Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
JULIET
I stand from the bed and the world starts to spin a moment before strong arms wrap around my waist, steadying me. “Careful now.” Lord Greyvale’s voice is rich and smooth like velvet. “You have been in bed and unconscious for three days.”
I open my mouth to speak, but the words die in my throat as I’m trapped by the intensity of his gaze, his red eyes glowing like smoldering embers. His hair, black at the roots, growing into silvery white, falls over his brow, accentuating his sharply pointed ears, aristocratic face, and a strong, masculine jaw.
His skin is as pale as the moonlight that filters through the curtains. Black, leathery wings lie folded against his back. His finely tailored dark tunic and pants do little to hide his lean, muscular physique, his entire form exuding raw strength and power.
He is fierce and ethereally handsome all at once. There’s something so alluring about him, something that draws me in.
It’s difficult to resist this pull, and I am beginning to understand now how Vampires lure their victims.
“You must be more careful.” His deep voice sends a shiver down my spine. “You are still weak.”
The top of my head is just below his chin as he looms over me, enveloping me in a strange sense of security and fear in equal measure. His long, elegant fingers are tipped with lethal, black claws. His lips part slightly, revealing two sharp, white canines, reminding me that my new husband is far from human.
He is something else… something dangerous.
“I’m fine,” I whisper. His masculine scent—mint and cedar—surrounds me, a potent and heady mix. Fighting this strange pull between desire and caution, I force myself to take a small step back. “I was just a bit dizzy, but I’m well now.”
His hands are still at my waist, making sure I have my balance. “Would you like me to let you go?”
Heat flushes my cheeks as he studies me with a piercing gaze. I could so easily lose myself in his eyes. Lord Greyvale is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. It’s a bit unnerving that despite knowing what he is, I still find myself wanting to lean into him.
Fortunately, the rational part of my mind breaks through the fog of attraction and I force myself to pull away. “Yes.”
He removes his hands from my waist. As his eyes search mine, the realization hits me that this man will be my husband.
I always knew I would marry someday, but I never imagined it would happen like this. What sort of life can a human hope to live with a Vampire, a creature as cold as they are beautiful? One who can exist only in darkness and never venture into the light?
Despair rises within me. “Please. Is there no other payment that can be made for your bargain?”
Something—an emotion—flashes behind his eyes, but it’s gone too quickly for me to know what it is as his face returns to an impassive mask. “No, there is not,” he replies, crushing my hope. He offers me his arm again. “Come. If we are to have a ceremony, it must be done at once.”
When we enter the parlor, my stepfather—Buryk—stands next to my mother as she gathers me up in a crushing embrace. My older brother, Stephen, joins her. Both of them are crying as if I’ve just returned from the dead.
Which, I suppose, in a way, that I have.
It’s so strange, for I feel as though I only left the house a few minutes ago to attend Lucy’s wedding.
Blinking back tears, I hug them tightly. Tonight is the last I will ever see of my family. I could be mad at the bargain they made, but I understand that in truth, it was not much of a choice at all.
My mom and my brother love me. Fiercely. Just as I love them. If our roles were reversed, I would have done the same. So, how can I be mad at them for choosing what they did? I would have died if not for Lord Greyvale’s intervention.
I have always been one to try to focus on being positive. My father used to say that every dark cloud hides a clear sky. You just have to wait for the storm to pass and then the sun will eventually come out again.
I was only ten years old, but I clung to those words full of hope, even as I watched the fever slowly take him from us. Despite that he’s gone, I’ve carried them with me ever since.
I’m not quite sure if he’d believe this same advice applies to marrying a Vampire, but the memory of him telling me this, provides a small measure of comfort.
My mother hugs me close, whispering in my ear. “My darling daughter, I’m sorry. I could not let you die.”
Given the choice between death and life, I would have chosen the same if the decision had been mine to make. “It’s all right,” I reassure her. “I understand, and I’m not upset with you.”
I dart a glance at Lord Greyvale, standing off to the left, giving me space as I speak with my family. I am fortunate they found him in time. Not many so close to death get a second chance.
Someone clears their throat, and my breath catches when I notice Jonathan standing near the mantel. His gaze shifts to my future husband. “May I have a moment alone to say goodbye?”
I’m not sure what Lord Greyvale’s answer would have been because I nod before he speaks. Everyone leaves the room. Valaric’s blood red eyes meet mine briefly before he steps out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
Jonathan rushes forward and takes both my hands in his. “We can leave right now,” he whispers urgently. “I can take you away… somewhere he’ll never find us.”
As tempting as it sounds, I know enough of bargains to understand that dark magic cannot be so easily broken. “A deal has already been made.”
“You would just give yourself over to this creature willingly?”
Anger floods my veins, and I jerk my hands from his grip. “ I was not given a choice.”
“Well, you have one now. You can leave with me and—”
“No.”
His expression hardens. Jonathan hates that word.
A flash of memory returns of our fight last week. He was impatient to have me, but I wanted to wait until our wedding night. When I denied him, he became angry. I was such a fool. I might have even forgiven him if I had not found him, later than evening, with another woman.
I knew then what sort of man he was—the kind of husband he would have been. And it was not one that I wanted. After years of seeing how my stepfather has treated my mother, I could not bear to fall into the same trap.
I broke our engagement, but I had not yet found the courage to tell my family. Especially after how proud my parents were of such a fine match. Jonathan’s family is extremely wealthy, and he is the nephew of our king. Our betrothal is the only time I can remember my stepfather being proud of me.
I’d also worried that once Buryk found out, he would marry me off to Lord Thornbury. It wouldn’t matter that he is old enough to be my grandfather. My stepfather would only have cared about the sizable amount of coin he would have paid for my hand.
I narrow my eyes. My parents may not have known our betrothal was off, but Jonathan certainly does. “Why are you here?”
“Because you are my betrothed.”
“No, I am not.”
He stares at me in disbelief. “You would rather become a Vampire’s blood whore than to escape with me ?”
Anger sparks in my chest. How dare he speak to me this way. “Leave,” I state firmly. “Now.”
“I will not ,” he snaps, grasping my forearm. “You must come with me. You’re not in your right mind.”
“Let go of me!” I struggle against his iron hold. “Now!”
“No.” His fingers dig into my flesh in a bruising grip. “That Vampire has you under some sort of spell and—”
The door bursts open, banging against the wall. Jonathan pales and stumbles back as Lord Greyvale rushes forward with inhuman speed. Wrapping his hand around Jonathan’s throat, he lifts him into the air as if he weighs nothing.
Shadows gather around Lord Greyvale like a heavy cloak, spreading across the floor like spilled ink. Dark tendrils rise like wisps of smoke and snake around Jonathan’s legs, slowly enveloping him in darkness.
Jonathan kicks out wildly, desperately trying to break free, but it’s no use.
“How dare you touch her,” Lord Valaric growls low in his throat. “My bride told you to leave.”
My parents and my brother watch speechless from the doorway, their expressions frozen in terror.
My heart pounds in my chest, but I somehow manage to find my voice. “Lord Greyvale.” I touch his arm gently. “He is nephew to the king of Aralon.”
His red eyes swirl with black as they meet mine before he returns his attention to my ex-fiancé, baring his fangs in a feral snarl. “I don’t care who you are related to. Touch her against her will again and you will not live to see another sunrise. I swear it to the old gods and the new.”
“I—I’m going,” he chokes out. “I promise. I won’t touch her.”
Greyvale releases his grip and Jonathan drops like a stone to the floor.
He scrambles to his feet and rushes out the door while my family continues to look on in shock.
Lord Greyvale straightens his tunic and turns to me, extending his hand. “May I speak with you in private?”
Cautiously, I slip my palm into his. “Yes.” I glance at my family, and they excuse themselves from the room.
He studies me a moment, and I notice his eyes have returned to their normal red color again. “Are you all right?” He gently lifts my forearm, tracing his fingers over the bruise already forming in the shape of Jonathan’s handprint on my skin. “Does it pain you?”
My heart hammers in my chest. I’m still a bit shaken up. I knew Jonathan had a temper, but this is the first time he’s ever physically hurt me. A small shudder runs through me when I think of how close I came to marrying him.
“I’m fine,” I lie.
Valaric’s nostrils flare and his brow furrows deeply. “I can smell your fear. You are afraid of me,” he murmurs, mistakenly believing that my unease is directed at him. “Forgive me. When I heard you tell him to release you, I acted on instinct. I did not mean to frighten you.”
“You didn’t.” I place my hand over his, on my arm. “You defended me.”
“You are mine,” he states firmly. "I will always protect you.”
Something about his declaration sends a shiver down my spine, and I’m surprised that it’s not one of fear. Lord Greyvale is an enigma: very different from the way I’d imagined a Vampire would be.
I’d expected cruelty and indifference, but instead he has been kind, protective, and he seems to genuinely care about my feelings. I glance down at our joined hands. Perhaps our marriage will not be as bad as I feared.
He arches a questioning brow. “Do you still wish to have a ceremony?”
If things had gone differently, I could have died today. Instead, I will be wed to a Vampire. It’s strange how quickly life can change. “Yes.”
He offers me his arm, and I loop mine through his. For better or worse, Lord Valaric Greyvale will be my husband. I have a second chance at life, and I’ve decided I’m going to embrace it.