Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
VAL
Samara Luna, Princess of Inferna. My heartbeat. My soul. The first and only woman I’d ever loved.
I thought she had loved me too.
But she’d left me without a word, without a trace.
I’d known it was because of Lilith. It was hard not to when the king and queen were slaughtered and the prince imprisoned.
But part of me had always believed Samara was dead.
It was the only explanation that didn’t tear me apart from the inside.
The idea that she’d been alive all this time and never reached out to me was too painful to contemplate.
I stared at the ceiling of the guest room, my mind replaying the unexpected reunion with her.
Her eyes were still the same ones that had haunted my dreams for centuries, and her once dark brown locks were the most captivating shade of purple I’d ever seen.
Colors like that didn’t just appear out of nowhere.
When she had first disappeared, I’d searched for her for months, sending my men to look far and wide.
And now I’d found her.
When I’d looked around Amari’s thick thighs in the library and my eyes caught sight of her, I thought my heart would stop in my chest. She was back, and she hadn’t even tried to contact me. How long had she been at the castle?
I turned my head to the side and stared at the empty spot beside me. Amari never stayed in bed for long after I fell asleep, no matter how many times I’d told him he could protect me just as effectively with his body wrapped around mine.
He knew something was wrong but hadn’t pressed me about it. Amari knew nothing about Samara and our past. How could he? I’d never spoken of her, never told him about the few precious months we’d shared before she vanished and Inferna went to shit.
He didn’t know she was the reason I’d given up women entirely. She’d shattered my heart into so many pieces that I’d never been able to fully reassemble it, even with his help. The hairline fractures remained, invisible perhaps, but I felt them every day.
No matter how hard you try, no matter who picks up the pieces, it’s never quite the same.
Sliding out of bed, I padded to the door.
As expected, Amari stood sentinel outside, his legs spread shoulder-width apart, arms crossed over his chest. His stone body was motionless as he waited for some unknown threat to come after me.
I placed my palm in the center of his back and trailed my fingers down his spine.
His head turned slightly, his eyes finding mine before facing forward again. I pressed my lips to the hard stone of his arm, then quietly shut the door and returned to bed.
I slipped beneath the sheets and shut my eyes, inhaling deeply through my nose and taking in the scents around me. A house mage was somewhere in the castle, his unease detectable at a distance. House mages were rare now, most having been eliminated.
Another inhale revealed desire emanating from across the hall. I let out a grumble, realizing it was Samara. Her scent had changed over the centuries, but underneath was still that core essence I’d never forgotten. Now she smelled of soap and something else.
The last thing I needed was to have her on my mind. She was a distraction I couldn’t afford. I wouldn’t let old feelings for Samara interfere with my mission.
It felt like only minutes later when I bolted upright to the sound of yelling in the hallway.
I jumped out of bed, yanked on a pair of pants, and threw open the door.
Amari was no longer in his gargoyle form and had Nicolas pinned against the wall by his throat.
Nuts were scattered across the floor, crunching under my bare feet as I stepped into the hall.
“What are you doing?” As much as I disliked the squirrel, I couldn’t understand why Amari thought it necessary to throttle him. He wasn’t a threat, and a panther could dispatch a squirrel with a single swipe.
Amari didn’t loosen his grip. “He was sneaking around and wouldn’t let me see what was in his bag.” He did not do well with noncompliance, especially when it came to my protection.
Samara’s door burst open, and my mouth went dry. She emerged wearing nothing but a towel, her hair dripping wet, water droplets glistening on her skin.
“What the hell? Let him go!” She marched across the nut-strewn floor and grabbed Amari’s arm.
Amari’s jaw tightened as he glared down at her. Nicolas kicked at the wall, struggling to break free, but Amari’s gargoyle strength held firm despite their similar-sized frames.
I placed a hand on Amari’s back. “You heard the woman. Let him go.”
But it was too late. Nicolas shifted into his squirrel form and sank his teeth into Amari’s hand. Amari let out a surprised snarl of pain as his arm flew back to dislodge the rodent. His elbow caught Samara squarely in the nose before she could move.
Blood. Fresh blood. Female blood.
I backed up against the opposite wall, my fangs descending instantly.
Fuck.
Her blood smelled irresistible, and I bit my lip, trying desperately to control the hunger rushing through my veins. She fell to her knees, clutching her nose, her towel slipping dangerously low.
The squirrel wasn’t done with his assault and scampered up Amari’s leg, biting his thigh. Amari grabbed him and hurled him down the hall, where he landed with a soft thump. Then he stalked after him, intent on finishing the job.
Just as his boot hovered over the motionless rodent, a door opened, and an arm reached out, snatching the squirrel before slamming shut. A lock clicked into place.
Amari pounded on the door. “Open this door.”
“Amari,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “I need you.”
His head snapped toward me, eyes clearing as he registered my distress. He rushed back down the hall.
Samara rose to her feet and, without a word, slipped back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Amari cupped my face in his hands, steadying me as I took several deep breaths. The scent of blood lingered in the hallway, but at least the source was now behind a closed door.
Several hours later, I opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hall. Nuts cracked under my boots, and I sighed as I bent down to pick them up. It was the least I could do after Amari had assaulted the squirrel and Samara.
After feeding from Amari to quell my bloodlust, I’d dressed in my finest clothes for the council meeting.
I had to make a good impression since they would most likely have an issue with me being in attendance instead of my father.
Although there was nothing in the bylaws about the eldest son stepping in, the council was stuck in their ways.
My hunger was satisfied, but the scent of Samara’s blood still lingered in the hallway and in my nose. My thoughts had been on Samara while I’d had my fill of Amari’s blood. I felt a twinge of guilt, darkening my momentary satisfaction.
“What are you doing?” Amari stood in the doorway, frowning down at me.
I looked up at him and frowned. “What does it look like?” I returned to my task. “I have to keep the peace. Make up for what you lack.”
I grabbed the abandoned bag and began filling it with nuts. Why had the squirrel been carrying them around, anyway?
The stubborn bastard stood there watching and crossed his arms. “It’s not my fault.” He was such a surly grump. Unless he was getting his dick sucked or pounding into me, then he dropped the act.
“All that muscle and you can’t help pick up a few nuts?”
He growled in frustration, muttering curses under his breath, but knelt beside me to help.
Samara’s door opened, and she stepped out, dressed from head to toe in black. Her hair was braided down her back, and her nose was still red from being elbowed.
She was breathtaking as she glared down at us. “You’re lucky you didn’t kill him.” She crossed her arms over her chest, which pushed her breasts up. I forced myself to maintain eye contact.
“He bit me,” Amari growled through clenched teeth.
“It was well-deserved.” She grabbed the bag after I’d scooped in the last handful. “Your heart is made of stone. Just like your body.” With that, she went back into her room, slamming the door.
I stood, dusting off my hands on my pants. “You need to apologize.”
“I did nothing wrong.” Amari’s eyes sparked with indignation.
I laughed, running my fingers through my hair. “If you say so. I wouldn’t recommend staying on her bad side. She might seem like a princess, but she has claws.”
Amari narrowed his eyes. “You sound like you speak from experience.”
I turned and headed down the hall for the stairs, knowing he would follow. “We may have encountered each other a time or two when we were younger.”
“Encountered each other?” His voice gained an edge. “So, you fucked her?”
I reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs and turned to face him. His expression had darkened, disgust clear in the curl of his lip. He acted like he had never been with a woman before. I knew for a fact he had, since we had shared several.
“And if I say yes?” I stepped closer, plucking a shell fragment from his shirt. “Does that make you jealous?”
“Of her? No.” He licked his lips, and his eyes darkened. “Have you tasted her?”
“In what sense?” A fair question that drew a rumble from deep in his chest.
He was growing impatient with me. I could see it in the way a line formed between his brows. “You know what I mean, Valentino.”
I shook my head and strode toward the council chambers.
I had never tasted her the way my vampire nature craved. Despite months of courtship, she had never consented. My fangs descended at the mere thought of sinking them into that perfect throat and into that rich vein beneath her delicate skin.
As we approached the door, I could tell we were the first to arrive by the lack of heartbeats behind the closed doors.
“Did you love her?” Amari’s question stopped me cold, my hand frozen on the door handle.