6. Isidoro
Isidoro
My body is buzzing from the kiss we shared.
It didn’t need to happen, but I didn’t fight it either.
Julian looked just so delectable, so desperate to get a taste of me that I couldn’t help myself.
What is worse, I can’t even blame or hide behind the blood oath.
It’s nothing more than a symbolic thing, a ritual to vow we’ll have each other’s back no matter what.
Something is a little off, though. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but my instincts scream at me that I missed something. Something big, or ants wouldn’t be crawling under my skin the way they currently are.
My lips tremble, still experiencing the lingering sensation of their contact with Julian’s mouth.
So sweet, so soft, so pliable and eager.
And that little gasp. My chest puffs out and my throat constricts, the mix of our blood spreading out inside me on a surge of bittersweet tension.
It elevates the pressure I feel in my body, sending tingling zaps to my fingers and my chest.
I glance at Julian as he bows a little so Niko can bless his crown. My lungs suck in air sharply and a scattering of butterflies floods my stomach.
Julian Corvath looks astonishing. The white and gold and red of his suit match mine, less prominent, but just as expertly incorporated.
His tanned skin and dark hair stand out even more, mesmerizing in their play of contrasts.
The black eyeliner accentuates his eyes, that deep red so elated as it looks at me, I can’t help but shiver in delight and alarm in equal measure.
When he stands up straight, I offer him my hand.
He takes it gallantly, placing his on top most naturally.
The audience cheers again as we walk down from the podium, but their shouts and congratulations are lost to me, drowned out by my frantic heartbeat as the man who forced me to marry him flashes me a small, infuriatingly pleased smile, like he’s just pulled off something clever and knows I can’t undo it.
That foreboding feeling clamps my insides. The ants return, stronger than before. I replay our interactions so far, every conversation. Just what did I miss?
“Dance with me?” he says, throwing his arms around my neck.
I stiffen, unsure whether to push him away or play along. He laughs and leans in closer, his breath warm against my face as his midnight-infused flowery scent surrounds me in a goosebumps-eliciting embrace.
“That’s not necessary—”
“Yes, but the audience would love it.” He blows air against my cheek as a flush clings to his. “It’s up to you, of course, Your Highness. I am but your humble consort.”
His honeyed tone irritates me. I grab his wrist and force his arms off my neck, holding one high up and the other behind him.
Next, I spin him around so his back presses flush against my front and he’s trapped in my hold.
“Do not, even for a second, fool yourself that you will be the king’s consort in anything but title, Julian. ”
He shudders deliciously, then jerks, an instinctive reaction to being restricted like this. Still, he smiles, the smugness not dropping from his face. “Yes, yes. I wouldn’t even dream of that. Now let me go, asshat. You are making a scene.”
I shift my focus away from him. The room has gone quiet, chatter no longer overpowering the music playing in the background. All eyes are on us, expectant, curious, a little excited. Ah, I know these looks, that hushed anticipation. They would love a show, perhaps an orgy.
Baring Julian’s right shoulder, I press my lips to it. My incisors extend, sinking into his flesh so it looks like I am biting him. In reality, I don’t tear it enough so I can actually taste him. “Don’t test me.”
He snorts, flexing against me as he tries to slip free. When he realizes it’s futile, he growls. “Or what, you gonna kiss me again or something?”
The words crash into me like poisoned bullets from point-blank range.
My grip tightens before I can stop it, my mouth still hovering far too close to his skin.
I didn’t really mean to, it simply happened, his face, his body, begging me to give him a taste.
The kiss is on him as much as it’s on me, even if he refuses to acknowledge it.
Heat coils low and sharp, treacherous in its familiarity.
I remember his blood on my tongue, mixed with mine, so rich and intoxicating.
His scent intensifies, dark and flowery.
It makes my head spin. The urge to bite him for real rises within me.
I flirt with it, imagine what it would be like to give into this strange hold he seems to have over me.
Not for show, but because I want to, because he makes it excruciatingly difficult to think sanely when I am so close to him.
He tempts me in a way that’s both dangerous and enticing… forbidden.
My body tenses, already willing to surrender. But I can’t give in. We are on opposite sides, enemies within this forced union. He’s beautiful, I can’t deny it, rebellious and arrogant. He knows how to press my buttons, how to rile me up just for fun.
But I shouldn’t let it affect me. I shouldn’t forget myself. I can’t. I’m the one in control, not him. I dictate the rules. Yes, I need his help, but that doesn’t mean anything will change just because we’re working together, of sorts—he’s still on a leash, a prisoner, my hostage.
Julian shifts beneath me, warm, alive, entirely too enticing, especially now that an impression of his sweet taste lives inside me.
I clench my jaw, inhaling deeply through my nose and exhaling even slower. It helps me drag myself back from the trenches of my mind. “Dinner will be served shortly. After that, you will tell me what you know about your father.”
One last inhale of him I can’t resist, and I let go of him.
He slumps, not expecting to be released so soon, but catches himself in time.
Not daring to look back at those taunting red eyes, I make my way to the central table and take my seat.
Guests rain their congratulations, and I thank them in turn, trying and failing to shake off this hum within me that doesn’t want to leave.
Blood is served in crystal glasses, fruit and sweets and wine, too.
My dear friends, Niko and Tommy, are brought grilled fish as we catch up, their life in Greece sounding like a fairytale.
I keep one eye on Julian the entire time.
He never comes to the table. For a while, he glares at me like he could summon Death to take me, but then a lady in a glitter dress invites him for a dance.
He indulges, though I catch him glancing at me now and then like he can’t help it.
“So, you and Julian, huh?” Tommy nudges me in the arm, grin already in full force.
He is such a sweetheart, I can’t find it in me to lie to him. “We made a deal.”
“It got anything to do with that investigation of yours?” Niko butts in, chewing on a piece of pineapple.
“It’s been nothing but dead ends after dead ends. I’m desperate.”
“So you decided to… marry him? As some kind of an out-of-the-box torture tactic? Psychological warfare?” Tommy snickers, wiggling those blond eyebrows at me. “That kiss looked pretty convincing though.”
I smile despite the pang of annoyance and want in my chest. “It wasn’t my idea. He’s the one who gave me no choice in the matter.”
Niko laughs, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Isidoro Altamirano, mafioso, king of the vampires, couldn’t torture the information he needed out of his enemy and ended up marrying him.”
I smack my best friend across his back, causing him to choke a little.
“This is no laughing matter, Nikolas. If I wasn’t desperate, I wouldn’t have gone through with it.
You… mustn’t underestimate Andras. He’s a threat.
Despite the ruby’s protection, he killed my family once, left barely anyone alive.
I must eliminate him at all costs, or I won’t ever be able to live in peace. ”
Niko’s expression falls, the spark of amusement that was swimming in his eyes replaced by something grave. “You are right. This is no joking matter. Any way me and Tommy can help?”
I sigh, stabbing one of the grapes in the gilded food platter with my fork. I bring the fruit halfway to my mouth, then get distracted as my eyes seek out Julian in the crowd. He’s nowhere to be seen.
“You are doing enough for me in Eastern Europe. If you spot him anywhere, just let me know. Do not try to apprehend him,” I tell my friends, scanning the hall from one end to the other.
Tommy preens, his eyes going wide as if he remembers something. “Oh, actually! There’s someone I’d like you to meet...”
Still no sign of Julian. I shoot up, the hairs on my neck standing. Where did that devil go?
“Everything okay?” Tommy aims his blues at me, worry shimmering inside them.
I cock my head, studying his tight expression. What was he saying? “I can’t find Julian.”
“Oh.” Tommy waves my budding concern off. “He’s over there—”
I dart, crossing the hall in a millisecond. The guests part and make way for me subconsciously, their instincts sharp enough to detect my hyper speed even if they cannot see it.
Julian startles when I appear before him, his jaw clenching tight. Something crosses his face, tangling my insides. “Fuck. Isidoro, we need to talk. I need to tell you something—”
“What did you do?” I demand, my instincts twisting into unease.
“It’s not so much that I did something…” His eyes dart left and right, like he’s searching for something. “It’s more of a—”
“Good evening, Isidoro,” a woman’s voice cuts cleanly through his.
It’s level, composed, and edged with quiet insistence, as though whatever she has come to say will not wait for a more convenient moment.