Filed to story: Two Vampire Brides (Vera & Lucien) Book PDF Free
Caelen told them I wasn’t fit?
I backed out quickly. My lungs refused to cooperate, my heartbeat was deafening as I raced away.
Maren nearly collided with me in the corridor. She was flushed, panting, scrolls tucked beneath her arm.
“I’ve been looking all around for you, Princess.”
I didn’t stop walking.
“Where is he?” I asked, voice razor-sharp.
Maren blinked. “Who?”
“Caelen.”
“Oh-he’s at the training grounds. Waiting for you.”
Perfect.
Without another word, I pivoted and charged through the halls, vision red and pulse boiling.
The journal was still under my arm. I didn’t care.
The moment I stepped onto the training field, I saw him, leaning against a marble pillar, arms crossed, face irritatingly relaxed. He looked up at the sound of my boots hitting the stone path.
“Vera-“
My fist met his jaw before he finished the sentence.
He staggered, blinking like someone had just slapped the arrogance out of him.
I shook with fury.
“How dare you?” I snarled.
His eyes snapped back to mine, wide. “What the hell was that for?”
“You told them,” I hissed. “You told the council I wasn’t ready.”
“I-what are you talking about?”
“Don’t lie to me!” I stepped closer, the journal clutched against my chest. “I heard them. They said even Caelen admits I’m not fit to rule.”
His expression shifted, confusion giving way to something darker. “You were eavesdropping?”
“I was trying to see my father when I heard your little assessment of my capabilities.”
“Vera, listen to me-“
“No, you listen to me.” I poked his chest with my finger. “I trusted you. I thought you were actually trying to help me, not sabotage me behind my back.”
“I never-“
“Then explain it!” I shouted. “Explain why the council thinks you agree I’m not ready!”
VERA’S POV
My hands were still shaking.
Even as I paced back and forth on the edge of the training field, the fury in my chest boiled so hot I thought it might tear me apart. I could barely remember the path I’d stormed down, only the echo of that councilman’s voice playing on a vicious loop in my mind.
“If your own chosen advisor questions her capacity, perhaps it’s time to reconsider her appointment.”
I stopped and stared at the ground, as if the marble might give me a better explanation than the man himself.
The same man who’d told me three days ago that my blade work was cleaner. That my reaction time had sharpened. That my form had become lethal, precise. That I was getting closer to being the kind of vampire who led covens.
Had all that praise been a lie?
He was there, still rubbing his jaw where I’d punched him. Still composed. Still too damn calm.
“Don’t,” I snapped, backing away before he even opened his mouth.
But he didn’t listen.
He walked straight up to me and grabbed my arm.
“Let go of me.”
“Not until you tell me what that was about,” he growled. “What did I do, Vera?”
I yanked my arm free and took a step back. “You told the council I wasn’t ready.”
His brows knitted. “What?”
“Don’t act confused.”
“I’m not acting.”
“I heard it. With my own ears,” I said, voice rising. “One of the council members said you were the one who told them I was unfit to be Queen. That you questioned my ability. And you stood there with your smug little smirk and pretended like we were fine?”
Caelen stepped toward me again, slower this time.
“I never said that.”
“Liar,” I hissed.
“I’m not lying!” His voice was sharp now, fangs barely visible. “Why the hell would I put you through hours of training every night just to tear you down behind your back?”
“Exactly my question!”
He ran both hands through his dark hair, exhaling hard. “I submitted a report to the King yesterday, yes. You know what it said?”
I didn’t answer.
“I said you were improving at a rate I’ve never seen. That you were adapting, enduring, and beginning to think like a leader.”
“You expect me to believe that?” I asked.
“I expect you to ask him yourself,” Caelen snapped. “He has the report. Go read it.”
Silence pulsed between us.
He took another breath, slower now. “Maybe… maybe you misheard.”
I laughed once, bitter. “No. I didn’t. I heard it clearly. They meant you.”
He shook his head. “Then someone’s trying to turn you against me.”
I stared at him. “Why?”
“I don’t know. But if someone’s planting lies, it means one thing-they don’t want you to become Queen.”
That stopped me cold.
I swallowed. “Why wouldn’t they?”
Caelen shrugged, but his jaw was tight. “Maybe because your existence means change. Threat. Power. You’re not controllable, Vera.”
I looked away, the words striking something deep and dangerous inside me. “So what now?”
“Now,” he said, stepping beside me, “we train harder. We prepare. We get ahead of the whispers before the next blood moon.”
My head snapped toward him. “Why then?”
“Because that’s the Coven Conclave. Every Lord, every council member, every ambitious traitor will be in one place. And that’s where you’ll have to prove yourself, not just as the King’s daughter, but as his successor.”
I felt my pulse spike.
“The Conclave,” I repeated. “When vampires from every territory gather to-“
“To challenge. To test. To determine who’s worthy of power,” he finished. “And they’ll all be watching you.”
“Great. No pressure.”
“There’s something else,” he said quietly. “Something about that night. About your failed awakening.”
