I thought I’d pass out. Go to sleep. That would be what I would have usually done after someone fucked me into two intense orgasms.
But I was a vampire now, so no sleep came. I didn’t want to move, though. My limbs were like jelly, my heart taking a bit to slow down. Athan arranged me on the bed so my head was on the pillow then he lay down beside me, dark eyes watching me thoughtfully.
He combed my hair with his fingers and righted my dress. He petted Brex, who seemed perturbed that sex interrupted his cuddles. I was a little caught off guard at how comfortable I felt. This was my family, my home. And I’d never really had a home, and I’d never had anyone I could trust other than my mom. There’d been a lot to the past week that hadn’t been my choice, but there were also a lot of choices I’d made to right the course. And I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
I reached up and felt my neck where he’d pierced my skin. “My blood…”
“Is the same,” he said, taking my hand. “I told you it would be.”
“I know, but I was still concerned.”
“Your blood is powerful,” he assured me. “I think we’re only at the tip of what you can do.”
“Or what you can do.” I smoothed a hand over his chest. “Are you nervous? Have you spoken to Idris or the council?”
“Some,” he said. “I was…distracted. I needed to meet with them because that was my responsibility but they all understood why I wasn’t in a position to make decisions yet. You’re awake now, though.”
“So what does that mean?”
His expression was hardening with resolve. “We take today to rest. Because tomorrow I’m done sitting back and waiting. The Valarian infiltrated this clan and persuaded the king to change the values we’ve held on to for centuries. That won’t go unanswered.”
His voice deepened, and I wondered how anyone ever thought Athan would be anything but king. I touched his cheek, and his eyes focused on me, the lines in his face softening. I pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then nudged his nose with mine. “But today you are mine. Tomorrow you can be their king.”
He smiled and tugged me closer. “I’m always yours. And tomorrow you will be their queen.”
Epilogue
Athan
I didn’t like the look in Idris’s eyes—it was the same look he got when he did something reckless. He could be tactical, but yet there was a tipping point where he threw caution to the wind and charged.
“Look, I’m angry, too,” I said as we sat together in the library of the Gregorie compound. We were the only ones in the massive room except for Tendra, who was currently scanning the book spines with a flashlight for her next read.
“I want to know how the Valarians got to Father,” Idris said. “How the hell did I not notice?”
“Don’t blame yourself,” I said. “It wasn’t like you were looking for it. He was the last person we thought would be swayed by the Valarian cause.”
Idris didn’t look any less guilty. I hated to see him like this, the weight on his shoulders and the shadows in his eyes aging him. And we didn’t age. “We’re questioning everyone in the clan. We’ll find out what the Valarians did.”
“And we must respond with force.” Idris spoke through gritted teeth.
I sighed. “We need to be smart. They know King Connell is gone, and I’m in his place, strengthened by the Sanguivita. We have the upper hand, Idris. We can take our time.”
Idris didn’t look convinced. His nostrils flared, and his fists clenched and unclenched in his lap. My eyes settled on the middle finger of his right hand, where the very tip had been burned away. My own father had been turned by the enemy, but my brother remained true until the end. I would never take that commitment for granted, or ever forget his dedication. Still, the dynamic of our relationship had changed. I was king now, and Idris was my younger brother, despite us believing all our lives that it was the reverse. I had hope we would settle into our roles. The respect we had for each other was there, stronger than ever, and with that foundation, we could build anything.
I made sure to meet his eyes. “Do I think this is going to end in a war? Unfortunately, I do. But I’m willing to try anything before that point. Preventing vampire and human casualties is my job as the king.”
Idris swallowed, looking a little cowed. “You’re right.”
The knowledge that we had different mothers hadn’t affected our relationship. And learning that they’d been murdered by our father to ensure the success of his plan only strengthened our desire to bring the Valarians down once and for all.
Tendra’s soft footfalls sounded from behind me, and Idris’s face instantly softened as he looked over my shoulder at our approaching queen. It’d been a week since Tendra had been turned, and in that time, she and Idris had formed a brother-sister bond that pleased me. This entire situation, from almost losing me, to our father betraying us, had lit a fire in Idris. My worry now was that fire was going to burn too hot and singe the rest of us.
I turned to see Tendra approaching. She smiled at me and held up a book. “I found it! The book about Asus.”
Asus, the first of her ancestors to carry Gregorie blood. “Told you we had it.”
She ran her hand over the smooth leather binding. “Yeah,” she said softly, her tongue running over her top teeth as she grew accustomed to her new existence. “I’m looking forward to reading it.”
She raised her gaze to Idris and studied him for a minute. “You okay?”
He opened his mouth quickly. “Fine.”
She inhaled sharply and gave him a look. “Uh, yeah, sure. And I’m human again.”
He glared.
“Ten,” I said. “Can you give us a minute?”
She smiled at me. “Yeah, how about you two work on some brother bonding. I have a book to read anyway.” She waltzed out with the book tucked under her arm, and shut the door behind her. I leaned forward and clasped my hands between my legs. We hadn’t left the compound in the past week, and Idris and I met every day to discuss how we’d handle the Valarians. It usually ended in an argument. After talking with Zeb, I had a plan. “So I might have a way to draw them to us.”
Idris raised an eyebrow.
“The Valarian king has a daughter. She’s a dhampir, and lives as human. She’s a nurse in Mission Hospital.”
Idris whistled low. “And she’s going to help us how?”
This was the part I didn’t like, the part that made my stomach turn, because we’d already turned Tendra’s life upside down. But she was our best bet at drawing out the Valarians, who’d gone radio silent. “Rumor is the king is partial to her. I’m not sure if he wants her to stay human, or he plans to turn her, but if we have her…”
“…then we can blackmail the king,” Idris finished, his grin spreading.
“Yep.” I picked up a folder of papers on the table next to me and handed them to Idris. “Zeb sent over some information on her.”
Idris snatched the folder from me greedily and flipped it open. His brows lowered as he read a short description on Celia Valarie. He flipped that paper aside and underneath were several photos of her, all taken by Zeb. He was a great spy when he wanted to be. I knew what the photos were, as I’d already looked over the file. A fair-skinned young woman getting out of a blue Jeep in the parking garage of the hospital. Her dark brown hair hanging in her eyes as she unlocked the door to her house. Walking to the curb in bunny slippers to throw a trash bag in her container for pickup.
Idris paged through them, his face stone. He paused on one where she was laughing with a male coworker as they walked out to their cars after a shift. Idris blinked a couple of times, then straightened his shoulders and lifted his head to face me squarely. “I can grab her.”
“I want you to study her for a couple of weeks, find out what she does, who her friends are, and her schedule. I’m especially interested in how much she knows about her parentage. This has to be a clean grab, and we’re not in the business of hurting her, all right
? We’ll hold her until her father says he’s willing to meet with us to get her back.”
“And the intel is good?” Idris asked. “He’s not going to tell us to fuck off and do whatever with her.”
“I don’t think so, based on Zeb’s Valarian informant.”
Idris nodded, his gaze trailing down to the photos before he snapped the folder shut and gripped it until it crinkled. He stood up. “I’ll head to Mission tomorrow.” He hesitated. “Thank you.”
When Idris was at the door, I called his name, and he glanced at me over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Keep me updated, okay? And don’t do anything reckless.”
His grin was all fangs, and then he was out the door.
I sat by myself in the library for a long time, the weight of my clan and the world pressing down on my shoulders and chest until I grew short of breath. I hadn’t prepared for this, and my worst fear after everything Tendra and I had been through, was to still lose the battle for the human race. For humanity. I agonized over every decision, and I’d only been the king for a week.
A hand settled on my shoulder and I jerked to see Tendra standing over me, a small smile on her face. She slid into my lap, her knees on either side of my hips. My hands settled to her waist, where they fit perfectly. She shifted closer and wound her hands around my neck. “You’re doing that thing again, where you get all moody and Atlas-y.”
Sometimes she said things that confused me. “Atlas-y?”
“Yeah, like carrying the world on your shoulders?”
“Ah, well, I do feel like that.”
She shook her head. “But we talked about this. I’m a partner. You have Idris. And Zeb. And Wyatt. The council. And the entire Gregorie clan behind you. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but your father didn’t consult with anyone. He thought he knew best, and tried to make a decision for everyone.” She winced. “That didn’t go well.”
Something brushed my leg and I glanced down to see Brex sauntering around us. He’d quickly become a pampered pet in the mansion. From the cooks to the housekeepers, to the soldiers, everyone wanted to spend time with Brex. I was pretty sure he was liked more than me.
“Hey,” Tendra said, drawing my attention. “You know you have all of us, right?”
I nodded. “I do.”
Her eyes strayed to the table next to me, which was now empty. “Did you give the folder to Idris?”
“Yes.” This was one of the decisions I’d gone over with her. She wasn’t a fan of disrupting a human’s life. But like me, she was worried about just how much Celia Valarie knew. And how much damage the Valarian blood running through her veins could do.
Still, she didn’t look happy about it. “And he won’t hurt her?”
“No, he won’t. But she’s a Valarian. We don’t trust Valarians.”
Tendra inhaled deeply, then laid her head on my chest. Her hot exhale misted over my arm. “I’m worried about what’s to come, Athan. I’m really worried.”
I ran a hand through her hair, which was still short and dark, although her blond roots were showing a bit. “I know, me, too. But I have to believe good will prevail. I have to.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“And remember what I told you? I’m excellent at killing and hard to kill. And now I’m extra excellent at killing and harder to kill.”
She laughed, her head bobbing against my chest before she lifted it and gripped my face. “I’m harder to kill now, too.”
“Ah, and my Tendra has always been a bit deadly, even with a stiletto.”
She grinned. “I’ve upgraded since then.”
“You have,” I said, running my nose along her jaw. “Now kiss me, and let’s forget about war for a moment.”
“Deal,” she said as she pressed her lips to mine.
To Kate Beckinsale: Thanks for giving us Selene, a badass female vampire to look up to.
Acknowledgments
I have always loved vampires, and so to get the opportunity to start a series about them for Loveswept was truly a dream come true. I had so much fun writing Tendra and Athan, and all of their friends and family. I’m excited to take this series to interesting places and I hope you all come along with me on this journey in Mission!
I want to give a huge thanks to my agent, Marisa Corvisiero. This series never would have happened without her. She’d been telling me for months that she was eager for a paranormal series. So when she told me an editor asked specifically for vampires, I jumped on it. I had the proposal to her in a week, because I was that excited to write it.
Thank you, thank you to Sue Grimshaw for wanting vampires, and most of all for wanting my vampires. I think most authors will understand me when I say that starting with a new editor is a little nerve-racking. Will we be a good fit? And Sue really understood what I was trying to do with this book, and most important was able to pick out my weaknesses and help me work on them. I really enjoyed working on this book with you, Sue.
Thank you to my readers, most specifically members of Meg’s Mob. I wasn’t sure how you would all react. Most of my books are contemporary, but I’m a restless soul and liked to switch it up. I was worried no one would be interested in vampires or interested in them from me. But you were all so excited when I announced I was working on this series. I fed off your enthusiasm and I hope I made you proud with this book!
A huge thanks to my ever-faithful friends—AJ Pine, Natalie Blitt, Lia Riley, and Santino Hassell. You all encouraged me to write this; you helped me when my synopsis was a total mess. I couldn’t do this without you all.
And thank you to my family, especially my husband, who I believe is right now doing dishes while I’m writing these acknowledgments. Ha-ha. Thanks, babe. I couldn’t do this without your support.
BY MEGAN ERICKSON
Mission Series
Blood Guard
Blood Veil
Silver Tip Pack Series
Daring Fate
Gamers Series
Changing His Game
Playing for Her Heart
Tied to Trouble
Leveling the Field
In Focus Series
Trust the Focus
Focus on Me
Out of Frame
Overexposed
Cyberlove Series
Strong Signal
Fast Connection
Hard Wired
PHOTO: LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
MEGAN ERICKSON is a USA Today bestselling author of romance that sizzles. Her books have a touch of nerd, a dash of humor, and always have a happily-ever-after. A former journalist, she switched to fiction when she decided she liked writing her own endings better.
She lives in Pennsylvania with her very own nerdy husband and two kids. Although rather fun-sized, she’s been told she has a full-sized personality. When Megan isn’t writing, she’s either lounging with her two cats named after John Hughes characters or…thinking about writing.
meganerickson.org
Facebook.com/authormeganerickson
Twitter: @MeganErickson_
Newsletter: eepurl.com/KNN9P
Read on for the Mission series prequel
Bite the Hand That Bleeds
by Megan Erickson
I’d done a lot of stupid things in my life for money, but agreeing to go to a vampire club took the cake as the stupidest yet most exhilarating.
Basically this could go one of two ways—I’d regret it tremendously or it’d be the time of my life that I’d take to my grave. As long as this didn’t put me in my grave.
“I wish they’d hurry up already.” Cassie rubbed her bare arms against the chill as we waited at the head of the darkened alley.
I raised my eyebrows at her. “I’m sorry, do you want to tell the vampires that they need to adhere to Cassie time because you forgot a damn coat?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I didn’t bother. Javier said it’s hot as hell in the club.”
Right, I figured free-flow
ing blood and orgies had a way of heating up a room. When Cassie pursed her lips at me, I realized I’d said that out loud. Oops.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot to take pressure off the stupid heels I was wearing. They were bright red with silver spikes and sexy as hell—but they pinched my toes. Drawing attention to myself in Mission City was on my never ever do list, and these shoes—along with my skin-tight jeans and black corset peeking from beneath my leather jacket—would draw all kinds of attention. I wasn’t sure why I was wearing this, but the dress code for humans to get into Bite was sex. Seriously, that was the message—dress like sex. I didn’t think a giant dick was a proper costume, so here I stood with my tits out in a bad part of Mission, hoping like hell some vampire arrived soon to take me underground, where I’d give up my blood for money.
My life was insane.
A week ago, I’d been living in blissful ignorance thinking that vampires only existed in books and movies. I had no idea that in old subway tunnels beneath these streets was a community of vampires. They kept their existence a secret but were more than happy to pay humans if we showed them a vein. The only reason Cassie and I got an invite to Bite was because Javier—a hookup of Cassie’s—was a recruiter for them. He’d been clear—tell anyone about the club and there would be swift consequences. I’d asked what they were, and Javier had just stared hard at me. So naturally I took that to mean the consequences were torture and dismemberment not unlike the end of Braveheart.
For once, I was going to keep my mouth shut, because I needed the money. My dad had never been around, and my mom passed away years ago, so it was up to me to keep food on the table for myself and my younger brother. I’d spent the last month working four ten-hour waitress shifts in a row at the diner, and I was happy to do literally anything else. The blood trade apparently paid great, so when Javier told us about Bite, I jumped at the chance. Why not? As for Cassie, she bussed tables as a cocktail waitress at a topless bar and was about done getting her ass grabbed without her permission.
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