Page 38 of Wedlock (Vampire Bachelor Games #3)

I watch her car pull away, her tearful face at the window, eyes pleading with me to change my mind.

Two women banished this week — my mother from my castle, the Princess from my future. Both had been manipulating me for centuries, and it was high time I put an end to their bullshit.

But it wasn’t just for this reason that I’d sent them away.

Mother needed time away to think about her actions, and the Princess needed to stop thinking about me altogether, stop waiting for me, and find a more suitable groom.

Hopefully, the intrigues of the Court and Queen Cunt would settle down too if both these women were fixated on other issues — like their survival.

I’d channelled my father when banishing Mother. I’d threatened to either dungeon her eternally or send her to a nunnery. She’d chosen a Swedish spa, so clearly I hadn’t channelled quite as well as I’d thought. But regardless, she was gone.

As for the Princess, she’d simply refused to accept my threats, which was pretty typical of Revna.

But given that one way or the other I wasn’t going to come back from my quest to Spider’s estate, either killed by his hand, or executed by the Queen, I don’t see she has much choice.

And even if, by some strange twist of fate the Queen discovered what I’d done and accepted my reasons for destroying Spider once and for all, and didn’t execute me, Revna has a deadline for marriage.

I’m sure my trial and court proceedings will tie up a decade or two, at least. I’m confident I can keep her away well past that, and she’ll be forced to marry another.

As for the only other woman in my life, she’s avoided me since the night I’d told her I would claim her son as my own.

But that night I’d also faced something I’d been avoiding ever since her return to my castle.

Despite what she’d done, or been forced to do, despite her assertions she never loved me, wanted no part of me or my life, I love her still.