Page 49

Amari

I pull the door open to the castle and step inside, keeping Carla close. Even though daylight doesn’t harm us vampires, we still cling to the night hours by default. It’s instinctual, like a remnant of our human lives when darkness meant vulnerability.

“Damon’s wing is this way,” Carla says, pointing down a long corridor.

The castle interior differs greatly from the cabin-style royal palace.

Here, everything embodies old-world gothic architecture—dark stone floors polished to a mirror shine, walls adorned with tapestries depicting ancient battles, and chandeliers with electric bulbs designed to mimic candlelight.

The air is cold, almost lifeless, a physical manifestation of the undead who call this place home.

“Have you been here before?” I ask, noting how the place seems to drain the warmth from my newly beating heart.

“A few times,” Carla admits, walking close beside me. “But never met any vampires from the covens. I only visit during daylight hours when they’re usually sleeping.”

I follow the direction she pointed, moving through a grand foyer.

We avoid the central staircase that likely leads to the residential quarters of the other vampires and instead travel down a long hallway lined with portraits of vampires throughout the centuries.

Some faces I recognize—vampires who’ve made their mark on history in ways humans will never know.

“Damon’s wing is at the very end,” Carla says, her voice soft in the vast space.

I nod, keeping my senses alert. Even though we’re expected, vampire territories are inherently dangerous places. Old instincts die hard.

“Selene’s cool,” Carla continues, “but I’ve only spoken a few words to her. She mostly keeps to herself.”

“Is she put off by your children?” I ask, genuinely curious about Damon’s mate.

Carla shakes her head. “No, she doesn’t really show much emotion toward them.

She had a hatred for vampires, hunted them for years, but then she met Damon and discovered she was fated to him.

” She pauses, considering her next words.

“She’s been grappling between a love-hate relationship.

It hasn’t been easy for her, but she does love Damon—very, very much.

So much that she moved here on King Amir’s island and is living with a coven full of creatures she’s loathed for a long time. ”

I look down at her with a smile. “The power of love is quite amazing, isn’t it?”

Carla nods but gives me a questioning look. I keep my eyes ahead, my thoughts consuming me. My talk with Amir was enlightening. If Damon had given me such a lecture, I have to admit that I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to listen.

But now, things are making sense. I’ve been bulldozing Carla, trying to get her to accept things my way, but have I truly considered what she’s been through during her life in the shadows?

Watching her almost getting hanged only to be saved by her children was confirmation of my behavior.

I need to take a backseat and see the world from her point of view, otherwise, I stand to lose her.

She isn’t bound by the mate bond; she’s completely protected from that.

So I don’t get the privilege of her bonding with me naturally.

I actually have to work and win the heart of my mate, and if I’m being honest, I haven’t done a good job of that.

But I also need to know what her children are protecting her from. There has to be something in Damon’s library about her.

The double doors open the moment we arrive, and Damon steps into view, adjusting his tie. He extends a hand to me in greeting, his green eyes alight that I’ve finally come to visit him and meet his beautiful mate.

“This is a surprise,” Damon says, and instead of shaking his hand, I pull him into a hug, gently patting him on the back in a gesture that surprises even me. Damon pulls back, smiling from ear to ear, his fangs flashing. He looks to Carla and smiles down at her.

“Welcome, Carla,” he says, and steps aside. Carla steps in first, then I follow after. I’ve been wearing the same suit since yesterday and it’s starting to get on my nerves. I’m looking forward to changing and preferably spending the evening with Carla on top of me.

And while I’m here, I’m going to need to speak with Damon in private about changing my eating habits.

I absolutely cannot go back to Midnight Moon to feed.

Not for the foreseeable future. Not until my woman is comfortable with me doing that, and I don’t see her being comfortable anytime soon, thanks to Kemnebi.

Fucking Kemnebi.

Goddamn, why did he do that? Did her children really need to know every woman I’ve been with? I’ve been with hundreds. But that ends now that I have Carla. I feel the thirst creeping back on me, the urge to feed, and I’d rather starve than touch another woman, knowing that it would hurt her.

Carla will never understand this instantaneous change. She will be the only woman I will ever want, and I have a lot to prove to her.

“We need to visit your library, and meet your lovely mate along the way,” I say.

Damon smiles brightly. I can tell he doesn’t usually get visitors like this. He gestures down a long open hallway.

“It’s just down the way and to your left. Actually, Selene is in there now, organizing some scrolls.”

Damon closes the door as Carla starts heading in the direction and I follow behind her.

I look around, admiring the sleek design of Damon’s wing.

It gives light to his old times as a Roman soldier—classical columns, marble busts, and weapons mounted on the walls that are clearly not decorative but preserved with the care of someone who knows their true value and history.

Carla pushes a set of double doors open then steps aside, and I grin, taking in the massive library.

Damon indeed has quite the collection. The space extends upward for at least three stories, with spiral staircases connecting the levels.

Long rows of tables fill the main floor, surrounded by shelf after shelf of books and manuscripts.

Some look ancient, their bindings cracked with age, while others appear relatively new.

On the left side of the room, I notice a vault, probably where he keeps his most precious scrolls.

Carla looks around, frowning for a moment. “It doesn’t matter how many times I come in here, I always get overwhelmed. Way too many books. Way too many.”

I approach her and pull her into my arms. She looks up at me, and I tell her, “I helped Damon collect some of these books.”

Carla smiles at me. Damon enters, shutting the doors behind him. I lean down and gently kiss Carla, whispering to her that we won’t stay too long. I pull back and grab her hand, guiding her to one of the tables.

Selene finally appears, and I take a moment to admire her beauty.

Of course, she would be melanated. She’s wearing fitted leggings that hug her curves, with a fitted black top and heels that accentuate her height.

She looks like she’s all muscle, which makes sense since I’ve heard she’s a former assassin.

Her hair is cut short, almost similar to mine, her short curls really highlighting her intense facial structure.

She walks with an elegance and grace that most certainly catches the male gaze.

She approaches Damon, standing beside him, and the way he looks at her—as if she’s the only woman in the world—is unmistakable.

She leans and rests her arm on his shoulder with casual intimacy.

I take Carla’s hand in mine, facing Damon and his mate, then I bow my head to her, and she grins at me in greeting.

“The infamous Amari Al-Baqar. What a pleasure to finally meet you,” Selene says. Her voice is soft and soothing. I bow my head again.

“The pleasure is mine. It is a privilege to be introduced to my sire’s mate.”

Selene looks to Carla, then moves from Damon’s shoulder and approaches her.

“Nice to see you again, Spider Queen,” she says in a teasing tone. Carla blushes, and Selene looks down at Carla’s hand clasped in mine. She smiles at Carla.

“This union makes me very happy. If anyone here on Wintermoon deserves love, it’s certainly you.

” Carla blushes again. Selene clasps her hands together in front of her and lets out a soft sigh.

This woman may be deadly, but she masks it well with pure elegance.

If she were an arachnid, she’d be a Black Widow.

“What brings you to the library this afternoon, and Carla, have you eaten?” Selene asks.

Carla pauses and looks up at me, cringing slightly.

“She’s had a light breakfast,” I answer, “and I’d like to search for more information about Carla’s history, what’s been documented on her.”

Selene smiles. “A man that takes notice of his woman’s needs is a true man indeed.

” She bows her head to me. She gestures with her right hand.

“There are tales of Carla written throughout history. You’ll find them at the back end of the library, lower level.

And while you’re searching, I’ll go prepare some lunch for Carla. ”

“Thank you so much for your hospitality,” I say.

“No, the pleasure is all mine, Amari. It’s rare that we get worthy visitors.”

With that, Selene walks off, her expensive heels clicking against the floor, her hips swaying with elegance. I raise an eyebrow at Damon, and he grins proudly. He does have quite a woman on his hands.

I look to Carla and groan, especially when I can smell her insecurities in her scent.

What? I grab her wrist and pull her over to one of the tables, pulling out a chair for her and glaring at her to sit down.

She huffs at me, but does as I ask. Then I lean down once she’s seated to whisper into her ear.

“That is enough, Carla. I will not have you getting self-conscious, insecure about what you’re wearing. When we get back to your cabin, you won’t be wearing anything. I’ll show you just how precious your body is.”