Mark of Blood

by Jody Morse

  His lips brushed against mine and then he pulled away. “Lila, I don’t think you understood what I meant when I said I was going to marry Alessandra...” He paused and then glanced over at me. “It’s going to happen a lot sooner than you realize.”

  “When is it?” I asked.

  His eyes darted away from mine. “In two hours.”

  My heart sank. Maybe it was naïve of me, but I’d figured that it would take longer than that. I’d secretly been hoping that something, anything, would interfere with the wedding. If something went wrong, then maybe the wedding wouldn’t happen at all.

  But that clearly wasn’t what was going to happen.

  In two hours, Sebastian would be married. He would become King. And me?

  Well, I would just be the slave who was in love with the King.

  The disappointment I felt must have shown on my face, because Sebastian whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  “Like I said, I could never stay angry at you for very long,” I replied.

  “I would understand if you did stay angry at me in this case.”

  I didn’t say anything for a few moments. It almost felt like there was nothing to say. Then an idea hit me, and I glanced up at him.

  “Can I watch?” I whispered.

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “You want to watch me marry Alessandra?”

  “I know it probably sounds crazy—” I began, but he interrupted.

  “It doesn’t just sound crazy. It is crazy,” Sebastian said. “And, quite frankly, I don’t understand. The idea of watching you marrying anyone else...” A dark look clouded his eyes, and his jaw tightened. “I would rip his head off.”

  “I can’t really explain it. I just... I need to see that this is really happening,” I explained. “I’m not sure why, but I need to watch you marry her.”

  He stared at me for a long while, a quizzical look behind his light features. It was as though he were trying to make sense of my logic. Not that there was any use in him trying. Even Iwasn’t sure why I wanted to do this.

  Finally, he nodded. “Yes. I will make arrangements for you to watch. I’ll send someone for you.”

  I frowned. “But who? No one knows about me, remember?”

  “I’ll send Zoe for you,” he replied, rising to his feet. “Be ready for her.”

  “Okay, I will.” As I watched him walk away from me and back toward the castle, only one thought seemed to fill my mind.

  The next time I saw Sebastian, in just two hours, he would be agreeing to spend his life with someone else.

  Chapter 35

  Alessandra

  “WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Ruby, the Allegro Coven’s witch, asked.

  I studied my face in the mirror. She had given me a dramatic charcoal smoky eye shadow look; my lashes were coated in black mascara, and my dark eyes were framed by heavy liner. My skin looked blemish-free as usual (one of the wonderful perks of being a vampire), and I’d ditched my red lipstick in favor of nude.

  My long dark hair fell over my shoulders in tight curls. It was a slightly more understated hairstyle than I would have ever envisioned for myself on my wedding day, but it didn’t matter.

  All that mattered was the crown I’d be wearing after we took our vows, the crown that signified my future as Queen.

  Turning to face Ruby, I smiled. “I look gorgeous.”

  She smiled at me, even though I could tell it was forced. In reality, she was holding back an eye roll. “I’m sure Sebastian will think so.”

  “Oh. I don’t really care what Sebastian thinks,” I replied with the wave of my hand as I rose to my feet and headed for the bed to change into my wedding gown.

  “But he’s going to be your husband. Don’t you want him to think you look pretty?” Ruby asked from behind me.

  As I pulled my clothes off, I laughed over my shoulder at her. “If you think this is a marriage that’s happening out of love, you’d be mistaken. This is a marriage of necessity. Quite frankly, it doesn’t really matter what Sebastian thinks about how I look or anything about me at all. He needs me to be his wife.”

  “Are you saying that you and Sebastian don’t love each other?”

  “That’s precisely what I’m saying,” I replied as I stepped into the gown. I turned to face her. “You didn’t hear it from me, however. Speak a word of this conversation to anyone, and I’ll rip your heart out of your chest. Do you understand?”

  “I understand,” Ruby replied quietly, avoiding my gaze.

  I tried to hide my smile. I couldn’t help but feel amused by the fearful look in her eyes. It was a look that told me she wasn’t sure if I was being serious or not.

  Ruby didn’t know me that well. She hadn’t even been with my coven for a year yet. She had been a replacement for Rosalind, another witch who had decided to leave my coven suddenly and without explanation after spending nearly 80 years with us. Her loss had been significant, as I’d merely settled for Ruby.

  The truth was that I wouldn’t have even thought twice before killing her, since I didn’t even like her, anyway.

  “Very good. Now, please come zip the back of my gown for me,” I ordered.

  As Ruby moved to stand behind me and began to drag the zipper up the back of the dress, I glanced up to find Kade’s cool blue eyes staring back at me.

  “You’re wearing a black wedding dress,” he commented.

  “You’re observant.”

  He smirked. “Aren’t I, though?”

  “What’s the point that you’re trying to make?” I asked exasperatedly.

  “Oh, nothing. Just that you look like you’re either about to audition for a remake of Black Swan or going to a funeral,” Kade replied with a shrug.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “You know the rule about vampire weddings. The color of the bride’s wedding dress is supposed to represent what she will bring to the coven.”

  “So, you’re planning to bring... mourning?” The amusement swirled around in his eyes.

  “No, Kade,” I replied, forcing myself to hold in a groan. “Black represents strength—power. When other covens try to attack us, I want them to know that they aren’t going to get past me without a fight.”

  “You do realize that you’ve just built this whole thing up inside your own head, right?” Kade eyed me curiously. “Emilio Craven isn’t actually planning to take over the Stark Coven or the Allegro Coven.”

  I glanced over at Ruby, who had just finished zipping my dress. “Ruby, would you mind giving me and Kade a moment to speak alone?”

  “Of course, Your Majesty,” the witch replied. Running a hand through her strawberry blonde hair, she nervously moved past Kade and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

  “She’s cute. Have I ever met her?” Kade asked.

  “No, you haven’t met her. She’s my new witch.” I glanced over at him. “Why did you even come here?”

  He shrugged. “To talk.”

  “About what? There’s nothing left to say. You and I are done. Over. Finished. Finito.”

  “Have I ever told you how hot it is when you speak Italian?” Kade asked. “Say some more.”

  “No, I will not say some more.” I rolled my eyes. “Our relationship is a closed book. What would bring you to my room less than an hour before I’m about to wed your brother? I highly doubt you’ve come to beg for my forgiveness.”

  “Forgiveness?” He snorted. “As far as I’m concerned, you should be the one apologizing to me. You’re the one who backed out of our little arrangement.”

  I glared at him. “What do you want, Kade?”

  “To remind you that you don’t actually need to go through with this,” he replied, his eyes locking on mine. “I know you’re dead set on marrying Sebastian, because you believe, for some crazy reason, that this is the only path that will lead to you being the most powerful vampire in the world. But you’re wrong about that, Alessandra.”

  “How am I wrong about it?” I folded my arms over my
chest and narrowed my eyes at him. I was annoyed at both him and myself; I hadn’t actually asked for his input, but I was curious about what he had to say.

  “Because if you were really as powerful as you think you are, you wouldn’t need to marry my brother to prove it.” Kade tilted his head. Then he added with a smirk, “Who is it that you’re trying to prove it to, Alessandra? Yourself? Or everyone else?”

  “I’m not trying to prove it to anyone,” I insisted.

  “Are you sure about that?” He moved closer to me. Standing behind me, he placed his chin on my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist. “We look good together, don’t we? We can still do what we had planned... together.”

  Our eyes met in the mirror. He was right. We did look good together. We looked powerful, perfect even.

  We looked so perfect together that I had to remind myself this wasn’t real.

  There was nothing left for us. Not only was he too selfish, but he was too manipulative, too. And that was exactly what he was trying to do—manipulate me into doing what he wanted.

  “You will never love me,” I said simply. I could see the sadness in my own eyes. He must have seen it, too.

  But his facial expression remained unaffected. “You’re right about that. But are you so pathetic that you truly need to feel loved by someone else?”

  “Get out,” I whispered, pulling away from him. “Now.”

  His eyes lingered on mine for a moment longer. “Fine. Just remember that I gave you the option to not be enemies. You’re the one who chose not to take it.”

  As he walked out of the room, I found myself hunched over the dresser, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes.

  I refused to allow myself to cry over him. I refused to give him that type of control over me.

  Once I had my emotions under control, I stared at myself in the floor-length mirror. The black, off-the-shoulder mermaid dress dipped low in the front and the lacy material accentuated my figure. It contrasted perfectly against my olive skin tone.

  There was no doubt that the dress was beautiful, but as much as I hated to admit it, the truth was that Kade was right about one thing.

  The black did make it seem like I was mourning the loss of something. It even made me wonder if, subconsciously, I was mourning.

  But if I was in mourning, what was it over: the loss of my coven, the loss of Kade, the loss of control I had over the situation... or the loss of myself?

  Chapter 36

  Sebastian

  DONNING MY BLACK TUXEDO, I entered my Slave Chambers.

  All of the girls were sitting in the living room area. They glanced up at me as I entered the room.

  “This may seem like a funny question, but do any of you know how to tie a Windsor knot?” I held up the black tie Alessandra had chosen for me to wear.

  Hannah cocked an eyebrow at me. “You’ve had three-hundred years to learn how to tie your own tie, and you still don’t know how?”

  I chuckled. “I’m afraid it’s one skill I have not yet acquired.”

  “I do.” Lexi jumped to her feet. “Come to my bedroom.”

  I hesitated. I was sure she probably wanted to get me alone, since that’s what Lexi had a tendency to do any opportunity she could get. And yet, I still found myself following after her.

  Once we were inside her room, she closed the door behind us and turned to me.

  “Lexi, I’m afraid I can’t drink from you right now. I’m about to get married in less than an hour.”

  “So I’ve heard,” she replied quietly as she began to work on my tie.

  I raised my eyebrows. “How did you hear?”

  “Alessandra stopped by to let us know we would be moving to her castle soon.” Darting her eyes from mine, she added, “I don’t want to leave. This is our home.”

  “Don’t be silly, Lexi. This place is not your home,” I told her.

  Her eyes flicked up to meet mine. “It’s the next best thing. Going to an all new castle... I just don’t know how I’d feel about that.”

  “Well, don’t worry. Alessandra and I haven’t even discussed those details yet.” Well, maybe we had, but it wasn’t like we’d come to a resolution on them—and it made me mad that she’d decided to announce the decision that we hadn’t made to my slaves.

  In all of my 300 years of life, I never would have thought I’d be pissed off at whoever I would marry. Yet, there I was, trying to contain my anger.

  “I’m sorry, Prince Sebastian,” Lexi said as she finished looping my tie into a knot. “I’m sorry for all of the things I said about Julia. I didn’t mean them. It’s just that I was so...” She trailed off.

  “Jealous?” I asked.

  Her eyes flicked up to meet mine. “How did you know?”

  “Just a wild guess.” I shrugged. “This doesn’t really matter now, since I’m about to get married, anyway. But you might be interested to know that I don’t get involved with humans.”

  “Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.” There was a hopeful tone in her voice. It almost made me feel sorry for her.

  “The history is usually a pretty good indicator of the past,” I insisted. “Vampires are too selfish to ever love humans. Do you think I could truly put your well-being before my own if I were hungry?” I grabbed her chin and stared into her eyes. “I could kill you, or any other human, in two seconds flat without even thinking twice about it if I were famished enough.”

  Lexi held my gaze as she said, “Tell me something, Sebastian. Would you say the same thing to Julia if you were having this conversation with her instead of me?”

  I opened my mouth to respond to her, but no words came out. Deep down, I knew I wouldn’t have said the same thing to Lila. I would have told Lila that I would do anything within my power to keep her safe, protected.

  If I ever did anything to hurt her, I would have never been able to forgive myself. The guilt alone would have driven me to shove a stake through my own heart.

  Of course, there was no way I could tell any of that to Lexi. Admitting that to her also would have meant admitting that I was in love with Lila and possibly even that Lila was still alive. There was no way I could let her know any of that.

  When I glanced into her eyes, though, I knew I didn’t need to admit it to her. My answer must have been written all over my face, because the look in her eyes told me she already knew.

  “That’s what I thought,” she replied quietly.

  “It’s nothing against you personally,” I replied. “It’s just that Lila is so—”

  “Lila?” Lexi narrowed her eyes at me. “Wait a second, Sebastian. Is Julia actually Lila DeHaven?”

  Shit.

  What was wrong with me? How had I allowed myself to let that slip?

  The problem was that Lexi was quick. She was probably the smartest slave I’d ever had, which was likely why she’d stuck around so long when I had let so many of my slaves go.

  Now that she had caught on, I knew there was no getting this past her.

  “Lexi, you have to promise me that you won’t repeat a word of this to anyone—not to the other slaves, not to the guards, not to any of Alessandra’s slaves, and especially not to Alessandra.”

  “Are you telling me that you’re keeping this a secret from your fiancée?” Lexi asked, her hazel eyes full of amusement. “It sounds like this marriage is going to be a really successful one.”

  “Lexi.” I shot her a look. “Please don’t make me lose my patience with you.”

  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “Do you promise to keep this just between you and me? The last thing I would want to do is kill my favorite slave,” I threatened.

  She pretended to run an invisible zipper over her mouth. “My lips are sealed.”

  “Thank you,” I told her, breathing a sigh of relief.

  “No problem.” She paused for a moment. “But can I give you a piece of advice?”

  I shr
ugged. “Yeah. Sure.”

  “If Lila is still alive—and I suspect she is now—then you need to be the first vampire to drink from her. If you don’t do it first, then Alessandra will. And the world would be a very scary place if Alessandra were the most powerful vampire in the world.”

  “I know.” And I meant it.

  Alessandra’s urge to kill Lila was only part of the reason I was keeping her hidden.

  I was equally afraid of the monster my fiancée would become if she were to take even the smallest slip of Lila’s blood.

  Chapter 37

  Lila

  I WONDERED WHEN ZOE would come for me. It felt like hours and hours had passed since I’d seen Sebastian. My panic had begun to set in. What if he had forgotten I wanted to go to the wedding? Even worse, what if he had even changed his mind about letting me go?

  I still didn’t know why I needed this. All I knew was that I did need this.

  Then I saw Zoe walking toward me. She was wearing a soft pink one-shoulder dress. Her short hair looked bouncier than usual, and she was carrying a big plastic bag in one hand.

  “Hey,” she called out.

  “Hi.” I motioned to the bag. “What’s that?”

  “A dress. I know it seems a bit ridiculous, but I just thought that you might want to dress like an actual wedding guest, even though no one’s going to actually see you.”

  “That doesn’t seem ridiculous at all,” I replied, shaking my head. “I think it’s... a great idea. I wouldn’t want to go wearing this.” I motioned to the loungewear I was wearing.

  “I figured as much,” Zoe replied with a laugh. She handed me the bag and then turned away, giving me privacy.

  I pulled out the dress. It was a short white sheath dress with silver sequins that glimmered under the light of the setting sun. “Wow, this is really pretty,” I commented as I pulled off my own clothes. As I stepped into the dress, I frowned. “Except... it’s white. Shouldn’t only the bride wear white?”

  Thank goodness Alessandra wouldn’t see me, anyway. I could just envision her tearing the dress off me if she saw it.