Page 30 of A Bond Beyond Blood (The Butcher’s Daughter Trilogy #1)

V inny

Our two weeks were officially up. Elias would return any moment now, and I had no idea what that meant for Jacqueline.

We’d danced around the conversations we needed to have multiple times over the past fourteen days; I’d been a coward.

I couldn’t delay any longer.

My secret would continue to eat away at me, though, continue to threaten whatever was happening between us, until I laid it out on the table.

I’d lied because I wanted to be near her, and telling her the truth, informing her that she didn’t stand a chance against any vampire, would have only driven her away.

Which could still happen now, but she deserved honesty—both about what I’d done and the gravity of Elias Bristol’s presence in her life.

I wanted her to know everything so she could be strong and prepared for his arrival.

As a vampire king, royalty simply because he’d been born rather than made , Elias was a formidable adversary.

The most formidable. I doubted Jacqueline had any damn idea of the trouble she was in now that she’d caught his attention.

Hell, even I didn’t have a clue, but nothing good could come of the king’s return—and his interest in my girl.

After a quick shopping trip downstairs, where I’d double checked the locks on every point of entry to the butcher shop and ensured Jacqueline’s employees—both those she’d hired and the staff I’d brought in to help while she recovered—had turned off all the lights after their short shift this morning, I’d prepared a meal fit for a queen.

Or the princess of the Fiorino family, as it were.

Setting up the first course for my girl, I plated aged soppressata and bresaola beside some fresh burrata, arranged the baguette slices around the outer edge of the wooden board, and grabbed a bottle of red wine, setting it all out on the coffee table.

Her eyes widened comically as she took in the charcuterie, then she grinned up at me as I uncorked the wine and filled our glasses.

Admittedly, I was trying to butter my girl up, sweeten the blow of what I was about to tell her, but also... making her smile had quickly become one of my favorite pastimes.

I offered Jacqueline a glass of wine and settled onto the couch beside her, propping one leg up between us to keep a little safe distance. Experience told me that if I got too close, I’d be unable to keep my hands off of her.

“Cheers,” she said, offering me a glimpse of that sweet smile. “To new things.”

I smirked and clinked my glass against hers. “New things like us?”

Jacqueline’s gaze fell and she bit into her bottom lip, but I didn’t miss the faint flush reddening her cheeks.

“To us,” I said firmly.

Jacqueline met my gaze, gave a quick but firm nod, then took a drink.

I took a sip from my own glass, letting the tart cherry essence of the wine linger on my tongue before swallowing, then I reached for a slice of bresaola and popped it into my mouth.

Jacqueline’s mouth formed a cute little oh of surprise. “I thought you couldn’t eat?”

Cocking one eyebrow, I finished chewing, then licked my lips. “We don’t need to eat, but that doesn’t mean we can’t .”

Her brows furrowed thoughtfully, then she nodded. “I guess that makes sense.” She motioned to my wine glass. “I’ve seen you drink wine and whiskey.”

“Coffee sometimes, too.”

“But not because you need the energy...”

“Correct. Simply because I miss the taste.”

Her brow furrowed. “You told me ‘I don’t eat donuts’.”

My lips twisted. “First of all, I don’t sound like that, and second of all, of course I don’t eat donuts. They’re disgusting.”

Jacqueline laughed. “They’re fantastic little fluffs of goodness.”

“Debatable.”

“I think this is our first disagreement.”

“And look at that,” I said with a wink and a flourish of my hands. “We survived.”

She nodded then reached for a slice of bread and smeared a hunk of burrata across the top of it. “So...” She shoved the food into her mouth and I chuckled.

“Well that’s one way to get the conversation going.”

Her eyes sparkled but she didn’t speak with her mouth full.

Taking a deep breath, I set my wine glass down and draped my arm across the back of the couch as I turned toward her more fully.

As I was gathering my thoughts, she spoke first.

“I know why Eli is here.”

I’d figured as much when I learned he was the vampire she’d been so intent on fighting that she’d sought me out, hiring a vampire to train her even while she loathed my kind. But I’d accepted the fact that she most likely wasn’t going to tell me why .

But with a nod, I waited.

“My father, when he was dying,” she started, breathing deeply to compose herself, “he told me about Eli, about the vampire he’d signed a blood bond with.”

My intake of breath was audible, but I tried to hide the tensing of my muscles from Jacqueline, hoping she didn’t notice the change in my posture.

A blood bond.

Fuck.

Deals with vampires were not to be taken lightly.

How the hell had Franco found himself indebted to a vampire?

And a king, no less!

“Say something,” Jacqueline whispered, her voice as shaky and uneven as the ground suddenly felt beneath my feet.

“I’m sorry, I...” I shook my head. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“It’s a big deal, isn’t it?”

I held her gaze, wishing with all my might that I could lie to this girl. But I wouldn’t, never again. My previous deception left her unprepared for a fight she could never possibly win, an error in judgement I’d never forgive myself for making.

With a heavy sigh, I admitted, “Yes, it is a very big deal.”

Her shoulders deflated and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to pull her into my arms for comfort, but we had to do this now.

The conversation could not wait any longer and we’d proven that we couldn’t be trusted to communicate—with words, anyway—if our bodies were too close together.

I couldn’t allow myself to get swept up in her until I’d come clean.

And she’d obviously withheld a few things from me as well.

“Tell me about the blood bond, the deal Franco made... How much do you know?”

“Not much.” She sucked her teeth as she considered. “My mother died in childbirth, but somehow, I lived, and now Eli’s blood runs through my veins. So... connect the dots, I guess.”

I nodded, having gleaned that much from things he’d said after they fought, but connecting the dots wasn’t as easy as she might have hoped. “The thing is, vampires can’t procreate, not unless both have royal blood, and unless your mom was somehow—”

Jacqueline snorted. “I don’t think my mom was a royal vampire, if that’s what you mean.”

I offered her a small smile. “It’s not the craziest thing to ever happen.

I mean, vampires have been around a lot longer than humans realize.

Hundreds of years before the treaty and our subsequent exposure to the masses.

It’s not completely off base to think that Elias isn’t the only remaining royal on this continent, but.

..” I grimaced. “But that would mean...” I trailed off, reluctant to voice the direction my thoughts were intent to travel.

“That would mean Elias is my dad, and my dad is... was... not my dad.” Jacqueline sighed. “I don’t think so. Elias seemed shocked that I had his blood in my veins, and as annoyed as I was that he could hear my thoughts. I think... if he’d been with my mom...”

Her eyes went wide and I tensed. “Jacqueline...?”

She blinked, then shuddered. “Sorry, just thinking about that...” Shaking her head, she said more firmly, “No. There’s no way Eli is my dad. He hit on me.”

I stiffened, but I’d assumed as much. I’d witnessed their obvious interest in one another and—

“It wasn’t, like, outright ,” she whispered. “More of a feeling I picked up on, some of the things he said or maybe just the way he said them.”

I nodded, too incensed to speak.

And then, as if the devil had been listening for his cue, he appeared.

Below, in the parking lot that backed up to the shop and apartment, two car doors slammed shut. Elias had returned. And he wasn’t alone.

I flew off the couch and Jacqueline gasped as I strode toward the door.

“Vinny?” she whispered. “What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

Her words stopped me in my tracks. I closed my eyes, tilted my head back, then exhaled, pushing my anger and that blinding rush of possessiveness out with my breath.

Then I turned back around, walked to the couch and bent over it, cradling her face in one hand as I held her gorgeous blue gaze.

“I’m sorry, sweet girl. I never want to scare you.

” I placed a tender kiss on her forehead and added, “We have company.”