Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43
VALARIC
“ H ave you gone mad?” Damar asks accusingly. “How could you take that human as your true wife?”
“She is my ashaya.”
His jaw drops but he quickly snaps it shut. “She cannot be.”
Before I met her, I would have thought the same. Humans do not have fated mates.
“No Vampire has ever found their ashaya outside of our kind,” he says evenly, and I’m not sure if he’s trying to convince me or reassure himself. “You must be mistaken.”
“I am not,” I state firmly. “I felt the bond snap into place the first time she looked at me.”
He turns his attention to the sea, his brow furrowed deeply. “Does she know about the others?”
“Yes.”
“Everything?” He arches a brow. “Including their fate?”
“No. I could not bring myself to tell her. I… don’t want her to be afraid.”
He runs a hand roughly through his shoulder-length hair. “I suppose that is the least of our problems right now,” he murmurs more to himself than to me.
“ Our problems?”
“Yes.” His lips form a thin line. “Rumors have already begun to spread of the human you have taken as your true wife.” He glares at me. “Did you truly think something like this would escape the notice of our kind?”
I did not. I simply hoped I could find a way to break my curse and then deal with the rest later. But it seems I was wrong, and now Juliet is in danger. “We ran into Stryker,” I say grimly. “He invited us to his ball tomorrow evening.”
A string of muttered curses leaves Damar’s mouth, and he begins pacing back and forth as he often does when troubled by something. He stops abruptly and turns to me, his eyes blazing. “Do you have any idea what happens to non-bloodsworn humans in a room full of Vampires?” He shakes his head. “She’ll be lucky to get through the evening alive.”
Panic trips my heart, but it’s quickly replaced by raw anger. “I will kill anyone who dares try to harm her.”
“Do not speak that way,” he snaps. “The last time you killed one of our kind, I barely managed to convince the High Council not to put a wooden stake through your heart.”
He clenches his jaw. “Do you have any idea what I had to do? The promises I had to make to spare your life all those years ago?”
His question stops me short. He never told me how he negotiated my pardon, and I am ashamed, in this moment, to realize that I never asked. “What did you—”
“It doesn’t matter,” he grits through his fangs. He begins pacing again, scrubbing his hand across his jaw and through his hair. After a moment, he turns to me. “I’m going with you.”
I’m shocked. “You would help me protect her? Despite your hatred of humans?”
“I do it for you and our Great House, not her .” He meets my gaze evenly. “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but you are still my clansman, Valaric, and we must defend the strength of House Greyvale at all costs.”
Of all the ways this could have gone, I never expected this. I thought for sure that he would disown me, cast me out of his Clan and strip me of my title at the very least. “Why are you helping me? The way we left things… I thought you hated me.”
“I do not hate you.” Irritation shifts into his gaze, as if what I’ve said is entirely ridiculous. “You were made. Not born. And you have not been part of this world long enough to understand this yet, Valaric, but the bonds forged between clan members is as strong as those made in blood.”
“But you left ,” I state accusingly as the old wounds I’d thought had healed long ago begin to ache once more. “The last time we spoke you were so angry… so disappointed. I thought you never wanted to see me again.”
“Even now, you still think like a human.” Disdain drips from his tone. “A few years is nothing to our kind. I grew tired of arguing with you about your unhealthy despair over what you’ve become. It seems that time has not cured you of this ailment. You still stubbornly cling to your humanity.”
Sadness and anger rise within. I hadn’t realized until now just how much his leaving had affected me. He was all I had after I was turned—after I lost my entire family and everyone I knew.
He continues. “Prince Raine will be in attendance.”
I still. “Are you certain?”
Prince Raine is a dangerous and powerful Vampire. It’s rumored he has the ability of the Ancient Ones. That he is a vocari —a Vampire that can read and control the minds of others, forcing them to do his will.
“Yes.” A muscle ticks along the edge of his jaw. “His father—King Corvin—informed me.” Blood red eyes brimming with disapproval meet mine. “It seems the prince’s curiosity was piqued when he heard rumors that a lord from one of the Great Houses took a human as his true wife.”
I open my mouth to respond, but a familiar scent drifts on the wind. Sweet with a hint of jasmine. I turn toward it and see Juliet walking toward us.
“What are you doing?” I rush to meet her. “You should be inside.”
She glances at Damar before her green eyes fix upon mine. “Tomorrow night, at the ball… you must tell everyone I’m your blood wife, Valaric. Nothing more.”
“Why are you saying this?”
“Because I don’t want to make your House appear weak.” She touches my face. “I don’t want to cause you any problems among your people.”
“Too late,” Damar mutters bitterly behind me.
I level a dark glare at him over my shoulder before turning my attention back to her.
She gazes up at me, her expression full of concern. When was the last time someone cared for me like this? “I have already told Stryker you are my true wife, and I will not take it back.”
“It’s too late, anyway,” Damar grumbles. His nose twitches in disgust. “Word has already spread of your relationship among the High Council and the nobility. You have even managed to capture the attention of the royal family. Prince Raine will be at the ball tomorrow.”
“The Vampire Prince?” All the color drains from Juliet’s face. It seems even word of the Prince of Morrowynd has reached the human kingdoms. Raine is a skilled warrior and rumored to be as ruthless as his father, King Corvin.
I’ve only spoken with Raine a few times, but I don’t want him anywhere near her. “She cannot go to the ball. I’ll send her back to the castle in Corvania with Eben.”
“Do you truly believe she can back out now?” Damar huffs. “The strength of our House is in question because of her ,” he says accusingly. “She is coming to the ball. The decision has already been made.”
“No.”
“No?” Damar asks incredulously. “Are you truly that foolish?” He turns his sharp gaze to Juliet. “If you try to hide her away it becomes a challenge to the others. It would only be a matter of time before one of them sought her out and tried to steal her from you just to prove they can.”
He shakes his head. “Do you have any idea how many would jump at the chance to make House Greyvale appear weak? To show everyone that we cannot even protect the one you have claimed as your true wife?”
Fear wraps tight around my spine. He is right.
Damar turns to Juliet and gives her a menacing look. “If you want to survive the ball, you will do exactly as I say. Do you understand?”
“Why do you want to help me?” She frowns. “You’ve already expressed how much you disapprove of me and our marriage.”
“You don’t trust me.” He takes a step closer. “A wise thing for a human when dealing with my kind, but you are not just a simple human anymore, now, are you?” Frustration burns in his gaze. “You are the true wife of my Clansman. And as such, you are now a member of our Great House. And we protect and defend what is ours.”
His eyes sweep to mine. “Even so, we are but two against many. Bring your dog and your demon with us tomorrow,” he says, referring to Eben and Aerlyx. “We may need them before the night is over.”
“I’ll come,” Aerlyx says, suddenly appearing in a haze of purple smoke. He crosses his arms over his chest. “But I’m doing it for him”—he jerks his chin toward me—“not you.”
“At least we can agree on one thing.” Damar arches a brow. “We are both doing this for the same reason.”
I’m stunned. I thought he no longer cared for me, but it seems I was wrong.
Damar may hate humans, but I’m glad he is here. He will remain true to his word. He’ll protect and defend my mate because she is part of our Clan.
When I first saw her, I thought my biggest concern would be protecting Juliet from whoever tried to take her life. I was never truly worried about this because I suspect her attacker was human, and most of them are easily dispatched. But now, it seems we face an even greater threat from my own people.
“We should go inside,” Damar says, his gaze fixed upon the sea and the thin line of gold that shimmers faintly along the horizon. “Dawn will come soon.”
I slip my arm around Juliet’s waist as we walk back to the manor, keeping her close to my side. Dread roils deep in my gut. Damar is right. She must attend the Vampire ball. I wish more than anything that I could hide her away from the world, but I know I cannot.
Lifting my gaze to the sky, I send a silent prayer to the gods, asking for their protection. I never thought I’d find my fated mate, but now that I have, I will allow no one to take her from me. Not the blood witch, not the nobility of Morrowynd, and not even death itself.
If anyone dares try to harm my wife, I will end them without hesitation.