She smiled back with what she hoped was reassurance. “Love you,” she mouthed.
A faint light shone in his eyes, and the tiniest hint of a smile played on his face. He gave her a quick nod, then settled into position.
Den dropped his hand. “Fight!”
In true valkyrie fashion, Magna charged with a roar and a flash of metal.
Sebastian’s training served him well. He spun away, avoiding her blade as it sliced toward him and sang out with a hiss of air.
Magna turned and lunged at him again. He blocked the attack, and the clang of the strike echoed off the walls.
The back-and-forth continued, and they worked their way from one end of the room to the other. Tessa and her father followed. Tessa’s hands were clenched at her sides, and her heart pounded in her chest. Wanting Sebastian to win felt like a betrayal of her mother, but wanting her mother to win felt equally as disloyal to the man she planned to spend the rest of her life with. She’d never felt so torn.
Her scorn of these traditions grew with each passing moment, and she vowed that no child of hers would ever be put through the same thing.
Magna feinted, but Sebastian read it and took the opening. Magna lifted her sword to block, but came up a split second too late. Sebastian’s blade sliced across her arm, leaving a red scratch on her skin.
“First blood to the vampire,” Den called out.
Sebastian dropped his hands to his sides. The point of his weapon trailed on the ground. He shook his head, repugnance in his eyes. “I cannot do this. It goes against everything bred in me to raise a hand against a woman.”
Magna’s eyes sparkled. “Then you’re going to lose.” She charged him.
He brought his sword back up, but not before she’d caught the fabric of his shirt and torn it open.
There was no blood, but Tessa sucked in a breath anyway. She couldn’t take much more of this. Freya forgive her. “Sebastian, just finish it. Now.”
As if spurred by her words, he drove forward with the speed and agility of his kind. His sword whirled around, giving off a flash of light. A soft, slithering sound followed as Magna’s weapon flew out of her hand and clattered to the floor.
Magna stepped back, her hands empty and her eyes rounded in surprise. “I don’t know how you did that.”
“A century of fencing.” Sebastian kept the point of his sword aimed at her. “Do you concede?”
She nodded slowly and smiled. “I do.”
Beside Tessa, her father grunted. “The vampire has successfully completed the first challenge.”
Sebastian’s shoulders dropped as he tossed his weapon to the ground. He shoved back the lock of hair that had fallen onto his forehead.
Tessa ran to him. “You did it.”
He caught her in his arms and held her close. “So I did.”
Still wrapped in his embrace, Tessa looked over at her mother. “Are you badly hurt?”
Magna shook her head. “I’m a valkyrie. It takes more than a scratch to wound me.” She smiled and patted Sebastian on the shoulder. “Well done, vampire. Let’s see if you do as well on your next task.”
Sebastian released Tessa. “Now?”
Den barked out a laugh as he joined them. “Too tired to continue?”
“No.” Sebastian lowered his head. “I’m ready to return to your room and that damned bowl immediately.”
Which they did. And the moment they were through the door to her parents’ suite, Sebastian headed straight for the coffee table. He wasted no time digging into the bowl. He took out a second slip of paper and handed it to Magna.
She held it, but didn’t open it. “You’re impatient.”
Sebastian slipped his arm around Tessa’s waist. “I see no point in prolonging this.”
Tessa leaned into him. He practically vibrated with tension and anticipation. “Sebastian’s right, Mom. We just want to get through this and move on with our lives. With your blessing, of course.”
“Of course.” Magna opened the paper. “You have chosen the Auor.” She folded the paper and set it next to the bowl, then checked her watch. “You have until sunset tomorrow to bring us the most precious thing you can think of, but whatever you return with, we must also agree to its worth.”
Sebastian looked perplexed. “Precious in what way? You said worth, so monetary?”
Magna crossed her arms and shook her head. “There is no discussion.”
Den went over and opened the suite’s door. “We’ll see you at sunset.”
Tessa hung back. “But, Dad, can’t you give him some kind of clue?”
Her father’s gaze darkened. “Gunther didn’t need clues.”
She sighed. “I hate all of this.” Gunther included. Why on earth had he thought she’d make a good wife? Why couldn’t he have found a nice girl in French Lick?
Sebastian took her hand. “It’s all right. The answer is obvious.”
Tessa tried to pull him toward the door. “Sebastian, this isn’t something you can do on impulse. You won’t get another chance. Your first answer has to be the right one.”
Her father glared at him. “She’s right, vampire. You ought to take the time to think this through. Or do your people have a hard time with rational thought?”
“I know the answer,” Sebastian repeated.
“Let him speak,” Magna said.
Den gave Sebastian a look of disapproval as if he thought the same thing Tessa did, that Sebastian was being impetuous. But that wasn’t Sebastian’s way at all.
Tessa bit her lip and prayed to Freya that her vampire truly did know the answer.
He walked up to her mother and stood proudly, putting his arm around Tessa. “The most precious thing I know is your daughter. She is worth more than everything I own twice over. I would give my own life for her. She is a rare gem and absolutely priceless. And I dare you to disagree with me.”
A slow smile spread across Magna’s face. “In the interest of fairness, I would have to add that I feel the same about my other daughter as well, so no, vampire, I will not disagree with you. You have passed the second feat. And in far less time than Gunther did, I might add.”
“Thank you.” Sebastian wanted to slump with the sudden relief he felt, but he stayed steadfastly upright. “And perhaps I realized the answer so quickly because my love for Tessa is real.”
Magna nodded. “Perhaps.”
He leaned in and kissed Tessa, who had tears shining in her eyes.
She blinked them back. “You really feel that way about me?”
“I do.”
She snuggled against him. “You’re amazing.”
He smiled.
Magna did too, and it seemed to Sebastian that the woman was suddenly on his side. She took a step toward the coffee table. “I’ll get the bowl.”
“No.” There was no way he couldn’t win the next feat. Not with Tessa at his side. But that was not going to happen tonight. “We’ll be back at sunset tomorrow, as allowed in the last task. Tessa and I need some time to ourselves.”
Magna looked surprised. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Tessa answered. “You can try to tear us apart again tomorrow.” She took Sebastian’s hand. “The rest of this day is ours.”
Den started to say something, but Magna silenced him with a raised hand. “That’s fine with me.”
Den grunted. Magna turned to look at him. “Leave them be.”
He gave a short nod, then narrowed his eyes at Sebastian. “Leaving town isn’t going to end this test. A valkyrie can be called back by other means.”
Sebastian frowned at the man. “Have I given you any indication that I’m the kind of man who runs from tough situations?”
“No,” Den grudgingly answered.
“We’ll be back at sunset. I’m a man of my word. And I would not do anything to cause Tessa problems.”
Magna patted Tessa on the arm. “We’ll see you then.”
Sebastian was pleased that at least one of Tessa’
s parents was being reasonable. “Very good.”
Magna escorted them to the door, then shut it after them, leaving Tessa and Sebastian blissfully alone in the hall.
They walked in silence to the elevator.
She turned to him as he pressed the call button. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know, honestly. But faced with the possibility of what this next challenge might bring, all that really appeals is time alone with you. I’d be happy just to return to our suite and spend these next few hours with you in my arms.”
“I’d be happy with that too.”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Before you know it, all of this will be behind us, and we’ll be on our way home. Able to marry whenever we want. Able to spend days on end however we please.”
“You seem very confident.”
“I am. Because I have you by my side.” He took her hand again and tugged her closer.
She smiled and leaned against him as the lift doors opened. “You make me deliriously happy, Sebastian Ellingham.”
“Then you’re okay with my plan of returning to the suite?”
“Absolutely. There are some other activities I’d like to add to our agenda, though.”
They stepped onto the lift as he squinted at her words. He was open for a little sightseeing, he supposed. It was her first time here in Paris, after all. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to explore a bit. “I imagine you want to see the Louvre?”
She laughed. “None of the activities I have in mind involves us leaving the room. Maybe not even the bed.”
“Oh. Oh.” The realization of what she meant hit him in a wave of desire that overrode his usual interest in decorum. The elevator doors slid shut. “You are my everything, Tessa Blythe.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly, tasting the beautiful creature before him as if for the first time.
His glorious valkyrie.
His bona fide fiancée.
She clung to him, digging her fingers into his shoulders as if she was trying to hang on to him forever.
Heat spun through him, charging every inch of his body with the anticipation of what was to come. If these next few hours were the last he might have with her, he was going to make them count.
The lift dinged, and a few moments later, a very loud clearing of a throat interrupted them.
They broke apart to find a fez-capped bellman staring them down from the other side of the open doors, his mouth bunched into a rather judgmental pout.
“Pardon,” Sebastian said as he held the doors back for Tessa.
“Hmph.” The bellman lifted his chin slightly as if to say that it would take more than a pardon to erase what he’d seen.
Tessa snickered, grabbed Sebastian’s hand and pulled him along with her. They laughed all the way through the lobby and onto the street. “You’re wicked.”
He arched his brows. “Yes, I am. And you’re about to find out just how very good at being bad I can be.”
After the hours of languid passion spent in Sebastian’s arms, Tessa couldn’t bear to think what might happen to them next. But here they were, headed toward her parents’ suite once again. And once again, Sebastian was about to face a trial on her behalf.
Nerves tripped through her. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this.”
“Don’t be. I understand tradition. And I’m happy to prove myself to your parents since that’s what they need. Having their blessing will make our lives much easier. Especially if or when we have children.”
She gave him a quick smile she didn’t quite feel. “That’s very true. But I feel like you’ve had relatively easy tasks so far. I know there are much harder ones in the mix, and that makes me worry what the final one might be.”
He shrugged as they stopped in front of the suite door. “It’s all luck of the draw, right? And to be honest, I wouldn’t say facing down your mother in a sword fight was exactly a stroll in the park.”
“No, I suppose not. But these tests were meant for berserkers, not vampires. I worry that you’ll come up against one you can’t manage.”
“Each test has been more about who I am as a man. As long as I remember that, I’ll be fine. Berserker or not, it doesn’t matter.”
She sighed.
He caught her hand in his and brought it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “I know you’re worried about me, but it’s going to be fine, my love. You’ll see.” He smiled. “And if Gunther can do it, so can I.”
She gave him a little half grin. “Good point.”
He gestured toward the door. “Ready?”
“If you are.” She sighed, grin gone.
He knocked, his smile still firmly in place.
How he could be so cavalier about this, she had no idea. Her stomach was in knots, and she felt on the verge of vomiting. Or whipping out her sword and hacking something to pieces, which was pretty uncharacteristic for her.
What she needed was a good book and a hot bath. Or Sebastian and a hot bath. Or just Sebastian. That would work too. She laughed softly as her father opened the door.
“What’s so funny, Tessa?”
“Oh, nothing, Dad. So, uh, we’re here.”
“I can see that. Come in.”
They followed him to the living room. Magna sat by the coffee table, a glass of wine in her hand. She set it aside and stood.
“Hello, Tessa. Sebastian.”
“Magna.” Sebastian nodded. “I trust your day was as pleasantly spent as ours.”
Magna glanced at Tessa. “Judging by the glow emanating off my daughter, I’d guess not. But it was still lovely.”
Tessa’s eyes rounded. “Mom.”
Sebastian chuckled. “Well, then.”
Den made a noise that sounded very much like the one the bellman had made. He shot a perturbed look at them both. “Let’s get on with it, shall we?”
“Of course.” Sebastian bent toward the bowl.
Magna stood. “We took the liberty of adjusting the remaining feats so that they would be more…vampire-friendly. We also took into consideration that we’re in Paris. And quite a ways from our Scandinavian homelands where many of these feats were meant to be performed.”
Sebastian straightened. “I appreciate your efforts, but I was content to finish with whatever remained. I hope I didn’t give you any indication to the contrary.”
Den crossed his arms. “It’s the parents’ right to decide the feats. Minor deviations and adjustments are allowed.”
Sebastian nodded. “Of course.”
A prickle of alarm stabbed Tessa’s belly. “Dad, you didn’t make any of them harder, did you?”
Den stared at Sebastian. “I did what I did to prove the mettle of this vampire who thinks he’s the right man for my daughter.”
“Dad.” Tessa stuck her hands on her hips. “If you’ve set Sebastian up for failure—”
“It’s all right, love,” Sebastian said. “Whatever proof your father needs, I’m about to give him.”
Sebastian stuck his hand into the bowl and came back with the final slip of paper. He handed it to Magna.
She opened it and took a breath. “Ilmir’s Chase.” She glanced at Den, then handed him the slip of paper.
He tossed it onto the table.
Sebastian stiffened. “Am I to guess this one, or will it be explained?”
“Ilmir is the goddess of flowers and dreams,” Tessa said. “But I don’t know what this challenge is.” She glared at her father. “What is it?”
Den shrugged. “It’s simple. The Père Lachaise Cemetery here in Paris houses the Valachie mausoleum. That crypt is said to be the final resting place of Vlad Dracul, the father of Dracula himself. Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know. Or care. All that matters is that you bring us the enchanted black rose that blooms within its walls without using any magic of your own to do so. And you have until the next sunset to do so.”
Sebastian’s gaze tapered down. “That’s all you want. An enchanted
rose. Is there some catch? Is it poisonous? Is it just an illusion, impossible to grasp?”
Den smiled. Tessa knew that look. It meant her father thought he’d done something clever. Den shook his head. “It’s a real flower, but it only blooms because of the magic in that crypt. And sunlight. Did I mention that? Sunlight is the only thing that keeps it alive. In fact, when the sun sets, the rose dies. Bring us a dead rose and you’ve failed.”
The parameters of the task before Sebastian suddenly became clear. “Sunlight keeps it alive, which is how I’m supposed to bring it to you, but I’m not allowed to use magic to do so.”
“Correct,” Den responded.
Anger iced Sebastian’s spine, but he kept himself in check. “I am a vampire. I am a creature of magic. How is that supposed to work, then?”
Den’s gaze was steady and direct. “We are all supernaturals. I’m not talking about the magic inherent within us. I’m talking about the magic that allows you to walk in daylight, vampire. Or did you think we didn’t know about that?”
“I’ve done nothing to keep that a secret.” Sebastian felt Tessa slip her hand into his. “And there’s nothing wrong with using magic to walk in daylight.”
“Not saying there is.” Den shrugged. “In the berserker trial that mirrors this one, the use of a sword is forbidden. And if you don’t like it, you can always quit.” He leaned in. “And leave my daughter to marry the man who’s already accomplished these tasks.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the man. “The magic that allows me to daywalk is a closely guarded family secret. I’m not about to reveal it to you.”
“I’m not asking you to. A berserker cannot be separated from his sword either. Not in any way that would allow him to leave it behind.”
“Then how will you know whether or not I’ve used it?”
A calculated look came into Den’s eyes. “Because your honor is at stake. Among other things.”
Tessa let go of Sebastian’s hand to stab a finger at her father. “You did this on purpose. Came up with an impossible challenge just to get rid of Sebastian and force me to marry Gunther.”
The hard light in Den’s eyes softened. “I didn’t. I swear it.”
The Vampire's True Love Trials Page 4