Chapter 23 Vivi #2
“I don’t need to read to know how to properly take care of a human, little nuisance,” he snarls back at her. “I have an entire harem you can interview on the topic.”
Gaby scoffs at that. “Like I’m interested in hearing about your sex life.”
“Yet you continue to talk about me fucking you.”
“No, I continue talking about how you’ve ruined my expectations of meeting a vampire—”
“Strigoi,” he growls.
But she acts as though she hasn’t heard him and presses onward. “You’re supposed to seduce me, bite me, and make me scream in a good way. Not kidnap me and hold me in a cage!”
“My bedchamber is not a cage.”
“It is when I don’t wish to be there.”
“And whose fault is that?” he demands, folding his arms.
“The asshole who put me there?” she suggests.
“You’re forgetting why that happened, little nuisance,” he returns. “You were in a guest suite before that, and you—”
“Tried to explore,” she says, finishing the statement for him.
“You tried to escape,” he corrects her. “Thus requiring me to lock you in my room to babysit.” He finally looks away from her and at Ciprian. “Can you please take over now?”
“No.” That seems to be Ciprian’s favorite word of the day where his best friend is concerned. “This is your mess. Fix it.”
Marius looks offended. “How is this my mess? You chose a human mate from another realm, and I had to go make sure no one notices her absence. I dealt with her parents, I—”
“My parents?” I interrupt, my stomach twisting. “What did you do to my parents, Marius?”
Not that I… that I have a lot of contact with them. They were always much more interested in themselves than in my life. They didn’t even know what I was studying at the university since I was paying for it all on my own with scholarships.
“I informed them that you accepted an internship in Romania and would be relocating there permanently. You’ll need to visit every now and then to make it believable, but my compulsion helped pave the way,” Marius says. “Not that they were hard to compel. Unlike this devious thing.”
“Devious thing.” Gaby turns around to look at me. “You couldn’t have found a sexier vampire to send me? Really?”
“Now you’re insulting my physical appearance?” I was wrong before. Marius didn’t look offended after Ciprian’s commentary. Because this is what he looks like when offended. “I’m the sexiest Strigoi you’ll ever meet.”
Gaby huffs a humorless laugh. “I’m currently looking at a much hotter Strigoi, so I doubt that very much.” Her eyes travel over Ciprian as she speaks, causing me to frown.
I move in front of Ciprian—an action he allows—and step backward into him. “This one is mine.”
He chuckles into my head, though I don’t feel him express it aloud. However, his arms come around me, and he presses a kiss to my temple. “Very much yours, regina mea,” he murmurs, the words warming my heart.
“Doesn’t detract from the point that Marius is clearly lying about being the sexiest Strigoi I’ll ever meet.” She faces the male in question again. “You are insufferable.”
“Pot, meet pot.”
“It’s ‘pot, meet kettle,’ moron.”
“Whatever,” he growls. “Your humanisms are beneath me.”
“Yeah, well, your vampirisms are beneath me,” she retorts, the pair of them staring each other down.
My brow furrows, and I rotate in Ciprian’s arms to face him. What other loose ends did he handle? I ask via our mental bond.
I’m not entirely sure, but I assume your university links and all traces of your research have likely disappeared. He studies me. Does that bother you?
I consider it for a long moment, then slowly shake my head. I don’t need all of that when I have you.
It’s the utmost truth.
Everything I did was in an effort to find him. To prove he existed. And it was never really about sharing that proof with the world so much as with myself. I needed to know that he was real. That was always for me… not the university.
And we’ll visit my parents at some point? I ask, frowning a little. I doubt they’ll miss me much. As it is, I haven’t seen them in about six months.
To keep up appearances, yes. But at some point, we will either have to disappear entirely or use compulsion to help alter their memories.
My frown deepens. You don’t want them to be able to identify you?
I don’t want them to notice you’ve stopped aging, he corrects me.
Oh. My nose crinkles. Yeah, that makes sense. I hadn’t really thought about that aspect of everything. What about…? I press my palm to my belly. Will we visit with our baby? I’m not sure that would be safe for our child. But I also don’t know how I feel about our baby not knowing my family at all.
We can make arrangements, regina mea. I originally thought you may never see your home world again, but I think we can find ways to go back and forth as needed. However, most of our time will need to be here—in the Strigoi Kingdom.
I nod. I think that’s safest. I don’t want to risk anyone in my home realm finding out about me or Ciprian or our child. It would be unfortunate if someone took a photo of us for others to find in the future.
Or perhaps a stroke of fate, he returns. That illustration is how you discovered my existence, after all.
I don’t want anyone else to know about you. You’re mine.
Yes, I believe we’ve established that, Viviana, he says, his amusement palpable via our bond even though his face remains stoic.
Don’t worry, pet. I’m just as possessive of you.
He leans down to brush his nose against mine.
Now, I think it may be wise for you to rein in your friend before she murders mine.
I blink, then look back at Gaby to find her hands fisted at her sides. I’m not sure what she and Marius have been saying to each other, but Ciprian is right—she looks ready to strangle someone.
“If I had a stake, I would drive it into your heart!” she shouts.
Marius smirks. “All that would do is piss me off more, sweetheart. And you’re doing a fine job of that without the violence.”
Gaby releases a growl and spins toward me. “How do I kill him?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, my brow coming down. How do you kill a Strigoi? I mentally ask my mate.
For research purposes or pleasurable ones? he wonders.
For curiosity’s sake, I reply.
Destruction of the mind, typically by beheading and setting the remains on fire, he informs me, his blunt words causing me to blink.
“I, uh, I don’t think killing is a good idea,” I say, the words for Gaby. “Marius is Ciprian’s best friend, and he helped me find Negru Castle.” It sounds lame to my ears, and clearly registers that way for Gaby, too.
“Seriously?” She gapes at me. “Seriously?”
“See? Other people like me,” Marius boasts.
“Well, I didn’t say that,” I insert.
But he’s not paying any attention to me now. He’s entirely focused on my simmering best friend. Her dark curls bounce as she turns around to glare at him again. “You’ve clearly compelled her.”
He tilts his head back and looks at the ceiling above with a groan. “My Gods, female, you are infuriating.”
I think we should let them keep flirting, Ciprian murmurs into my mind. Meanwhile, we’ll go get some breakfast. You and the baby need food.
I don’t know if this is flirting. My brow crinkles again. But… but food is probably good. So long as you’re sure Marius won’t throttle my friend.
Hmm, I can’t promise that. Something tells me your best friend may enjoy some strangulation.
I blanch at that. What?
But I am certain Marius won’t hurt her in a way she dislikes, Ciprian goes on. Her being here means she’s our guest, and given her relationship with you, she’s very much under my protection. Marius knows better than to disrespect me in that way.
“We are going to breakfast,” Ciprian announces before I can reply. “Please continue to entertain our guest, Marius.” He folds his wings around me, confusing me a little about his intentions, as it’s going to make walking difficult.
“You cannot be—”
The words are cut off by the room vanishing around us. Not that I could see much beyond Ciprian’s wings, but the ceiling disappears.
Only for a dark sky to appear in a blink.
His gray wings unfold, allowing me to see that we’re now in a courtyard. Or rather, a garden full of exquisite black roses.
I stare at the gorgeous landscaping, then glance up at the blood moons above in the obsidian sky, then back at the enchanted flowers. There’s a blanket with a basket waiting for us in what appears to be silver-like grass.
“What is this?” I ask, distracted from the conversation we just left. “And you can teleport? Or do you have a portal thingy?”
This time, he allows me to hear the chuckle from his lips, confirming we’re alone out here.
“Ah, regina mea, there is so much I need to teach you about the Strigoi.” He presses his lips to my throat.
“I requested a picnic before our shower. The basket is empty, but it can create whatever you desire.”
“Like the refrigerator your father used?”
“Yes, just like that,” he murmurs.
“Oh.” I swallow, suddenly parched. And hungry. And… and enamored.
“Also, yes, I can teleport. But only a few miles in distance. I think the portal thingy, which is called a portal key, is still with my father.”
My head spins. One would think by now I would be used to all the otherworldly magic and Ciprian’s abilities. But I suspect it’ll take years for me to become accustomed to everything.
As he said, there’s still a lot for him to teach me.
“I guess you could give me a lesson now,” I say, my hands going to his chest to begin sliding upward. “But I have a request.”
One of his dark brows wings upward. “Oh?” His hands grasp my hips as he pulls me closer to him. “Name it.”
“I would like to sit in your lap while I eat.” I pitch my voice low. “And I expect your tail to provide encouragement while I learn.”
Crimson bleeds into his dark eyes, causing my stomach to ignite with butterflies. “I think I can accommodate that request,” he murmurs, his tail already sneaking up my leg. “Let’s eat, Viviana.”
“Yes, my king… let’s eat.” My arms slip around his neck as I go up onto my toes to get even closer to him. “Although, what you’ll be eating can’t be found in that basket, Ciprian.” My words are a whisper against his lips. “Because you’ll be dining between my thighs for breakfast.”
“Then I expect you to drink from my cock,” he returns without missing a beat.
“Sounds like an excellent meal,” I tease.
Not sure it’s the most nutritious of ventures, but I don’t voice that part aloud.
I simply give in to the urge to kiss him.
And sigh into his embrace.
No more dissertations.
No more proposed theories.
This is simply my reality now.
Because Strigoi are real… and I mated the Strigoi King.