Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
“It’s who you are.”
I take a moment to look at him, feeling so damn confused. He’s an attractive man—or vampire, technically. That part is obvious. But there’s a quiet elegance to him, something that had to come from his upbringing. It’s as magnetic as it is dangerous. Because men like this are controlled chaos. Their anger and wrath are earned.
And once it’s unleashed, there’s no going back.
“Vampires and witches don’t have the best history,” I start.
“No, they don’t. Witches almost killed every vampire.”
“The War of Light and Dark.” I nod and look out at the garden. “I know about that.”
“We’ve come a long way since then. Not just witches and vampires, but humanity as a whole.”
Twisting to look at him, I ask, “Do you consider yourself part of humanity?”
“No,” he replies with no hesitation. “I stopped being human nearly seven hundred years ago.”
“Did you want to be turned?”
He gets up, moving with vampire speed, and picks a flower off a tree. “There are things, my dear wife, that you do not need to know.” He tucks the flower behind my ear and I shiver from his touch. Shaking myself for dumbly feeling like his actual partner for a minute there, I take the flower and spin the stem in my hands.
“Magic is passed down through family lines.”
“I’m aware.” His full lips pull into a slight smile and suddenly it hits me that he wants his offspring to possess magic. That’s why I’m still here, still alive.
And forced to be his legal wife.
Vampires and witches teaming up would create a hella powerful couple. From what I know about the Malus family, power is something they crave.
“Witches can’t be turned into vampires,” I say carefully.
“Any human can be turned if done correctly. However, the ability to do magic isn’t retained in death.”
A few minutes of silence tick by. I carefully run my finger over the soft petals of the flower in my hand. “Do you turn every child born into a vampire?”
Xavier takes a slow breath in. It’s purposeful, as he hasn’t had the need for air in centuries. Then he speeds forward, startling me. “It depends,” he starts, pushing my hair back.
“On what?”
“On whether or not I think they’d add value to our family vampires.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then we determine if they can produce more heirs.”
“Wait, isn’t that bordering on the line of incest?” I make a face and slowly shake my head. “The in-breeding explains a lot though.”
Not reacting in the slightest to my insult, he extends his hand again and takes a lock of my hair between his fingers. “Back when I was human, it was perfectly acceptable to marry a second cousin.”
“Yeah, well, science has proven it’s not acceptable. You’re going to get deformities and mental disorders—actually, what happens to a person with mental health issues when they’re turned into a vampire? I was wondering about that earlier, actually. That’s not the point,” I rush out, shaking my head again. “The point is that I don’t care how many seconds you put between cousins, it’s fucking disgusting.”
“It is.” He brings his face in, inhaling and getting a read on my scent. “That’s why we made the deal with the Order several centuries ago.”
“Right.” I step back and toss the flower into the pond. “You get a book of Order members to look through so you can take your pick.”
“That was the idea,” he chides. “Though you were a surprise. One that is going to work in our favor, if you can be agreeable.”
“You mean shut up and listen since you can’t hold me spellbound.”
“Yes,” he agrees bluntly. “This could be mutually beneficial if you accept your position willingly.”
“I’ve never been good at shutting up or fitting in.” I turn and shake my head. “I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to marry you and I don’t want to be forced to have babies.”
“What do you want?” He silently closes the distance between us and my heart skips a beat in my chest. Right now, I want to find out what it would feel like to have his lips press against mine. The kiss would be cool, wouldn’t it? I want to know how soft—and hard—his seven hundred year old body is.
“I want to go home.”
“Home?” His brows go up. “Home to the people who kept you hidden like a dirty little secret for years? Who exploited you for personal gain and used you? The Order did have a file on you, Florence Russo, aka Jane Doe Number Fifty-seven.”
“What? No.”
“Yes. Here, Wren, you will learn the real definition of family.”
“I…I had a family.” The pain of betrayal stabs away at my heart. It’s almost too much to bear, it hurts so bad. “They saved me when they didn’t have to.”
“Saved you?” His fingers slide under my chin, tiling my head up so I’m looking at him. “No, Wren, they kidnapped you.”