by Anna Santos
“Beth,” Anna called the girl, listening to her weep. “Beth, this isn’t Alaric. Look at him. Please, look at him.”
Beth kept mumbling incoherently while rocking her body back and forward.
“Let me go to her,” Eric begged. Anna held him still, preventing him from entering the holding cell. “She’s my mate, Anna. I want to go to her. I…” He lost his voice and she noticed his eyes were shining with unshed tears.
“Let me talk to her first, uncle. You need to be patient. She’s been through a lot and needs…to understand that we don’t want to hurt her and that you aren’t him.”
His voice came out shaky and, at the same time, powered by anger. “I’ll kill him, Anna. I will…I can’t believe…He had her…He hurt her.”
Anna placed both hands over his face, wiping away the tears that rolled down his cheeks. “I promise you that he will pay. But you need to let me talk to her… You need to control your anger so you won’t scare her even more.”
Eric nodded, placing his own hands over hers. “How could he do this?”
“I doubt that he knew she was your mate. But he’s a sadist. You’ll need to be patient.”
Eric nodded again, raising his head to stare at his weeping mate. Anna could only imagine what went on inside his mind when his body trembled as he clenched his hands into fists and took deep breaths to calm his rage. New tears fell down his cheeks.
Chapter Twenty-Four—BONDING
JESSICA
The sunlight was pouring into the bedroom, announcing the existence of life outside those walls. Jessica stretched her arms up in the air while wrapped inside Marcus’ shirt. She smiled and opened the balcony doors, stepping outside to face the view.
“I love it out here,” she whispered, turning her head to watch Marcus, half-covered with the sheet on the bed, showing his perfect torso and amazing smile. Her stomach bubbled with happiness. “After we buy clothes, I want to see everything.”
From the balcony of their hotel suite, Jessica could see the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, the Dancing House, and a lot of other monuments in Prague that she couldn’t wait to visit.
“It’s chilly outside. Come back to bed, love. We’ll order breakfast and then we can go out shopping for new clothes.”
Jessica spun around after closing the doors. Then, she ran to the bed and jumped on it, showing how happy she was. Marcus embraced her and kissed her nose, her forehead, and then her lips while she giggled.
Jessica asked him as she caressed his face. “How long are we staying here?”
“How long do you want to stay?”
“We could visit Amsterdam in a couple of days. I’ve never been there. It’s supposed to be beautiful, too. When was the last time you were in Europe?”
“It’s been…ages…Everything looks different,” he whispered, sitting her on his lap and running his hand up her thigh.
“I was thinking that we could go to Australia on our honeymoon. Have you ever been to Australia?”
“Once, a long time ago. Speaking about the wedding, we should call Anna. She must be worried about you. They tried to call us last night.”
“She’s fine and knows that I’m fine. She should let her grandparents have some fun.”
Marcus smirked. “We have lots of fun.”
“If we return home, we’ll have a lot of drama, a lot of crying about the fact Alaric escaped. A lot of stuff to deal with because of Valentina’s evil doings. Speaking of which…I wonder what Francesco did to her.”
“He should lock her up in a mental institution. I pity him. His mate was planning to betray him.”
“She holds a grudge against him. She’s a raving lunatic.”
“Forget about other people’s problems. Our immediate problem is what we shall order for breakfast,” Marcus said, kissing her shoulder and nuzzling his nose against her cleavage. “I’m not sure if I want to go outside. I’ve missed you and you are too irresistible to let go of.”
Jessica giggled, ticklish. “Are we being selfish?”
Her voice was sober and her face became solemn when she lifted her head to look into his eyes.
Marcus lost his smile and shook his head. “No, we are not being selfish. I’ve almost lost you, again. Alaric may have escaped, but you are still alive. We have a whole life ahead of us. We need to make new memories, we need to get to know each other all over again. I’m excited about it. But you are right, at home, we would have to deal with a lot of drama that would ruin our present happiness. And if we are being selfish, so be it. I want you all to myself. Our children and grandchildren can wait. And if the end of the world is near, it can also wait. We have a city to explore, new clothes to buy, and a lot of babies to make.”
Jessica smiled. “A lot of babies to make?”
Marcus nodded.
“I love you,” she whispered, feeling emotional about the happiness of being there with him and their plans for the future.
“I love you, too.”
Marcus brushed his fingers along her cheek, carefully taking her chin between his fingers, and placing his lips on her plump mouth to kiss. He pressed their lips together tenderly. Hugging her, he turned her around and placed her under his body.
Jessica muffled a giggle, snaking her arms around his neck and kissing him harder. As much as she enjoyed the dreams of them together, she had to confess that the real thing was a lot better. Their love had survived death, reincarnation, and even the test of time. Now they were together, nothing could stop them from being happy again.
EPILOGUE—KARMA
ALARIC
The place, where Alaric was being held captive, brought him memories of a time that he had been isolated inside his father’s palace. They had locked him up, starved him to near death, and claimed that they were doing this for his own good. They wanted to cleanse him from his bloodlust. A long time ago, he had found a way to escape that awful place and have his revenge. Though he had been a lot more comfortable in his own private quarters of his childhood home than in a smelly, dampened, and dark dungeon.
Everybody would pay for their betrayal. Somehow he was going to free himself and then, the ones who put him here would pay with their own lives. Even the sneaky and manipulative mate who had fooled him into believing that she was weak and scared. Marie had earned some new respect from him after that betrayal. Somehow, she had convinced one of his most loyal men into obeying her orders and betraying his master. It was a sneaky thing to do. Marie wasn’t as weak as he first thought.
As for Conrad, he was going to have a slow death. He would peel and dismember him in front of Marie, after displaying her guts to the ravens.
The only reason that he was alive was because Marie would die if he died. The reason why he was feeling weaker and weaker was because Marie had not been feeding him blood. He was simply left there, unconscious, for days that he hadn’t counted. But if she continued to ignore him, then she would suffer, too. They were still connected. By some unexplained reason, the curse wasn't lifted. The witch had tried…Valentina…Not her, Jessica wearing Valentina’s appearance. She had tried to break the curse and failed.
Between the moments of clarity and madness, he continued to remember that Beth might be dead. It hurt him thinking that he would never see her again. She had fled. She was smart, maybe she was able to survive. He wasn’t so smart…He didn’t realize that Conrad was under Marie’s spell. Was he in love with her? Was he stupid enough to think that Marie loved him in return? But only love could explain the betrayal…Love or greed. What did she promise him?
He had more moments of madness than sanity. He needed to feed. He needed to tap into other people’s memories and emotions to survive. The craving was unbearable.
The sound of a door opening made him open his eyes and stare at the dark wall. Someone was coming down the stairs. He followed the footsteps, evaluating the gentle step and the rhythm of the female coming down. A faint smell of roses came to his nose, taunting him and reminding him of the t
antalizing taste of her blood. Even if he hated her, he loved her, too. Maybe he could reason with her and convince her to let him go. She was weak and she wanted to believe that he could love her…as she loved him. Despite all that he had done to her, Marie loved him.
“Why did you betray me?” he asked when she stopped at a safe distance from his holding cell.
“You wanted to kill our baby. I couldn’t let you do that. I love my baby and I want to have it.”
Her voice was weak, her smell was enticing. He fought the urge to jump against the silver bars and growl at her like a mad animal inside a cage. He was going to pretend to be rational. Not that he wasn’t…He was rational. He was also mad and would rip her throat out if he was in arm’s length of her pretty neck.
“What did you tell Conrad for him to betray me?” Alaric folded his arms over his chest, musing on the ceiling and refusing to look at her.
“We are in love. He knew that you wanted to harm me. With you here, we can be together.”
“You don’t love him I know you don’t. I would know if you loved someone else but me. And I would hurt you for that.”
“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know because you never cared to find out. I can control what I want you to see inside my head, inside my memories…I tried to make you happy. But I can’t understand your obsession for Beth. I won’t understand and I won’t let you bind her soul to ours. I’m your only mate, you won’t have anyone else.”
“So…all this is happening because you are jealous of Beth?”
“Not only because of that. You are mad, Alaric. You hurt everybody and you are evil. You wanted to hurt our child.”
He sat on his uncomfortable bed. “So…this is you…protecting me?”
“Not you. Protecting my baby.”
“If I let you keep the baby…”
“Don’t,” Marie ordered with renewing power in her voice. “I just came here to tell you that as long as I am pregnant, you’ll stay here. I won’t harm you because it would be harming me. However, I have no intention of letting you be free. You are a threat to yourself, whether you realize it or not.”
“Are you going to starve me to death? Because I need to eat, Marie!” He screamed, leaning forward and glaring at her with his red eyes. His words startled her and made her recoil further. “Pathetic! Where’s your lover who should face me? You are shaking like a little girl.”
“Shut up!” Marie fisted her hands. “I just came to see if you were better after a few days without blood. But I see you are still the same bastard.”
Marie turned around to leave.
“Wait!” Alaric pleaded, moving to the bars and holding on to them. His hands were burned and Marie screamed in pain while he smirked at her. “You should have thought better about this…silly girl.”
Marie straightened her shoulders and turned to face him. “Soon enough, silver won’t harm you anymore. I’m becoming human, the baby is growing inside of me, and you’ll experience the same thing as me.” Marie smirked. “I hope you enjoy your new room. It’s a lot better than the one you placed me when we first met.”
“Tell me something before you leave,” Alaric demanded, swallowing his pride and concealing the hate that was burning inside his soul.
“What do you want to know?”
“Did you kill Beth?”
Marie’s eyes turned black and her fangs came out. She hissed at him. “She’s rotting in hell. I ripped her heart from her chest and then, I left her body for the wild animals!”
“You are lying…” Alaric said, aware of the hate and jealousy lacing her words.
Marie smirked wickedly. “Am I? I guess you’ll never know. Enjoy your eternity in this hell hole. This is the last time you’ll see me. From now on, you will only have your caretaker and the endless solitude and silence to keep you company. I won’t let you starve because I need you healthy to have this baby, but I have no intentions of spending my life, dealing with your madness and your lack of love for me. Conrad and I are free from you, and my baby will have a new father.”
Marie grabbed the front of her dress, raising it to make it easier to walk. Lifting her head proudly, she climbed up the stairs. He knew she wanted him to scream and curse at her, but he said nothing. There was only the sound of her breathing and the clacking of her high-heeled shoes filling the air.
“Mistress,” Conrad called from the top of the stairs.
Alaric’s attention focused on him as he saw him offering his hand to help her.
“Are you sure that he won’t be able to escape?” She asked with a whispering voice. Alaric smirked with her fear.
Marie voiced her concerns once again, “Are you sure that the caretaker is loyal to us?”
Conrad reassured her, “No one will find him here and we are free to go wherever you want.”
Marie nodded, accepting his arms around her waist. She turned around to close the heavy door. Alaric saw Conrad kissed her cheek as he rubbed her belly.
He inhaled harshly, stepping back. He focused his hearing on them, expecting to hear something useful to understand where he was being detained.
Marie whispered, “I can’t believe that I’m free.”
“We can go wherever you want,” Conrad said.
“I want to go back home…I miss it there.”
“Wherever you want, my love.”
The door closed and the key turned to lock it. Alaric was left alone in the darkness.
THE END
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COMING SOON—SHATTERED
SHATTERED
BOOK 4 OF THE IMMORTAL LOVE SERIES
Extended Summary
For centuries, Beth and her sister Marie dream of finding their soul-mates. But all their dreams are shattered when the person who should love and take care of Marie ends up to be the cruelest of the monsters.
After being held captive for several years by the lunatic vampire who had fun abusing and torturing her, Beth is rescued from the endless nightmare she had been living. Only to find out that her soul-mate is the youngest brother of the vampire she hates the most in the whole world–her tormentor and Marie's mate.
Eric dreams of finding his soul-mate for almost two hundred years. When his family tries to apprehend his older brother Alaric, his wish comes true but with a price. His mate is terrified of him and males in general because of what his brother did to her. Eric needs to win her trust and make her believe that he's nothing like Alaric and he would never hurt her.
Beth believes that her soul is damaged beyond repair. Can Eric fix her or are they doomed to be alone forever?
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PREVIEW—HIS BELOVED
ONE—THE SELECTION
The last thing Jade wanted was to follow her best friend, Jenna, to that fancy nightclub. There, people begged and did anything to get picked by a vampire so they could be turned or become their personal pet for a week. She sure didn't want to be one—a vampire, or a pet. Her favorite color was pink for God's sake! She also didn't like reality shows, and ‘Who wants to be a vampire?’ was the most pathetic of them all.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Jade complained, leveling her voice so Jenna heard her, despite the loud boom of music and chatter.
"That's what friends are for, to talk you into doing something you would never do,” Jenna argued.
Jade rolled her eyes, drinking her non-alcoholic beverage through a straw.
"Just relax! You are here to keep me company. Nothing bad will happen. These are friendly vampires."
"Right!" Jade replied. "I can't believe there are so many
people paying for this!"
"It's a really famous reality show. You have no idea how many people want to be a vampire."
"I have no idea why.” Jade shrugged. “Vampires are dead, they can't come out into the sun and they have to drink blood to keep living," she said, folding a finger for every reason she named. “They are evil creatures, who think they are better than the rest of us. They use these people for sex and blood, only to discard them and choose someone new the next week."
Jenna kept smiling, and Jade knew she had voiced the same argument countless times, portraying her dislike for the undead.
"What else did I forget? Who in their right mind wants to be a vampire?"
Jenna puckered her lips before replying to the rhetorical question. "Jade, a lot of people would beg to differ with you.
"Why? Because they are immortal? Maybe they can live for a long time, but they can be killed."
"Keep it down," Jenna mumbled, looking around to see if anyone overheard them. “The last thing we want is for you to be kicked out of the club!”
Jade lowered her voice. "In my opinion, having to drink blood is pretty much a deal-breaker. Besides, they don't actually choose anyone to spend their eternity with." She air quoted eternity. "How many humans have been turned or chosen to be their beloveds since the show began?"
Jenna shrugged. "I just want to meet Seth."
Jade kept rambling. "I just think it's scary how many humans treat them as if they are gods and are willing to be used just to appear on TV."
Some girls next to the stage started screaming over the music, silencing Jenna’s retort. She frantically looked around as she rested her hands on her chest. "They have arrived," she mumbled, breathless.
"I'll be fine. Just go look for the vampire of your dreams, even if I think you deserve a lot better than a bloodsucking, arrogant, and smelly corpse."
With a giggle, Jade put her hands on Jade’s shoulders. "I'll come find you in a bit. I just need to see Seth and the others. Who knows, they might pick me!”