Page 49 of Vampire's Hearth

She nodded, tearing her gaze from me as she turned around to return to her room. As she retreated, an emptiness filled me, a hollow ache that only deepened as I watched her turn the corner. I wanted to call her back to tell her I wanted to be hers, to stay by her side—not just now, but for as long as she would have me. That together, we could be the family she longed for.

Aurora

The evening wore on as we gathered for dinner in the drawing room, just off the formal dining room. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched from the marble floor, opening out over the water. The cream rug highlighted the white walls, table, and upholstered chairs. Above us hung a crystal chandelier, smaller but just as ornate as the ones in the grand hall. There was a peacefulness to the room that made me feel as though I was sitting in a cloud, a slight relief to the weight of the darkness enveloping us.

“If you think this room is beautiful now, you should see it in the morning,” said Mac as he came up behind me, his hand softly touching the middle of my back. “The early morning sun willsometimes catch in the crystals and scatter rainbows around the room. It is breathtaking, like a scene from a land of fairies.”

“That sounds amazing.” I looked at him and smiled.

“Did you have a restful afternoon? We missed you for tea.”

I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “I fell asleep, but I feel better now.”

He smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Come, we should take our seats.” He pointed at the table where white-and-silver place settings showed which seats to use.

“We should,” Conall’s jovial voice said as he appeared beside us, Lyra trailing him. “And I’m starving.” He opened his mouth, his fangs showing as Lyra walked past him.

“Conall, mind yourself,” said Mac, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, mind yourself.” The voice had an air of haughty sarcasm as if the speaker were mocking Mac, which I am sure he was. “You’ll never find a woman that way.” The blond gentleman walking up behind Conall clapped him on the back. He held the hand of a woman with long, curly red hair.

“Declan, what does my brother see in you?” Conall smirked at the man.

“Much more than you.” The blond man, whom I presumed was Declan, pushed past Conall. He pulled out a seat for the woman.

“Thank you,” she said, her eyes full of warmth and tenderness as she smiled at him.

Joshua and Dani entered the room, adding place settings to the table and leaving a large tureen and loaves of bread.

Mac looked at Lyra and me sitting next to each other. “Rory, Lyra, this is Declan and his mate, Isla.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said with a smile.

Isla met my gaze, her eyes glistening. “Same. It is wonderful to have other women here.” She glanced around the table at the men filling their bowls with the hearty beef stew. Large slices of fragrant bread graced their plates.

“I’d settle for someone who didn’t fawn over a vampire,” muttered Lyla.

I kicked her shin softly under the table, glaring at her before glancing at Mac, curious if he was going to admonish her. Instead, his eyes sparkled as he sopped up some of the stew with bread, raising it to his mouth. His relaxed demeanor was contagious as I felt my own shoulders loosening at the sight of him. Why did this place calm him?

Conall cleared his throat. “Declan, what’s going on with my brother?”

“Same old shit in Charleston.” Declan pulled a silver flask from his pocket.

My ring burned as he took a deep drink before he shook his head. I turned my head to the side and glanced at it from the corner of my eye. On the front was the same design as the flask in the plane, a knotted heart topped by antlers and a seal head. A thrill rose in my chest as I realized I had located the source of the magic. Now, why was it happening?

Declan held the flask out in front of him, continuing his thought. “I find it amusing that he went from killing Charles here to the city of Charleston. Any connection?” He took a long swig from the container.

Mac looked up sharply. “That’s enough. I am sure we can find a much more suitable dinner conversation than Aiden.”

Declan and Conall exchanged glances and looked at their food. Silence fell over the table as if a father had just reprimanded his children. Isla and I smiled at each other. Was she the same one who sent the lineage?

“Who’s Charles?” I asked, assuming Aiden was Aiden O’Cillian, the third born of the O’Cillian brothers.

Conall glanced at Mac as though seeking permission. Mac looked at me. “It is a story for another day.”

I shook my head, suppressing the urge to tell Mac to tell me all the stories now. But maybe I could focus on the flask. Why did Declan have one that matched the one on the plane? And was the vampire they were discussing in Charleston the one the coven was warned about?

“Declan, where are you from?” I had noticed a Southern drawl when he spoke.

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