His voice was soft and gentle, almost caressing. It was nothing like the business tone he’d spoken to the Royal with. No, it almost sounded like he was speaking to his lover. My brows arched at that thought. It wasn’t just his voice that was tender, the look on his face was a reflection of pure longing. It was the kind of passionate look I imagined romance novels describing.Even in this wretched prison, he stared at her like no one else existed, no one but her.I was almost envious. I could only wonder what it felt like to have a man look at me like I was the most beautiful creature in the world. It would never be my reality though. That kind of treatment was reserved for pretty little flowers like Eliza and Lacey, not withered plants like me.I was stuck with my ever-one-sided crush on a man who saw me as nothing more than a sibling.Strangely, Eliza who usually threw fits when her servants accidentally brushed the fabric of her clothes, didn’t seem at all repulsed by his touch.Cou
ALLISON’S POVHer name left a sour taste on my tongue as it rolled off my lips. My luck couldn’t possibly get any shittier than this.Eliza.A vampire of noble origins and Michail’s wife, or rather widow. She hadn’t changed even the slightest bit in the past decade. Not a wrinkle nor even the faintest spot marred her porcelain skin, nothing to indicate the time that had passed. It was the same platinum hair, the same cold blue eyes and the same ethereal beauty that made me question more than once if she was part fae.Eliza Morley. She was what I imagined the goddesses of old looked like. The type of beauty that men waged wars over. I could only imagine the number of males dying for a chance to merely breathe the same air as her.She was delicate and petite in a way that made males grow protective, but unfortunately, she’d never succeeded in evoking those protective instincts in Michail.Her slender body was clad in a tight navy blue dress that emphasised her soft curves. It was a mode
ALLISON’S POV But what other choice did I have? Already I felt extremely jittery without the blade by my side. Time and time again I’d reached low to grip the hilt in search of the comfort it offered only to find the sword missing. That sword was the most important thing I owned. It signified my triumph over Michail. It was a testament to everything I’d endured and overcome. Most importantly, it was mine. It was the one thing that truly belonged to me in this world where everything had been taken from me. It was my trophy, regardless of how I’d acquired it. As unreasonable as it sounded, I wasn’t willing to part ways with it. I’ll have to get it back. How hard could it be? I’ve gone on plenty of heists in the past and more than enough stealth and recon missions. Spying on or stealing items from scary immortals without getting caught wasn’t new to me. Sure, all those missions were done in a team with Damien covering my ass, but how different could it be? Yeah, I could do thi
ALLISON’S POVIt was a deep and rich scent, a mix of cinnamon and spices I couldn’t quite recognise but found pleasing nevertheless. I found myself taking a deep breath in.He smelled… good. My head grew fuzzy.A click reached my ears, momentarily distracting me from the broad chest barely inches away from my face. The clanking sound of metal followed as something hit the stone floors.Suddenly I felt myself inching downwards as the ground drew closer. I was falling. Firm hands on my waist kept me from a painful greeting with the stone beneath my feet and my breath hitched at the unexpected contact.Strange tension sizzled in the air around us as I locked eyes with the Royal. His hand rested on bare skin from where my top had ripped on the way here and his touch felt scalding despite the natural chill of the prison. How could a vampire be this warm? Why wasn’t I repulsed by his touch?And why was my heart pounding so violently?Suddenly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar feeling, I tried t
ALLISON’S POVFocus, Allison.Focus on anything else but the thirst.But that was easier said than done when all I could think of was the unbearable dryness that plagued my throat. It was maddening.My skin was hot and damp with my sweat but this wasn’t a side effect of the poison. No, the poison had long worn off. Neither Alistair nor his master had returned with another dose in hours. Whether they’d forgotten about their prisoner or had something more devious brewing was beyond me but I was grateful for the reprieve.I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to not feel like the blood in my veins had turned to acid or like millions of tiny spears repeatedly pierced my skin.The period of reprieve hadn’t lasted long, however, because the pain returned with violence and it wasn’t because of the poison.What I felt now was fully the brunt of the change happening to my body. I’d read the transition came with an assortment of symptoms but this was unbearable, almost as bad as the poison. My
ELIAS’ POVMy whole body stiffened, his words weighing heavy on me like weights that had fallen on my shoulders. That was one name I hadn’t wanted to hear mentioned for at least a good while. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at Carmen, the disdain clear in my tone when I spoke.“What about her?”Receptive as he was, Carmen heard the ice in my voice because he took the smallest step backwards in caution before clearing his throat and righting his stance.“It has been days since you’ve taken the hunter into custody. I was wondering when you would inform the lady of the hunter’s capture.”My eyes drifted away from the cabinet, all thoughts of alcohol vanishing as I lifted myself to my feet. I turned to Carmen and the look of alarm that flashed over his features told me my eyes glowed at that moment, but he quickly masked his disquiet with his usual expression of indifference. It wasn’t the Morley way to show fear. It was admirable that he kept to that stance even now that there was n