Aldric's POVBaron lets out a loud wail and comes straight at me. I leap into the air, and all he manages to do is to smash the chair I just vacated. “Yes,” I say. “Keep doing more of that. Destroy everything you’ve worked for and built. That’s a great idea.”“You took her,” he bellows. “You took her from me.”“I didn’t. She tried to defend herself. I saw it all. By the time I got here, you had already drained most of her blood. I tried to save her, but…she was too far gone.”“Lies!” Baron hisses and jumps back to his feet.My eyes fall on the stake still lying on the mattress. I throw it at his feet. “She tried to defend herself with this.”Baron’s eyes go wide and he bends over to pick up the piece of wood. “Why would I kill her? I love her.”“You lost control. It happens to the best of us.”The hand holding on to the stake goes limp and the wood falls to the floor with a loud clatter. “But I never have…I never…I never…”“She said no to you and you lost your damn mind.”“You heard h
Aldric's POV“Yes,” I say and step into the kitchen. That strange pull she has over me is compelling me to move forward. It’s almost as if I have no control over my own limbs. “I am sorry I didn’t come to say hello right away. Vesper said you were asleep.”“I can’t sleep at night,” she says.“Of course. You’ll get used to it.”She nods. “I guess so. I didn't really like it to be honest.”"The daylight?"Her head keeps bopping up and down. "It hurts my eyes and stings my skin.""You're just not used to it. You need to go outside. You need sunlight. It's good for you.""Maybe," she says and starts to chew the inside of her mouth.“Are you okay?”“I don’t…I don’t know what to do.”“Whatever you like.”“No,” she says and shakes her head. “No, it doesn’t work that way.”“Why not?” I take the seat on the bench opposite her and try to ignore her enticing scent. I just fed, and still my mouth waters for her.“Surely I have duties? If I’m not to be your or Vesper’s donor, then I must do somet
Simone's POV Dumbfounded, I stand in the kitchen, staring at the door. I don’t even bother to go after Aldric or go out to try to find him. There’s really no point. What happened? What did I do? I’ve never touched a vampire of my own free will. I’ve never trusted a vampire or wanted them near me. Aldric is different though. I want him here with me. I want to know what it will feel like to be possessed by him. There was a time that the thought of another vampire touching me would send me screaming to my death, but now I desire it. No, I don't, I realise. I just desire him. Why? Why am I suddenly like this? I can’t trust him. I can’t trust a vampire. Even the ones who claim to love you, like Baron, will hurt you in the end. It’s all they know. They thrive on it. Tired and confused, I leave the kitchen and go to my new bedroom. I pull the curtains shut so the sun won’t bother me when it comes up and get into bed, clothes and all. I lie awake for a long time, listening to the sounds
Simone's POV“I'm ready,” I say and yawn loudly.My arm still hurts, but not as much as it did five minutes ago. My head spins like a top, and my thoughts have slowed down to a crawl. Everything around me moves in slow motion, and I battle to focus on any one thing.What did Vesper give me?Aldric manoeuvres himself so he can sit behind me and gently pulls me back until I lie flush against him. Under any other circumstances, I’d question his actions, but the medicine has rendered me stupid, and having Aldric’s warm body against my back is comforting. I feel oddly safe. Protected.“Brace yourself, Poppet,” Vesper says.“Hm-hm,” I mumble.Aldric’s arms snake around me, and he pins me down. I’m aware that Vesper has my left wrist in his hands, but I barely notice. I’m too focused on Aldric and how good his mere touch makes me feel.The next moment a sharp pain shatters my happy little dreamland, and for those few seconds everything comes back into stark, clear reality. I think I scream w
Aldric's POVLeaving Simone was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my endless, immortal life. It literally felt as if I tore myself in two, and left a part of my soul behind.Despite my brother's dire warnings, I left, firmly believing that it would get better as time went on, even though I knew better and had seen other vampires battle with the same thing.Hubris is every vampire's mortal enemy, and I fell victim to it.Before I left that day, Vesper tried to talk me out of it yet again, but I wouldn’t listen to him. “Look after her,” I said before I walked out of the gates. “Keep her safe.”“You can’t just go, Aldric.” Vesper tried for the hundredth time to get through to me. “You’ll go mad with longing.”“No, I won’t. She’s human. It will be over before we know it, and I can go on with my life, empty and meaningless as it may be from now on. How long do humans live these days anyway? Sixty years? I have forty years left to go.”“That’s how long yours live. Mine often make
**TRIGGER WARNING: The next few chapters deal with abortion issues.** Aldric’s POV It’s not possible to feel even worse that I have this last month or so. This cannot be. “Did…how?” I say through dead lips. “Did you allow your humans to take advantage of her?” “Of course not. She won’t talk about it. She withdrew completely into herself. She just…she’s very unwell.” “Is the pregnancy making her sick?” Vesper nods but doesn’t say anything else. “So…could it be a vampire’s?” “It’s so rare, but yes…that’s the only other explanation.” “Well…she has to end it, Vesper! It will kill her.” “I tried telling her, but…she won't talk to me. I think she’s pining for you and maybe, just maybe, she is under the impression that the child will fill the void you left behind.” “Oh…she’s human, she has no void like that.” “Wow,” my brother says under his breath. “You really think that, don’t you?” “Yes, I really think that. Do you remember how they used to jump from one partner to the next? Th
Simone's POV Aldric says something to Vesper in a language I don’t understand before they step outside. I don’t know what they want to talk about, but vampires are like that – always holding all their undead secrets close to their hearts. I missed Aldric. I didn’t think I would, I barely know him, but I started missing him mere hours after he left. It was as if he took a part of me with him, and when he returned he gave it back. When he asked me about the pregnancy, I intended to tell him the same lie I’ve been telling everyone else, which pretty much boils down to ‘I am sure I will love it.’ Lately, I’ve been so very tired, and I hate myself for resenting the thing growing inside me. I can’t think of it as a child or a baby. I can feel it inside me, crawling and twisting, sucking me dry like an orange, and like every other vampire, it’s gorging itself on my blood. Yet, like me, the creature asked for none of it. That is what keeps me awake at night. Neither of us had a choice in t
Aldric's POV**TRIGGER WARNING** This chapter is a little rough and contains pregnancy loss and other graphic scenes. Proceed with caution.I don’t know why, but I try to get between Vesper and Simone. I suddenly see my brother, one of the few people I trust with my very life and my heart, as a threat.He roughly pushes me away and I growl at him like a demented werewolf. “Go hold her instead,” he says, his tone calm. “Use your magic touch and give her your blood.”“She is a slow healer.”“It’s better than nothing, and better than what I can do. If worst comes to worst, you can turn her, but you’re not going to get it done from down here.”I crawl up the bloody bed, it reminds me so much of that night she attacked Baron, and lift her so I can hold her. I don’t even want to look at Vesper. Everything inside me wants to kill him for touching my bride in such an intimate way, but I’m not so caught up by my desire that I fail to realise that I won’t be able to stay calm enough to see her