Claire must deceive a vampire prince while resisting her desire for him.
Season 1 of Fated Series
***
Nothing in my life has ever been easy. Including the mission my family has sent me on.
My sister and I have traveled to the vampire stronghold to...
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Haunter (verb) to haunt
I knew who had hold of my wrist without looking, but the vampire's presence was anything but soothing.
He hadn't spoken to me in days. Why now?
"The inn is this way," Bastien said with cheeky amusement.
I tried to pull my hand away, but it was caught in his iron grip.
All the humor in his expression fled when his blue eyes met mine. "You're cold. Here."
Still holding on to my hand, he reached inside his pack, extracted a long, black cloak lined with ermine fur, and tossed it around my shoulders. Pulling me closer to him so he could fasten the button at my throat.
The fur was like silk against my skin, so soft and cuddly, but its warmth did little to calm my fear.
This cloak kept out the cold, not curses.
"Come," he said. "It's warm inside."
My eyes widened in terror.
"Dark witches run this place," I said in a bare whisper, lest they hear me. "We can't stay."
He considered me for a moment, canting his head to one side. "Yes, that's true. But Shreesa means us no harm. Her family has run this inn for generations. They practice their craft quietly and within the bounds of the law."
"That's what they want you to believe," I said through my teeth.
Anger rose in my blood. This was the problem with vampires. They always sided with darkness. If he genuinely cared what they did, he'd be acting differently, which was why I had to know what he knew about the demonic relics. My coven would fix this.
He narrowed his eyes. "You're afraid."
If I wasn't so angry, I might've laughed. He would be afraid, too, if his family graveyard was filled with the bones of those killed by dark magick.
While I couldn't offer that explanation, I could play up my false identity as an orphan.
"Yes, of course, I'm afraid. I was raised at Nightfall. And the convent has no love for dark witches and demons. I'd been told stories all my life of how they eat children."
Bastien cracked a smile. The quirk of his lips softened the rest of his face. "You truly believe those stories? The nuns told to you those things to scare you into behaving."
I straightened. Angry he was making light of this.
"Sister Vera said she'd seen one eat a child whole."
Well, my aunt wasn't a sister of the faith, but she swore she saw a dark witch's jaw unhinge like a snake. Her mouth full of pointed teeth.
Bastien chuckled at that. "Well, as noble as Sister Vera is, I can assure you Witches of the Darkness don't eat children." He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close against his side, and wheeled me around to face the inn. "But they do make stew. I think a hot meal will do you good." He paused, then added, "I need you to keep your strength up, which means eating plenty of meat."
