Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
VAL
Itightened the laces of my boots with unnecessary force, the leather creaking in protest. The breakfast with Samara and the squirrel had left a sour taste in my mouth that had nothing to do with the blood I’d consumed.
House mages. After centuries of their kind being hunted to near extinction, one was in the castle, binding himself to Nicolas of all people.
My fingers worked the leather into a knot as I replayed the house mage’s words in my head.
She is light.
The phrase echoed through my mind, setting off alarms I couldn’t quite silence. House mages saw things others couldn’t. They moved through walls, listened from shadows, and held secrets that could destroy empires.
I glanced at Amari, who stood by the window, his silence speaking volumes as he stared out at the grounds below.
“We should arrive early.” I stood, rolling my shoulders to adjust the fit of my jacket.
Amari nodded and pulled a clean shirt from the wardrobe. The muscles in his back rippled as he changed, and I was reminded of the way they’d moved as he fucked Samara. I couldn’t stop the heat that spread through me at the memory or how badly I had wanted to be the one sinking inside her.
“You’re thinking about her again.” Amari didn’t look at me as he adjusted his shirt, his voice matter-of-fact. “I can smell your arousal.”
I moved to the mirror, ensuring my hair was in place. “She’s complicating things.”
That was an understatement. Samara had shattered my carefully constructed world the moment she reappeared. I’d spent a lot of time building walls around the memory of her, only for them to crumble at the first sight of her face.
“You still love her.” Amari’s reflection appeared behind mine in the mirror, his eyes searching mine.
“I never stopped.”
The confession hung between us, but it wasn’t an accusation or an apology. Amari knew where he stood with me—our relationship was as solid as they came. Still, we both felt a change since Samara’s return.
I turned from the mirror and ran my hands across Amari’s shoulders, smoothing the fabric. “The squirrel is hiding something. He reacted too strongly when Kage mentioned light.”
Amari’s eyebrow lifted slightly. “The squirrel reacts strongly to everything.”
True, but there had been a flash of genuine fear across Nicolas’s face that a vampire’s keen sight would never miss.
Then there was the fact that house mages were dangerous, collectors of whispers and witnesses to moments meant to remain private.
If one had bound himself to Nicolas specifically to serve Samara, he must have seen something in her that others hadn’t.
Something she was hiding.
I paced the length of our room, my mind racing. I hated secrets, and the thought of information being kept from me sent a cold spike of anger through my chest.
I was such a hypocrite.
“You’re agitated, and when you’re agitated, you do stupid shit.” Amari slid on his formal vest.
I stopped pacing and forced my shoulders to relax. “There are too many variables. Edmund will use this as an opportunity to undermine Samara’s position.”
Amari checked his daggers before sliding them into hidden sheaths at his sides. “Convenient timing.”
If only he knew.
I walked to the window Amari had abandoned, looking out over the castle grounds. Samara would be preparing for the council meeting now, perhaps pinning up that purple hair that never failed to draw my eye. My fingers twitched with the memory of running through its softness.
I paced like a caged animal, waiting for Samara’s arrival.
I’d been furious when my father had first informed me of the arrangement. Married off to some princess I’d never met? I wasn’t some pawn to be moved across a political chessboard.
Then I saw her.
She stood in that ballroom, fidgeting with her hands in a way that seemed both innocent and utterly captivating. Her dark brown hair cascaded down her back in waves that caught the light, and her eyes held a fire that burned through every defense I’d constructed.
A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts.
“Enter.” I adjusted my cuffs as the door swung open.
My steward bowed slightly. “Princess Samara has arrived, my lord.”
My heart quickened. “Show her to the garden. I’ll join her shortly.”
After he left, I took a moment to collect myself. This arrangement still felt like a cage, but the bars were becoming increasingly gilded with each encounter.
The garden path wound through meticulously maintained hedges, leading me to the center where a fountain gurgled pleasantly. Samara stood before it, trailing her fingers through the water, lost in thought.
She wore a simple blue dress that hugged her curves and made my mouth go dry. Her hair was loose today, falling in those rich brown waves I’d become obsessed with.
I stepped on a twig deliberately to announce my presence. She turned, water droplets flying from her fingertips, and her expression transformed from peaceful contemplation to something more guarded.
“You invited me to your estate just to keep me waiting?” Her lips curved into a smile.
I approached slowly, savoring the way she tracked my movement. “I thought you might enjoy the gardens.” I gestured to the black roses blooming around us. “They’ve been in my family for generations.”
“They’re beautiful.” She turned back to the fountain, her guard dropping slightly. “Did you really bring me here to show me flowers?”
I moved next to her. “Our fathers want us to discuss wedding dates.”
Her shoulders tensed. “Of course they do.”
“And you don’t?”
She looked up at me, her eyes blazing with defiance. “I don’t enjoy having my future decided for me, no matter how gilded the cage.”
Her words mirrored my earlier thoughts so perfectly I couldn’t help but laugh. She frowned, clearly misinterpreting my reaction.
“I’m not laughing at you.” I touched a strand of her hair before I could stop myself. The softness of it sent heat coursing through my veins. “We’re more alike than you think.”
She didn’t pull away from my touch, which I took as permission to continue.
“This is my favorite color in all of Inferna.” I moved her hair to the side and kissed her neck.
“It’s just brown.” Her voice had lost some of its edge, replaced by a breathless quality that made my fangs ache to descend.
My fingers tangled in her hair, moving her head to give me better access. “Nothing about you is ‘just’ anything, Princess.”
Her pulse quickened under my lips, a tempting rhythm that called to the primal side of me. I pulled back slightly, my gaze landing on the delicate blue vein visible beneath her skin. How easy it would be to taste her and to make her truly mine.
She must have sensed my thoughts because she stepped back, creating distance between us. “I won’t be bitten.”
The firmness in her voice both frustrated and impressed me. Most women would have given in by now, eager to please a vampire with my lineage and power.
“I would never do it without your consent.” I shoved my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her again.
“And you’ll never have it.” Her chin tilted up.
I smiled, enjoying the challenge she presented. “Never is a long time, Princess. And I’m very patient.”
I knew I would wait centuries if necessary. The arrangement might have been political, but my desire for her had become real.
It had become dangerous.
The pull I felt toward her had always defied reason. Even now, with a hallway separating us, I could sense her heartbeat, the rhythm of her breath, and the subtle fragrance of her skin. The primal part of me wanted to find her, claim her, and mark her as mine in ways that couldn’t be undone.
I pressed my palms flat against the cool stone of the window frame, grounding myself. Control had always been my greatest strength. I had built my reputation on never surrendering to baser instincts.
Yet with Samara, my control faltered.
“We should go.” Amari’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I nodded, taking a final moment to compose myself. The council chambers awaited, and with them, the game of power that never ceased. Today I would need every ounce of focus I possessed.
When we stepped into the hallway, her scent hit me. She had already left her room for the council chambers. My nostrils flared, taking in more of her essence, and my fangs threatened to descend.
The reaction was instantaneous and embarrassingly juvenile. I might as well have been a fledgling vampire encountering his first prey. I clenched my jaw and forced the hunger down, annoyed at my lack of discipline.
“Get yourself together,” Amari murmured as we walked, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. “The council will sense weakness.”
He was right. Edmund would be watching for any sign that I was compromised. Our families had always had it out for each other ever since our faction split into north and south.
We descended the grand staircase, passing servants who bowed their heads respectfully. I barely noticed them, my mind already in the council chambers.
Amari slowed his pace as we approached the ornate doors of the council chamber. His nostrils flared slightly, his shifter senses picking up something I had missed.
I paused, focusing my own enhanced senses. The air felt charged, reminding me of the atmosphere before a storm. But beyond that, there was a subtle wrongness I couldn’t quite name.
The guards flanking the doors stood straighter than usual, their eyes forward but bodies tense. They were expecting something or reacting to something that had already happened.
“Lord Sangre.” One of the guards inclined his head, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.
I nodded in acknowledgment, my suspicion deepening. The guard’s heartbeat was elevated, and his scent was tinged with apprehension.
As we entered, I stifled a curse as I caught sight of Edmund already present, with Samara seated at the head of the table and Nicolas standing nearby.