The Vampire King's Contract Bride

, my brother dro

shop than attending rotations. Most hospitals didn't like dealing with families rumored to handle cursed artifacts and occult

s incident. The one where a man had

y-or may not

of the officers was a friend of my b

ring wheel, "your undead husband did nothing wrong. If

u have a wife?" I

are naturally attuned to death, and we've been neck-deep in necrotic crap since bi

id softly. "When I do, promi

ur night-stalker wanted you dead, Clara, he would've buried you two years ago

to belie

mself. I belonged t

g to lighten the mood. "What does you

ve never seen his fa

his voice h

es that

voices are trolls in real life. I'm just saying-brace yourself. He'

lin

d-world lilt-had always seemed... intoxi

probably w

ing artifacts, he made jokes, rolled his eyes at omens, and carried on like we weren't curse

cy near campus, I suddenl

ow but didn't

and bought emerge

e campus. The cashier barely looked up, sliding th

guess,

days since he f

mergency contraception

ith a tight throat and tossing the box into t

e, dumbfounded. "Wait-d

e flus

tec

nned down by someone who didn't seem to

rked me like a beast would

r in silence. My brother f

ncy pills like that, Clara. T

a pebble-tight, cold, lodged somewhere behind my sternum.

nser near the restrooms and told my brother I n

the side room where the qu

hit my hand, a shadow fell over mine-followed

iar voice murmured behi

fr

as h

ned s

g but the glint of fury in his eyes. The air around him shimmered with re

d yanked me toward the

ing?!" I gasped, t

mmed the door shut. His hand clamped the back o

n-u

omed in

half-dissolved pill flew o

with cruel amusement. "Good thing I followed

you violate me nightly and now y

al parts rage a

The way I woke up was sore and stained with bruises. The way I cou

humorless laugh following. "Fine. If

est, he yanked at t

as cold air bit ac

e?

No n

uld walk by. This wasn't our home-my home-whe

ing. "Not here. I won't take the pill

ring everything until all I could see was the white tile,

gainst my ear. But the

n't co

of me, fingers curling beneath my

son Rite. That makes you mine. My bonded wife. That

sed m

no

greed. Not beca

as too tired to