All Chapters of MARKED BY THE VAMPIRE PRINCE : Chapter 31 - Chapter 39

Aritzea’s POVIt’s been a month. Thirty days, twenty-three hours, and some change—not that I’m counting—since that godforsaken meeting where my brother decided I wasn’t good enough for the mission I started. Since he decided that handing my hard work over to Ethan and stripping me of any involvement was the smart thing to do.And since then, I haven’t set foot back in that house.Thorne’s called, of course. Many, many times. And every time, I hit decline. He sent messages, I left them on read. He even tried sending our sister to try and convince me to come home—sweet, innocent Laura with her puppy-dog eyes and shaky little voice. That one nearly broke me. Nearly, being the key word here. I still said no. Because going back means forgiving him. It means pretending that what he did wasn’t a betrayal. And frankly, I’m not ready for that right now.I keep in touch with Laura, though. She doesn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of this mess. But as far as Thorne goes? Since he could ea

Aritzea’s POVSoon enough, Lucian and I were sitting in front of my little desk, going through my information and comparing it with what he had. His files were far more extensive than what I had but I’d snagged details he’d overlooked.“I’ve been there a couple of times,” I said, fingers flying over my keyboard. “Took pictures. A few videos too.”The recordings popped up on my screen. I hit play, and Lucian leaned in closer to see. Too close. My shoulders tensed automatically but then, I forced myself to relax.I kept my gaze fixed on the screen where the footage showed the dim-lit auction, the camera lingering on a bidder. Like every other person at the auction, her face was covered in a mask. She raised her tag to bid and I froze the video.“Watch her hand.” I murmured, slowing the playback.She raised the tag, then switched it around. Once. Twice. Lucian’s brows drew together as I continued. “I caught a few others doing the same thing. And every time, one of them ended up being th

Aritzea’s POVBy the next week, everything was set.My bags were packed, disguises sorted, fake IDs printed. The rest of the dull logistics were handled by Armand—who is practically a miracle worker in a suit.We’d be leaving for the small town tomorrow. Staying there for a while to dig deeper, track down the hunters, and figure out what the hell they were really doing. Within the past week, they've gone completely silent.But still, I didn't think this was the end of it. It was probably a plan, a clever tactic to cause us to drop our defenses. And Lucian and I had to try to find them before they hit again.Since I would be gone for quite some time, I knew disappearing without a word would worry my siblings. So, like a semi-decent person, I texted them. [Going on a trip. A month or so. Don’t worry about me.]Laura replied first. [Be safe, okay?]Thorne didn't reply. Or rather he couldn't since I immediately blocked his number again after I sent the message. At least he'd know. I didn

Aritzea’s POVIt must have been hours later when I finally woke up to something touching my shoulder.I kept my eyes closed, completely disarmed against the warmth seeping though the layers of the blanket and my clothes to my skin.“What?” I mumbled groggily to whoever touched me.“Aritzea,” Lucian’s voice murmured. “We’re landing.”I groaned something vague that was probably, “Five more minutes.”For some reason, I felt really tired and drowsy. I guess that's what happens when you're trying to capture a group of extremists trying to exterminate your clan.I heard Lucian walk away as I drifted back into sleep. But just a second later, he was touching my shoulder again.“What?” I grumbled.“We’re already on the ground.”I peeled the eye mask off and squinted up at him. His silver eyes are fixed on me, his brows furrowed in question.“Stop hovering,” I muttered, sitting up.He stepped back, gaze still on me. “You seem exhausted.” He stated.I yawn as I push the blanket off me. Wait… bla