Page 11 of Cursed Lifeline

What? How did he know?

My startled gaze lifts to his. His jaw sets with vicious intent. The heated way his violet eyes bore into mine unnerves me, but as he raises his hand and his tender touch brushes across my bottom lip, I melt into his power and freely offer up my submission.

"Esmerelda," my name falls like sweet honey from his lips as he growls, "It's immoral how much I crave you."

He studies my mouth for a moment, and I stop breathing. The indecent desires he promised I'd dream about later tonight swarm to the forefront of my mind. Before I can act on any of them, anger fills his gaze.

His eyes darken. His hand falls bitterly away. "For your sake and mine, it's best you stay away from me, Esme. Far. Away."

"What happened to mon cheri?" I bite back bitterly, instantly feeling the harsh sting of his rejection.

His evil grin holds an air of disdain. Not for me, though, I quickly note. For someone else. Himself maybe?

Leaning in, he whispers, "It's because I hold you dear, precious, treasured, that I tell you these things, Esmerelda. That I warn you." His words, though sweet and tender, give me pause. "If I didn't care, you'd be married off to that fat, decrepit man faster than either of us could stop it." He backs away and puts some distance between us. Cocking his head to the side, his violet eyes shine as if he's just had a tempting thought. "Perhaps marrying someone like that would be your saving grace after all."

Before I respond, he rounds my chair and stalks off toward his friend.

"You're wanted in the study," he tells Felix as he eyes me like a threat.

Felix chuckles indignantly as his friend turns and they leave the room. "Is that what she's required of you, Dimitri? To tell me where I am wanted next or what I am and am not supposed to do?"

Their voices fade as my eyes fall back on the chips on the table in front of me. I study them for a moment, baffled by tonight's turn of events. After a while, I realize Caelum is still sitting at the table. In fact, we're the only ones left in the room. Also, he just witnessed everything and no doubt will be filling Alfred in later. Being my half-brother doesn't mean Alfred loves me any less than if we were full blood. In fact, it almost makes him look after me more closely. That is when he's not distracted by tempting brunettes at parties after drinking one too many glasses of champagne.

I attempt to ignore Caelum and start to pull the chips towards me.

"He's right, you know," Caelum sighs as he rises from his seat and walks toward the exit.

"About what?"

"His warning." My gaze lifts and Caelum's icy stare sends shivers down my spine as it locks harshly on mine. "You're better off following the fate your father wishes than getting closer to them."

Them? He says it like some sort of threat.

"Air on the side of caution, Esme," Caelum warns as he walks out of the room, "Or your father stands to lose more than his estate. If you don't, we all stand to lose our lives."

Four

Felix

Song: Slayer | Bryce Savage

"The peasants will not relent,"Lord Martin insists as he sits authoritatively behind his mahogany desk. "They are tired of paying two-thirds of the tax. They are demanding the clergy and us nobles also pay the King."

"Which is why King Louis was right to reign terror on them," Lord Laurent asserts. Laurent's men are quick to mumble their agreement but are wise enough not to interrupt the argument brewing between the nobles. "The peasants make up eighty percent of the population of France, why should we..."

"You're right," Lord Martin harshly cuts in, "eighty percent. If they decide to continue their revolt, they stand a chance at winning this revolution."

"More than one hundred thousand have been arrested since September," Lord Laurent maintains. "Five thousand have been executed."

Lord Martin stands firm. "It's not enough, which is why we called in reinforcements."

The head of the house's eyes lift to find mine just as I raise my glass of Bordeaux to my lips. I buy myself time before responding and take a small sip. The wine is sweet, reminding me of the fragrance of Esmerelda's blood as it deliciously pumped through her veins when I held her close nearly an hour ago. The remembrance takes my breath away, and I close my eyes momentarily, savoring the taste of the wine as it slips over my tongue, slides down the back of my throat, and tempts my cold heart to think about things it shouldn't.

Visions of sinking my teeth into her mortal soul brings me more pleasure than it should. I drown in the thought before welcoming a stake to the heart from the corrupt way my damned soul dares to dream of tainting her pure spirit. That's odd. Debauchery and reservations overtaking my next kill never plagued me before. I'm forced back to reality as the liquor turns my stomach sour, leaves me ultimately unfulfilled, and does nothing to curb my craving.

Stepping out of the shadows, my eyes open just as Lord Laurent and his men turn and take note of myself and my brothers for the first time. Dimitri stands on my left. Talon on my right. Their worried expressions deepen as we step further into the room. But we came here to make allies, not to cause a bigger war than the one currently destroying France.

Lord Laurent and his men flinch back in fear when they take in our pale skin. The violet of our eyes. Our high cheekbones and bloodthirsty lips. A grin pulls at my hungry mouth from being able to inflict panic so easily. My mind wanders back to Esme. She should've been fearful of me, but she never cowered away from the monster occupying the space where my soul used to be. Her presence here tonight has stolen my focus. Attempting to get our visit back on track, I say, "Queen Drusilla is well aware of the growing concern in France."

---