The Vampire's Court

Chapter 55-A Dangerous Game *smut warning!*

Dimitri walked beside Seraphine, his thoughts swirling with the unshakable unease gnawing at the back of his mind. Seraphine seemed to be enjoying the stroll, her face lighting up as they passed by the picturesque scenes of Paris, the bustling streets filled with life. He tried to match her mood, but his mind was elsewhere. His brothers weren't answering his mind link, and that alone set off alarm bells in his head.

He needed to pull himself out of the distraction. He glanced over at Seraphine, her hair catching the last of the sunlight, and decided to steer the conversation into more serious waters. He needed to focus on them, not the nagging silence from Gabriel and Andrei.

"Sera," he started, his voice softer, pulling her attention away from the scenery.

"Hm?" She turned toward him, her smile gentle.

He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the cobblestones before lifting back to meet hers. "I was thinking... about us. About our marriage."

Her smile faltered slightly, curiosity replacing it. "Oh? What about it?"

He offered a tight-lipped smile, trying to keep his tone light despite the weight of what he wanted to ask. "Do you... are you happy?"

She blinked, caught off guard by the question, and just as she opened her mouth to answer, he cut her off, his voice dropping an octave. "With me. Are you happy with me?"

Seraphine tilted her head, studying him for a moment. "Of course, I'm—"

"Could you see yourself growing old with me?" he asked suddenly, his words sharper than intended, and he hated how the phrase sounded—like a lie on his own lips. Growing old together was something neither of them could ever have, unless he did something unspeakable, but the question gnawed at him nonetheless.

Before she could answer, Gabriel's voice exploded in Dimitri's mind, urgent and sharp.

"Get Sera out of there NOW!"

The command sent a chill racing down his spine, his muscles locking in place for a fraction of a second. Dimitri barely had time to react before a figure stepped out from the shadows directly in front of them, blocking their path.

Instinct kicked in. In one swift motion, Dimitri pulled Seraphine behind him, shielding her from the new threat as his eyes locked onto the figure.

A thrall.

It wore an oversized coat and a hat pulled low, casting shadows over its face, but those sickly yellow eyes glowed with malice. The stench of decay and twisted magic filled the air, assaulting both Dimitri and Seraphine's senses.

Dimitri's gaze hardened as the thrall stepped into their path, its oversized coat and low-brimmed hat doing little to hide the rotting stench of decay and the gleam of its sickly yellow eyes. His grip on Seraphine's wrist tightened slightly as he instinctively placed her behind him, his body a solid wall between her and the threat in front of them.

The thrall grinned, an unsettling smirk twisting its lips as it took a slow step forward. "Ah, Dimitri," it rasped, its voice rough, grating. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? My master has been waiting to see you again. Family reunions can be so... emotional."

Dimitri's jaw tightened. He knew exactly what the thrall was doing—trying to bait him, trying to pull him into something rash. It wasn't going to work. He kept his stance firm, his eyes cold as he locked onto the thrall's movements.

"Not interested in a reunion," Dimitri said flatly. "If he has something to say, he can come say it in person."

The thrall chuckled, the sound scraping through the air like nails on a chalkboard. "Oh, he plans to. My master is eager to meet you... face to face, *țigan*." The slur lingered, deliberate, hanging in the air like poison. The thrall's eyes flicked toward Seraphine for the briefest of moments, then back to Dimitri, savoring the tension.