Page 106 of A Bond Beyond Blood

“Well done.Harder than it looks, is it?”

When the gates were open enough to ease the Mercedes forward, I left the guard dumbfounded as his employer screamed at him over the phone connection.Poor chap would surely pay for allowing me entry, but it wasn’t really his fault.I could be quite convincing when the need arose.

By the time I made the trek up the long drive and reached the front of the castle, a small army of a dozen or so vampire guards had collected on the front steps.

With a wide grin, I parked the car, then climbed out, dangling my keyring from one finger.“What, no valet service?How unrefined.”When no one responded or came forward, I shrugged and slipped the keys into my pocket, then extended my hands out to my sides in greeting.“Gentlemen, please, this welcome is too much.”

At once, all but two of the soldiers dropped to their knees, eyes wide as they lowered their heads deferentially.

“That’s more like it.”I strode to the two on the left end of the row, looking them over as I stopped in front of them.The one immediately in front of me swallowed hard, then slowly lowered to his knees alongside his comrades, whispering under his breath, “Impossible.”

To the other, the last to remain on his feet, I said, “You must be new.”

“On your knees, Brighton,” one of the other soldiers barked.

The young vampire frowned, a confused crease between his dark brows, but he slowly lowered to his knees.“Who are you?”he asked.

“Who, me?”I said with a flourish of my hand as I passed.“No one of importance.”The front door opened upon my approach and I strode inside, straightening my shoulders as I assessed the place.To any outsiders, this place looked foreboding and dangerous, as ancient as I was, but I could still pick up on the scent of ripe lumber, the sharp tang of fresh paint—

“So it is true.You have returned.”

“Ah, Winnie,” I said as I clapped my hands once and spun toward the sound of his voice.“Here you are.Love what you’ve done with the place.”I lowered my head and my voice as I added, “Very spooky indeed.”

His eyes narrowed into slits.“Where have you been, Elias?”

I strode toward him and he tensed.Rightfully so.The last time we’d seen one another, he’d been concocting a plan to have me murdered so he could steal the throne.Grasping both of his arms just below the shoulders, I looked him over.“You haven’t changed a bit, old friend.”I leaned in and kissed both of his cheeks in turn, then whispered,“Invite me to join you in the parlor.”

Winston’s face tightened and his nostrils flared angrily, but he stepped aside, motioning toward the large gathering area to our right, where a fire burned in the fireplace, filling the air with the scent of burning oak and cherry wood logs.“Please, join me in the parlor, Elias.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

His guards, previously standing at attention in a half-circle formation around the perimeter of the room, now stepped forward, eyes locked on me as I crossed the foyer.

“Stand down, pests,” I said with a chuckle.“I’m not here to cause problems.”

As long as the Council of Lords agreed to my proposal without a fight and I was able to take my rightful place on the throne, everything would be smooth as silk.

Oh, who am I kidding?

The earth would sooner freeze over.

The parlor was a beautifully decorated room, with high ceilings and stained-glass windows, with original paintings from centuries past lining the walls.High-backed velvet chairs set up in front of the fireplace were decorated in a stunning emerald green velvet, and the walls were painted a deep, lava rock shade of darkest gray.I settled into one of them and leaned back, propping one ankle onto the opposite knee as I watched Winston lower into the other chair stiffly.

“Tell me, old friend, what have I missed in my absence?”

Winston scoffed.“You want me to go over a century of updates?Where have youbeen, Eli?”

“This again?”I waved my hand in the air and focused on the bright orange and blue flames dancing within the fireplace.“Annika sends her regards.”

“Y-you’ve been inAustria?”he sputtered.“For nearly one-hundred years?”

I chortled as I turned toward him.“No, Winnie, I was only in Austria for one year.Before that, I was everywhere and nowhere at once.”Tilting my head, I took in the familiar planes of his face, that broad nose, those deep-set brown eyes.“Did you search for me, old friend?”

His jaw clenched so tightly that the sound of his teeth grinding was audible in the heavy silence.

I laughed and waved my hand toward him.“Of course you did.”If only to complete his plot to end me once and for all.“I stayed away so that you could get comfortable in your newfound power.You’d worked so hard to get to where you are now, I couldn’t fathom taking it away from you just yet.So I waited for the right time to come back...”I closed my eyes in a long blink, smirking as I said, “Waited until taking what is rightfully mine will be sweeter than even the ripest berry on the vine.”

“It’s not just me,” Winston said.“There’s an entire council in place—”

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