by Anna Santos
“Yes, I know. I can read your mind, remember?” She pouted and moved to get off of him.
He stopped her and made her look at his face. “We have just found each other. I don’t want to lose you again. I have every right to be upset.”
“I’m free to make my own decisions, and I expect you to respect them. If you are my mate, you need to understand my reasons. Besides, I didn’t say I was going to run into danger right away. I mistrust Valentina’s supposed good intentions. She is hiding something, I can feel it in my gut.”
“They don’t act like a couple,” Marcus said, remembering the time they spent with them in the library. Francesco acted like he couldn't care less about his mate. Even when Marcus spoke louder, he did nothing to protect Valentina. “They are a peculiar couple.”
“Yes, they are strange! Do you think they are lying? That they aren’t really a couple?”
“I just don’t see any point in lying about something like that.”
“Maybe they are just tired of each other. Two hundred years is a long time to be married.”
“No, we didn’t act like them. We were married for far longer.”
“How long?”
“A lot longer. She seems to resent him somehow. I also have a strange feeling in my gut.” He sighed. “You were my whole world. You are,” he rephrased it, because she narrowed her eyes, probably jealous of the past tense. “When you were Ellie, I loved you more each year, even if you could be obstinate sometimes,” he teased, and she slapped his shoulder. “Just like now!” They both laughed, and Marcus rolled on the bed with her in his arms, slipping her beneath him. “You are such a feisty little thing. How on earth will I be able to spend another five hundred years with you?”
“Five hundred years?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Yes, but it felt like five years, maybe five months. You have no idea how happy we were!”
“We are going to be happy. We are happy,” she whispered, her voice laced with emotion.
Marcus nodded, not wanting to succumb to the fear of being apart from her once again. “I’ll just lock you up until you come to your senses,” he teased. Jessica, however, pouted and he didn’t need to read her mind to know why she got annoyed. “Yes, I know what you think about that. I also know that a normal door couldn’t restrain you. Jessie,” he whispered as a dark thought troubled him, “there are ways to restrain witches from their powers. Alaric must know them. You wouldn’t have your powers to help you. You would remain mortal and fragile. He is…a sick, twisted bastard. I don’t want you to risk your life for a stupid idea. You would have to be face to face with him. Who knows what kind of grudge he has toward you and what sick things he would do? He killed you when you were his mother. Imagine what he will do to you, now that he believes you are the only one who can break his curse. Imagine what he will do if he finds out we are together and he doesn’t believe you are his dead mother. He would think that I replaced his mother. I really don’t want to think about every terrifying possibility, honey,” Marcus pleaded, getting terrified with the thought of what his son could do. Marcus had no idea if he still had any type of feeling for his family. He had cold enough blood to kill Isobel and then go after George. He was a monster.
“Stop making movies inside your mind,” Jessica whispered.
“You need to think better about what you intend to do,” Marcus advised her. “There are a lot of things that can go wrong.”
“I know…We’ll get married first, and, after the honeymoon, I’ll think about this,” she declared, swallowing hard. Marcus smiled with happiness, and she frowned at him. “I said I was going to wait, not give up.”
“Maybe I can convince you to give up.”
“Maybe you should be less conceited. Sex isn’t going to make me change my mind,” she declared, trying to tickle him without success.
“Do you want to bet on that?” he asked with a teasing smirk on his face.
“No, no,” she shrieked under his mouth as his lips brushed her neck and his hands held her hips. “I need to see what Anna brought me from New York. And we have a lot of visitors in our palace. I need to talk to Rose to prepare dinner. We did invite them to dine with us.” She made him stop what he was doing and look at her.
“I liked it more when no one remembered I existed. We had the palace all to ourselves,” he declared, kissing her mouth. “Fine, I’ll let you leave, but we are going to resume this later.”
“Oh, I’m counting on that,” she said, biting his lower lip softly which in turn made him gulp and lower his mouth to kiss her again.
Chapter Thirty—Don’t Mess With My Man
THE KING
Marcus was in the library, looking at the books and brooding. Francesco and Valentina’s arrival had shed some light on many mysteries and unanswered questions but had also brought a great deal of trouble to his life. He now knew that the threat on Jessie’s life was much more serious than he had thought. His son would stop at nothing to capture Jessica and make her break his curse. If only he could use Alaric’s curse to his own advantage, but the price was too high to pay. Besides, Jessica wasn’t willing to kill an innocent girl to rid the world of their son. It was not in her kind soul and generous nature. But it would remedy many problems for certain. Sometimes sacrifices were necessary for the greater good.
“I remember when you painted that portrait,” Valentina said softly, warning him of her presence.
Marcus drifted out of his thoughts and looked at the vampire with brown eyes and lustful red lips. Valentina was tall and beautiful. Being a vampire made her look even more ethereal. He hadn’t heard her approach; the way she moved slowly forward reminded him of a snake slowly approaching its prey. There was something about her that made him feel uncomfortable. Something dark and cold.
“Isobel was beautiful. You were both extremely happy,” she said with a gentle smile. “How are you dealing with her new appearance?”
“Fine.”
“You were always hard to open up. You can talk to me. I imagine it can’t be as easy as it looks. Don’t you wish that she looked the same as before?”
“Jessica’s appearance is exactly as it should be. I didn’t believe in reincarnation, but I know that it was quite impossible for her to look identical to before. Unless she was born into the same family and inherited similar features as Anna did. But she did not. She is of your bloodline now.”
Valentina shrugged and put a hand on her hip. “She more closely resembles her father. The Deluca family does not have blond hair or blue eyes. That is all Alexei’s DNA.”
“What do you really want?” he asked, unsure about her reason for seeking him out. He wasn’t buying her concern. She wanted something, perhaps to convince him to permit Jessica to join in her silly quest.
“Just curious, how you are adapting to your new mate. I have every right to be curious, after all. It was I who saved her for you.”
“Yes,” he whispered, pondering on her words. “You don’t need to worry. I’m perfectly pleased with Jessica's appearance. She is gorgeous and quite amazing if you need to know.”
“So, you love her.”
Frowning, she replied, “Of course I love her.” Why would she ask such an absurd question?
Valentina stepped closer and held her hand to the desk. “She is a witch. You are both from different species. You could have rejected her for that reason. As we both know, you were hardly tolerant in the past.”
“Have you come here to waste my time with absurd ideas?”
“Not at all.” Then she flashed a wide grin and looked around the library. “I love what you have done with the place. Everything looks…new, and at the same time, it looks exactly like before you brought it here to these lands. Being here floods me with a lot of memories.”
“Good ones, I hope.”
“A bit of both. I can’t deny that I was happy here.” She sat close to him on his desk and crossed her legs, resting her folded hands on her knees.
Marcu
s looked at her, puzzled by her closeness and unusual choice of where to sit. There were plenty of chairs in the room.
“I just regret the way I departed,” she added with a sigh, stroking her black hair and watching for Marcus’s reaction. “Don’t you remember?”
“It has been forever since I've last seen you,” Marcus said, slightly apologetic.
She gritted her teeth and muttered, “Seriously?”
The king shrugged and stepped away from her.
“Hmm...” Her lips curved up again as she seemed to push down her anger. “I have to say you look really good,” she whispered, extending her hand to touch his lapel. “Drinking from Jessie gave you your youth back.”
“What do you know about that?” Marcus asked, brushing her hand away.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teased, moving her body closer to his and making him step back again.
She was being completely inappropriate, and he wasn’t liking it. “Just tell me and stop the games.”
“You were always really impatient. Are you so impatient about everything?” She pouted and then smiled wickedly.
“I’m just impatient when I have to be,” he replied with a neutral tone, ignoring the sexual innuendo. He was in no mood for playing games.
“I guess, I ended up not finding out.” She put her hands on the desk, displaying her cleavage.
“What are you talking about?”
“The night we kissed.”
Marcus had forgotten about that long-ago kiss, and it hadn’t meant anything to him, although Valentina seemed to be holding some grudge about it. He tried to remember what had happened. “You kissed me. I didn’t kiss you back. I was…grieving, and you tried to use that vulnerability to take my wife’s place in my bed.”
“Yes, I’ve always been curious about what that would be like.”
“What what would be like?”
“To fuck you.”
“I guess you will never know,” he replied, trying to conceal his discomfort.
“You banished me from your kingdom because I behaved badly,” she continued. “Was what we had together so casual? Did you really need to send me away and leave me without a home?” She sounded angry.
“We were friends. You crossed the line,” he declared.
“I was also grieving! I had lost my best friend, and you sent me away from the only place where I was safe. Do you know what I had to do to survive?”
Marcus sighed and rubbed his forehead before engaging in that conversation again. “Valentina, you weren’t as innocent as you claim. I rejected you more than once. After my wife died, you became…obsessed.”
She spoke softly, gazing at the window, “I was stupid and naïve. I thought that you could love me the way you loved Isobel, or at least pretend I was her. I wanted…to be her.”
“Why would you want that?” he asked, finding her words insane.
Shrugging, she explained as her eyes aimed back at him, “Because you loved each other. I had no idea what real love was. My own mate chose not to love me, and everybody else lied to me. I had always been jealous of Isobel and you. You were examples of something that I would never have.”
“That is not an excuse to try and sleep with me. I would never sleep with you!”
“I always get what I want,” she whispered dangerously, her eyes full of darkness.
“You have your mate now. Why are you behaving this way?”
“My mate?” Valentina laughed like he had said a joke.
Arching an eyebrow, Marcus asked, “Isn’t he your mate?”
“Do you know why Francesco didn’t kill me and instead made me his hidden queen?”
“I have no idea, but I’m guessing it is not because he loves you, or you wouldn’t be asking that question. But this is surely none of my business. I couldn't care less about your private life.”
“That’s where you are wrong. This concerns you.” She moved to caress Marcus’s leg with the tip of her shoe. He avoided her by stepping to his left. “I won’t bite you,” she teased. “It’s because of my blood. You see, Jessica’s blood isn’t the only one that can make her mate look younger. Mine can do that too. It is a…special power in our blood. No other bloodline of witches has it.”
“Explain more,” Marcus asked.
“What will you give me in return?” she teased, biting her lip lustfully.
Marcus narrowed his eyes. “I’m not in the mood for games. If I wasn’t attracted to you after my wife’s death, I most certainly won’t be, now that I have found her again.”
“Maybe you will, though,” she whispered, leaning forward and grabbing hold of his shirt. She pulled him between her legs.
Marcus was caught off guard. “Let me go!”
“You are always so serious,” she whispered, licking his cheek. “You look so handsome! I didn’t remember how virile you looked! I’ve missed you.”
“Stop it!” he ordered, pulling away, but she was playing rough and had him in a really strong hold, like a snake wrapped around its prey. He dried his cheek on his sleeve and she laughed like a crazy woman. “Why are you laughing? Let me go before I hurt you.”
“I’m so scared of you! The big bad king will hurt me if I don’t let him go.”
“Are you mad?” He braced himself on her thighs to try and free himself. “Release me!”
“I bet Jessica is all excited about your new look, isn’t she? Did you look old and decrepit when she arrived? Did she run away from you? Did you force her to mate, like an old, dying human in heat?” Her tone was filled with bad intentions that made him sick to his stomach.
“Stop joking around and tell me what you know about the blood.”
“Intrigued, are we?” she teased, playing with a button of his shirt.
“Of course I’m intrigued!”
“I’ll tell you a little secret then.” She pulled him close so she could speak in his ear. “Our bloodline of witches descends from the goddess herself. That is why we are so powerful, and that is why our blood can heal our mates or make them look younger.”
“The goddess? Which one?”
He tried to pull away again, but she grabbed him tighter. “The only goddess I pray to. The goddess of the witches. But what you need to know is that now that you drank from her, you need to keep drinking or you will go back to your old appearance, and, worse, you will grow older faster.”
“I can’t drink from her again. It is…too enticing,” he whispered, remembering the first and only time he’d bitten Jessica and almost killed her.
“Yes, we are intoxicating, aren’t we?” she asked, laughing when she licked his ear.
He jerked back roughly without any success because she had him locked between her thighs. “Just let me go!”
“Don’t you want to know the rest?” she asked, brushing some invisible dust from his shirt. “I like men big and strong, just like you. I bet she likes to do it here, right on this desk. I know I would.” Her legs pulled him closer, molding him against her heated body.
“I’m not really in the mood to play your twisted games,” the king growled, losing his calm and finally breaking free of her hold.
When he stepped back, he thought she was going to attack him. Her cheeks were unusually red with rage, and her eyes were dark.
But then she just laughed as if possessed. “Relax, I was joking with you. You don’t need to look so offended. If you don’t want me, that’s okay. I’m sure my husband will have better luck with your mate. She may agree to join a little orgy with us, don’t you think? I would love to taste that sweet new mate of yours...”
Marcus growled, scanning Jessie’s mind to find where she was and what she was doing. “Your husband is nowhere near her,” he snarled. “I don’t know what the hell you are thinking or what games you play with your mate, but are you mad? Do you really think I would let anyone else touch my mate? And if you care anything for yours, he better stay away from Jessie!”
Valentina smirked and shrugged as s
he got up from the desk and smooth her dress down. “Oh, he will. He lost interest the moment he knew she was his beloved sister reincarnated.”
Marcus couldn’t help but notice how venom filled her words. She was jealous of Isobel and jealous of her mate’s love for his sister. She was jealous of all the love that Marcus had for Isobel and now for Jessica. She was a pathetic woman, and he felt sorry for her. All her beauty and teasing games were just a façade. Deep down, she was lonely and bitter. Either her mate was the one to blame, or she was too selfish to forgive Francesco. In no way was it Marcus’s problem, however.
“You may not want to do it, but maybe Jessica would like the proposal. What if I ask her?” Valentina teased with a mocking smile that had no effect on the king. He knew his mate.
* * *
JESSICA
Jessica entered the library, witnessing their exchange and replying to Valentina. “I don’t do orgies, and I certainly don’t share my mate with other women! What the hell do you think you are doing, you tramp?” she demanded as she stopped with an angry expression.
Valentina turned around and, with no worry or panic on her face, replied calmly, “I’m just talking to Marcus. What is your problem?”
The witch narrowed her eyes and fisted her hands. “It doesn’t look like you are just talking to my mate. It looks like you are in some sort of heat that your mate failed to fix. Does it look like my mate wants anything to do with you? He is not like your whore husband. So get the hell out of here before I make you leave. And trust me, you won’t like to see me mad. If I see you near my mate again, I will end your immortal existence rather quickly,” she menaced, showing a floating fire orb on her hand. “I’m no longer a kid, and I have full use of my powers. I dare you to test me!”
Valentina smiled, sliding down the desk and brushing her black hair off her shoulder. “I was just testing Marcus to see if he was to be trusted,” she explained, matter-of-factly. “I didn’t want to leave you with a mate who doesn’t love you.”
“We love each other,” Jessica assured her as she flickered her wrist and extinguished the fire orb. “And I will kill you if you try another stunt like that again. Do I make myself clear?” She touched her finger against Valentina’s shoulder to pull her back. “Now get the hell away from here!”
