VICTORIAI had no idea how long I stayed there with my head down.Thinking over and over again about what had just happened.I’ve always been a spontaneous woman, even spoiled, I admit, thanks to my parents’ easygoing way of raising me.I was used to taking whatever I wanted without thinking of the consequences.But this was the first time a man had rejected me.He even accused me of using vampire seduction spells—those some of our kind used to enchant their victims.I didn’t use any compulsion on him. I know he wanted me just as desperately as I wanted him.Why?Why am I so drawn to that rude, unpleasant man who treated me like I was nothing?“Could he be my mate?”I murmured, staring at the carpet, still clutching the dress to my chest.I love the way he smells. His blood calls to me. My heart races just thinking about him.But I’m not sure... Is that how the mate bond feels?“Besides, wolves are super possessive. If I were his mate, he would've known it right away...”My mind wande

NARRATORCould her senses already be fading so quickly?But she had just come from a living body.So focused on her discovery, she pressed her ear against his broad chest.Unaware of how inappropriate that was with a stranger.Sometimes, she was far too innocent, lacking any real social experience.Rousse stood there frozen stiff, absolutely beyond saving.I mean, that gorgeous woman was touching all over his chest and now practically clinging to him.She was even smelling him.Did she not realize how wildly inappropriate that was?“Miss…” he muttered, conflicted, trying to gently pull away.But Meridiana was fully enchanted, never in her life had she met a creature whose heart didn’t beat.“How are you even alive like this?”She looked up with pure curiosity.Still glued to him like gum.Rousse looked down and got lost in the refined lines of her face.He was starting to feel nervous—which was rare for an undead.She looked so sweet, so innocent, so… alive. Everything he wasn’t.He s

NARRATOR"Miss Victoria!" he jolted when he heard her voice.He looked like a lover caught red-handed.Meridiana’s lips ended up wet against his cheek as he turned his head.If Rousse could blush, he’d be redder than a tomato."This… isn’t what it looks like…""Oh, really?" Victoria couldn’t help teasing him.She eyed the woman who had just pulled away. She was cute."Should I leave? Do you need some alone time with your girlfriend?""She’s not my girlfriend!" he even blurted nervously.He didn’t want Meridiana to get the wrong idea."And who is she, Rousse?" the witch’s quiet voice asked.Her hands clutched his heavy cloak like she was afraid he’d push her away.For some reason, she looked tense and a little bitter.Who was this woman talking to him so confidently?Rousse used the moment to gently set her down and take a step back."This is Miss Victoria. I work for her family. And she’s… Meridiana, a sorceress," Rousse introduced them, clearly uncomfortable.Victoria kept giving him

VICTORIAMy blood was boiling.How dare that damn wolf treat me like a piece of meat?“Vampire from his realm?” Rousse’s rough voice echoed.“Sir, you're mistaken.”“How dare you speak to your Lord like that?!”“He’s not my Lord,” Rousse stepped forward, hostile, answering the woman who stood beside the lycan.“Insolent!”“Shut up, Celia!” the beast’s enraged and piercing voice bounced off the walls.I stayed behind Rousse, but I could feel his fury.What was wrong with this bipolar bastard?“I don’t give a fuck where you’re from,” he growled at Rousse, and I heard his footsteps closing in.“That woman is part of the rebel vampires from my realm. I demand you hand her over peacefully, or I’ll take her by force.”Was this asshole serious?!“I came looking for my runaway slave and found her in the forest. Are you stealing slaves in your realm now?”Rousse wasn’t one to get stepped on, but the Lord’s patience was wearing thin.“I’m being civil for the ladies’ sake, but one more disrespec

NARRATORVictoria had only mentioned her father's name to be annoying, but when she started singing, her real feelings came pouring out.Standing on top of the bar, her lips began to hum one of Zarek’s favorite songs.The memories floated back into her mind as she closed her eyes.Back in the palace hall, with the warm fireplace crackling, consuming the wood...She was just a little girl, and her father would ask her to sing that melody about unconditional love, separation, and longing.Victoria had learned it since she was small and always sang it for him.She could feel that Zarek would get a little sad, that the memories would take him back to something from the past.The notes drifted beautifully through the air, tangled with all of Victoria’s memories.The candlelight in the tavern flickered, dimming and wrapping the place in a half-lit mood.Vampire magic cast a spell over everyone’s heart, Victoria’s melancholy seeping into their very souls.But the one hit the hardest was the