Page 38 of Blood Moon Bound

I instantly forgot what we were talking about when he slid two thick fingers inside me, and his mouth took mine.

Eleven

CONSTANTINE

I stood from my desk after going over maps and treaties, new and old threats to us from those beyond our territory sent to me by the Vampire Court, and strode to the window, drawn there as if compelled. I may not be out in the field at the moment, but our warriors were kept busy. There was always something for me to oversee. Stefan and Rainer would be arriving soon to discuss strategy. The war was over, but we needed to remain vigilant.

All thoughts of battle slipped from my mind, though, when my gaze found Delphine.

Like she did most days, she was strolling among the roses. Today she had a basket filled with them. To put in my room, no doubt, and my office and the dining room. My house, usually quiet and dark and cold, had been filled with them nearly every day, their color and perfume leaving Delphine’s mark all over the house.

I scanned the surrounding area. I knew she was safe, my guards were watching, patrolling the perimeter, but Douglas was still sending hired killers after me. I’d caught, tortured, and dispatched another one only a couple nights ago. He’d told me nothing, not because he refused, but because he didn’t know anything. My fingers curled into a tight fist.

Delphine bent over, inspecting a rose, and as she breathed in the scent, I saw that same rapturous expression on her face that I’d seen the first time I laid eyes on her, when she was just sixteen years old in her parents’ garden.

The tension seeped from my shoulders. She was utterly breathtaking then, in a sweet and vulnerable way, but even more so now. Now she was a grown female with the curves to match. The way she held herself, the way she moved, all of it drew me. Delphine held me captive, entranced.

I was in trouble.

My sweet, little bride had burrowed deep, and I wasn’t sure I could resist making her mine.

The way we’re made, it’s like…it’s like we’re made to fit together.

I shoved my fingers through my hair and paced to the other side of my office. Her innocence, her trust in me with every part of her, the things she said, her curiosity, all of it was chipping away at me piece by piece.

She’d called me handsome, for fuck’s sake. No one had ever called me that. I wasn’t. I was brutish and scarred and ugly. What did Delphine see that no one else did?

Christ, I was undeserving of her attention, and every day that passed, she shattered another piece of my resolve, my unraveling emotions growing more acute. But no matter how badly I craved her, I couldn’t have my Delphine. I couldn’t keep her.

Samara deserved retribution for what Albertan did, and she would get it. I hadn’t been able to give her everything she wanted from me; I’d left when she’d asked me not to, choosing war and death over her time and again. I’d driven her to seek refuge in that sadistic fucker’s dungeon.

Samara was dead because of me. I couldn’t let myself forget that. I didn’t deserve peace or happiness.

Douglas had gotten away with his crimes long enough.

And proof or not, I would find a way to end him. I wouldn’t mate Delphine, tying her to me for life, when she’d only end up despising me for killing her stepfather, the male she loved like a father. Because no matter what, I would find a way. He would die at my hand.

* * *

Delphine

I’d spent most of the afternoon in the garden, enjoying the warm breeze. This morning had been too bright, but when the sun disappeared behind the clouds, and they’d grown heavy and gray, I’d rushed out.

Constantine had been in his office all morning, poring over maps and other papers. The more time he spent in there, the more concerned I became. John said he’d leave soon, that he’d return to the field, and the more time he spent in his office with those maps, the more I believed he might be right.

I hadn’t been able to bring myself to just ask him, afraid he’d confirm it—afraid of what my reaction would be.

Two of his brothers were in there with him now. I’d heard their murmured voices, but I didn’t know what they were talking about. Whatever it was, they sounded serious.

It was time to go back inside, it would soon be nightfall, but I wanted to enjoy the garden a little longer.

I took a moment to breathe in the scents coming from the different varieties of roses, then picked another of the lush red ones and put it in my basket, smiling as I brushed my fingers over their petals.

“I didn’t think I’d see you today,” John said, startling me. He was leaning against the trunk of one of the large oak trees, his hands in his pockets, eyes bright in the waning light.

“I had to wait until it grew cloudy to come out. The sun was a bit bright today.”

“Ah, of course… I forget how young and innocent you are. How easily you could get hurt.”