Page 81 of The Vampire Court

“I do notwish him to be,” I grind out between clenched teeth. My temper rises, refusing to be held down. “I never did.”

Alaric looks me up and down. “He has been training you well.”

Cherno cuts through the air between us. I flinch and glare at the demon as they land on the fireplace mantle.

I return my focus to Alaric. He stares blankly at the wall, avoiding my gaze.

Though we never trained more than a handful of times, I can’t help but feel that doing so with Cassius has been a betrayal on my part, that I took something that was ours and moved on without blinking.

“I never asked for him to train me.” I shake my head, trying and failing to contain my rising voice.We’re fighting. We shouldn’t be fighting.“He’s only my guardian because he’s following orders. He insisted—”

Alaric holds up his hand, stopping my rush of words. I feel a slight pulse of his power caressing me.

“I know. I was merely stating a fact.” A ghost of a smile turns his mouth upward then quickly disappears. “You will more than likely need it until you two leave.”

Leave with Cassius? He says that as if Cassius was the one to mark me.

My throat grows thick with emotion. Scanning the room, I retreat.

“Is… is someone here?” I ask. It’s the only thing that would explain this change in Alaric.

“No, we are alone.”

Confusion and hurt bubble up, and my eyes grow warm with building tears. “Then why are you saying these things? Is this part of a plan?” I spread my arms wide, palms up. “If so, let me in on it, so I can play my part.”

“There is no plan, no trick. It is simply what is best for you.”

I blink, and the first hot tear escapes, burning a wet trail down my cheek. “Don’t I get a say in what I think is best for me?”

Alaric’s eyes soften as he opens his mouth then snaps it shut. “No,” he says thickly. “You are only a human.”

He turns his face away.

“Stop it.” I ball my hands into fists, my nails dig painfully into the delicate skin of my palms. “You said our fate would be what we choose.” I swallow hard as another tear escapes. “Why would you mark me at all if you planned on giving me away like I’m nothing?” I fling the words at him. I want him to feel the lies he fed to me as much as I want this moment to be the lie.

“You are not nothing,” he retorts with the same level of anger. Alaric thrusts his hand through his thick, black hair, tugging on the strands.

The silence is suffocating, filling the space. It grows more oppressive the longer we stare at each other. His tongue darts out, dampening his lips. My gaze trails from his mouth to his neck, watching the knot of his throat bob.

“Cassius wants you, Clara. Now go back to him.”

Those words cause a physical pain in my chest, and all the air leaves my lungs in a sharp exhale.

In the background, I barely register the squeak Cherno makes and the skittering of their small feet.

“And… what about you?” I ask, my voice cracking on the last word. “You said… you wanted me the last time we were together.”

I returned to Windbury for him. I chose him over the rest of the world. I came with him of my own free will to this demon-cursed place because I thought—

I squeeze my eyes tight for three heartbeats before looking up at him again. Coming here had been my choice, and now, regret is a bitterness coating my tongue.

“I don’t want you,” he says, voice gravelly and low. “I never did.”

My heart is breaking, crumbling, and it leaves a hollow pit in my chest. I’m stunned into silence.

The door opens, but I can’t take my eyes off the man who is breaking me in a way I never thought possible.

“Alaric, I—” Lawrence stops. “What is going on?”