Filed to story: Two Vampire Brides (Vera & Lucien) Book PDF Free
“Then maybe you’re not ready to be a princess,” he replied coldly.
The words hit me like a physical blow. Heat bloomed in my face.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me,” he said, moving closer. “Maybe you’re not ready for this. Maybe you’re too weak, too human, too ordinary to handle the power of the First Vampire.”
Something inside me snapped. Rage flowed through my veins, hot and dangerous, and suddenly the blood in my palm began to move. It rose from my skin like a living thing, forming shapes in the air, tentacles, spears, whips.
“There,” Caelen said, satisfaction in his voice. “Now you’re getting it.”
But I wasn’t in control. The blood weapons lashed out wildly, striking the walls, the floor, the council members’ chairs. One tendril wrapped around Caelen’s arm, but he didn’t flinch.
“Control it,” he commanded. “You’re the master, not the slave.”
“I’m trying!” I shouted, but the blood continued to writhe chaotically.
“No, you’re not,” he said. “You’re letting your emotions control you. Focus. Breathe. Remember that this power comes from you. It obeys you.”
I forced myself to take a deep breath, to center myself. Gradually, the blood weapons began to slow, to respond to my will instead of my rage.
“Better,” Caelen said. “But still sloppy. You have a lot to learn.”
The blood settled back into my palm, and I felt suddenly drained. Using vampire power was exhausting in a way I hadn’t expected.
“This is just the beginning,” he continued. “Tomorrow, we’ll work on precision. Speed. Lethality.”
“Lethality?” I asked.
“You’re going to be queen someday,” he said. “Queens need to know how to kill their enemies.”
The casual way he said it made my blood run cold.
He turned from me without another glance and started toward the exit. The weight of his judgment still hung in the air, thick and suffocating.
“Meet me in the training chambers. Dawn,” he called over his shoulder.
“Wait,” I called out. “What about-“
But he was already gone.
LUCIEN’S POV
Whispers.
That was all the room had been filled with since the start of the house meeting, low, crawling whispers, skittering like insects beneath the surface of every word, every gesture. I stood at the head of the long obsidian table, reading over the weekly reports, issuing commands, reminding everyone who I was.
But the murmurs never stopped.
Even my lieutenant kept darting glances my way, lips twitching like he was biting back a smirk.
“The northern territories reported three rogue vampires near the border,” I said, voice clipped.
Silence.
Then Councilor Hadrek cleared his throat. “And what does the Vampire Princess suggest we do about that?”
My gaze snapped to him.
He didn’t flinch.
Neither did the dozen other vampires in the chamber who stared at me with thinly veiled amusement.
There it was again.
Princess.
Not Celene. Not me.
Vera.
Someone laughed under their breath. I slammed my palm on the table, silencing the room.
“Enough,” I growled, my fangs extending slightly. “This is a Shadowmere meeting, not a gossip den.”
They all went quiet, but the damage was done.
The moment the meeting ended, I shoved the chair back and stalked out through the corridor.
I knew who started this.
Celene was in the west wing’s private dining hall, legs elegantly crossed as she sipped from a crystal goblet filled with blood wine, her movements lazy and deliberate like she didn’t have a care in the world.
I slammed the door shut behind me.
She didn’t even blink.
“Celene.”
She glanced up, eyes lazy. “Lucien.”
“Did you tell them?”
She arched a brow. “Tell who what?”
“The house,” I snapped. “About Vera. About the Vampire King’s court. About what we saw.”
Her lips parted in a small, amused smile. “Is that what this is about?”
“Don’t play dumb,” I hissed, stepping closer. “You and I were the only ones who saw her in that court. The only ones who heard the King claim her as his daughter. And now half the house is whispering about a royal mate who never was.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Celene-“
“I didn’t,” she repeated, rising to her feet now, slow and deliberate. “If people are whispering, maybe it’s because rumors fly and your face told the entire story. Maybe you weren’t as composed as you think.”
I shook my head. “No. This has you written all over it. You were humiliated, and you decided to spin it first before anyone could ask questions.”
She scoffed. “Oh, you think this is about me feeling humiliated?”
“You haven’t stopped sulking since we left Sanguinara!”
“I haven’t stopped sulking?” she laughed, a bitter sound. “Lucien, you’ve barely looked at me since we left the throne room. Your thoughts are still with her.”
“Don’t twist this.”
“Then stop pretending!” she shouted, suddenly fierce. “Why are you so obsessed with her?”
The words hit like a punch to the chest.
I took a step back, stunned.
My mouth opened but no sound came out.
Her expression twisted. “Oh. There it is.”
“Celene-“
“You’re still bonded to her, aren’t you?” she asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Even after the severance ceremony. Even after everything.”
“That’s not-“
“Prove it,” she interrupted, pulling out a silver blade from her bodice. “If you’re truly free of her, prove it.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m giving you a choice,” she said, drawing the blade across her wrist. The scent of her blood filled the room, rich, powerful, undeniably seductive. “Drink from me. Right now. Show me that my blood is enough for you.”
I stared at her bleeding wrist, my fangs extending involuntarily. “Celene, this isn’t necessary-“
“It is,” she said, moving closer. “Because every time you look at me, I see her in your eyes. Every time you feed from me, I feel you comparing me to her.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” She thrust her wrist toward me. “Then drink. If my blood satisfies you, if it makes you feel complete, then drink and prove it.”