Page 290 of Cruelly Bitten
I could handle being their villain.
Several of the lycans gave me similar looks, their disgust palpable. But they appeared to be staring at all the vampires in the room in that manner.
Which explained the clear divide around the stage—one side was taken over by wolves, while the other was claimed by the vampires and the Blessed Ones.
I took a chair next to Jace, my gaze on the single cluster of wolves and vampires sitting nearby. Either Willow and Rae were tired of listening to their mates banter, or they were trying to convey a point to the room.
Jace followed my gaze and said, “It seems Rae, Willow, and Silas are making their stance clear, and Silas’s mates are supporting that statement.”
I hummed, intrigued yet bored.
Politics didn’t interest me. But I was here because I had to be here.For Ismerelda.
She sat beside me, her gaze amused as I glanced at her.I didn’t make you come.
Ah, but you did, my queen. Twice today.
Her cheeks reddened at my change in subject.That’s not what I meant.
But you have to admit it’s a far more enticing subject than this meeting, yes?I asked her.
I don’t know. The meeting hasn’t started yet.
I sighed.And yet we already know exactly what will be discussed.
Darius and Jace had stopped by more than once in the last day and a half. The first time had been to check in on me and Ismerelda, as well as to express frustration over how everything had gone down. And the second time had been to discuss a plan for today’s meeting.
I’d listened more than anything else, letting the two of them determine our path forward. Ismerelda had added her own thoughts, which were all I truly cared about.
When they’d left, Ismerelda and I had made our own decisions. Specifically one involving her future as a vampire.
I placed my palm on her jean-clad leg now and gave her a subtle squeeze.You’re going to make a beautiful vampire queen.
So you keep saying,she replied.
It’s a fantasy of mine,I murmured.I can’t stop thinking about everything I’ll be able to do to you after you’ve turned.
You can do most of those things to me now.
True,I agreed.But I am going to enjoy testing the boundaries of your immortality.
Something you already do…
In a very different way,I promised her.You’re not fragile. You’re strong. Becoming a vampire will just make you indestructible.
She leaned in to brush a kiss against my cheek. Then she settled once more and watched as Hazel entered with Keys. He’d apparently chosen to become her shadow rather than mine.
From what I’d gathered, he’d flown in with Hazel and the others, then she’d left him on the plane while she’d played her role as double agent.
“This place…” Juliet’s whisper drew my attention away from Hazel and to my progeny’sErosita.
“It’s where it all began,” Darius replied, his green eyes meeting mine for a brief second before refocusing on his mate. “You stood right there.” He pointed to the center of the stage. “And I was in that chair.” He gestured to the one Ryder sat in now.
Juliet visibly shivered. “Item seventeen…”
“Is a twenty-two-year-old Caucasian female with mahogany hair and chocolate-colored eyes,” Darius continued, clearly reciting something from their past. “Human is five foot seven, one hundred and thirty pounds, and speaks English, Spanish, Japanese, and German. Her other intellectual aptitudes are detailed on page nine of your guide.”
He brushed a lock of her dark hair away from her face, her big eyes radiating affection. “I only saw your shoes.”
