What step?”
“Males and females are made…very differently. We are designed to…to fit together.”
I frowned. “Together?”
“Oh dear,” she whispered, looking flustered.
“Mother? What am I supposed to do?”
She wrung her hands. “You will lie on his bed…without, uh…underwear.”
I froze, heat washing through me with force. We were forbidden to touch ourselves there, not in a way that didn’t involve the use of the bathroom or personal hygiene. I had, however, explored that part of myself more than I should have. How could I not when it had ached so badly, making me squirm and slick. Something had happened when that male had visited me, something dark and terrifying, something that created a longing inside me that I didn’t know how to fulfill.
“Your mate will lie on top—”
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Mother called quickly, visibly sagging.
“On top of what—”
My father walked in, cutting me off, his lips curling in a gentle smile. “You look lovely, Mina.”
“Thank you, Father.” I wanted my mother to finish what she was going to say. I wanted to know what was going to happen.
He held out his hands. “It’s time.”
Oh gods .
“You’ll be fine,” Mother said, holding my gaze. “Everything will be fine.”
I curled my hand around my father’s arm, and we made our way out of the room and down the staircase.
Four other females and their fathers joined us at the bottom, and the nervous energy was so thick around us, I was having trouble catching my breath.
Lining up in front of a set of grand double doors, we stood there like lambs going to slaughter. One of the girls took an abrupt step back before quickly composing herself when her father muttered something in her ear.
Then two young males stepped forward, and I held my breath as they pushed the double doors wide.
All chatter from beyond the doors stopped, the room went silent, and all eyes turned our way.
One of the males stepped forward and, first clearing his throat, began to introduce us to the gathered crowd, telling them who our families were, reintroducing us to society since we’d been ensconced in our homes, hidden away, for the last five years.
“Miss Mina Angelos. Daughter of Nicholas and Serra Angelos.” My name was the fourth called, and I straightened my spine, stepping forward with my father, and hoped no one saw how badly I was shaking.
My parents inclined their heads, and electricity seemed to crack through the room as anticipation grew. As much as I wanted to look around to see who was there, I did as I was told and kept my gaze trained ahead. The last female’s name was announced, and she lined up beside me.
“Now, please welcome our honored guests. Warriors all, and protectors of our race,” the male by the door announced. “Stefan Valiente, Rainer Beiste, August Drapa?a, Nero Kossek…”
The crowd of vampires stepped back quickly as, one by one, the warriors strode into the room.
Four males walked in. My monster walking in last. His gaze was deep violet, blazing as it locked on me. He was a predator. I already knew that. But he wasn’t even trying to pretend to be civilized on this sacred night.
Nero Kossek. I finally knew his name.
The massive vampires stood opposite us. They were the only ones who were supposed to know which of us would be their bride. But unlike the females beside me, I knew. I knew exactly who would be taking me home with him tonight.
Confusion rumbled through the room, and I realized we were still missing one warrior.
One of the males broke away from the group, and I watched as he walked up to his bride, taking her by the hand and leading her away from the lineup. Anticipation throbbed through me so hard I felt dizzy.
The next two warriors came forward, claiming their females. Then it was my turn.
Nero closed in, his measured steps eating up the space between us. I wanted to step back, to run, but I held my ground and lifted my chin.
“Mina,” he said softly for my ears only, the velvet of his voice lifting goose bumps all over me. “We meet again, finally.”
It had been a full year. He hadn’t come on my twenty-first birthday, apparently, he could wait the week between then and now to torment me. I stood stiffly, looking up at him, and when he reached for my hand, I jerked it back before I knew I was going to do it.
His expression didn’t change. It remained frozen, like I suspected his heart was. Then slowly, unnaturally, he lifted his hand and placed it on my shoulder. I tried not to, but I jolted from the contact, my breath sticking in my throat as he slid it down my arm and wrapped his cold hand around mine.
My breath shuddered as he led me to the side with the others.
That’s when I realized the room had gone silent. There was one female standing there all on her own. The fifth male had not arrived.
Her head was down, humiliation burning her cheeks. I felt sick for her. Oh gods, I wanted to go to her.
I took a stilted step forward—
The sound of boots on the marble floor echoed through the silent room.
“The final member of The Five, their esteemed commander, Constantine Caputo.”
A gasp was the only sound that followed that pronouncement.
A huge male closed in, his head dipping as he spoke to the lone female. There was a commotion from the female’s parents.
I couldn’t hear what was being said, but the uproar ended as fast as it began.
A moment later music began, and Nero led me to the dance floor inside a huge glass-walled sunroom off the main one. The other couples joined us. We were to have one dance, an attempt to make all of this civilized, I guessed, and not like a group of females being handed over to not just strangers but bloodthirsty warriors who were taking us away from everything we knew.
Nero held me to him, his icy stare demanding my attention. He towered over me as power and strength rolled off him. He was a monster in a really bad disguise.
I suspected the other females on this dance floor had dreamed of this day, had built it up to something wonderfully magical. They’d had five years to fantasize about their escape from the confinement of their homes, romanticizing what their mate would be like. I’d had five years of dread.
Whatever lay ahead for me, my only consolation was I would no longer be a prisoner in my own home. I could live my life. Yes, I would belong to this terrifying male, but there was no longer any need to keep me hidden away. I could endure whatever came next as long as I was finally allowed some freedom.
He dipped his head. “Your fear, I can feel it, smell it.”
“And you like that, don’t you?” I said, even though I knew I shouldn’t. I’d never been good at holding my temper, but what did he expect? This male had repeatedly hurt me.
“Oh yes. It’s intoxicating,” Nero said, low, with no inflection in his voice. “I can’t wait to taste it.”
A shudder moved through me. There was no kindness buried deep in his heart, no hidden depths reserved for only me. No, this male didn’t have a heart. I couldn’t count on a conscience to guide him. I was about to become the mate of, be at the mercy of a male who felt absolutely nothing. Who felt no pain, who didn’t understand empathy, and who held no warmth in his soul.
“You’re not the only one with fangs,” I said as he glided me easily around the dance floor.
His gaze searched mine. “Do you think you can hurt me, bride?”
I tried to hold his gaze, but it was impossible. Holding that stare turned my blood cold and my bones to liquid. Still, I refused to cower. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
His head tilted to the side. “I very much hope so, Lalka.”
I froze in his arms, but he kept me moving. I wasn’t equipped to spar with this male. I didn’t understand him or what he wanted from me. I’d never wanted to be back in my awful pink bedroom, locked away and safe, more than in this moment. “What does Lalka mean?” I forced myself to ask.
His gaze darkened. “Doll,” he said in a tone that chilled me to the bone.
The song ended, and the dancing stopped as the sunroom roof began to slide back, revealing the blood moon above us. It was huge in the night sky, shining down, bathing us all in its red glow.
I glanced up at Nero, and the coldness had left his face. The stony mask was gone and in its place was the predator, hungry, wild, and about to pounce—to feast.
One by one, the girls were lifted off the ground, their cries of fear and shock spiking terror through me as they were carried from the ballroom.
I shook my head and tried to step back, but it was too late to run now. With a low snarl, Nero snatched me from my feet, lifting me like a rag doll, and tossed me over his shoulder.
My gaze caught my mother’s fearful one, and I choked down my scream as he carried me out into the night.