Bloodbound Desire

-

ws and

e castle corridors, her p

n h

irks, and the way he made her feel

stead, she was drawn to him, as if he had wrapped invisible threads around her, pu

hate

e didn't wan

of the castle's open balconies. The stone rail was cold beneath her f

She couldn't let hersel

had looked at

ips had brush

brought here against her will, thrown into a world she barely understood. She had to focus

otsteps behind her m

to stay in y

eri

iet authority. But beneath it, there was so

, folding her arms. "I'm

usement. "You're in my world now,

. "I belong

dges, as if her defiance

s barely a breath of space between them. Evelyn refuse

ead, studying her. "Y

ned. "Fr

humans I h

a shiver down her spine. "A

o real humor in it. "Many.

rply. "You really

en calle

toward the railing, gripping it ti

moment before he spoke, his voice s

stil

ontinued, "seen the rise and fall of empires,

llowed,

e, no human has ever look

ly, her heart pounding. "

s against her jaw. His touch was cool

me..." he murmured, his thumb tracing the

s breat

suffocating, thick with som

mind him-and herself-that this was temp

e didn

ay the word, little dove," h

parted

the moment

and Selene strode in, her emer

ely sparing Evelyn a gla

on turned cold in a

m before she took a step closer. "T

rowned.

ling council of our kind. They do

a thin line. "They are dema

ut vampire politics, but the weight in

ened. "Then let us n

-

hering

ns and lit by hundreds of flickering candles. A massive, circular table sat at

ey entered, feeling the weight of

-streaked black hair, leaned forward. "Yo

ained unreadable. "Evelyn

ppled throu

ing ice-blue eyes, spoke next. "W

ched a brow

nt to this mortal," she continued, her gaze

sted, but she kept h

s tone measured. "You summo

t parchment, finally spoke. "No," he said, his voice a low rumble.

ll over th

ur kind, Valerian. Your allegiance is to us, to the sur

g of the words but r

, but his fingers flexed slightly at

r judgment," the

them, shifted slightly,

t before he finally spoke. "I sugge

hed between them, thic

d in your way-for now." His gaze flickered toward Evelyn. "But b

e gathering w

ord, striding from the chamber. E

idor, she exhaled. "That

nstead, he turned to her,

elyn," he murmured. "M

h twisted.

htened. "Fr