Page 51

Carla

A mari takes me back across the waters to Wintermoon just as the sun begins to set.

The boat moves steadily across the lake, leaving a trail of ripples behind us.

He keeps glancing over his shoulder, his posture tense, like he’s afraid something will follow us from King Amir’s island.

He seemed anxious about leaving before nightfall, determined to avoid the vampire covens.

Maybe he didn’t want me to meet them, or perhaps there’s something else about them that makes him uneasy.

But there’s another thought nagging at me. I watched Amari struggle with that glass of blood Damon offered him. The way his face shifted, how he forced himself to drink it. I know exactly why—he’s used to feeding directly from the source, warm and fresh, not cold blood in a glass.

So why change now?

Amari reaches the dock and cuts the engine. He quickly ties the boat in place, then extends his hand to help me onto the wooden planks. Once I’m steady, he lets go, and I feel the absence of his touch at once.

“I need to go run and gather some clothes,” he says, straightening his suit jacket.

“Oh... Yeah, right. I’ll just go...” I start to turn away, but Amari catches my hand, pulling me against him so suddenly I nearly lose my balance. He steadies me with his hands on my waist, and that smug grin I’m beginning to know too well spreads across his face.

“What’s wrong?” He asks and I glance towards the Tourist Island.

The lights are starting to flicker on as darkness settles over Wintermoon.

I close my eyes, knowing what’s waiting for him there.

Midnight Moon will be opening soon, filled with willing women eager to give their blood and bodies to vampires like him.

Amari pulls me closer, and I gasp at the sudden movement. Even in the growing darkness, his golden eyes seem to glow, trapping me in their intensity. Heat rushes to my face as I realize how deeply I’m falling into this—into him.

He leans down, bringing his lips to my ear. “The only thing I’ll be feeding on tonight, Carla, is your pussy.”

My eyes widen at his words, crude but honest. I feel myself growing warm all over despite the evening chill.

He releases me and steps back, holding out his hand. “Come on, come with me to my cabin on the Community Lands for the night.”

I shake my head immediately. “I can’t,” I say, looking down. “They get really upset with me being over there. My children...”

“Ah, our children,” he corrects with a smile. His eyes scan the trees behind us, searching the darkness. “Children,” he calls, his voice low and soft, “come out—come out to Daddy.”

And they do. Eyes light up the forest, reflecting the moonlight like dozens of tiny stars.

Tofi and Noki lead the way, emerging from the shadows with the others following behind.

They surround Amari, waiting as if for his command.

He immediately reaches down to pet Tofi, who stands beside him like a loyal guard dog.

“I already know better than to ask you about the veil,” he says to Tofi, who keeps her multiple eyes trained on me.

Suddenly, she sends me images, spelling out the words: Remember, Mommy .

“Remember what?” I blurt out, confused by her cryptic message.

Amari clears his throat, looking down at Tofi then back to me. “Tofi spoke to you?”

I nod, but strangely, she doesn’t repeat the message as she usually would. I decide to let it go—I’m exhausted, and it’s been a long day.

“What did you call on them for, Amari?” I ask, fighting back a yawn.

He points at me. “I’d like to take Mommy to the Community Lands for one night, but I know you like to stay close. Could you trust me with her for one night?”

Tofi stomps her feet quickly against the forest floor, then takes a step back from him. I don’t know what she’s saying to him, but I can tell they’re communicating. Their eyes lock for a moment before Amari looks back at me with that insufferable grin.

“I’m not going to hurt Mommy,” Amari says to Tofi, focusing solely on her. “I only want to love Mommy.”

Tofi taps her legs angrily against the ground and hisses at him, but Amari remains unfazed, his grin widening.

“You’re right, Tofi. I’m a bad vampire. A bad vampire madly in love with your Mommy. And I’m not letting her go. I’ll fight you with everything I have to keep her.”

My heart flutters at his words, and I place a hand over my stomach, feeling a rush of butterflies. I clear my throat nervously as Tofi looks my way, and I shift my gaze between them, unsure of what’s happening.

Tofi looks back at Amari and hisses again, tapping her feet. She must be sending him more images because Amari suddenly bursts into laughter, nodding.

“Thank you, daughter,” he says, his voice warm with affection.

Tofi scurries around me and leaps into the forest, the others following like a flood of eight-legged shadows, disappearing back into the trees where they belong. Amari gives me a smug grin and holds out his hand.

“Tofi said one night only, but she’ll be watching,” he explains, motioning for me to come to him.

I hesitate, but before I can decide, he’s standing in front of me with his vampire speed, making me gasp in surprise. He holds his hand out again, patient but insistent.

“Come on, baby. Stay with me tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll make arrangements for our temporary home.”

I place my hand in his, but narrow my eyes suspiciously. “Our temporary home?”

He grins, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Yes. I’m moving to the patrol cabin for the foreseeable future, until... better accommodations can be made for us here on Wintermoon. And you’re moving in with me.”

My eyes widen in surprise. This is moving so fast I can barely catch my breath. “This is what you were talking about with King Amir?”

He just smiles mysteriously and pulls me toward the parking lot.

He takes out a key fob, and I laugh when he hits the alarm button on a sleek black SUV, watching the brake lights flash in response.

He walks me to the passenger door, opening it with a gentlemanly flourish, and I slide inside, feeling out of place in something so luxurious.

He walks around and gets into the driver’s seat, starting the engine with a soft purr.

As I sit back, I can’t help staring at him. He said he wanted to love me. Me . I’m practically swooning over this vampire and his perfect words. For Tofi and the others to leave me alone with him means he must have been sincere. They would have been able to tell if he wasn’t.

Amari grins as he backs out of the parking space, then puts the SUV in drive. The headlights cut through the darkness as we head toward the Community Lands.

During the drive, he takes my hand and pulls it across the center console, pressing soft kisses to my fingers. The tenderness of the gesture sends a wave of emotion through me.

“Why were you so eager to get away from the vampire coven?” I ask, trying to pull myself out of the love-drunk haze he’s creating.

Amari doesn’t let go of my hand, keeping his eyes on the road. “I’m not fond of their continuous attempts to betray our King. And I don’t understand why King Amir keeps trying with them.”

“I’ve heard about the betrayals of the Master Coven. But it’s not all of them, right? Just a select few?”

He shakes his head firmly. “It’s more complex than that. Silence is far more of a betrayal than doing it outright. They stand by and watch while their brothers and sisters plot against their king.”

I nod and fall quiet, processing his words. After a moment, I laugh softly to myself and look out the window.

“What’s the matter?” he asks, and I know I have to answer because he can detect the shift in my scent.

“It’s silly,” I admit. “I was thinking you were ashamed to show me off.”

Amari laughs at that and brings my hand to his lips again. “Never, Carla. I have a lot to prove now.”

“Why did you get so upset with Kemnebi?” The question has been bothering me since the library.

He gently hits the brakes until the SUV comes to a stop, turning to look at me directly.

“Tofi said exactly what I assumed moments ago on the border. She said they planned to lift the veil. They wanted you to recognize me through the mate bond. They knew I was their father the moment I stepped on Wintermoon. But they asked Kemnebi what kind of man I would be for you, and Kemnebi was honest.” He sighs and looks away from me. “They’re protecting you from me.”

I sit up straighter in my seat, concerned by the pain in his voice. Amari releases my hand, his shoulders slumping slightly.

“That’s not who I am for you, Carla. I’m not going to hurt you. I’d rather die than do that.”

“I know,” I tell him, and I mean it. He looks over at me, and the sadness in his eyes breaks my heart.

“Hear me out, Amari. I don’t think it was just that.

” I lean toward him, trying to make him understand.

“Tofi was being strange, cryptic almost. She’s that way with me sometimes.

She sent me images saying ‘Remember, Mommy.’ And when she’s really trying to get her message across, she always sends it more than once.

She was telling me something, warning me. ”

Amari nods thoughtfully, considering my words carefully.

“Take me to the Community Lands, Amari,” I say, reaching over to grab his hand. He looks at me, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“I want to be with you tonight. Not alone.” He pulls my hand to his lips once more, kissing it tenderly before pressing the gas pedal, guiding us back onto the road.

We drive for another fifteen minutes before arriving at the Community Lands. The place looks the same as I remember—rows of cabins. I had such a difficult time when I lived here. The humans weren’t exactly welcoming to a woman who commanded spiders the size of small dogs.