Page 45 of The Sins That Bleed

Unforgiveable

VALESKA

T he soft velvet of my dress slides over my legs as I take the seat offered to me, the expensive material shifting like water as it moves with my body.

The soft and warm lighting create a cosy atmosphere as the Christmas tree twinkles to the right of me—it is the season after all, and I love all the lights humans use to decorate their homes.

It makes the world around it appear warmer.

“Thank you,” I say to the waitress who places a glass of blood-red wine on the table in front of me.

I’ve been seated with my back to the room, in an attempt to make me feel vulnerable, tucked away at a table in the back of the restaurant as I wait for Alaric to bless me with his presence. It’s the oldest trick in the book to make someone sweat. Unfortunately for him, it’s not going to work.

Arachne is my eyes as she stares out across the restaurant from her hidden corner, and I spot the exact moment Alaric walks in, flanked by his men, in addition to the ones already standing to each side of the table. I fight a smile at the display.

Fucking men.

A hand caresses my exposed shoulder, fingers tracing the outline where there is no material to intercept it. My hair is pulled into an intricate updo with a few loose curls to frame my face and give an air of perfection.

His hand is cold.

I don’t flinch, ignoring the urge to remove his hand and break every bone in it.

His fingers slide over the edge of my shoulder to the fabric draped at my upper arms, then going up the side of my neck when the owner of that hand leans in close and whispers in my ear.

My mind whirls as it slots the realisation into place, this situation just became so much more dangerous.

Fuck, how did I miss this? How did nobody else notice?

I use my heightened sense to assess him without moving an inch.

He’s drenched himself in cologne. A sharp and cloying scent that is trying to be powerful but is actually so pungent, it makes me want to gag.

A barrage of dark memories threatens to consume me and I fight like hell to stay in the present moment.

He smells exactly like Kian, my dead husband.

“At last, we finally meet Lilith .”

His voice threatens to wrap itself around me, overly sweet and seductive like I’m a prize to be won. I guess to him I am, but I’ll never be someone else’s pet ever again—a vow I made to myself long ago.

“I’m so pleased you decided to join me this evening, dear.” Alaric drops a kiss to my shoulder and it makes me feel dirty.

He takes his seat opposite me, a cosy two-seater intimate enough he can reach across the table and hold my hand like lovers would.

He picks up his wine, I notice his hand not much bigger than mine, and holds it in front of him.

I watch him closely, trying to gauge if he is nervous or stupid, my ears strain to catch the rhythm of his heartbeat to disprove what I’d already suspected.

He doesn’t have one, fuck .

“To us, to my future wife and our empire that will be written in the history books.”

I let his hand hang there for a second too long before picking up my wine and clinking it with his.

Alaric is a vampire .

This is so much worse than I thought, but I hold his gaze and tip my lips up, nothing about me betraying my thoughts, but if I had a heart, it would be thundering inside my chest at this revelation.

“To us, long may we reign,” I purr before clinking our glasses together.

I place the glass to my lips, careful to not actually let any of the liquid in as I pretend to sip it. Alaric watches me intently and it convinces me further that the wine is laced with something.

My mind slots the pieces in place, rearranging everything that has happened since I started pushing Alaric’s buttons. I put everyone I love and care about in danger, their lives at such unnecessary risk because I didn’t take care of it myself.

A pit forms in my stomach, Zyon , I haven’t heard from him for over a week, and I can only hope he and Lorelai have gone underground. I should have never sent them to Alaric’s compound with so little back up.

“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d agree to this meeting, let alone the arrangement.

You have a reputation for being fierce and cutthroat, I guess you’ll make for a good wife since you’ve proven you can relent and care about others.

You’re more beautiful than those pictures I have of you, so wickedly tempting, I’m going to enjoy taking you to bed tonight.

” He licks his lips and I suppress the urge to hurl before ripping him apart with my hands.

He continues, unperturbed. “I’ve touched myself to your photos more times than I can count. No wonder you have men falling at your feet. I bet that cunt of yours is divine and will be worth the torture I have endured.”

I refuse to let his words make me nauseous.

He’s not an unattractive man with his grey eyes and chiselled face, his slim build dressed in luxury materials, but there’s an edge to him. His slicked-back hair has a touch too much oil in it and his eyes, even with the coloured contacts, there’s a manic look to them that has me on high alert.

“How could I refuse such a handsome man’s hand in marriage?

Running an empire can be so lonely, and seeing what you’ve done with yours, I can only imagine what you can do with mine folded in.

Besides, fooling around with others is fun, but they don’t know what it takes to be successful in business.

But you, you’d be the perfect partner, in business and in bed. ”

I bite my lip, careful not to expose a fang. “I picked this dress out especially for you, do you like it?”

I force my voice to sound genuine, even though I want to rip this motherfucker’s head off. One whiff of that though and this whole thing will come crashing down. It’ll be bloody, but that’s why I wore red.

He doesn’t know what happened to the last man that forced me to marry him.

His eyes rake over me, pausing on my cleavage that’s barely contained and making me feel more exposed than I am.

I don’t squirm under his attention like I want to, that would give him too much power over me.

Instead, I relax and let him take his fill while I pretend to sip more of my wine; the glass will look as though it’s emptying to everyone else.

I’m used to men staring at and objectifying me, the fools are never prepared for me to use it as a weapon against them.

“I would like it even more on my bedroom floor.” I mentally eye roll at the line, this man has no game so it’s no wonder he has to force people to marry him.

I giggle. I need to pull him into my web and weaken him until it’s too late for him to realise his mistake. Under the table, I run my heeled foot up the inside of his leg until I’m between his knees.

He smirks at me, one hand disappearing under the table and holding onto my ankle, his thumb caressing the delicate skin covering the bone and I allow my eyes to show my appreciation. He runs his hand further up my leg but is unable to go past my calf with the table in the way.

Thank fuck for that.

“What do you say to skipping dinner? We go straight to dessert—which will be me devouring you. Let’s sign the paperwork and consummate our marriage before the night is through.” He snaps his fingers and one of his men brings a manila folder out of their jacket and places it on the table between us.

This motherfucker came prepared, but so did I.

I start small at first, a light brush of cold fingers on the back of the neck, a faint whisper in the ear for his henchmen. I want them unsettled, on edge before we get to the big finale. Stopping myself from getting the other diners caught up in the bloodbath is going to be a challenge though.

I unleash some of the discomfort on the other patrons in the restaurant. I don’t want them to get caught in the crossfire so if I can get them to leave a little quicker, then I can end this before I need to sign my life away.

I make them feel like they’re being watched, ghostly figures at the window, a haunted humming barely audible over the chatter of the room that will have the hairs on the back of their necks standing on end. I hear a few gasps as I make some of them think they have maggots in their dinner.

A few tables start to wrap up, ending their meals, as I make patrons yet to be seated turn on their heels and leave. I’ll have to compensate the restaurant for the damage to their income tonight, but at least the people will be safe.

I can see and hear some of his guys shuffling their feet, their uneasiness palpable, but they hold firm. I catalogue who have heartbeats who doesn’t, and find that four of them do not have a beating heart, five if I include Alaric.

Not the best odds, but when you’re as old as I am, I should have no problem sending them back to hell. The cold kiss of the silver dagger is a reassuring comfort on the inside of my thigh, hidden beneath the silky material and waiting for me to wield it.

Sunny never was good at hiding things from me; I found it within a few minutes in Nico’s apartment.

“So, you’re a traditional man through and through, Mr. Vonbarro? So few men are these days, it’s refreshing to know my future husband has such great morals,” I say with a smile.

“Is that why you had no trouble leaving the agent in the dust?” He chuckles. “You really are cutthroat, I like it. I bet he still doesn’t even know that his little sister is alive, does he?”

My mouth opens to reply but I don’t get to utter the words.

My worst nightmare comes true as Rai bursts from one of the tables where he’d been sitting with Sunny and Nico this whole time, my mental mirage breaking the moment he stood up and revealed himself. It’s all I can do to force the other patrons to leaver quicker as my world threatens to implode.

He storms over to our table but is blocked by Alaric’s henchmen, guns drawn. He looks murderous and, worse still, desperate. I can do nothing but watch him and I pray to a god I don’t believe in that I can save him before it’s too late.

“What the fuck do you know about my sister?! Where is she? You tell me right now, you bastard, or I’ll fucking kill you!” he spits.

I’ve never seen him this angry.

Alaric leans back in his chair looking between me and Rai. I want to carve the smug grin right off his face before he can destroy my life with his next words, but they come anyway.

“I’m sure Valeska here can re-introduce you. After all, she’s right here in this restaurant, isn’t she dear?”

And then Rai turns that wrath on me.