I sighed in defeat and curled the blanket around me more, not wanting to leave the warmth of the bed yet. We were sprawled all over the damn thing, our bodies not even touching because his bed was so large. I was almost positive we’d passed out after our sexual affairs this way, not having moved during our slumber.
Bel rolled and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He groaned with the movement, just as exhausted as I was. He placed his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face with his hands, his back muscles flexing. With a crack of his neck, he mumbled around a yawn, “I’m going to take a shower. We’ve got Cleo’s death to deal with this morning.” Another large yawn. “And there’s a present for you in the first drawer of the nightstand next to you.”
Wait. What?
I blinked, shocked. “You got me a present?”
With his back still to me, he stood and stretched, placing his hands on his lower back and arching to alleviate the kinks. “Yes. A gift for your crowning. And it’s for protection. Don’t lose it.” He trudged away to his bathroom, his naked body making it hard to pull my eyes away.
Stunned, I muttered quickly, “Thank you!”
Not even glancing at me, he yawned again. “You’re welcome.” The bathroom door shut behind him, the water turning on almost immediately inside his shower.
I stared wide-eyed where he’d disappeared.
No one else had given me a gift. Not that I had expected any. I didn’t have a shit ton of close friends. My life had been dedicated to making sure I’d be the best queen for the vampires when my time was finally called. I’d had my fun in the last thousand years, no doubt, but I’d made sure never to lose sight of my goal. I’d known what I’d wanted, and I’d made it happen.
I swallowed and turned my attention from the Overlord splashing around inside his shower. I pushed the cover back and rose to sit on my knees, opening the first drawer on the nightstand nearest me. A small black box sat on a pile of folders, with a sweet red bow on top of it. I lifted the gift from the drawer with gentle hands, holding my breath.
Carefully, I flipped the top open.
I stared. Damn.
It was a delicate necklace, stunning. The vampire royal crest in silver, two swords crossed and protected by the almighty crown sat atop a red gem the size of a pecan. I studied the jewel. I’d seen many in my years, and owned almost all of them, but I’d never beheld one like this before. It was the color of a blood red sunset and gleamed like one too.
The Overlord was a complex man.
I smiled at the gift and lifted my free hand, caressing the gem with a soft finger. I whispered, “Hello there.”
Magnificent as a crack of thunder, a surge of power slammed into my skull, my eyes, my thoughts. It pulled, and it pulled. I shuddered under the potent weight and closed my eyes, dragged under...
Sparkly blue waves crashed against a shore of pure, white sand, the tiny granules glimmering like diamonds. A piercing and glorious sun spun high above in yellows, reds, greens, and blues. And a small boy crouched down on the beach, wearing loose white pants that whipped in the wind. The twirling hues of the sun cast its rays down on the shore and its lone occupant with the dark red skin and two bitty black horns poking out from the top of his forehead. The child swatted his black, flyaway hair out of his face and dug into the iridescent sand with little red fingers. He bit his bottom lip in concentration, his small fangs peeking out.
A smile of delight flashed across his face before he glanced left and right, scanning the beach around him. His chest heaved with his heavy breaths before he returned his attention to the sand. The red-skinned boy pulled his fingers back, a red jewel held in the palm of his hand.
With one last glance around, he stood and stuffed the jewel into the pocket of his white pants. An impish grin curved his tiny lips before he raced down the beach, glittering sand kicking up under his feet.
The sun swirled above, watchful and amused.
My vision slowly returned, as if in a fog, battling to bring me back to reality. I yanked my finger away from the gem and choked on air, my mouth agape. I blinked again and again until the bedchamber was all I saw and not an enchanted beach. I peered down at my naked body. Nothing had changed. I was still whole. The lord’s room around me still appeared the same.
My blue gaze returned to the necklace.
What the ever-lovin’ fuck?
I lifted my hand again. My finger hovered over the gem. I held my breath. To touch it again or not?
The jewel hadn’t hurt me.
It merely had a story to tell. I think.
This was my first experience with anything of this sort. And living as long as I had, new experiences were a dream come true. Most of the time, anyway. There were a few new experiences in my life I could do away with—like, killing a friend.
I licked my lips, squeezed my eyes shut, and pressed my finger down on the jewel. My muscles were tight in preparation for the power to slam into me again, and I continued to hold my breath, waiting.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I peeked open one eye.
Yes, my finger was on the gem.
A snort of laughter erupted behind me. “What are you doing, Gwen?”
My head snapped around.
Bel stood outside his bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His long black hair dripped water down onto the floor. All-consuming eyes stared back at me, amusement flittering in their depths.
I supposed I did look a little odd. “Nothing.”
I cleared my throat. My gaze went to his forehead.
Thinking…
Those ice blue eyes…
Distracted, I mumbled, “Will you help me put this on? It’s beautiful.”
Bel’s head cocked, his eyes running over my features. “So you do like it?”
“Yes. I do.” I stood up and walked on legs not quite steady underneath me. But I made my way to him and took the necklace out of the box. I held it out, watching as he took it from me—without any ill effects—and opened the clasp. With as much innocence as I could muster, I questioned, “What kind of jewel is that? I’ve never seen one like it before.”
He twirled a finger, motioning for me to turn around. When I was properly facing away from him, he brushed my hair aside and placed the necklace around my neck, studying the clasp again. His tone was quiet and brusque. “I’m not sure if it has a name. But I do know it’s a jewel of protection. When I first found it, I could feel the power emanating from it. It’ll keep you safe.” Done with the clasp, he patted my bare ass, his eyes over my head and on his bed—my clothes shredded on it. He mumbled under his breath, “I should probably get you something to wear before you leave.”
“That would be nice,” I stated absently, trying to understand all the information running amok inside my head. I gripped the necklace and watched as he dug around inside his chest of drawers. One thing was certain, though.
“Bel?”
“Hmm?” he murmured, tossing a pair of sweatpants at me, then searching again in his drawers.
I caught the sweatpants out of the air and tossed the box onto his bed. Stuffing my legs into the soft material, I spoke quietly, “Thank you for the gift. It really was considerate of you.”
“You already thanked me. There’s no need to do it again.” He turned in my direction, holding a plain white t-shirt up in the air. “This is the smallest one I have here. It’ll have to do.”
I snorted and pulled the sweatpants up, rolling them at the top. They still almost fell off me. And that t-shirt was so large the bottom of it would hit my knees. “I’ll have to sneak back to my room.” I caught it when he threw it at me. “Where are my weapons and phone and key?”
Back to digging through his drawers for his own clothes, he lifted his chin in the direction of the coffee table next to his couch. “Over there.”
I slipped the shirt on.
It fell to my knees. Knew it.
I grabbed all my items that were still in one piece.
I eyed my boots. Or what was left of them. “You know, you could have at least left my shoes intact.” I only had three pairs of these—now two. I’d have to go shopping.
I wouldn’t complain about that though.