“And yet you could have… if you wanted to.” They’re amongst the most skilled soldiers in the empire, and Corvan could have felled them in an instant.
“That’s why my enemies Talavarra have resorted to arcane magic.” His brow furrows in consternation. “I don’t know when they started doing this. I don’t know how my spies in Lukiria failed to pick up the signs, but I’m going to make it right.” He leans in, pressing his forehead against mine, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “If you weren’t here earlier… I would have surely gone mad. So thank you, Finley, for reminding me of who I am, and what I need to do.”
I reach up and caress the side of his face. He really is too hard on himself sometimes. “Go, Corvan. Be strong. Stay safe. You are not allowed to go and do anything stupid like get gravely injured or die on me. Even you aren’t invincible. So you’d better keep that in mind.”
He lets out a tiny puff of astonishment. “You’re taking this all in your stride, aren’t you?”
“Barely,” I admit. “But what other choice do I have? From here on in, I can only trust you.”
“So you should.” He leans in and kisses me with terrible urgency. His tongue probes my mouth; insistent, wanting. He tastes of sweetness and ice.
My body responds immediately. My magic reacts, sending a ripple across my arms and down my back. I want more of him, always.
Don’t go.
When it comes to Corvan, I could become so very selfish.
But now I tilt my head, offering him my neck, because I know my blood makes him stronger, and I want him to be at the height of his powers when he arrives at the Talavarra Estate.
For all the forces and weaponry and resources he has at his disposal, he chooses to go alone. To risk his own safety.
Nobody is faster.
Nobody can do what he does.
And Corvan cares deeply about this land and its people.
About me.
That’s what it comes down to.
Despite all he’s endured, he wants to protect us.
“Finley…” he gasps, his voice turning hoarse with desire. “Are you sure you want to—”
“Take it,” I whisper, suddenly overcome with the urge to be devoured by him. My body aches with need. I curl my fingers around his neck and pull him towards me. “I insist. It’s obvious that you want to. And you need to.”
“Fine.” All of a sudden, his voice is strained. He plants soft kisses along my jawline and down my neck, until he reaches the base of it, where my pulse beats wildly. He kisses me there too, lingering there in an exquisite moment of tenderness and wanting before he gently pierces my skin.
There’s that familiar sting of pain again, accompanied by warmth and the firm, commanding press of his lips against my bare skin.
My body reacts before my thoughts arrive. Arousal surges through me; so acute I can barely contain it. In the end, it’s the tough layer of Corvan’s leather armor that stops me.
If not for that barrier, I would have jumped his bones already.
His thirst; his need for me…
What a blessing it is, to be wanted like this.
At last, he breaks away, satiated, breathing heavily, his lips stained crimson, his pupils dilated. “I could devour you right now,” he whispers.
“Don’t. As tempted as I am, save it for when you get back. I feel you’ll be a lot more vengeful toward your enemies when you’re like this. I shall be your reward.”
“Then I’ll definitely come back as soon as I can,” he growls, tasting my lips again, leaving me with a hint of my own coppery sweetness. My mouth tingles with magic. “And I’ll bring your mother to you. How could I fail when the only thing I’ll be thinking of is you, waiting here for me? Gods, I would raze their castle to the ground if it meant I could come back to you.”
And that’s how we parted; in longing and hope, and I let Corvan go, because I know that he’ll be a hundred times more dangerous and when he’s on his own, for he won’t have to worry about unmasking that side of himself.
Not that I’m bothered by it.
I love all of him; even the side of him that’s savage and ruthless.
57
CORVAN
In an instant, I’m away from the Imperial Palace.
Away from my father’s mess and the honorable Elite Guard—who now serve me.
Immediately, my heart clenches in protest, because I don’t want to be away from her.
It’s astonishing. Me, who’s practically been living as a recluse for the past three years or so? Who turned away all the eligible ladies of the court, because I found most of them vapid and self-serving; because I could not stomach the thought of being wedded to someone that would see only my titles and my inheritance?
I’ve fallen in love with a baron’s daughter who hasn’t had a single thing to do with the Rahavan Court.
And how right she is for me. She’s fearless and grounded. Humble. Not pretentious or putting on airs.
She’s fierce and clever, and there isn’t a single malicious bone in her body.
If anything happened to her, I would be destroyed. If not for the lingering memory of her touch; the steady whisper of her voice, the unwavering faith she has in me, I would be irrational right now. I was barely able to leave her as it were.
But it’s necessary. It’s for the best. I can’t possibly take her into unfamiliar territory with the threat of necromancy hanging over us. And Tyron Castle has turned into a warzone, overrun by an army of undead.
The Imperial Palace is the safest place for her right now. Outside the two of us, the Elite Guard, and a single embalmer, not a single soul knows of my father’s demise.
In the next day or so, nothing’s going to change.
Besides, I have a certain amount of faith in Eulisyn’s magic. It’s saved Finley’s life once before. That infernal tree knew what it was doing when it gave her its heart-seed.
I find it reassuring that she’s got such powerful magic in her, even if we don’t yet know much about it.
I need to end this quickly. I have no way of knowing what’s happening in Tyron right now. The longer the undead roam my lands, the more dangerous the situation becomes.
I can’t allow the people of Tyron to face that sort of danger.
If I can destroy the necromancer in one fell swoop, the threat will be gone.
For the first time in my life, I’m truly grateful for the powers that have been bestowed upon me by my mother’s rare vampiric blood. For the first time, I’m not left wondering. Perhaps that was her parting gift to me—the gift of knowing.
The cool afternoon breeze whips my hair as I soar through the skies, high above the red-tiled rooftops of the outskirts of Lukiria. My body feels light, thanks to Finley’s intoxicating blood. The warmth of the setting sun touches my face without burning me. The broadsword sheathed at my waist feels light as a feather, and my armor hardly weighs me down.
I feel invincible.
Dangerously so. Caution. I can’t afford to become overconfident and complacent.