Filed to story: Two Vampire Brides (Vera & Lucien) Book PDF Free
“Which is?”
“Accept that she’s gone. Accept that she’s not coming back. Accept that you need to focus on what’s important.”
“She is important.”
“More important than the coven? More important than your duties? More important than your future?”
I looked away. “It’s not that simple.”
“It is exactly that simple,” she said. “You have a choice, Lucien. Her or us. You can’t have both.”
“I’m not choosing anything.”
“Then I’ll choose for you.”
I looked back at her, and something cold settled in my stomach. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” she said, finishing her drink, “that problem will be solved. One way or another.”
“Mother, if you so much as think about harming her-“
“You’ll what?” she challenged. “Turn against your own family? Your own blood?”
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect her.”
“Even if it means destroying everything we’ve built?”
“Yes.”
She stared at me for a long moment, and I saw something like disappointment flicker across her features.
“You’re not the son I raised,” she said quietly.
“No,” I agreed. “I’m not. And maybe that’s a good thing.”
Her expression hardened. “We’ll see.”
She turned and walked away, leaving me standing in the hallway with the taste of dread in my mouth.
I knew my mother well enough to know that she didn’t make idle threats. Which meant Vera was in danger, and I was the only one who could warn her.
VERA’S POV
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Caelen asked, fastening the last strap on his gear. His voice was light, but his eyes didn’t miss a thing, not the tremor in my breath, not the way I kept adjusting the silver blade at my hip even though it was already secure.
I tilted my head, a smirk teasing the corner of my mouth. “You mean the diplomatic hunt or the possibility of outpacing you in front of half the Conclave?”
“Oh, I fully expect you to try,” he said, tossing me a wink. “But it’s cute that you think you’ll succeed.”
We walked side by side into the shadowed forest. The clearing was still alive with sound, commands of lieutenants, the chatter of diplomats, armor clinking, vampires testing their enhanced senses in the darkness.
The Conclave Hunt wasn’t just ceremonial anymore. It had become something else this year. A show of strength. Of alliances. Of loyalty to the royal bloodline.
To me.
Leaders from every major coven had gathered, eyes constantly tracking me, measuring me. Every step I took was both proof and test.
Caelen adjusted the blade strapped at his hip, his eyes flicking toward me in that way they always did when he was trying to read beneath the surface.
“Still haven’t answered me.”
I arched a brow. “Answered what?”
He raised one of his own. “You know what.”
And I did.
He was referring to what he’d said days ago, how he’d told me he was interested in me, not as a political ally or a figurehead, but as me. As Vera. And I hadn’t responded.
Not because I didn’t care.
Not because I didn’t feel something stir inside me every time he got too close, or looked at me like I was made of stars and rage and reasons to believe.
But because there were still parts of me I hadn’t claimed yet. Pieces that had belonged to someone else. Pieces I was still pulling back.
“I haven’t forgotten,” I said softly.
He gave a small smile, no pressure in it. “I told you I’d wait.”
“Forever?”
“Don’t push it.”
I laughed, shaking my head. It was the kind of laugh I hadn’t allowed myself in a long time, one that didn’t feel like it had to be hidden behind armor.
The woods grew thicker the further we moved. The terrain shifted subtly beneath our boots, roots twisted under the moss, and the scent of the earth grew stronger. Vampires fanned out into designated hunting groups behind us, their movements silent and predatory.
I stepped ahead, scanning the ridge with enhanced vision. My role today wasn’t just symbolic, I was leading the Hunt, just as the vampire heir should.
Caelen stepped beside me, gaze fixed ahead. “You know, when you become Queen…”
“When?” I echoed, glancing sideways.
He nodded once. “When.”
I gave him a mock skeptical look.
“…You could do worse than naming me your First.”
I barked a laugh. “Oh? Is this your pitch now?”
“I bring loyalty, sarcasm, and a very firm sword arm.”
“And the ability to take a punch from a jealous ex.”
He gave a dramatic bow. “An underrated skill in court politics.”
We both laughed, an easy, genuine sound that cut through the tension lingering in the woods. For the first time in days, it felt like I was with someone who saw me without the title. Without the crown. Just me.
“Besides,” he continued, “I’ve already seen you at your worst. Most advisors don’t get that luxury.”
“My worst?”
“The morning after your awakening. You were grumpy, covered in dirt, and your hair looked like you’d been struck by lightning.”
“I was exhausted from channeling ancient blood magic!”
“And adorable.”
I felt heat rise in my cheeks. “Caelen-“
“What? It’s true. You were adorable, terrifying, and magnificent.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I’m honest.”
“Same thing.”
He grinned. “See? This is why we work well together.”
“Do we?”
“We do. You challenge me. I ground you. You bring the fire, I bring the strategy.”
“And if I’m not ready for… this?” I gestured between us.
“Then I wait. But I don’t disappear.”
I studied his face in the moonlight, seeing the sincerity there, the patience. “Why?”
“Because you’re worth waiting for.”
The words hung between us, simple and profound.
And then, everything shifted.