Page 35 of Bitten Vampire (The Bitten Chronicles #2)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Valdarr believes me without question; I can see it in his eyes. He understands I would never make an accusation without proof.

“She’s been right all night,” Ralph says quietly, flicking a glance towards me .

“Not about this. This isn’t right. I’ll carry Simone to her room. I can’t believe you had the gall to spell her. She’s going to be furious when she wakes up. Do you have an antidote?” Tony demands.

“She will wake soon enough,” I murmur, “but you had better tie her to a chair before she does.”

“I’ve known this woman for fifty years,” James protests. “The rest of you have known her for centuries. Now you believe a stranger over Simone? ”

“I certainly wouldn’t have knocked her out if I’d had any other choice.”

Harrison stares at his glass, slides it onto a side table, and watches me as though he expects everyone to drop. His fists clench, and he looks ready to snap my neck at the slightest excuse.

The others look utterly bewildered. James seems frightened, shaking his head as he stares at Simone, disbelief etched across his features.

After everything, they still do not trust me, and I understand. They have no idea what I can do, and for my own safety I’m in no hurry to enlighten them.

“Give us a moment.” Valdarr draws me aside, away from the others, into another room. “This office is soundproof. How much more do you know?”

“A few hours ahead, then nothing,” I whisper. “And I wish I didn’t know even that.”

“Can you tell me anything about what’s coming?”

“No.” I shake my head. “One detail could shift everything. The future feels delicate—dangerous—and I don’t yet understand the rules. Instinct says one wrong word might shatter it.” My lower lip trembles. “I’m frightened. This power scares me, Valdarr.”

He pulls me to his chest and folds his arms around me. Just what I need. After a minute, I reluctantly step back, and his intense gaze darkens. “How vivid are your visions?”

“They feel real. I’m there, watching, a ghost. I can’t interact, but I can move.”

The words pour out. This time nothing blocks them, no overwhelming dread like everything will fall apart if I speak. Even my power knows I’m safe with him .

“It’s strange. I don’t know how to explain it, but when I’m in a vision, thirty seconds here can be hours for me. Tonight I knew what would happen. I knew what to say so we could walk out alive.”

“You did back-to-back visions for hours,” he says, horrified.

I close my eyes, letting myself feel the full despair of my gift. It’s a curse. “I saw you die. I saw us die again and again. I don’t know how it works. Perhaps every change splits the timeline, and those versions of us… end. I’m no theoretician, but I know this is dangerous.”

My voice wavers. “Maybe we have only delayed the inevitable, but we are still here, and this is the last piece of the path I know.”

“I’m sorry you faced that alone,” he says softly.

I shake off my melancholy. “I wasn’t entirely alone, you were there, even if you couldn’t see me.

” I manage a small smile. “Across all those visions I saw you—saw the man you are. You call me ‘sunshine,’ but you are the one who’s blinding.

I was terrified and confused about being your mate, yet now I understand. I see you.”

I open my eyes and meet his gaze. “Us—this—will take adjustment.” I rest a hand on his chest. “I watched you protect me. I have watched you die for me so many times. And I realised… you are not merely a good man. You, Valdarr Blóevakt, Raven of the North, are extraordinary. I’m scared, but I would be honoured to share this life with you, if you will have me. ”

“Is this your romantic declaration?” he asks, wiping my cheeks before kissing me. “I can tell you practised. Why are you crying? That was a ten out of ten. ”

“Because I’m overwhelmed.”

He gently grips my upper arms, solemn. “I’m all in, Fred. And you never have to use your power again. We will find another way, together.”

“I have this magic for a reason. Part of me wants to run, wrap you in bubble wrap and keep you safe forever, but we can’t, can we?” I glance at the door—the clan waits beyond it, Simone still unconscious. “No. We can’t.”

He tries to lighten the mood. “I haven’t got nice boobs, but I do have great abs.”

He lifts his shirt. I laugh despite myself. “Yes, your abs are beautiful.”

He smiles. “If we are together, things will work out. Let’s sort this mess out first.” He starts for the door.

Softer, I add, “For what it’s worth, I hope you understand why I couldn’t tell you, and I’m sorry about Simone. If we don’t restrain her—” I stop and swallow hard. I can’t finish the thought.

“Say no more,” he murmurs.

“I know she’s family. I know you love her.”

“I do. We all do. This will be hard. Looking back, Simone was an obvious target. My father always uses whoever stands closest to me. It’s his modus operandi.

” He kisses my cheek. No speech is needed; as soon as I said her name, his posture—shoulders bowed, eyes bleak—speaks for him. He is devastated.

I had known Simone only briefly, yet I liked her; I had hoped we might become friends. I have precious few friends.

Friends… my insides leap. I hope House is all right. Later, I shall reach out and see whether I can sense even a tr ace of her. She is not exactly human, yet I must try, though doing so will send me sliding once more down the slippery slope of using my magic.

I’m never going to win, am I? Not now that I’ve opened Pandora’s box. The gift is too tempting and I’m not strong enough to resist.

“Get Simone up and secure her to a chair,” Valdarr orders when we get back into the room. Someone has tucked a pillow under her head. “Bind her.”

They hesitate—they don’t want to do it. But he is their leader, and in the end, they obey.

In a few minutes Simone will wake, and they will see for themselves.

“Check her pockets. You will find her phone.”

The unspoken question hangs in the air: How do you know?

Harrison searches her suit coat and produces a compact, password-free phone.

Even though they discovered the hidden phone, they still do not quite believe me. I have already decided I do not have to justify myself or explain anything. As long as my vampire believes me, I could not care less what anyone else thinks.

I am done trying to prove myself.

“You won’t find much on it,” I say, “but she’s expecting a call. She planned to reveal our location.”

James turns to Valdarr. “My liege, please explain.” He glares at me; his confusion has evaporated and switched back to hate.

Valdarr just shakes his head.

Poor guy keeps asking for answers, and I feel kind of bad. At first, I suspected James. I watched him, and a part of me wanted him to be the bad guy. But he is loyal.

When Simone wakes, we all stand before her. She blinks groggily, then strains against the ropes.

“What’s happening?” she slurs. “Harrison?—”

“Is it true?” Harrison asks, voice cold. “Did you betray us?”

The shock on her face looks genuine. “Why would I betray you? You’re my clan—my family! What has she told you? She’s lying! She’s used magic to trick you. My liege, there’s no mate bond. She’s a witch; that’s how she turned. She’ll kill us all and take our clan.”

Valdarr growls—a low, warning sound—but the others still glance at me as though I’m the villain.

“He left you,” I say, studying my nails. “While you were fighting that woman and her clan, he slipped out the back like a coward.”

“He didn’t do it on purpose,” she snaps, baring her fangs. “He left because his life is more important.”

Silence falls. Everyone stares at her.

She tilts her head back and sighs. “Let me go. Knocking me out and tying me up is childish. If anything happens to me, he’ll kill you. Well, he’s going to anyway, but he’ll make you suffer.”

She tugs at the restraints. “Let me go, and I’ll give you a five-minute head start before I call in the cavalry. Face it, you’re on the losing side.”

Harrison steps forward, voice quiet and hard. “Why, Simone? Why did you do this?”

Her eyes widen; a slow smile spreads across her face. “I love him. ”

“Our liege?” James frowns.

“No, dickhead, Eirikr,” she spits. She rolls her eyes and sneers at Valdarr. “I have loved your father all my life. We could have been together if not for you.”

“So you conspired against your own clan?” Harrison presses.

“You were never my clan. I have always belonged to him. I watched you only to protect him. Every scheme, every plan, I told him everything. You wondered how he was always a step ahead? It was because I gave him the advantage. You’re a fool, Valdarr.

He’ll kill her, destroy the Council, and crown himself king. ”

“But he’s already Grand Master,” Ralph says softly. “He is already our king.”

“A monarch in name only. A figurehead. You saw it today,” she snaps. “They discarded him, treated him as nothing. He’s destined to rule the world, not just this poxy little country.”

She turns her loathing on me.

“And you—James was right, you couldn’t even remain a meal . You had to turn, instead of dying. You’re a cockroach. I’m surprised you’re not dead already with the way that you fight.”

“Simone,” Valdarr warns.

“I did it for love,” she hisses. “Centuries of planning, and you , a mere human abomination, ruined everything. I hope he kills you slowly and mounts that mutt of yours on the wall.”

Ralph pales; the others stand silent, shattered.

“We love you,” Tony whispers .

She shrugs. “I never even liked you. Any of you. Pathetic. Weak.”

Then it happens.

The phone rings.

“They will accept a text,” I tell Harrison.

“They won’t,” she snaps. “They’ll speak only to me?—”

“Text them she can’t talk,” I say calmly. “The code word is Winter Green .”

Her eyes widen. “How do you know that?” she shrieks.

Harrison starts fiddling with the phone. “Use the rope and tape in the drawer, bottom left; don’t waste a spell on her,” he says.

Simone kicks, screams and thrashes. The chair rocks from side to side, threatening to tip.

Ralph steps behind her, steadying the frame, while Tony appears with a roll of tape.

Hands shaking, he tears off a strip and presses it firmly across her mouth.

Simone’s protest becomes a muffled, furious howl.

“It was better when she was unconscious,” James mutters.

I nod in agreement.

Harrison sends the message.

Within minutes we have her lashed more securely to the chair. A full search yields several concealed weapons, which Harrison pockets before we leave. The war machine is abandoned for a fresh convoy of blacked-out vehicles. Daylight is coming, and we must move.

The new safe house occupies a discreet, modern block of luxury apartments in the Human Sector. Geometric lines and clean angles define the structure, its facade sheathed in sleek grey cladding broken only by narrow, glass-edged balconies.

Once inside, we switch to the live feed from the cameras left behind. The assassins arrive moments later, clad once more in black-and-grey tactical gear. They breach with chilling efficiency.

Harrison narrates the assault in a low, clinical voice. I feel anything but calm. Valdarr stands behind me; I lean against his abs while Baylor presses against my legs. My fingers curl into his soft fur.

The attackers enter the building.

Had we still been there, we would be dead.

I count the seconds. Wait. The building explodes.

The interior feed whites out. An external camera, hidden in the trees, shows fire tearing through the structure. Smoke billows. Wreckage burns.

No survivors. Simone is gone.

In the time I have known Valdarr, I have seen his kindness, his control, his patience—but also his ruthlessness. Other clans do not challenge him because they remember what happens when they do. He never starts a war; he merely ends it. Completely. No second chances.

That is how he stands unopposed as heir, and why only the young or the foolish imagine he has gone soft.

By tomorrow night, every clan will have heard the gossip: another assassination attempt has failed.