Chapter 42
CHAPTER 42
JULIET
D amar. I stare in shock at the High Lord of House Greyvale—the Vampire that took Valaric in after he was turned.
Shock flits briefly across Damar’s face before his lips curl up in a snarl. “It is true then,” he says darkly. “The rumors I have heard.”
A large wolf steps out of the shadows behind him, its dark fur bristling. I recognize Eben’s silver eyes immediately.
Damar crouches in a defensive stance, glaring at Eben. “Tell your dog to stand down, Valaric.”
Eben snarls, his razor-sharp fangs gleaming in the moonlight as he circles the other Vampire.
“What have you heard, Damar?” Valaric asks. “Why are you here?”
Damar steps closer, his red eyes blazing. “I heard rumors you were here in Nightshade. That you’d taken a human as your true wife.” His nostrils flare. “Tell me it isn’t true.”
Valaric straightens, tipping up his chin. “And if it is?”
“I did not think you would be foolish enough to bind yourself to a human,” he sneers. “How dare you do something so rash without informing me first. I am the High Lord of this House and our Clan. You had no right to do this without my blessing.”
“It was my decision.” Valaric growls. “Who I choose to wed should not concern you.”
“It does if it makes our House appear weak,” Damar seethes. “It’s one thing to enter into a bloodsworn arrangement with a human to obtain sustenance, but another thing entirely to make one a member of our House through marriage.”
“What’s done is done,” Valaric states firmly.
Damar clenches his jaw. “So it seems.”
Tense silence fills the air as they glare at each other. After a moment, Valaric turns to me. “Go back inside with Eben. I must speak with Damar.”
I’m hesitant to leave him. “You’ll be all right?” I whisper.
His expression softens. “Yes.”
Eben immediately shifts back into his human form. He conjures dark trousers to cover his lower half, but I notice his claws have not retracted. He looks over his shoulder at Damar and bares his razor-sharp fangs in warning.
“I can assure you, the feeling is mutual, dog.” Damar narrows his eyes.
When Eben and I return to the manor, we find Reyla standing just inside the entryway, wringing her hands in her skirts. “Is it true? Is Damar here?”
Eben nods. “You and Juliet should remain inside.” His gaze shifts to Lysander, standing behind her. “We’ll do a quick sweep of the perimeter. Make sure no one else came through the wards.”
Lysander nods in agreement.
They start to leave, but I grip Eben’s arm, stopping him. “Is Damar dangerous?”
“He’s powerful,” Eben replies, not really answering my question. “And that is enough to make me wary of him.”
“He’s not like Valaric,” Lysander adds, although judging by the look on his face I’m sure he probably has a few choice words he’s holding back. “He doesn’t trust humans; he thinks they are dangerous. I’ve no doubt he is livid that his former protégé has taken one as his true wife.”
Worry fills me, not for myself but for my husband. “Do you think he’ll try to hurt Valaric because of me?”
Reyla shakes her head. “Nothing as drastic as that, but he may decide to strip him of his title.”
Worry twists deep in my gut. If he did that, Valaric would be vulnerable to his enemies. To those who want retribution for him killing the Vampires that slaughtered his village. Not only that, but Eben, Elsie, Lysander, Reyla… all of them would be at risk; they depend upon Valaric’s position for their protection as well.
“I don’t understand. It’s not as if I’m the first human bride Valaric has had.”
“You are different, Juliet,” Reyla says pointedly. “The others… the arrangement was similar to that of a bloodsworn—a bargain made and kept. That was considered tolerable by Damar. But Valaric has taken you as his true wife, and that is something their kind do not do with humans.”
I frown. “Are you saying there are no Vampire/human pairings?”
“Vampires don’t take humans as their true mates,” she reaffirms. “At least, not that I’ve ever heard.”
Lysander steps forward. “Vampires respect strength above all else. When a member of one of the Great Houses chooses a mate, it is to gain or consolidate power and influence. To choose a human will be viewed as—”
“Weakness,” the word falls from my mouth with ice cold clarity. Curling my hands into fists at my sides, I steel my courage. I know what I must do.
I walk toward the door and pull it open. The cool ocean breeze drifts up from the shoreline, winding through my hair and swaying my skirt around my ankles. Dawn is coming soon and I need to resolve this before then.
“Where are you going?” Eben asks, his voice laced with concern. “You are safer in here.”
I care for my husband. I cannot allow him to lose his position because of me, and I certainly will not be responsible for making House Greyvale appear weak before its enemies. “I have to fix this, Eben. I need to speak with Valaric and Damar.”
“You should stay here,” he insists. “Valaric wanted you to remain inside.”
I don’t have time to argue with him and I do not bother to try. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves and step back out into the darkness.