by Cora Zane
“Continue,” Grigori said gravely.
Julian’s voice dropped to a deadly timbre. “I wish it to be known that if any person from Zander Rubio’s bloodline—that includes anyone acting at his discretion, or at the discretion of one of his representatives—should ever approach my bloodmate, or any person that falls under the umbrella of our combined familial lines again, I will consider it a breach of this agreement. Make no mistake, I will declare a blood feud if we are approached again.” He leveled his gaze on Zander, who watched him with a hooded expression. “Should it come to that, I will not rest until I kill the source of the breach with my bare hands and bury his bones in my vineyard. As Eleni’s other half, that is my solemn vow.” He turned his head to look at Grigori. “Write that in your record book, and leave it unsealed.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
They returned to the Sévigné townhouse after the hearing, which had dispersed in tense silence after Julian’s final statement. Rubio’s representatives, his relatives, had rushed from the apartment after the dismissal, perhaps anticipating violence.
Eleni knew Julian believed Sidorov—and Rubio, at least, indirectly—was partly responsible for destroying his housekeeper, his familial home, and Gisele’s fragile existence. But, at the same time, he placed much of the blame on himself as well.
Eleni understood his reasoning, even if she didn’t agree with it. Hoping to comfort him, she sent soothing thoughts to connect with his, to embrace him and let him know that she was there for him, no matter what. It was finished. The hearing was over, and for the living, at least, justice had been served. They were very lucky.
Eleni was free, her bloodline was safe, and Rubio could never touch her again. Without that ax hanging over her head, she felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Still, it was a surreal feeling knowing she no longer had ties to Rubio. The past was just that—the awful past. Now, she could focus on her love for Julian, and begin to rebuild her life…as his vampiress.
“It doesn’t feel real to you yet,” Julian observed from behind her. Until he spoke, she hadn’t realized he’d come outside.
She turned away from comforting view of quiet, cobbled Rue du Broc to face him. “It almost seems like a dream,” she admitted. “I’ve been a prisoner for so long. First to Rubio, then to my illness, then the council—” A lump formed in her throat. She gazed at him, tears pricking her eyes.
Her fingers were still wrapped around one of the fleur de lis on top of the iron guardrails when he started across the terrace to her, his crisp white shirt unbuttoned to the waist. From somewhere in the townhouse, a faint melody drifted out to her. La Vie En Rose.
Her heart brimmed with love for him. Whenever she felt his presence, or saw his face, she felt safe, like she had found her true home, and it was by his side. Right when she needed him most, when the emotion spilled over into tears on her cheeks, he was there, pulling her into his arms. Soothing her with comforting words, words of devotion and love. Her Julian—her immortal lover. She couldn’t help but marvel at him, and feel blessed by fate. Despite all her failings, she had her vampire husband, who looked at her with love and trust, as though he believed she was worth fighting for.
“Because you are, mon amour,” he whispered, reading her thoughts. “If you still aren’t convinced how much I love you, I suppose I have no choice but to spend the rest of the night proving my devotion to you.” Eleni glimpsed his wicked smile a split second before he bowed his head to her, and captured her lips in a tender kiss.
Author Bio
Cora Zane lives in an area of northern Louisiana known as “out in the sticks”. Her daily life largely involves sweating over the small stuff while chasing after her husband and two kids. A weary servant to a spoiled diva dog, Cora writes whenever she can, loves to blog, and is easily distracted by sparkly things. If you want to know more about Cora, you can find her online at various social networking sites, or you can visit her website directly at www.corazane.com.
