Chapter 4

“I want to go by myself.”

On the way to the hotel, Clarence looked at me, confused. “Why? You always ride with me.”

Because I couldn’t bear to sit in the passenger seat where his new pet had sat countless times.

The thought of Seraphina there, whining for him to pull over so he could feed from her, made me want to vomit.

But I just said, “I feel like being independent tonight.”

Clarence thought nothing of it.

When he took my arm and we entered the hotel, the other vampires stared with a mixture of envy and awe.

In this world, being the consort to Prince Thorne was a dream for countless vampire women.

They had no idea what the position truly cost.

Several Coven elders came to greet us.

Clarence kept his hand on the small of my back, poured me the finest vintage of blood, and whispered in my ear, “This vintage is priceless, but it pales in comparison to your beauty.”

Once, those words would have made me blush.

Now, they just made me want to laugh. In his heart, my worth was clearly less than that of a stripper blood thrall.

Dinner went smoothly, at least on the surface.

Clarence discussed Coven business, occasionally turning to me for my opinion.

I played the part of the perfect Prince’s consort: elegant, intelligent, involved but never overstepping.

At 8:20, Clarence glanced at his watch. “Darling, I need to meet a business partner downstairs. It should only take half an hour.”

“Of course,” I smiled. “I’ll be here.”

A few minutes later, I excused myself from the banquet hall, feigning a headache, and called him.

He answered on the third ring.

“Hey, my love. What’s wrong?” Clarence sounded a bit rushed.

“I’m feeling a little dizzy,” I said, my voice weak. “When will you be back?”

“Soon. Just give me… fifteen more minutes.” His voice suddenly became muffled, as if he was struggling to control something.

And then I heard it.

A woman’s breathless giggle, followed by an obscene sound of swallowing.

“Clarence? Where are you?” I kept my tone worried.

“In… in the office,” he answered, breathing heavily. “My partner just arrived.”

“Mmm… Clarence…” a woman’s breathy moan came from the background.

My hand tightened around my goblet, my knuckles white.

It was unmistakably Seraphina’s voice.

“Darling, you sound strange,” I said, intentionally dragging out the call. “Are you sure everything is alright?”

“Of course… ah…” Clarence struggled to keep his voice steady, but I could tell exactly what he was doing. “This partner is just a bit… demanding.”

“Oh yes, Clarence… right there…” Seraphina’s voice was a blur, clearly unaware the line was still open.

“Hurry, kitten,” Clarence’s voice deepened. “I need to… taste you… now.”

The damning, frantic sound of him swallowing echoed down the line.

I quickly switched on my phone’s recorder, calmly documenting it all.

“Clarence? Clarence?” I called out, feigning panic.

“What? Oh, sorry, my love,” he said, now panting. “Bad signal. I’ll be right up.”

“Okay. I love you,” I said in my sweetest voice.

“I love you too.”

The lie slipped from his tongue so naturally, so practiced.

I saved the recording and returned to the table as if nothing had happened.

Forty minutes later, Clarence returned to the dining room.

His hair was slightly disheveled, his tie crooked, but his face was flushed with satisfaction.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, my love,” he said, sitting beside me. “That partner was a tough negotiation.”

I turned to him and offered a perfect smile. “It’s fine. Business is business.”

He reached for my hand. “You’re the best mate in the world.”

Just then, my phone buzzed.

“The identity glamour and trail-covering spells are ready. Departure in five days.”

I quickly locked the screen, but Clarence caught a glimpse of the message.

“Departure?” he asked, looking at me with a frown. “Molly, are you going somewhere?”