Simone's POVI don't move. I can't. The best I can do is to stare at Aldric with my mouth hanging open. For his part, he doesn’t look in the least bit concerned. “I expected him to show up here after I declared procreation illegal in my ward.”Sebastian glances at me before he speaks to his father. “That’s not why he’s here.”“Oh, I know why he's really here,” Aldric says.I should be scared right now. I should be balls-out terrified, but all I feel is glee. He came to us. This is our home. The vampires and humans here are loyal to us. “We can kill him.”“He’s an ancient,” Sebastian says. “He can’t be killed.”“Chop of his head and let him petrify…whatever,” I say. “We have the upper hand.”“We don’t,” Aldric informs me. “I have spies in my household, and I told you before that it’s nearly impossible to decapitate a vampire as old as Baron.” He turns to Sebastian. “Show him to my office and tell Zane to get a room ready for him.”“Yes, Father.” Sebastian's eyes flit in my direction th
Aldric's POV I gasp and try to pull myself out of Baron’s grasp, but I have forgotten how strong he is. Even now, as a vampire, I can't budge the man. He's stuck to me like glue to paper. From the corner of my eyes, I see Aldric vault over the desk. In a blink, he's by our side and manages to grab Baron’s chin a moment before his fangs sink into my neck. If he gets a taste of my blood he’ll know that nothing has changed. I still have golden blood, I can still make him high. Aldric sticks two fingers in Baron’s mouth and yanks downwards, dislocating the ancient vampire’s jaw. A loud pop is quickly followed by the sound of his flesh tearing. With a wet squelch, Aldric rips Baron’s jaw clear off. Blood explodes from the gaping wound. The ancient vampire grunts and stumbles backward, gagging and gurgling, he brings his hand to his mouth. “Whu yah ‘oo?” he tries to ask. “I warned you. I have every right to hand you over to the council for judgement,” Aldric says. “Uh,” Baron grunts.
Aldric's POV “Where are you going?” Lazarus asks as he watches me pack my things. “I have to go get Imogen.” “The fuck you say.” “Uh-huh.” “Oh Christ Lazarus,” I moan and grab some clean shirts from my dresser. “How am I going to explain this to Simone? She thinks her mother is dead.” “Have you just, I don’t know, tried talking to her?” I shake my head and throw a t-shirt into my backpack. “I want to protect her so badly.” “You can’t protect her against everything.” “I can damn-well try. She didn’t have the easiest life, you know?” Lazarus nods. “Neither did you, Brother, and Darrick didn’t hide things from you, did he?” “I hated his guts though.” “And if you’re not careful, Simone will start to hate yours. What happened? How did Imogen end up in a cage in the Tyr family’s crypt?” I sigh and sag to the bed. “Imogen washed up the next night, still alive.” “Naturally.” “Darma found her.” “Oh sweet Jesus.” “Uh-huh. She bound Imogen with some kind of magic and took her to
Aldric's POV We fly through the night and most of the day, just so we can catch up with Luban and Malachi when we're halfway between the pits and Baron's estate. We meet up with them the next night and find a secluded spot. While my sons fly overhead to look out for spies, I fill them in on the plan. “I’m truly, deeply, sick to death of fucking Baron,” Malachi laments. “You should have let your bride kill him.” “Don’t be such a fucking dolt, you moron,” Luban scolds Malachi. “Is she worth it?” he asks me. “I think she is. I love her. You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to? She's my bride and my responsibility.” My brothers smile at me. "We look after our own," Malachi says. Neither of them has ever imprinted, and they’re older than me, but both of them had fallen in love and have turned the women they loved. “It wasabout time, wasn’t it?” Luban asks. "For you to take a proper bride?" “I suppose. Can we focus on the plan?” “What’s to focus on? Malachi, Hagar and
Simone's POV Lazarus and Sebastian take it upon themselves to keep me occupied while Aldric is gone. I don’t have much time to think about him, but during the day, I find myself unable to sleep, and when I do manage to fall asleep, I always go back to that beach where Aldric found me on the night of my rebirth. I miss him with everything inside me, and every morning when I go to bed, I hope that I’ll find him in my dreams as I did on the day before he left, but either he doesn’t go to sleep, or we are too far apart to find each other. I didn't know vampires could get tired, but I am. I am exhausted. Every night,I go to the office where Sebastian teaches me how to work the computer and sort through the files, and when I’m done there, Lazarus takes me to the mansion gardens where he'll either give me lessons in sword fighting or flying. I'm not too bad with the sword, but my flying lessons aren't going too well. Lazarus's efforts are about as successful as Aldric was. “Why I can’t
Aldric's POV I almost let my mask slip when Darrick speaks behind me. I had been so focused on Asmodeus that I didn’t sense my father’s awakening or his approach. His sudden appearance at once filled me with joy and dread. Luban takes up position behind me and puts his hand on my shoulder. Like me, he’s nearly paralysed with fear. Asmodeus is the only vampire in existence that possesses all the talents, and while he will not kill us, he won’t hesitate to use any of his powers against us. Before the originals ushered him into his tomb two centuries ago, he did it just for shits and giggles. "It gives me a tingle," he used to joke. “Oh relax,” Asmodeus says. “I won’t touch your son. Your special little boy this one, isn’t he?” he asks sarcastically. "The untouchable one." I chance a look over my shoulder at my father. For a vampire that had been petrified for a century, he looks fantastic. “All my children are special in their own ways,” Darrick says, but we all know he’s lying. I’
Simone's POV “How’s your bloodlust?” Lazarus asks. I shrug. I haven’t felt anything close to it since those first two nights. Even my emotions seem to be doing okay. If I didn't know better, I'd say I'd been a vampire all my life. “Under control.” “You are a very different kind of neophyte,” he says. “My youngest daughter, she’s ten now, still battles with it.” Before I can answer him, Lazarus disappears, but within seconds he's back with the potion Vesper brewed for me. “I don’t know if this will work against Asmodeus, but you’d better drink a double dose of this.” I stare at the potion in disgust. “Is it really necessary?” He nods and takes a step back from me. I notice the grimace on his face and the tight muscles in his neck. “I can smell your blood, and if I can smell it-” “Every powerful vampire can. Okay.” I accept the cup from Lazarus and quickly empty it while I watch the group of vampires come ever closer. My new brother takes up position next to me and narrows his e
Aldric's POV “I don’t belong to you,” Simone says through gritted teeth. “I belong to no one.” Technically, she does belong to me and as he said, we all belong to Asmodeus. Even the twenty-one, that somehow managed to defy his orders so they could wrestle him into the catacombs, belong to him. Shortly before he walked in there himself, I asked Darrick how they did it, how they managed to ignore Asmodeus’s hold over them, but he never answered me. I should ask my father that question again. Given that the first vampire has been resurrected and has clearly taken an interest in my bride, that might be valuable information to have at some point in the future. Asmodeus pulls my bride tightly against him. “Denying it doesn’t change the facts.” "Let her go," I say. Asmodeus turns on me, his red eyes pinning me in place. "She is mine to do with as I please." I can't move. Helpless, all I can do is I watch as the vampire paws at my bride, running his hands over her neck and shoulders. L