Page 107 of Bonds of Starfall

Only to find Rhyden Valkar sitting on the bed by her legs. His red eyes were shining a deep maroon, almost neon, as he studied her—no,consumedher.

He looked so different than the photos online. His white hair was shorn closer to his scalp on the sides, the top messy in a way that made it look like he spent time on it. His lashes were dark,lining those vampiric red eyes, and his skin was so pale that his veins were easily seen. His dark button-up hung loose around his broad shoulders, the top few buttons undone to reveal his pale chest, and the small hint of a tattoo peeking out at the skin over his heart—the faint image of a swirl, but she could see nothing else.

Rin’s eyes narrowed as they stared at each other, and she kept her arms still above her.

Valkar’s lips quirked into a smirk. It was almost demeaning, in a way. "There you are, wife. Did you sleep well?" The veins in his forearms bulged as he rolled up his shirtsleeves, the thick silver rings on his fingers catching in the low light of the room. "I’d apologize for tying you up, but we both know I’m not sorry. It’s the least you fucking deserve for what you did to me."

Maybe it was her erratic heart, or the way her head was still pounding from whatever drugs he had given her to make her sleep, but she struggled to understand him. "What do you mean? What did I do to you?"

Her eyes widened as he shifted, until he sat at her hip, his fingers brushing the edges of her shirt as he braced a hand on the mattress and leaned down. Her fingers clenched around the silks. The hairpin burned against her side. Not yet.

His fangs flashed as he leaned over her, a strand of white hair falling over his forehead. "Do you think I’ll fall for your tricks again? I might have at one time, but I’ve changed, Vesperin. I’m not the male you first met and conned. I’ve built an empire for myself here in Lunar City, and I won’t be giving it up so easily." He blew out a harsh breath, and she swore she might be dreaming as he hissed, "Even when you still fucking tempt me with your goddamn eyes and those lips."

The vampire’s red eyes dipped to trace the shape of her mouth, and without her permission, her tongue peeked out to wet her bottom lip, tasting iron from the cut.

Rin needed him closer for what she planned to do.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why are you calling me that?Wife?" she asked.

"Just because you died after living the high life on my fucking coin, doesn’t mean we’re not still wed, VesperinValkar," he drawled. "I’ve had so many lonely nights to come up with my revenge. But seeing you tied to my bed, all I want is to taste your blood. Maybe I’ll reclaim what you took from me that way."

She released a gasp as his hand moved to the pillow by her head, and he loomed over her, fangs flashing between them. The rings on his fingers were cold as his palm spanned her cheek, his thumb running over the split flesh of her tender lower lip.

"Look at you, wife. You still have power over me, even after what you did. I thought I’d be stronger than this," he spat like a curse.

And Rin pounced.

The silken ties fluttered around her as she moved her hands, reaching under her waistband for the hairpin as she brandished it in a quick flash, the pointed end stabbing up into the vampire’s gut where he half-leaned over her in the bed. His hand stilled on her cheek, breath coming in a low, cool gust, smelling of peppermint and something thicker… Iron.

Rin’s knees fell open as Valkar settled over her deeper, pressing himself into the hairpin, as he held himself atop her.

"Go ahead, wife. Stab me, then. Hurt me. Make me bleed." His red eyes took her in, imploring her, as his hand stayed on her cheek, keeping her head from turning away. "Maybe it’ll make me more fucking angry at you instead of sad," he growled. "Because I’m so angry with you that all I want is to hurt you. More than that, I want an explanation."

Rin pushed the hairpin deeper. A thin stream of blood trickled down her arm. He didn’t even flinch.

He just… stared at her. Anger and something else flickering in those red eyes.

Sweat trickled down her nape, making her shirt stick to her skin, and her heart raced. She had to act now, before she passed out.

Her pounding head tried to make sense of Valkar—none of her thoughts comforted her.

He acted like he knew her. Spoke of her like they had unfinished business. Only one other male had done this before—and he’d claimed they were Soulbonds.

"What did I do to you?" Rin demanded, sweaty fingers nearly slipping on the hairpin.

"You betrayed me," Valkar seethed, his fingers digging into her cheeks, forcing her teeth to cut into the split on her lower lip, blood welling anew. His thumb pressed into the cut, unforgiving, and he switched his hold on her until he brought his free hand up, red glistening on the pad of his thumb as he held her eyes and pressed it over his tongue. He groaned deeply, reverberating through her.

Her blood shimmered on his lips as he spoke. "Maybe time dulled your memories, so here’s a reminder,wife. In your last life, you framed me for a crime I didn’t commit to con me into marrying you, so you and your bastard of a father could get my riches. You made me a prisoner. I served in Dark Star Hold for five hundred years. That’s a long time to wait. And a long fucking time to think. I thought about nothing but what I would do when I saw you again. I’ve had so long to plan, and look at me now, begging you to put me out of my misery. So go ahead. Make it hurt."

Valkar smiled, and droplets of Rin’s blood were on his fangs.

No… None of that was true. Was it?

Was Rhyden Valkar her Soulbond?

Had she truly tricked him? Her mind spun. What if… What if all her memories were wrong?

Rin swallowed, held his eyes, and spat, "You’re a liar. We’re not Soulbonds, and I would never do something like that."