Page 69 of His Stolen Queen
"Now, are we done with that?"
She nodded, her mouth trembling into a smile. "Yeah. We're done with that."
Chapter 27
Alice
My back pressed hard against my favorite rock as my eyes moved across the ancient text, soaking up a story about a powerful Vampiress who bathed in the blood of her enemies. It was one of the rare books found in Acheron's library that I could understand, but it turned out to be a riveting read.
A gentle breeze lifted my hair, and my eyes pulled away from my book to swipe it out of my eyes. My gaze caught on his castle in the far distance, and I smiled dreamily. Acheron and I hadn't emerged from our room for the past two days. We were too engrossed in our lovemaking, unable to be apart for even the time it took for me to shower.
We both fell asleep, and when I woke, it was to find Acheron still passed out. Von told me that he could go days, sometimes weeks, without sleep, and over the past couple of unsettled weeks, Acheron barely slept for fear of losing me. Now that he was assured of my safety, he felt free to rest and soon entered a very deep sleep with his body working overtime to restore itself.I decided to let him sleep in peace alone while I explored the places I knew I was allowed to wander. In the end, I followed my usual habit of picking up a book from the library and hiding out on my rock at the edge of the forest.
Things with Acheron were wonderful. Amazing, even. My last ties to the human world had been severed when I abruptly sold off my company. I used the excuse that I was unwell and unable to continue working, so my second-in-command took over. I didn't have any close friends who would miss me, and my marriage to David was legally over.
I still felt a profound sadness at losing David. Not as a husband, but as a friend. I knew if he hadn't proclaimed his love for me, we would never have gotten together, and I truly regretted that I'd fallen into a relationship with him instead of telling him the truth.
But I hoped he was happy, wherever he was. I didn't dare ask Acheron for an update. He could sense whenever I thought of David and had punched a hole through the wall in jealousy when I innocently wondered if he was okay. That was our first major argument, but it ended with him taking me roughly on my hands and knees. His bite still lingered on my shoulder.
I tried biting him back, which he thought adorable since my blunt teeth and nails couldn't even scratch him. Sadly, I would never be able to reciprocate since there was no chance of turning me.
As much as I wanted to be like him—could feel it deep in my bones that it was my path—he was also right. It was a huge risk, and he made it clear that the end of me would be the end of him, and I couldn't do that to him.
News of his mating was already starting to trickle out, yet he was still being overly careful in protecting me. Despite Vladimir's demise, he still felt I wasn't safe.
"A royal mated pair is rare, so we have targets on our backs. Only a select few know that you are human, and so our united strength will not be at its peak. But soon everyone will know, especially at your coronation."
Yes, I was going to have a freakin' coronation like the Queen of England. He was keeping mum about the ceremony, but I was sure it had to involve something…supernatural.
So until he felt like all threats against me were gone, I had to have guards with me at all times when he wasn't here. God, I felt like such a failure that I was human.
Another cool breeze swept over me, and I shivered a little in the shade. My brow furrowed as I glanced around me, a sliver of unease sliding down my spine. Speaking of guards…where the hell were they?
They usually maintained a safe distance and didn't dare speak to me, so at times I forgot they were even there. But even so, I could usually spot at least one lurking around by now.
"Good evening."
I jerked and yelped in fright, my startled gaze meeting the eyes of my intruder. Where the hell had he come from? There was no one here a second ago.
I had to admit that he was very handsome—although pretty much everyone I'd met so far was. He had dirty-blond hair and was tall and muscular. But it was his eyes that caught me. They were intensely dark with a hint of danger lurking at the edges.. I shivered and slowly closed my book.
"Um…hello. I don't think we've met."
He smiled widely as he shuffled closer. My eyes still darted around for my guards.
"No. No, we haven't. But I've heard a lot about you, Alice—despite Acheron keeping you close to his chest."
I shifted uncomfortably at his chilling grin. The way he said my name, it almost felt like he was mocking me. "Oh? I'm sorry, I'm at a disadvantage. Who are you?"
He shook his head ruefully. "Oh, how rude of me. I'm Damon.KingDamon, to be exact."
My shoulders deflated, and my breath left me in a relieved exhale. "Oh! I've heard about you. Acheron’s mentioned you before. You're the King of Ameros Territory, right?"
His lip curled, and despite knowing he was a friend of Acheron's, there was something about him that felt off.
"I see he's been keeping his little human informed."
I ignored that jibe, smiling past the awkward pit of nerves that was deepening in my stomach. "Yes. But I also did a deep dive into your history from his library. Well, shallow dive is more like it. There's a lot to learn, and the history is so vast and goes back thousands of years." I was rambling like a nervous idiot, while also keeping an eye out for my guards. Where were they?
