Aldric’s POV That world comes to a standstill. The light from the fire crackles and dances against the wall, casting the room in its gentle glow. Shadows dance across Simone’s beautiful body, caressing her curves, licking at her soft skin. I pull my trembling, precious bride into my arms, her breath coming in shallow, excited gasps. Her heart pounds rapidly against my chest, and even though the air is alive with the musky scent of her arousal, I can still feel that familiar fear rippling under the surface. “You still want me to tell you that it’s okay?” I ask. “You want me to give you an order?” She stares at me with her big, sad eyes. “Yes. Tell me what you want me to do.” If she were anyone else, this wouldn’t be so difficult. But she’s not. She’s Simone. My one and only true bride. She is different. Special. I want her to want me. I don’t just want her to be with me because she’s afraid of Baron. I don't want to order her to have sex with me. I do it anyway, because that's what
Simone’s POVThe day Baron came to my room the first time and so violently took me, I knew my life would take one of only two paths. I’d end up dead before my thirtieth birthday, or Baron would turn me so he could own me in every way possibleIf I had a million guesses, I would never have imagined my life taking such a sharp turn into a completely different direction. There is a chance now, however slim, that I might have a life. Maybe I'd have the same chance if Baron turn me, but something tells me that my life with him would have been a bigger hell that it had been when I was still human.I am glad that it was Aldric who claimed me and made me in the end and not Baron. He sighs and pulls out of me, hissing softly as he does. I feel empty and cold without him. As if a part of me had been broken off and thrown away.How did this happen? How is this my life? I felt a shift between us the moment he entered me. It happened all at once and oh so completely. It was like two halves beco
Simone's POV We sit on the little hill overlooking the town. The old school that served as a meeting hall yesterday is empty and dark tonight. When it's just the two of us, the world feels right. Peaceful even. The walk into town only served as a stark reminder that I am not ‘one of us’ anymore, but that I am now ‘one of them.’ The vampires. The oppressors. I've become the bad guy. The humans here are not as scared of vampires as the humans back in Baron’s ward are, but they are still careful and try to stay out of our way. Their fear should probably bother me, but it doesn't. I can see why the neophytes tend to go on power trips. Knowing that you've risen to the top of the food chain, that you've become the apex predator, is a hell of a high. “Not what you expected, huh?” Aldric asks and pulls his legs up so he can rest his forearms on his knees. “It’s exactly what I expected. Humans hate vampires.” “You’re not used to humans walking circles around you though, are you?” I snort
Aldric's POVI hate talking about my human life. It’s bad enough that I tend to go back there every day - revisiting the past during my waking hours just seems like masochism at this point, but Simone is the one person who deserves to know about my past. She has to live with me for a very long time. “Where did you go?” she asks after a while. “After you ran...did he go after you?”“No, he didn’t.”**I fled from the manor house in a blind panic. I knew the land as well as I knew my own body and could find my way back home blindfolded in the dark.I did not go home that night.Half a summer of hearty meals and physical exercise on the farm had strengthened me, and I didn't know just how far I ran until my legs finally gave out and the sun came up. Only then, did I stop and realise that I was no longer on Dunkeld's estate.At that point, it was too late to go back home. I had left without permission. I wasn't educated at the time, but I knew enough of the world to understand that Dunkel
Aldric's POVWe make it back to the house just as the sun starts to rise. Without thinking about it, Simone turns away from me to go to her bedroom. She is shattered. She hasn't had the easiest rebirth, and the last few days had been more eventful than most, even for me.Despite her obvious fatigue, she insisted that I give her a few flying lessons before we came back. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem particularly adept to the art of staying afloat. She kept dropping like a stone every time I let her go, and I had to catch her before she splattered on the ground.I grab her by the arm and pull her back. “Where are you going?”“Bed,” she says and yawns loudly while ruffling her windswept hair. "I'm tired."“Yes,” I reply and point to my door, “over there. You’ll be sleeping with me from now on.”“Why haven’t I been sleeping with you from the start then?”“I didn’t trust myself with you.”She tries to smile, gives up and shuffles past me into our bedroom. She stops dead when she sees the
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