Page 28 of Just One Night
I nod to him, and head out, sucking down the warm night air. Part of me feels content and settled in a way that no hunter in the midst of a war his brother started should feel. The other part is doing its best to remind me in all the ways in which I’m fucked. What kind of sadistic world do I live in where I’m mated while also most certainly approaching my death?
No, it’s not my mark. It can’t be.
Even the thought tastes like a lie.
I don’t want it to be Samuel’s mark either. I just hate that we’re fucked either way. She’s fucked if it’s Samuel’s mark, because why would fate do that to her? And I’m fucked if it’s mine, because I’ll likely die before I can give her everything she deserves from a mate.
I’ve read extensively on twin bonds between vampire children. It’s powerful as hell, and having it severed by one or the other is assumed to have dire consequences, even if there are only a few recorded throughout history.
I turn down an alley between two ancient buildings, lost in my thoughts as I make my way back toward Aurora’s home. She deserves a life with without war, without constantly worrying Samuel will crash into her world and uproot her again. She deserves peace. But if that mark is mine and we fully accept the bond? She’ll suffer when I die killing my brother.
“I knew it was the San Gimignano towers you saw earlier.” Samuel’s voice stops me dead cold. I blink a few times, checking to ensure my racing thoughts didn’t conjure him before me.
Samuel steps out of the shadows, wearing an immaculate black suit, his hands in his pockets, his eyes almost entirely blood red.
Nope, he’s definitely real. Adrenaline spears through me, but I stand like a statue, not wanting to trigger his flight response he’s been so reliant on.
“Have to love Italy,” he continues, smiling at me. “The people here taste better, don’t they?”
“How the fuck are you here?”
Samuel taps his temple. “Your shields are down.”
Fuck my life. “You’re spying on me through the twin bond?” I growl. “You haven’t done that since we were adolescents.” And he’d been the only one of us who could do it successfully. I was always jealous of that. I’d tried and failed multiple times in using it to track him down since his betrayal.
Samuel shrugs. “Desperate times.”
“If you wanted to meet up, all you had to do was ask.” Instincts have my eyes flashing to thermal. I’m fully fed and armed with four blades. I can take him down. I don’t reach for the weapons, not wanting to scare him into running again. I have to get closer, get my hands on him so that if he wends,Iwend with him.
“Oh, come on, Saint.” He tilts his head. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t let those shields down on purpose. You’ve kept them in place for centuries. You did it as a peace offering. And I’m so glad you’ve come around. I miss you,” he says, sincerity coloring his features. “I miss mybrother.”
I feel his last words like a knife to the heart. “We haven’t been brothers for a very long time. You imprisoned me. Starved me?—”
“I did what I had to.” Samuel rolls his eyes. “You needed to understand my plans for us. For our future. You’ll get over the few months you lost when you have a sparkling eternity stretching out before you. Especially when I get my way.”
“Okay, fine. Forget what you did to me.” I have to keep him talking. Keep him here. I’ve never been so angry for not letting Dagon or Ajax tag along on a trip with me. “It doesn’t erase the fact that you joined forces with our enemy. With the people who want to eradicate our kind.”
Another shrug. “The Sons are useful to the cause. Things need to change. We need a new king. One who will shift things back to more familiar ways. Bring strength and purity back to the bloodlines. Put an end to the Conclave business.” He scoffs. “How many times has Alek made you work with lycans or demons or witches since you joined his side?”
I shake my head. “Who the fuck are you?”
“You know exactly who I am. I’mhalfof you.”
Ice crystalizes on the back of my neck as he plucks at one of my biggest fears. “I’m nothing like you.” I take a step closer to him.
He takes a step back. “You are, brother.” His features shift to a softer, more familiar shape. Reminding me of the bond we used to have—the way we always had each other’s backs, never letting true harm come to the other.Itburns.
“Aren’t you tired?” he asks. “Tired of fighting it? Tired of pretending humans are anything other than sustenance? Tired of bending a knee to a vampire king who would sooner put you back into stasis or stake you than sever his loyalty to the humans and other supernaturals?”
“I am tired,” I admit. “Tired of trying to redeem you. You’re beyond saving. I wasn’t able to see it before, but now I realize your thirst for power is the exact reason for your downfall.” I knew as much after he kidnapped the princess Avianna and imprisoned me, but I couldn’t admit it. And after we found Aurora…after everything he’d done to her, I knew the brother I’d known had died for good.
Samuel laughs. I take another step toward him. He doesn’t move back this time.
“You know, I’ve been busy. Tainting your blood supply wasn’t the only item on my agenda. But after you and the others put up such a fight, I made backup plans. You know how organized I am.” He tilts his head. “The vote is coming up. You’ve never paid enough attention to the political side of our world, but you should know, I’ve gathered almost all the votes necessary to throw Alek from his throne and claim it for myself.” He smirks. “I only need one more. And wouldn’t you know it, a new duchess has been appointed who I happen to know quite well.”
My stomach bottoms out. Alek sent Aurora and me here to claim her inheritance, ensuring her vote counts in the upcoming election.
“She should be easy to sway next,” he continues. “Fragile little thing, but who better to make her come to heel than the vampire who made her.”
