Ruined by Blood (The Vampires' Fae Book 3)

by Sadie Moss

  In the meantime, I consoled myself with the knowledge that the human servants in the Penumbra were here of their own free will. After Malcolm killed Carrick, one of the first things he did was give all the humans in the castle the opportunity to leave. I was shocked at how many chose to stay, and I suspected some of them were still too deeply enthralled to fully understand the choice Malcolm had presented them.

  That was something we’d have to address in the future, but there was plenty of time to sort through it later. I’d make sure only those who truly wanted to be here remained. And I had no doubt we could find plenty of willing humans to replace those who left.

  Hell, Grace had practically been drooling over my men the night she met them. She might leap at the chance to be worshipped by other handsome vampire men—not that I was at all certain I wanted to invite her into this world. I’d drop a few hints when I met up with her for our girl time in the city and see where things went from there.

  I could feel my brain starting to churn with the sheer number of things there were to do and think about. But I dipped my head under the water, clearing my mind.

  Today, there was only one thing to do. Everything else could wait.

  When the water began to cool, I rose from the tub. Tamara was there instantly, wrapping a large fluffy towel around my shoulders. I dried off, and she helped me dress in an ornate red silk gown. The top hugged my curves, pushing my boobs up to create an attention-grabbing amount of cleavage, and a single strap crossed over my left shoulder. The skirt was full and layered, swishing around my legs as I walked.

  Tamara plunked me into a chair in front of the vanity and went to work on my hair and makeup. I let myself zone out as she worked, and when she finally tapped me on the shoulder, the face that gazed back at me from the mirror took me by surprise.

  The elaborate updo and subtle makeup made me look powerful and poised. I looked older than my twenty-seven years, a hint of the vampiric timelessness I’d noticed in the brothers appearing in my features.

  “You look beautiful, Miss Tate.” Tamara’s rapid heartbeat had slowed as she fussed over me, and now she beamed at me proudly.

  “Thank you, Tamara. Is it time?”

  “Nearly. Are you ready, miss?”

  A laugh bubbled up in my chest. “Nope. But let’s go anyway.”

  With a sweet smile, Tamara opened the door for me. She bobbed her head and set off down the hall, leaving me with the two vampire guards outside. Wordlessly, they escorted me down to the throne room.

  With every step, my nerves grew. By the time we reached the large double doors outside, my hands were shaking. When the doors opened, and hundreds of assembled vampires turned to look at me, I thought I might faint.

  But then my gaze moved to the front of the room where Malcolm stood, looking more powerful and handsome than I’d ever seen him. Sol and Jerrett flanked him, standing tall and proud. At the sight of the three of them, my anxiety calmed, and without conscious thought, my legs carried me toward them.

  When I reached the dais, Malcolm smiled at me, taking my hand in his. His gaze slid down my body, lingering for a moment on my breasts, and I suppressed a grin; he never had been able to resist them. Then his dark eyes met mine again, the chocolate brown warm and comforting.

  “You make a stunning queen.”

  “And you make a handsome king.”

  “All right, all right, keep it in your pants,” Jerrett teased in a low voice. “He’s not king yet.”

  “Speaking of which,” Sol murmured. “It’s time.”

  My heart lurched with excitement and nerves, but Malcolm’s grip on my hand stayed steady and strong as we turned to face the assembled crowd of vampires.

  This is it.

  The coronation ceremony was about to begin.

  30

  Willow

  Several hours later, I was stuffed with good food and dizzy from greeting so many well-wishers. Between practically every bite, someone new approached our table in the great hall, wanting to have a word with Malcolm or me.

  Though it was encouraging to see so many citizens of the Penumbra embracing the change in leadership, it was exhausting as hell too. I had never in my life imagined being a queen, and I knew Malcolm had never had ambitions to be king. But I loved and respected him so much for choosing to step up and do what needed to be done. The least I could do was try to fill the role I’d been given with the same grace Malcolm did.

  I had a feeling it would be a learning process though.

  Jerrett and Sol were seated at the high table with us, bookending Malcolm and me. The vampires here were used to seeing the three brothers together, so it came as no surprise to anyone that Malcolm immediately named Sol and Jerrett his top advisors. And although a few of Carrick’s old supporters had raised holy hell about a half-fae hybrid being crowned queen, the men had dealt with them swiftly and efficiently, putting down a rebellion before it could even begin to form.

  Any other vampires who might’ve objected went silent after that.

  There was still a long way to go before I was truly accepted by everyone here, and I was sure some would only hate me more when I bucked ancient traditions and questioned old laws. But I was determined to see the end of the vampire trials. We’d find a new system for regulating the creation of fledgling vampires—one that didn’t punish innocents who were turned against their will.

  “You look so serious.” Jerrett leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Is the weight of the crown that heavy already?”

  Figuratively? Yes. Literally? No. The actual crown was light as a feather, a small golden band that encircled my head.

  I nudged him lightly. “It’s not that. I was just wondering how much longer we have to stay at the feast.”

  He chuckled, looking out over the crowd. “Give everyone another drink or two, and they won’t even know we left.”

  He was right. Another round of drinks later, and hands started to roam, the vampires indulging in their blood craving as the humans they fed from gasped in pleasure. My core grew slick with arousal at the gasps and moans filling the room. But I’d leave the blood orgy to the rest of the castle residents. I had no desire to share my men with anyone.

  “My queen.” Malcolm’s warm eyes glinted with humor as he stood and pulled my chair out for me. “Shall we?”

  I nodded eagerly, trying to maintain some level of decorum as the four of us slipped from the room.

  “So, what now?” I glanced at the three men as we headed back toward our chambers.

  “I thought we should blow off a little steam,” Malcolm answered. “It’s been a long week. I think we’ve earned it.”

  That sounded like an excellent idea, and I bit my lip as I considered all the very enjoyable ways we could blow off steam. When we reached our room, Sol spun me around, unzipping my dress and letting it pool by my feet. The unmistakable scent of arousal filled the room, but instead of hands and mouths descending on me, Jerrett handed me a tank top and a pair of pants.

  “Here. Put these on.”

  Surprised and a little disappointed—although we indulged our desire for each other often, I still couldn’t get enough—I did as he commanded, slipping on the clothes along with the boots Sol handed me.

  The men changed too, slipping into clothes they could move easily in. Then we headed downstairs and stepped out of the castle into the murky dawn light. As we walked into the forest, my muscles relaxed like they did every time I found my way back to nature—a part of my fae heritage I was growing to love.

  The spring air was cool against my skin, and the scent of earth, pine, and moss filtered into my nostrils.

  When we were half a mile into the woods, a small noise caught my attention. I peered into the distance, catching sight of a shimmering white veil and a blue-haired woman standing in front of it.

  “Nahini?”

  I strode through the undergrowth, the men keeping pace with me easily as we approached the fae warrior.

  Her strong, m
asculine features were stoic, but for a quick moment, one corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. “Congratulations on your coronation, half-blood. You too, bloodsucker.”

  I almost laughed at her refusal to address us in any more formal terms than that. We might be the vampire king and queen of North America, but I had a feeling that to Nahini, we’d always be “the half-blood and the bloodsucker.” And I could live with that. I didn’t need fancy titles or blind obeisance. I’d take a fae warrior giving me shit over a sycophantic hanger-on any day.

  Malcolm seemed to be of the same mind, because he dipped his head and replied lightly, “Thank you, Nahini.”

  “I came to pass on my queen’s congratulations as well,” Nahini added. “And extend an invitation to all four of you to visit our realm in the future. She would like to talk more about how the fae and vampires can help each other.”

  Hope and joy bloomed in my chest. I wanted to jump up and down with glee, but I restrained myself.

  “Thank her for us, please. We’d love to.”

  Nahini nodded. Then she did grin. “Next time you come, I’ll show you how to create a portal. Your fae magic is strong enough, I’m sure you can do it.” Her gaze flicked over the three men gathered around me. “Might come in handy if you all have to hunt any more supernatural threats.”

  I smiled back at her. “That would be amazing.”

  Evidently deciding that was enough friendly conversation for one day, she cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders. Then she dropped her chin in a sharp nod and disappeared back through the wavering veil.

  When the portal winked out of existence, I turned to look up at my men. “Holy shit!”

  “Well put, sweetheart.” Jerrett smirked, his lip ring flashing.

  “This is good.” Malcolm looked thoughtful as he stared at the spot where Nahini had disappeared. “We’ll have to move slowly, but I’m hopeful we can begin to truly repair vampire/fae relations.”

  Sol clapped a hand on Malcolm’s shoulder. “Tomorrow, brother. There’s time to think about all of that later, but let it go for tonight.”

  “Hell fucking yeah!” Jerrett grunted, stretching his arms over his head in a way that made his muscles shift and bunch distractingly. “No more thinking. No more talking. I need to move.”

  Sol turned to me, his strange, beautiful eyes gleaming. “You know, Willow tree, Malcolm wasn’t there for your first hunt. Feel like showing him what he missed?”

  My pulse picked up, excitement already thrumming through my veins. “Hell fucking yeah.”

  “Hey!” Jerrett pulled me into his large body, his fingers tickling my ribs. “That’s my line. You can have ‘holy shit,’ because you say it so well. Oh, and ‘fuck.’ You can always have ‘fuck.’”

  He waggled his eyebrows mischievously at me. I rose up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his wicked lips, then I slipped out of his grip, racing away through the forest.

  The men moved too, running like the wind alongside me as we wove through the tall trees of the Penumbra. Sol caught the scent of a buck in the distance and took the lead, guiding us toward our prey.

  I let out a wild whoop as we ran, leaping over fallen logs and darting around trees. Without slowing my pace, I phased in and out, practicing the fae magic that ran through my veins. I would use it during our hunt.

  Tonight’s hunt, and all the ones yet to come.

  Malcolm may have accepted the crown, but he hadn’t said anything about giving up the oath he and his brothers had taken to protect the world from supernatural threats. And even though we’d defeated the weird sisters, I had a feeling there were still plenty of other threats out there. More evil things would come.

  Sol made a soft noise, prompting us to veer left. His brothers and I converged around him, all four of us moving together as one. I couldn’t help the feral, dangerous smile that spread across my face as the wind whipped strands of my hair from its updo.

  Let them come. My vampires and I will always be here to stop them.

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  Thank you so much for following Willow and her men on their journey!

  If you’re hungry for more, check out my completed reverse harem urban fantasy series, Magic Awakened. You can grab the prequel novella FREE here!

  Or turn the page to find out what’s coming up next from me… :)

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  What’s Next From Sadie Moss

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  Diagnosed with a rare terminal illness, I’ve spent over half my life in the Strand Corporation’s state-of-the-art treatment facility. I keep my chin up and do everything the doctors order, praying one day I’ll walk out of here in perfect health.

  But when that day finally arrives, it’s nothing like I hoped it would be. Instead, it comes in a hail of gunfire, along with four distractingly handsome men who say they’re here to rescue me.

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  Get it now!

  About the Author

  Sadie Moss is obsessed with books, craft beer, and the supernatural. She has often been accused of living in a world of her own imagination, so she decided to put those worlds into books.

  When Sadie isn't working on her next novel, she loves spending time with her adorable puppy, binge-watching comedies on Hulu, and hanging out with her family.

  She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to say hello at sadiemoss.author@gmail.com.

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