Page 6 of Fated to the Vampire Prince
The High Prince merely shrugged. “This death won’t be like our first one, brother. When I cut off your head, you won’t come back.”
A flicker of relief passed through me. If he was dead, I’d still be protected as his sanguine partner. If he was dead, I could spy on the new Duke of Roselyn without enduring the feedings. And if he was dead, it would mean there was one less vampire in the UnifiedTerritories.
And yet, the red smear on Bastien’s chest drew my gaze and refused to let go. He’d tried to save my life. And when I stopped him from accidentally killing us both with his chivalry, he’d hauled me against him like he’d rather hold me in his arms than let me die alone. But he hadn’t come to save me. He’d come to save himself. An important distinction.
I wanted to spit at him. I wanted to slap him. But deep down, more than anything, I wanted someone to hold me like that again.
Marius clapped a hand on Bastien’s shoulder. Imploring. “I need you, brother. I need your leadership. Your army. I need you to hold the line against the Lawless Lands. You’ve heard the reports, same as me.” He shook Bastien once. A smile breaking across his face. “Stop being dramatic and do what you’ve pledged to do.”
A moment passed. Wind howled through the trees. The torches hanging beside the balcony doors flickered. I waited for his decision, holding as still as a corpse.
But what would that fate be?
The blade,or me?
Chapter 3
Fallior
BASTIEN
Death would be the easier option, all things considered, but my brother was right. It was my responsibility to lead the army and hold the boundary between the Unified Territories and the Lawless Lands. Hector and Chastity, the leaders of Light and Dark beyond our borders, were closer than ever to accepting terms of protection. But the situation was tenuous. Factions inside the covens still didn’t trust vampires, and it required a skilled negotiator.
After centuries of diplomacy, I wasn’t about to hand ownership of my castle to my whelp of a nephew, Tyson. I had to overcome theproblemthis woman presented. I’d been mateless for centuries. Now, five hundred years later, she appeared. It all seemed too suspicious, but Marius wasn’t listening to reason.
A year would go by in a blink, and if I kept her at arm’s length, I could get through this and move on with my life. The pull of a mate bond couldn’t be as strong as my free will.
The one benefit I could see was that she didn’t appear toknow who she was to me. And neither did my brother.Thankfully. While we’d once been as close as true brothers, we’d drifted further apart over the centuries. As the High Prince, his job was to rule and play nice with nobles. Mine was to hold the line between our people and the terror that reigned beyond it.
Yet, despite our differences, he was still my brother. Not by birth, but by death.Mon Sang. My blood.I’d sworn to do anything for him. Which was why I drew in a long breath and forced myself to look this woman in the eyes. “Fine. I’ll accept her into my service.”
I watched her for a moment, tracing the shape of her lips as they parted in surprise, reveling in the flush of color that stained her cheeks.
“Splendid!” Marius replied with a clap of his hands. “Now, take…” He twirled his finger in the air. “I’m sorry, but what is your name, dear?”
She glanced between the two of us. Then, haltingly, said, “Claire. My name is Claire Donadieu.”
A cool breath of air wrapped around my shoulders and rustled through the long strands of her hair.
Claire.
Her name was its own kind of magick. There was no other way to describe it. Forever, my attention would be attuned to the sound of it. My senses sharpened whenever it was spoken. My desire for her absolute.
I closed my eyes and drew in another steadying breath. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to be fated to anyone. Had I known when I saw her across the ballroom that the intense need to speak with her was the pull of a mate bond, I would’ve run instead of giving the bloodstone—my mate-identifying rune—time to recognize our connection.
When I opened my eyes, I found Marius dabbing the dried blood from Claire’s neck with a damp towel that he’d procuredfrom a steward, cleaning the worst of the mess the choker had made.
I had to swallow a growl at the sight of him touching her. Even though I loved my brother, a vision of tearing his arm from the socket and beating him with it flitted through my mind. My fingers tensed, and adrenaline coursed through my limbs. I watched him tend to her the way I should be. When he was finally done, Marius captured her hand in his, holding it as he escorted her to me.
I had to keep this new protective desire in check. If my brother discovered the truth—that Claire was my mate—I’d be forced to give up my castle to Tyson and live here in the capital. Pandering to gossiping courtiers, hosting expensive parties, and listening to petty disputes. A sentence worse than beheading, in my opinion.
My brother offered me Claire’s hand with a grin. I merely glared at him. Marius sighed in frustration. “Bastien, it’s time to take Miss Donadieu to the dais, claim her as tradition demands, and put this whole mess behind us.”
Claim her.Yes. That’s exactly what I wanted to do. To claim her as mine. To make us one body. One breath. The longer I stood in her presence, the stronger it became. The pull was unlike anything I’d experienced before.
Fight, damn you. Fight back.I was stronger than some base desire. I knew nothing about this girl, and I was suspicious of the little I did know. I could do this. I just needed to remind myself of what was at stake.
Her deep brown eyes met mine, wide as a fawn, and the bond between us deepened. I could feel her heart beating in my chest, and I could smell her fear as keenly as I could smell the apples ripening on the trees in the orchard below.
