CHAPTER 26
Valeria.
She tried to say her name, but her breath had been stolen away. Valeria was there, and she could hardly believe it as the woman gave her a devilish smile before lowering her head back to Edgar’s neck.
“You’re feeding on my husband.”
She released her fangs. “Do you have any objections?”
She should most definitely have an objection, but she didn’t have much loyalty to him after all. “I’m not sure if you should kill him.”
“Oops,” she said, wiping her mouth before letting go of Edgar, and he hit the floor with a thump.
“Did you really kill him?” Caroline sat up and tried to get a good look at Edgar’s body to see if he was dead or had passed out, but Valeria pushed her backwards.
“Yes, but I promise it was necessary. Don’t worry, I’ll clean you.”
Caroline looked down to see the spray of liquid was blood, and she made an unhappy sound. Valeria leaned down and lapped at the blood stains she made, running her mouth up her body as she cleaned the blood, pausing to lave her tongue over her nipple.
“I think you’ve thoroughly cleaned the blood from there,” she said, gasping as heat pooled in her belly.
She knew she could care that her husband lay dead on her bedroom floor, but the elation at Valeria’s return eclipsed everything.
“I plan on being very thorough with your clean up.”
Valeria’s mouth moved up her body, licking her exposed collarbone, up her neck and to her jaw before Caroline grabbed her head and kissed her with a fury she had never known before. It was a battle of lips and tongue and teeth, but she never wanted to let go.
When they finally broke apart, she gasped for air. “I can’t believe you’re here. Even if you are a little late.”
“I know, but I couldn’t come any sooner. I know it seems cruel after the way I left you, but there was a plan.”
“Was that letter part of your plan?”
She hated it with every fiber of her being, but she kept it on her bedside table and read it almost every day. Sometimes it hurt too much to look at it, but sometimes she needed that pain.
“No,” she said, sitting up with grief in her eyes. “There are a few things we should talk about before we go forward.”
“Okay.”
Caroline sat up as well. There was much for them to talk about, so she couldn’t complain, but she did mourn the loss of Valeria’s body over hers. They sat cross-legged facing each other, their knees touching as though their bodies could no longer bear the distance after being apart.
“When I came here, it was to kill you and your family. I was to rob you and figure out a way to drain your accounts and sell anything of value here before we moved on to America.”
“Why?” She already suspected as much based on what Valeria had done in her house and the cryptic things The Count had said to her, but she wanted to hear it directly from Valeria.
“When The Count Made me, he said I needed a dowry. Immortality is expensive, so I needed to bring in some wealth to help support our growing family. He also wanted to know that I was dedicated to my new life as a vampire. I was an orphan by then and didn’t have any close relations.
It was easy giving up being human, and I was too in love to care. ”
Caroline placed a hand on her knee. It was a sad story, and she could see why Valeria had agreed. She was alone, and he offered her a family.
“I didn’t think I had anything left to lose.
I gave him a few names, but that money wasn’t enough.
Then I remembered you, and he was finally pleased.
Now I know he was digging for people I cared about.
I’m so ashamed I even thought of you, but that summer we spent together seemed so long ago, and then I learned you were engaged.
I convinced myself you were no longer the sweet girl I once knew.
I regret even thinking of you for such an awful task. ”
“I know.” She moved her hand to grab Valeria’s hand and squeezed it. “The Count told me, and I couldn’t get over how there had to be some underlying reason because I know you.”
Valeria snatched her hand away and put her face in her hands. “I can’t believe he came out here. I’m so ashamed of everything I’ve done.”
“Well, I certainly hope you aren’t ashamed of everything.
” Her joke hung in the air for a moment, but when Valeria didn’t respond, she got closer until their shins were pressed together and she placed her hands on Valeria’s wrists.
“You came here to kill me, but you couldn’t do it.
You couldn’t even bite me. You fell in with some bad people, but you’re trying to change. ”
Valeria’s hands fell, and her dark brown eyes softened. She looked at her with such adoration it nearly took her breath away. “You are far too good for me. Much better than I could ever deserve.”
“Was he cruel when you returned?”
“He was furious. He sought to punish me by freezing me out. He ignored me and wouldn’t come to my bed.
It was when he withheld his love that I saw him for who he truly was.
How he tried to rule us through fear and never gave anyone the affection they were clearly starved for.
I knew I had to leave, but first I had to make some things right. ”
“What did you have to make right?”
“Did you hear Edgar before I got to him?”
“Yes,” she said with a shaky swallow. “Was he referring to The Count as Master?”
Valeria nodded. “Since he is a Born vampire, he has other powers. Sometimes he will keep humans under his control, making them do his bidding indefinitely. I don’t know how he does it, but he controls them through blood, and they are perfectly loyal to him.
The only way to break the thrall is death. ”
Her breath caught. “That’s what happened with Edgar?”
“I’m sorry. Originally, he was going to kill him in London, but when I went off the plan, he decided to keep him alive. I didn’t know his plan until Sveta told me.”
Caroline closed her eyes. Edgar hadn’t been right since he returned because he wasn’t truly him. Her Edgar died weeks ago, and what Valeria did tonight was a kindness. No one could control him anymore.
“What was his plan for me?”
Valeria paused, and Caroline knew she was considering not telling her, and she held her breath. This was an important test on whether they could actually be together. Caroline had no interest in being coddled. She may be physically weaker, but that didn’t make her weak.
Valeria sighed. “He wanted you to marry Edgar, and then when the time came, he was going to have Edgar kill your family and then deliver you to him. I don’t know what his plans were after that, but there was a chance he didn’t have one and would decide in the moment.”
Caroline shivered. The threat was real; she had known as much when she had met The Count.
“You’re safe now, cara. I promise.”
“How can you be sure? If he was that upset with me, I don’t imagine he’ll stop just because you killed one of his lackeys.”
It hurt to think of Edgar in such a way, but she thought of all of his peculiarities after his return. His sudden interest in helping her wedding plan. The way his eyes tracked her. He probably released The Count from his cage in the hospital.
“That was where I had help from Svetlana, his first wife. Really, all the girls, but Sveta helped the most. She drugged him, and now they’re all on the ship to America.
She’ll keep him drugged until the end of their journey.
Once they arrive, I think he’ll have other problems to deal with. Or…,” she trailed off sheepishly.
“Or?”
“Or he’ll forget about it for a while and get upset again in a dozen years or so.
He’s petty, but I’ve only been with him for three years.
I think Svetlana is planning to leave him too, and that will take most of his focus since they’ve been together for hundreds of years.
No matter what, I won’t let him hurt you or your family. I promise.”
Caroline stroked the back of Valeria’s hand with her thumb. It was warm to the touch, but not too warm to suggest she had overindulged. She felt alive.
“I trust you. You’ve had so many opportunities to hurt me, and you haven’t. I trust you. Even though you killed my husband.”
“I don’t regret it. Even if he hadn’t been a danger to you and your family, I still would have wanted to snap his neck.”
“What is it with vampires and neck snapping?”
“It’s the greatest disrespect. Saying that someone isn’t even worth draining. Blood is life, so a death without taking blood is very purposeful,” Valeria said, her eyes flicking down, and Caroline knew if she could, she would be blushing.
“Then why did you drain him?”
“Because he had The Count’s blood in him.
If a human dies with vampire blood inside them, they can turn into a vampire.
Chances are he didn’t have nearly enough to turn, but I didn’t want to take that chance.
Sometimes even the barest hint of vampire blood is enough for the human to attempt to turn, but it isn’t successful without enough blood, so instead they are stuck in that agony for days until they die naturally or someone takes pity and kills them. I didn’t think he deserved that.”
Caroline smiled. “Thank you for sparing him that nightmare.”
Valeria rolled her eyes. “I’m not happy to have his blood in me. I can taste his arousal for you. How giddy he was to fuck you. Giddy,” she scoffed.
“You know you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. I was going to lie with him because it was my duty, but my heart wasn’t in it. Not like it is with you.”
Valeria’s eyes flashed. “He better not have been trying to force you.”
“He wasn’t. I wanted to get it over with, and then I was going to find a way to kick him out of my bed.”
“Good.” She practically growled her response, but not all of the jealousy had left her expression. “Because you belong to me, amore. Your kindness. Your smile. Your body.”