Page 29 of Wedlock (Vampire Bachelor Games #3)

The feeling of relief, of utter and complete joy and freedom, is so sudden and so complete that I burst into tears as I lie on the floor where I’d fallen and writhed, too shattered to even rise.

He’s no longer in my head. No longer controlling me.

Euphoria floods through me, but also fear.

I’ve had this feeling before, and it didn’t last. Although my rational mind tells me that somewhere, somehow, Viper is dead, I can’t and won’t allow my fate to swing in the balance, just in case this isn’t so.

I must run, but I need help to do so, and it’s a little more complicated since I also have to smuggle out a baby.

I know I can’t contact Yin because I told her never to take my calls, and I can’t run back to my family because that’s the first place they’ll look now.

Especially if Jag told them that’s where he’d found me. Although I don’t know that he did.

I’m still on the floor, tracing the pattern of the carpet with my finger and thinking through my options now that I can think clearly, when I hear the key turn in the lock.

“About fucking time,” I mutter, assuming Eleanor has finally come to tell me what’s been going on and to impart something, anything, about how Falcon is feeling about Jag’s information.

‘Does he believe it yet? Is he refusing to even entertain it? Does he even care?’

But it’s not Eleanor who glides quietly into my room, her expression imperious and nose turned up in a delicate sneer as I sit up.

“Yes, more than time,” she hisses, “and exactly where you should be.”

My face flushes at her reference to me being on my knees before her in this garishly decorated boudoir.

Even if I hadn’t known she was a future queen and sleeping with my husband, it’s not lost on me that I’m at a distinct disadvantage right now, sprawled on the floor wearing a milk-stained t-shirt and sweatpants and, given what had just happened, probably looking like I’ve just been tumble-dried.

I’d only seen her at a distance and in the dark, but she’s even more gorgeous up close.

Still, I’m me again now, not some tongue-tied robo-woman, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let any vampire treat me like shit.

Those days are over.

“The desperate bitch chasing my husband, I presume,” I drawl, rising to my feet and walking towards her. “I would have thought you’d be very familiar with being on your knees.”

A hiss escapes her lips as she narrows her eyes at me, her hands curling into claws.

I don’t know why she’s in my room, or if Falcon knows she’s here, but somehow I doubt that. All I know is that I need to bluff my way out of this confrontation because everything about this woman screams ‘danger, danger, Will Robinson.’

“He’s not going to like it that you’re here, you know,” I shrug as I turn from her, hoping I appear unafraid, although my heart’s racing at the thought that she might very well have permission to be here to suck me dry.

‘And of course, she can hear that.’

“Oh, I don’t think he’ll mind,” she snarls, one hand snaking out to my shoulder and spinning me back to face her.

I stiffen at her assault, but continue my bluff.

The only other vampire lady I’d met this close up had been Caroline, and Falcon definitely hadn’t allowed her to touch or threaten me.

I feel confident, suddenly, that this woman was somewhere she had no right to be, doing something she was going to get into deep shit for, and she knew it.

“If you know Falcon at all, you’ll know he doesn’t take kindly to anyone manhandling what’s his. And I am his.”

“Oh, I know him better than you could ever presume to, human . And you won’t be his for long,” she hisses, yanking me close with otherworldly strength, her face inches from my own.

I inadvertently squeak in surprise, much to my own disgust, and she snorts in derision.

“Fuck you,” I snarl, pulling back to stare up into her eyes.

Her laughter rings out across the room, but her grip doesn’t loosen.

“Perhaps in another time, another place,” her mouth quirks into the semblance of a sinister smile as she appears to be actually considering what I’d said.

“Not likely,” I splutter.

Shrugging, she jerks my face to the side and sinks her fangs into my neck.

I struggle, but her bite is so shocking in its intensity, so painful, and her draw on my blood is so strong, that I know I can’t last long.

However, at the thought that she’s also likely to do this to my son, I renew my efforts and scream at the top of my lungs.

Only, my scream isn’t that loud, definitely not as loud as I’d hoped, and I know these castle walls are thick.

I’ve barely taken a breath ready to scream a second time when she gasps and steps away from me, her hand flying to her mouth, her features distorted with a disgusted grimace.

“Ugh!”

Swaying, I reel back from her, but she bounds forward once more, gripping my shoulders, her sharp fingernails digging into my skin as she stares into my eyes as though she’s searching for something.

“This cannot be,” she murmurs.

I gasp and my eyes bulge as her hands suddenly flick from my shoulders to my throat, her long fingers encircling and squeezing.

“Princess!”

The voice cuts across the room like a knife, and the vampire shoves me away as we both spin to face the doorway.

I’ve never been so happy to see Eleanor in my life as she walks to where we stand, her hand extended graciously, her face not showing any recognition of what she’d just witnessed.

“My dear Revna. How wonderful to see you after all this time. I didn’t know you were visiting.”

The royal before me has the grace to blush as she flicks a quick look at me before taking Eleanor’s hand in her own and pressing it gently.

“My dear Lady Dragonspur,” she murmurs, “I only arrived an hour ago. I do apologise for not seeking you out; it’s unpardonable.”

Leaning down, my hands on my knees, I fill my lungs with air as I try to catch my breath — she’d squeezed my throat so hard it was almost as if I could still feel her long, cold fingers upon me.

I imagine it wouldn’t have taken her another second and she would have snapped my neck.

Right now, though, I’m the last thing on her mind as she and Eleanor ignore me and continue their verbal dance.

I know Eleanor disapproves of this woman, and it seems the Princess is well aware of this, but as per usual with these royals, everything is artifice and politeness on the surface, while underneath they scratch each other’s eyes out.

‘I’d like to put a stake between those eyes.’

“Not at all, Princess,” Eleanor croons, “it appears you’ve met the new Lady Dragonspur, although I’m sure you were unaware she’s meant to be resting with the baby right now.”

“Yes, of course, I apologised most profusely. I was dying to meet her and expected she kept our hours.”

“Childbirth is quite taxing,” Eleanor smiles, her voice dripping with fake warmth, “and babies keep odd hours the first few months. Something I’m sure you’ll understand one day.

But, how remiss of me to keep you standing here when you’ve just travelled such a distance.

You must be famished. Dinner will be served shortly.

I’m sure you’d like to freshen up before joining me. ”

The subtext here is clear: get out, meet me for dinner whether you like it or not. But the Princess, caught trespassing and on the verge of eating another royal, albeit a human one who’s in the way of her plans, can hardly do otherwise.

She nods and gives a strained smile to Eleanor before heading for the door.

When she’s gone I let out a huge breath of relief and turn wide eyes to Eleanor.

“Fuck me,” I breathe, “that was close.”

“Is the baby unharmed?”

She runs to the bed and picks up my son.

I stand, pale, my hand to my neck where blood is beginning to trickle from the Princess’ bite, my heart still beating in overdrive at how close I’d come to death.

“You’ve been gone six days,” I spit as I stare at her back. “And I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

She turns and shakes her head.

“I can see you’re fine, and you’re welcome.”

Holding the baby up to her face and kissing his cheeks and forehead, she closes her eyes briefly before looking back at me.

“Angelina, I’m sorry. I should have visited sooner. I’ve been tied up trying to mitigate, ah, something.

“Too little, too late,” I snap. “And I know what you’re trying to mitigate .”

“You do?”

Her eyes search mine, and I can’t help but growl as I stride over and take my boy from her.

She obviously doesn’t know what to do about the situation her family is in, but I want to toy with her a little bit before I put her out of her misery.

She could have come to me at any time during the past six days and told me what she knew.

She could have, at the very least, comforted me and told me what she was doing to confirm the rumour of Viper’s bite and how she would free me if it were true.

But she hadn’t.

Instead she’d left me here in this hellish room suffering under the thrall of a monster, alone.

I have no idea if she plans to cover up the whole thing or actually do something to help me.

With each passing day, I think the former.

But now, the tables have turned and I know something she doesn’t.

I could soothe all her worries right now and tell her what’s happened. I could…

‘I owe this bitch nothing.’

“I saw the Princess arrive and I figured she’s trying to get Falcon to kill me and the baby so she can marry him. This is what you’re trying to mitigate, isn’t it?”

Her shoulders slump and she looks away from me again, back to the sleeping child in my arms.

“Yes, this is what I mean,” she sighs. “Although I had no idea she’d overstep the mark so far and move to destroy you herself. When Falcon hears of this his view of her might change.”

I can’t help but notice she seems pleased about this.

“You really are the penultimate game-player, Eleanor,” I snap.

“Kudos to you. I mean, I guess you couldn’t have survived this long in this fucking Dragonspur nightmare if you were anything else.

Still, you had me fooled for a while. I actually thought you cared about humanity.

I actually thought you cared about me , once upon a time.

But now I know you’ll do anything Falcon tells you, won’t you?

You’ll do anything, sacrifice anyone , for his precious family reputation and title. ”

She frowns and looks at me as though I’ve gone mad.

“What on earth are you talking about, Angelina?”

“I know you haven’t just been working on stopping the Princess. You’re trying to cover up what Viper’s done.”

She stares at me.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Eleanor. Whatever Machiavellian plans you and Falcon have, you can forget them all. Viper’s dead.”

She continues to stare into my eyes as she digests my words.

“Dead?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“You know how I know!” I hold up my arm and show her my scar, pointing to the two bite marks, barely visible to anyone unless they looked closely. “My mind was just freed.”

“And you couldn’t be….?”

“Pregnant?” I snort. “Eleanor, it would have to be a fucking immaculate conception. And may I remind you, I only had my son a matter of weeks ago.”

“Yes, yes of course,” she says quietly, her eyes moving from my arm, where they’d been fixed, to meet my steady gaze.

As she looks at me I turn my head to the side and study, really study her back.

“You aren’t surprised,” I whisper.

“I suspected,” she says gently, “when you said the baby wasn’t Falcon’s, but it was clear to me he was, I suspected then that you were either being blackmailed to say it or,” she takes a deep, shaky breath, “or you were under someone’s influence.

I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be Viper. ”

I curl my fingers into fists and try to keep my tone civil as I ask through clenched teeth.

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“I raised my concerns with Falcon. He wouldn’t hear of it. He was too shocked, too hurt by everything that had happened. And of course,” she shrugs, “Jaguar didn’t deny that he’d slept with you.”

I shake my head and close my eyes momentarily at the mention of the man I’d wounded so badly. The man who had met my eyes over the distance of the castle stairs when I’d uttered my lies with such hurt, such dismay at my betrayal — the exact same look that my husband had in his eyes.

But it must have been Jag who’d freed me. He must have hunted Viper after he learned the truth from Adam.

‘Oh God. How will Falcon react? Will he believe I was under a thrall now? Will he forgive Jag?’

“Did anyone else know?” Eleanor asks, interrupting my thoughts.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say ‘yes, fucking Asumpta,’ but something, I don’t know what, a spidey sense or something, stops me. If push came to shove and she had to save one of us, her chips would fall in front of Asumpta, not me. And as for telling her that my family and Yin knew — No way.

I close my eyes momentarily as I answer her.

“No,” I whisper, “no one knew. I wrote you a letter when I was pregnant, when I ran away, but I couldn’t tell anyone. My throat would close up and I’d start to suffocate.”

She looks me dead in the eyes for a long, long second, before nodding.

“Yes, that’s the way of it,” she sighs. “If they don’t want you to say or do something they can make life very, very difficult for you.”

“Fucking understatement,’ I mutter.

“We must let Falcon know about his brother,” she sighs, shaking her head. “He won’t take this well.”