Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 72056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
I close my eyes, still breathing heavily myself.
So close our lips are, and we both want to close the distance...
But something stops me, and something stops him as well.
We stand together, nearly touching, and in its way, it’s more erotic than the most passionate physical encounter between us.
Moments pass, and Rogan closes his eyes, inhales sharply.
“Fuck, princess.”
I inhale as well, and the sound of our respective breaths hovers in a cloud around us.
My belly is full, and my body sustained.
I've chosen Rogan over my father, and I’ve damned my sister to a life of servitude to the Vampire Brotherhood.
And in this moment—this precious moment with Rogan, the two of us simply shining in each other’s presence—I no longer care.
50
But shining in each other’s presence is short-lived.
A harsh wind whooshes us back to reality.
And—
“Rogan!”
My wolf is ripped away from me, and in a flash I’m standing in my stepfather’s presence.
And he’s smiling. His lips are curled into an evil grin. He sits on his demonic throne surrounded by darkness and evil.
“Kneel before me, Hannah.”
"Never."
I gasp as an invisible force brings me to my knees.
“You’ve chosen a lycan, Hannah. You’ve chosen a lycan over your mother, over your sister. Over your vampire king father. This is who you truly are. I always knew it. I always knew you were the embodiment of evil, and now here you are. On your knees. In front of your true king.”
“You’re no king,” I say through clenched teeth, trying like hell to get my muscles to move.
I’m full of Rogan’s blood.
I should be able to fight this.
Must. Fight. This.
“But I am. And you are what I always knew you were.”
I push, will my muscles to surge forward, brace against the invisible force holding me. “The only embodiment of evil here is you. You and your demon minions.”
“There was a time”—his deep voice slithers over me as if a cobra is squeezing the life out of me— “when your mother believed me. She believed I was right about you. She chose me over you. Over both you and Larissa.”
“She sees through you,” I grit out. “We all see through you.”
“You do, perhaps. And Larissa, in her way. But your mother? Elisa will always ultimately choose me over anyone else. I’ve seen to that.”
“But she doesn’t believe you. She doesn’t believe Larissa and I are bad.”
“Not anymore.” His tongue slides out of his mouth as he licks his lips.
I hold back a retch. It’s bad enough that I’m kneeling. I won’t show anymore weakness in front of this monster.
“But that,” he continues, “doesn’t change how she feels about me.”
I wince, forcing myself—my body as strong as it ever was with Rogan’s blood pulsing through me—to stand.
Move, muscles! Move, legs!
I break free with sheer will until I’m standing—albeit unsteadily—in front of my stepfather.
In front of the demon king.
“I will never again kneel in your presence,” I say. “And I fucking mean never.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.”
A demonic force pushes at me, but I resist. With everything in me, I resist.
“You are truly evil,” I spit. “And I will never be like you.”
“You already are, Hannah. What other kind of person would condemn her sister to such a fate?”
“I had no choice.”
“And isn’t that interesting? Isn’t it interesting that you, firstborn daughter to the reigning vampire king, would find yourself mated to an alpha wolf?”
“There’s nothing interesting about it. It’s nature. And no one can control nature.”
“Seems nature has done a good job of controlling you, though. Damning you to forsake your sister. Your mother.”
I curl my hands into fists. “I need his fucking blood!”
“Right. The blood lust. Your father’s curse.” Richard strokes his chin. “I wonder... How is it that it led you to Victor Rogan?”
“Nature,” I grit out again.
“Nature for him, maybe. Not for you. But as you say, no one can control nature. It controls you.”
“I’m tired of this game, Richard.” I take a forced step forward. “Where is Rogan? Why have you brought me here?”
“You’re mine now. That nature, which you’ve resisted your entire life, has now taken control of you. You are fighting against your vampire brotherhood and for the demons. For me.”
“I fight with my mate, you bastard. With my mate, and I’ll find a way to fight for my sister and my mother. They’re not vampires.”
“Your sister is. She’s half vampire, just as you are.”
“But she doesn’t have my father’s blood gene. She can escape her fate. I’ll make sure of it. Besides, my father won’t be gone anytime soon. He’s determined to extend his life, and he’ll find a way.”
“Not if I put a knife through his heart.”
“You won’t.”
“Won’t I?”
“You claim to love my mother. He’s the father of her children. She may have no love for him, but she has a bond. You can’t fight that.”
“You’d be surprised what I can fight, and your mother is weak.”