Page 76 of Wedlock

‘Angie’s gone? She’s run again? I knew it! I felt her goodbye the last time we spoke. But to leave the baby? That doesn’t fit with anything I know about her. She’s a goddamned home economics teacher for Christ’s sake. Her world is kitchens and babies and sewing and making a house a home…No. She’d never leave her child. I saw how much she loved him. She would have died for him if need be; she made that clear the day she returned to the castle, when she begged me not to harm him. Revna is deluded. And clearly has a spy in my household, fuck her!’

“You’re misinformed,” I eventually drawl, “my wife is in the castle, as is my heir. As for being by myself in Court, I won’t be. I have my friends. It’s true one is estranged, but he’s still prepared to give evidence.”

“And what kind of evidence will he give when he’s in love with your wife and will benefit from your execution?”

“Revna, you overstep the mark!” I snap.

“Your friends!” She goes on. “It’s no secret that one cuckolded you, and one is delusional. You say you trust them, but how can you do so when they hide from you that your wife has left?”

“If my wife is not home, she’s doubtless away on business. She has a great many responsibilities as the lady of my castle,” I shrug, wishing to end this conversation. “You’re becoming tiresome, Princess, and I have a lot to think about before court this afternoon. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone.”

Her expression hardens at my dismissal.

“I’ll leave you alone, Falco,” she whispers. “All alone. Remember this conversation if you do clear your name and return to your deserted castle. You’ve banished your mother and your best friend, and your only other confidante spends his days travelling the globe on a lost cause. You’ll be alone with an infant and your regrets. And I will be chief among them.”

As she sweeps imperiously from the dungeons, I silently watch her leave.

‘Did the Princess visit to try and rattle me from my defense with this story of doom and loss? Or did she hope to have me succumb to her proposal out of desperation? Either way, I can’t worry about Angie, or my heir, or the future queen of Denmark right now.’

I have a court case to attend.

59

“You just have to stop, Angie,” Yin yawns, pointing an accusing finger at me.

“What?”

“You know what. You’ve been staring into space biting your lip all day. You’re thinking about the vampire again.”

I sigh and nod. She knows me too well.

“It’s just that I don’t know if he’s going to marry that Danish bitch and get murdered, or if he’s going to get executed by the Queen, or…

“Does it matter?” She snorts. “I swear you have a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome. The guy beat you, cheated on you, locked you up, knocked you up, BIT you and tried to kill you. He’s an abuser. If he was a human man he’d be behind bars now.”

I nod, but I’m not really agreeing.

‘He’s not a human man. He’s a vampire. Brought up to be a violent killer, brought up to believe love with a human was impossible. Trapped into marrying one anyway. How could he be anything other than what he is? But still, he’s something other, something more. I’ve glimpsed it, here and there, between all the horrors, there’s been tenderness.’

“Yes,” I voice my agreement to stop the lecture. “I’m a fucking idiot. I just…”

“You still love him.”

I shake my head, but my action doesn’t match my thoughts.

60

Standing at the dock I look around and try to keep my fangs under control.

Prepared with all the pomp and ceremony you’d expect of something put together by the Queen, albeit hastily, the gallery is packed with onlookers representing royal vampire families and their hangers-on from all over the globe. Everywhere I look there are garish hats, priceless jewels, gowns and tuxedos. Either they’re all dressed for one hell of an after-party, or they’re bored as shit and have nowhere else to peacock.

‘What a fucking circus.’

Glancing down at the rows of seated lawyers, all dressed in black robes and hunched like crows waiting to pick the flesh frombones, I catch Wolf’s eye, and nod. He’s grinning, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because ceremonies like this appeal to his sense of humour at the ludicrous, or if he’s so confident that he can’t hide it.

Jag, on the other hand, has eyes of steel and his jaw is set. I hope to hell he’s been able to coerce or convince Asumpta to recount what she’d told him.

Spider is nowhere to be seen. No doubt he’ll enter with a flourish at some stage.