10. Basilious
BASILIOUS
B asil stirred to the sound of the birds singing outside his window. Opening his eyes, memories of the previous night rushed back to him. Lunette had been in the bath, and he'd meant to tell her how he felt, that he'd imprinted. He was going to ask her to stay.
He rolled over, expecting to find her next to him, but the bed was undisturbed. Perhaps vampires did not need to sleep? He admittedly knew rather little about her species.
He rose and made his way over to his library chair, thinking perhaps Lunette had found a book to keep her company.
His chair was empty, though. He quickly checked the bathing chamber, but there was no trace of her.
The only thing out of place was the door to his dining room left ajar.
She must have made her escape through the balcony this time since the other window she'd been using was so close to his bed.
He turned back into his bedchamber and the crushing realization that she'd fled began to sink into his mind. Why would she have left? Had she decided to go through with her contract after all?
The weight of disappointment and heartache pressed into Basil's chest. Before he could let it take him under, a sharp knock sounded at his door, and his butler hustled in.
"Good morning, your majesty. Are you excited for today's festivities?" The butler asked brightly, making ready to lay out Basil's clothes for the day.
As Basil opened his mouth to offer a generic response, something caught his eye sticking out from under his bed just a bit.
He bent down to collect it, and realized it was one of Lunette's daggers, still sheathed in black leather.
She must have left it behind by accident in her haste to leave—though, that didn't seem like something she would do.
He walked toward his bookshelves and set the dagger gently on one of them. He supposed he could take this as her answer—she'd just wanted a bit of fun from him like all the rest. If she came back to finish the job, he thought, perhaps, he'd let her.
For now, he had a decision to make. He had to announce his choice today, but he could only think of her.
He'd always had to be a leader, but with Lunette he just felt like…
himself. He wanted to please her, to give up his control; she'd instinctively understood that primal need of his to submit to a woman as magnificent as her.
He reigned in his thoughts—it was no use dwelling on what he'd lost. He had to move forward, no matter how much it hurt.