The Vampire's True Love Trials

by Kristen Painter

  “It is,” Sebastian answered. “By me.”

  Den’s brows made considerably more progress upward this time. “You own the whole thing?”

  “I do.” And he’d been planning on surprising Tessa with a trip there for a honeymoon, whenever that happened.

  Tessa nudged Sebastian’s leg with her knee. “You own a whole island?”

  He shrugged. “It seemed the safest way to vacation.”

  She squinted at him. “When have you ever been on vacation?”

  It was a valid question. He smiled and reached over to take her hand. “Well, now that I have you in my life…”

  Magna put her menu down as well. “You sound as though you’ve done very well for yourself, Sebastian.”

  He turned to answer her. “Thank you. I have. I handle the finances for both Nocturne Falls and my family. My investments aren’t always the most glamorous, but they have paid off nicely. And like most of my kind, we tend to go for the long game as opposed to quick, riskier strikes.”

  The server returned with their drinks, and they all ordered their entrees. Sebastian took some satisfaction in hearing Den ask for steak frites too.

  When the server left, Den returned his attention to Sebastian. “What are your intentions for my daughter?”

  At last, the question Sebastian had been anticipating. He smiled broadly and glanced at Tessa, thinking about how much he loved her. “I intend to marry her and spend the rest of my eternity making her happy.” Then he looked at Den and Magna. “But I hope to do so with your blessing.”

  Den grunted. “I’d always hoped Tessa and Jenna would marry berserkers.”

  Tessa held her hand up. “I’m already wearing the engagement ring he gave me.”

  Magna frowned. “Tessa, you told me on the phone you weren’t engaged to anyone.”

  “I wasn’t then. I am now.”

  Den shook his head. “That ring means nothing. The blessing has been given to Gunther. He’s already completed the challenges.”

  Tessa’s hand curled into a fist. “But I don’t love him. I love Sebastian.”

  Den’s gaze narrowed. “Then there is only one course of action that can be taken.”

  “No, Daddy,” Tessa said. “He’s not a berserker. He doesn’t know our traditions. You can’t expect—”

  “I can,” Den said. “And I do.”

  He sat back in his chair. “If you want to marry my daughter, you must pass the same tests any berserker would, just as Gunther has already done. You must prove yourself worthy of Tessa’s hand. Then and only then will her mother and I decide which union to bless. Otherwise, Tessa must marry the man she’s been promised to. Gunther Henrikson.”

  Beside Sebastian, Tessa stiffened, but he wasn’t about to be daunted by anything. He was as strong and able as any other supernatural. Maybe more so, given his age as a vampire. “If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it. What are these tests?”

  Den smiled for the first time that evening. It was a dreadful thing. “The seven feats of strength.”

  Tessa sucked in a breath at her father’s words. “No. Not the seven feats of strength. Mom, tell him no.” This was exactly what she’d been worried about.

  Magna shrugged. “It is our tradition.”

  Tessa glared at her. “But he’s not one of us.”

  “All the more reason he should be required to do them,” her father muttered.

  Sebastian looked rather calm, but then, he didn’t know what he was up against. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

  Tessa faced him. “You don’t have a clue.”

  Anger and worry and a cold, sick feeling filled Tessa’s belly. She couldn’t let this happen. She tossed her napkin on her plate and stood up. “I will not allow this. It’s insane.”

  Sebastian captured her hand in his. “My darling, I would walk through fire for you.”

  “Hah! That would be easy compared to the seven feats.” She shook her head at her parents. “You can’t be serious with this.”

  Den frowned. “It’s our tradition. If the man who marries you can’t understand that, then perhaps he isn’t the right man for you. And, after all, Gunther completed them.”

  Magna made a face, and a sudden realization struck Tessa. She planted her hands on the table and leaned in. “Gunther did all seven of them?”

  Magna looked at Den. “You can’t expect him to do more than Gunther did.”

  Den sighed. “Gunther did three. But they were three of the most difficult.”

  Tessa straightened and put her hands on her hips. “So. Gunther assumed, correctly I might add, that because of my past there was no need to put out the standard effort. That Tessa Blythe ought to be happy that a berserker, such as he is, cared enough to complete even three of the feats.”

  “Now, Tessa,” Magna started.

  “No, no. I see exactly what happened. I’m damaged goods. And you two were probably falling all over yourselves to welcome him into the family, weren’t you?”

  Den grunted. “Can you blame us for being happy that a good man showed interest in you? And regardless of what you think, the bar has been set. Sebastian either completes the challenges, or no blessing will be given.”

  Sebastian held a hand up. “I absolutely understand and respect tradition. I am happy to comply with whatever you’d have me do to win your approval of our union.”

  Tessa put her hands on the back of her chair and leaned in. “But I’m not. The seven feats are designed for berserkers, not vampires. Even if he does three, it’s still unfair.”

  Magna sighed. “Then how about a compromise?”

  “No,” Den said. “He should do all seven because he’s not a berserker. He has more to prove.”

  “What kind of compromise?” Tessa asked her mother.

  “Six feats,” Magna offered.

  Tessa crossed her arms. “No feats. Just dinner and we move on because I love Sebastian and he’s my choice.”

  “Now see here, daughter,” Den started. “It’s my father’s right to be sure the man desiring your hand is worthy of you.”

  “He is. You can take my word on that.” But Tessa knew she was going to have to give a little. She held up her pointer finger. “One feat.”

  Den let a moment go by. “You don’t think he can pass these tests, do you?”

  That was a hard question to answer. If she said no, she was admitting Sebastian wasn’t as capable as a berserker. If she said yes, there was no reason for her to argue the contest. “Of course he can, but why put him through it? Our culture isn’t his. He shouldn’t be required to go through such hardship because of me. Or Gunther’s halfhearted attempt.”

  “Tessa,” Sebastian started. “It’s okay. I am willing.”

  She glanced at him and saw the resoluteness in his eyes. He was determined to do this. She looked at her father and saw the same expression. They were cut from the same stubborn cloth, these two. “One feat.”

  “Five,” her father responded.

  “Three.” Her mother looked at Den. “The same as Gunther, and that’s it.”

  “Fine,” Den grunted.

  Magna turned to Tessa and Sebastian. “Are we agreed?”

  “Agreed.” Sebastian patted Tessa’s chair. “Come on, love. It will be okay.”

  She took her seat reluctantly. And mostly because the server had just come through the kitchen doors carrying a tray with their dinners on it. She put her napkin on her lap and sat quietly while the server placed their food in front of them. Her sole with lemon butter sauce looked delicious, but her appetite had waned as she thought about what lay ahead for the man she loved.

  She picked up her fork. “How will these three feats be chosen?”

  “I’ll choose them.” Her father stuffed a healthy bite of steak into his mouth.

  “Den,” Magna said. “That’s not exactly sporting.”

  “Or fair,” Tessa added. “You didn’t choose Gunther’s.”

  Her father looked at her mother.
“You have a different idea?”

  Magna nodded, finishing a bite of her beef Burgundy before answering. “It should be random. Put them all on slips of paper and let Sebastian choose them from a hat.”

  Tessa relaxed a little. That was a better idea. Although it would leave all of the most difficult feats in play. “I’m okay with that as long as the Dreki Run is removed.”

  Sebastian turned to her. “What’s the Dreki Run?”

  Den stabbed a pile of French fries with his fork. “You have twenty-four hours to produce a dragon’s scale.”

  Sebastian nodded thoughtfully. “Leave that one in.”

  Tessa’s mouth fell open. “Are you crazy?”

  He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Two words. Ivan Tsvetkov.”

  “We’re leaving them all in.” Den hoisted his fry-laden fork. “But I have to say, I like that you don’t cringe from the heavy lifting, Sebastian. You accomplish these feats and I’ll give serious consideration to allowing you to marry my daughter.”

  Tessa frowned at her father. “He accomplishes them, and it’s a done deal. No consideration necessary. That is the point, after all.”

  His lips pressed together in a hard line. “But there is still the matter of Gunther.”

  “Yes, Daddy, and you’ll deal with that. Tell him whatever you want but make sure he understands you spoke too soon in giving him your blessing.”

  Den’s mouth bent downward. “You drive a hard bargain, Tessa.”

  She smiled. “I am your daughter.”

  “I want you to know I understand, Den,” Sebastian said. “You want the best for Tessa. So do I.”

  Den lifted his glass. “The best of luck to you, then.”

  Sebastian raised his whiskey. “I won’t need luck, but thank you all the same.”

  Den drank, then set his glass aside. “We’ll start tonight, then. After dinner. If you’re ready, vampire.”

  “I am.” Sebastian nodded. “The sooner Tessa and I can be wed, the better.”

  Magna narrowed her eyes at him. “Let’s not be too hasty. I would like to attend my daughter’s wedding. Whoever the groom might be.”

  “It’ll be Sebastian.” Tessa smiled, thinking back to when she’d been shopping for a wedding dress for their fake wedding and wondering if the day would come that she’d ever need one for real. “And don’t worry about attending. Our ceremony will be small, but our families will be there.”

  Sebastian snorted. “That’s for sure. My grandmother would have my head if I got married and she wasn’t present.”

  Tessa laughed. “Maybe both our heads.”

  Den made a face. “Your grandmother is that fierce?”

  Tessa put her hand on Sebastian’s arm and shook her head. “You have no idea. Elenora Ellingham could be an honorary valkyrie.”

  The thought gave Tessa hope. Sebastian was from brave, tenacious stock. He wasn’t about to back down or give up. And three feats instead of seven put the odds squarely in his favor.

  Maybe she’d been worried about nothing.

  Then again, she had no idea what feats he would pull.

  Sebastian and Tessa sat in the living room of Den and Magna’s suite. It was a beautiful room, but the thing that held Sebastian’s interest was the ceramic bowl on the coffee table between them.

  And the seven slips of paper that filled it.

  They’d had dinner, dessert and coffee. There was nothing left to postpone the inevitable. Sebastian addressed Den. “Is there any ceremony to this, or should I just choose one?”

  The man shrugged. “Since you’d normally be tackling them all, no. Go ahead and choose.”

  Sebastian reached for the bowl, but Tessa’s hand on his arm stopped him. Her eyes were filled with concern. “It’s going to be all right,” he said softly.

  She managed a weak smile, then nodded and took her hand back. “I know.”

  But the words lacked confidence.

  Sebastian dropped his hand, realizing that there was one question he’d yet to ask. “I think I know the answer to this already, but if I fail one of these tasks, what happens?”

  Den shifted on the silk-upholstered sofa. It looked like dollhouse furniture in comparison to his bulk. “Then Tessa will marry Gunther.”

  A chill swept Sebastian. “You can’t be serious. You would expect her to marry a man she’s never met and doesn’t love?”

  Magna nodded. “It’s always been our way. If a berserker is willing to sacrifice for a woman, he is rewarded with her hand in marriage.”

  “She has no choice in the matter?” Sebastian shook his head. “That’s barbaric.”

  “There is some recourse,” Tessa said. “I can challenge him to a fight. And if I win, I’m no longer obligated to marry him.” Her next breath came out in a ragged sigh. “But you know how I feel about fighting.”

  Sebastian nodded. “I do. Den, Magna, you must see that I love your daughter. Do you really mean to keep us apart for such outdated reasons?”

  “Outdated?” Den snarled. “These feats have been accomplished by every berserker who ever married a valkyrie. I completed all seven before Magna’s parents blessed our union. They aren’t outdated, they’re tradition.”

  Sebastian knew he’d riled the man, but it couldn’t be helped. “I understand that. But for us to be pulled apart because of something so arbitrary…” He tried to quell the anger building in his gut. “You’re saying that our happiness, our lives, rest in that bowl. And you believe that’s reasonable. That tradition trumps love.”

  Den took a breath. “I believe it’s how we’ve always done things.”

  “And if I fail, and Tessa and I marry anyway, without your blessing, what happens?”

  Magna paled and lifted her chin slightly. “Then Tessa will never be considered valkyrie again. She will be shunned. Not even her sister will be allowed to acknowledge her as family.”

  Sebastian glanced at his beloved. There was a time she might have been at peace with no longer being considered valkyrie, but she had proudly reclaimed her heritage. And she would never be at peace with losing her family. Nor did he want to be the one who caused that kind of punishment. “You could choose not to shun her. And no one can take being valkyrie away from her any more than the sun can be commanded not to rise.”

  Tessa swallowed. “They will strip my sword from me.”

  “What?” Sebastian frowned. “I thought it was part of you.”

  “It is. But they will…make it not part of me.” Tessa looked slightly sick.

  Magna nodded. “It’s a very unpleasant business.”

  “Damn it, there’s more at stake than any of you let on.” Sebastian had one choice. He could not fail. He stuck his hand in the bowl and yanked out a strip of paper. “Here. Let’s get this bloody thing underway and behind us.”

  Den took the folded paper and opened it. “The Test of Morhildr.” He looked at Magna.

  She nodded in response.

  Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “Would either of you care to explain?”

  Tessa lifted her head and tried to smile. “You must prove your skill in battle. It’s a sword fight, essentially.”

  Sebastian nodded. He could fence. Hell, he’d taught fencing at Harmswood Academy, the school in Nocturne Falls for supernatural children. This wasn’t going to be too difficult. “And who is my opponent?”

  Tessa looked at her father.

  He might be big, but Sebastian had technique on his side. This wasn’t going to be easy, but—

  “You will fight Magna,” Den announced. “The Morhildr means mother battle. You must best a valkyrie to prove you are worthy of one.”

  “I’m not going to raise a weapon against a woman,” Sebastian said.

  Den snorted. “Then you concede? I had not expected you to give up so easily, but if that’s your decision…”

  “You’re serious?” Sebastian turned to Tessa. “Do you expect me to fight your mother?”

  She shrugged limply. “It’s our
way.”

  “But it is not mine. There is no honor in such a thing.”

  “There is to us,” Magna countered. She leaned forward. “I understand the culture you come from frowns on such a thing, vampire, but that culture also thinks women are weaker creatures. We are not. Valkyries and berserkers grow up battling each other as equals in the sparring circle. We fight and serve side by side. This is our way. So you will fight me, or you will concede. The choice is yours.”

  “You’re telling me Gunther fought you?”

  “Not me, no. He fought a proxy.” Magna sat back. “My sister, actually.”

  Sebastian stared at them. Judged the determination and sincerity in Magna’s eyes. And the look of despair in Tessa’s.

  He’d started this ball rolling. There was nothing else to do but see it to the finish line. He took a moment to fix his resolve in place. “Where will this battle take place?”

  Tessa stood at the edge of the hotel’s ballroom, watching her mother and the love of her life square off in the center. It wasn’t surprising that her parents had had the forethought to reserve this space.

  After all, they’d known what was coming. Tessa wished she had. Seeing Sebastian so at war with this process was understandable. As her mother had pointed out, this wasn’t his culture.

  He was handling it remarkably well. But then, she’d expected nothing less from him. He was her hero and her champion. And, she hoped very soon, her husband. That thought lightened her spirits.

  Den lifted his hand. “First one to admit defeat loses. All you must do, vampire, is not be that person.”

  Sebastian’s expression was dour. He raised his borrowed sword, provided by her parents, and tucked his free hand behind his back. “Understood.” He bowed to Magna, his grim air unchanging.

  She bowed as well and smiled, then straightened and reached back to unsheathe her own weapon. As with all valkyries and berserkers, her sword was part of her, almost like a magical tattoo that came to life as needed. She brandished the weapon while she spoke to Sebastian. “Don’t look so serious, vampire. This isn’t to the death. Just to defeat.”

  “Noted.” He adjusted his stance, then shot a quick glance at Tessa.