by Marie Medina
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2018 Marie Medina
ISBN: 978-1-77339-797-9
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To Howard
REFORMING HER VAMPIRE
Valladora Tales, 4
Marie Medina
Copyright © 2018
Chapter One
Valladora
3158, The Year of Stars
Bells chimed in the distance, and the chatter of the gathered guests drifted up and through the open balcony doors. Iris watched her sister Heather in the mirror as she moved to the left of the stool Heather sat on and put the last few flowers in Heather’s hair. Brides were supposed to be glowing and excited, but Heather sat there with her hands folded in her lap, calm and collected. Iris couldn’t help smiling as she imagined Adam, the groom, pacing around while his attendants tried to make him finish getting dressed. Heather and Adam couldn’t be less alike, but they seemed to be perfect together. Adam filled the silences when Heather didn’t feel like talking, and Heather calmed him when he got a bit too excited. He was Lord Regan’s new steward, and more than one person over the years had said Heather would make a perfect steward’s wife.
Iris put one last flower into place and then rearranged a few of her sister’s golden curls. Was it the work of the gods, or just a coincidence? Heather had been courted by two other men, Aldon and James, but both had lost their ardor and ended up marrying other people. Iris had actually hoped Heather might be fated to a vampire to give her life a bit more passion and excitement, but that hadn’t happened either. They’d all been taken in by Erik, the vampire lord of the dominion they lived in, when it had come to light that their older brother Lucas was Erik’s fated mate. Iris had only been nine at the time, but she’d been unable to stop herself from imagining the possibilities that would come with her new life as a vampire’s ward. They’d been poor before coming to live with Erik, and their father had been abusive, their mother and stepmother each in turn doing little to protect them. Erik had changed everything, and he and Lucas seemed very happy. The kind vampire gave each of them his unconditional love, and Iris and her six sisters all adored him.
“Are you sad about leaving?” Iris asked. As anxious as she was to find love herself, she hated the idea of leaving Erik and her siblings.
“A little, but I won’t be that far away. You can all come visit. Lord Regan’s reserved but seems very nice. He was pleased to meet me and more than accommodating about Adam taking time off from his duties.” Heather leaned forward to brush an eyelash off her cheek and paused as she studied her reflection. “I think I’m more worried about tripping down the aisle or something. Everyone’s going to be looking at me.”
Iris laughed. “Lucas won’t let that happen. Everything will be fine. The courtyard looks so beautiful, and we’ve thought of everything, I promise.”
“I know Lucas will be at my side. And how hard everyone has worked. But I’m not used to being the focus of attention.”
“This is the one day you’re going to have to make an exception.”
Heather smoothed her dress. “I honestly thought you’d be getting married first.” She finally gave Iris a little smile. “Like practice, you know? I could follow your example.”
Me getting married first? I thought so, too. After Heather had backed out of an arranged marriage when she was sixteen, she’d been reticent about men. The man she’d briefly been engaged to had been a cruel asshole, though Iris had never dared say that in front of Erik or Lucas, despite the choice words she’d heard them use about the man in private. Iris, on the other hand, had been more than ready for love to find her. But it still hadn’t.
“You’ll be fine no matter what. And I think I still have plenty of time,” Iris said, laughing as she moved away to check her own makeup in the mirror on the wall.
“Of course. I just meant so many boys were always interested. And still are. But there’s never been anyone special,” Heather said.
“I talk more. Flirt more. The boys gravitated to me.” She turned back to face her sister. “That’s not the same as real interest.”
“But there was real interest. At least for some of them. I’m talking about you.”
Iris shrugged. “Erik says we shouldn’t settle, and I don’t intend to.”
“I’d never encourage that at all. I only meant I’m curious.”
Iris smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “Maybe I’ll meet someone amazing today. It’s your day. Let’s stop focusing on me.” She walked over to the dresser and pulled out the necklace Erik and Lucas had given Heather as an early wedding present. The simple cluster of diamonds was going to be the perfect finishing touch. Heather’s dress had silver thread subtly sewn into the bodice, and the sparkling jewels would only draw the effect out even more. She came up behind Heather and put it around her neck.
That seemed to snag Heather’s attention well enough. “It is pretty, isn’t it? I wanted to cry when they gave it to me last night.”
Iris tried to look stern as their gazes met in the mirror. “Oh, don’t you dare start! I’ll never be able to control myself if you lose it. We’ll ruin our makeup.”
Heather laughed. “Oh, who cares? You’re right about me worrying over nothing. Let’s just have fun today.” She stood up and hugged her sister and then gazed into her face with a beaming smile in place. “What do you say?”
Iris smiled. “It’s about time you got your attitude right.” She glanced to the clock. “Lucas will be here soon. I say we have time for a quick drink.” She moved to the bottle of chilled champagne Erik had sent up, which they’d almost forgotten about. She poured them each a glass and raised hers in a toast. “To happily ever after.”
Heather clinked glasses with her. “Happily ever after.”
As Iris downed her champagne, her mind began to wander. Maybe today she actually would meet someone amazing. It was well past time she met a boy—no, a man—who wasn’t solely interested in what he could gain from marrying a vampire’s ward.
****
Sean eyed the clock. Heather’s wedding would begin in twenty minutes, and he didn’t want to be late. His friend Erik was very particular about everything concerning his mate’s sisters. The vampire had been buzzing around like crazy all day long trying to make sure everything was perfect. Sean began to worry the steward wasn’t coming, and that made him very nervous. He wasn’t sure he could make it through the entire wedding without knowing the answer to his question.
Walking over to the table, Sean lifted the bottle of blood again. Whoever had donated this blood was his fated mate, and Sean couldn’t wait to meet this person. He’d recently celebrated his one hundredth birthday, and since that day he’d been wondering if he would ever find his fated mate. Some overly religious people said that promiscuous vampires didn’t deserve to find their fated mates, and Sean had begun to wonder if the gods did look down on such behavior. But now, he was more worried about what his mate would think. His reputation was no secret, and he had no one to blame but himself for that. Sean certainly wasn’t ashamed, but it still might cause some problems. He didn’t want that. He might have his flaws, but h
e would do all in his power to make his fated mate happy.
A soft knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Sean said, stopping in the middle of the room.
Matthew came in carrying a very large book. He shut the door, a grave look on his face. Without saying anything, Matthew went to the table and took up the bottle. He stared at it a moment and then consulted the book.
Sean couldn’t help fidgeting. What if his fated mate was married already? He’d never break up a family, but the idea of simply walking away made his heart constrict.
Matthew looked up and folded his hands behind his back, his expression still serious. “Perhaps you should sit.”
Sean dropped down into the nearest chair, fear gripping him as he considered how long blood could be stored. Was his mate dead? Married? Was something wrong? “What is it?” Sean asked, gripping the arm of the chair. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing is wrong. It’s only that … you might be surprised.”
“Who is it?”
Matthew finally smiled. “Iris. Lucas’s sister.”
Sean stared a moment, and he didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until stars danced before his eyes. “Iris. You’re sure?”
Matthew gestured to the book. “See for yourself.”
Sean didn’t doubt Matthew, but he couldn’t help being shocked. Iris was beautiful and charming, but she’d also just turned eighteen. And her guardian and older brother were both unbelievably protective. Sean rose and checked the book, seeing that the label on the bottle did match the entry in the register. “You already knew?”
“I brought the bottle up here earlier and remembered it having a gold label. Erik likes to keep donated blood categorized—his wards get a gold label, castle servants get a silver one, and so on. Right away I knew it was one of the girls. I simply didn’t know which one it actually was.” He wet his lips. “I didn’t mean to look so grave when I came in, but I worried it might be Heather. That would’ve been … unfortunate timing.”
“Unfortunate? It would’ve been a heartbreaking disaster.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But at least it wasn’t that.”
“And at least Iris is already of age.”
That did make things easier, but he could already imagine how Erik and Lucas would react to Iris being Sean’s fated mate. “I don’t think that’s going to matter to Erik. Or Lucas.”
“Yes, I was thinking that. But perhaps you could talk to them first.”
“I’d prefer my mate be the first to know. It’s her life, her decision. Although, Erik might not like me approaching her before he’s been told. And Lucas? It’s actually hard to say which of them will be more protective, honestly.”
“She is eighteen. Lord Erik can’t tell her what to do. Neither can her brother. Her life, her choice, as you said.”
“If I were a different man, they might be thrilled. But I think you know as well as I do how they’re going to react. Lucas especially.” Sean sighed. “They’re going to question my ability to be faithful from the very start.”
“Probably, but many couples have had to overcome far more trying obstacles.”
“I don’t want to be at odds with Erik.”
Matthew shut the book, taking it up. He tilted his head as he looked at Sean. “Who says it has to come to that?”
Sean thought of Jensen, one of Erik’s older brothers. Jensen and Sean had been lovers off and on for a time, and that had caused some tension when Jensen had found his own fated mate. That had been four years ago, and they’d only just recently grown comfortable with each other again. “A man like Erik likely sees me as weak. He lived with his fated mate for five years without touching him.”
“Lucas was thirteen. Erik waited for him to come of age for the greater good, not simply a sense of morality or whatever. He showed his love by respecting boundaries. You can do the same. Go to Lord Erik and Lucas first and make your intentions clear, as if you’re asking for her hand. Say you wish to court her. You know each other well, but not in the way you should for her to make this decision.” He glanced to the clock. “Think it over during the wedding. I swear I won’t tell anyone. I didn’t even tell my wife I was checking the log.” He set the book back down. “Look, we’ll leave it here so no one else sees me with it. No one will know, and you can have time to figure out what you wish to do.”
Sean laughed, the hollow sound echoing around them. “What I wish to do? I want to run up to Iris and find out what she thinks of me.”
“That would have to wait until after the ceremony. Maybe you’ll come up with a better idea over the next half hour.”
Sean smoothed his blue robes and ran his hands through his long blond hair. He glanced in the mirror, suddenly very self-conscious. A hundred had to seem so old to a human girl of eighteen, though he knew he only looked about twenty-five. “Yes, maybe.” He looked back to Matthew and gestured toward the door. “I suppose I should be happy to have even found my fated mate.”
Matthew opened the door and let Sean pass through first. “Yes, my lord. Focus on that. Things could be much worse.”
As they hurried to join the other guests, Sean paused as he caught a glimpse of a touching scene down a side hall. Erik stood near an open archway at the back of the courtyard with the blushing bride and her six sisters, and he kissed both of Heather’s hands as he beamed at all of them and said something that made them all smile with love and adoration all over their faces. Erik’s mate Lucas leaned against the wall, gazing at all of them with the same love on his face. Iris glowed as she moved in to hug her sister and whisper something to her.
Sean rushed to catch up with Matthew and make his way to an open seat in the courtyard. As he sat down, he tried to compose his features, but he felt he was failing with every breath.
I don’t deserve her. She’s far and away too good for me. He swallowed nervously as the music began to play. And if I put a finger wrong, Erik and Lucas will kill me.
****
Iris felt relief wash over her as she watched Heather and Adam join hands before the priest after Lucas handed her off. Heather had seemed a bit shaky as the girls had made their way down the aisle, and Iris had squeezed her hand one last time to reassure her before moving down the aisle herself. Now Heather seemed grounded by her smiling soon-to-be husband. Iris checked to her left to be sure her sisters were all still in place and behaving properly. Even Violet, the youngest and least ladylike, had submitted to the, as she’d put it, “super-frilly” dress and let her hair be braided and decorated with flowers.
Looking out over the crowd, Iris tried to identify all the people she knew. The reception would be hectic, but she wanted to at least try to say hello to everyone she knew who had come for the ceremony. Lord Erik’s two brothers and their mates were there, as were all of Erik’s cousins and their mates. As she saw other lords she recognized, she tried to remember their mates’ names as well. She did the same with all the humans from the village. Remembering names had proved a huge challenge for her when Erik had taken them in. Being a vampire’s ward meant observing lots of forms of etiquette. She’d learned quickly that being a lord wasn’t all about being in charge and getting your own way. It was about being the one person who was seen as responsible for everything, the first person to be turned to when anything went wrong. And by extension, much the same was expected of a lord’s family.
Iris smiled as she looked over at Erik, who was seated on the front row with Lucas. The vampire loved them all more than their own father ever had, and Iris felt again how lucky they’d all been. She eyed her sisters a second time. Would any of them be fated to vampires? It would certainly be nice if some of them were. Lucas would outlive them by hundreds of years because Erik had turned him, giving him all the powers and strength of a vampire. Iris told herself, as she had many times before, not to be sad about the situation. Their children and grandchildren would be there to comfort Lucas, and in turn Lucas would always be there to protect the next few g
enerations. She chided herself for having such serious and morbid thoughts, and she took a deep breath and refocused on the bride and groom.
As the rings were exchanged, Iris scanned the crowd once more. Everyone smiled, and some whispered to others close by, but one person seemed out of place. Lord Sean stared at her, looking decidedly glum. When she locked gazes with him, he seemed to realize he was staring. He shifted in his seat and looked toward the bride and groom. Iris did a quick check of her dress and flowers to make sure nothing was out of place. Her bodice was cinched a bit tight, but she had become a lot curvier the past year. She tried to keep her eyes from going wide as she wondered if Sean had been staring at her cleavage, which was on display just above the flowers she held at her waist. Of course he’d be one to notice. Sean had actually had an affair with one of Erik’s brother, which had been awkward when Jensen had found his fated mate. She’d heard Sean had avoided coming around for a while after that, but everything seemed smoothed over these days. He came to the castle at least three times a year, often far more.
When Iris lifted her gaze after raising her bouquet just a little, she found Sean staring at her again. She decided to ignore him and focus on Heather. The vampire was handsome, but he wore too much cologne and tried too hard to be charming. Iris wouldn’t deny having admired his face and body before, but anything more was out of the question. Heather had remained a virgin out of timidity more than anything, but Iris had held on to her “virtue” because she wanted it to be a beautiful memory, even if it wasn’t with the man she one day married. She’d been feeling the desire for several years now, but even that longing hadn’t been enough to convince her to submit to the fumblings of someone who didn’t truly care for her, someone she didn’t have feelings for as well. However, someone like Sean would be quite skilled…
