Filed to story: Two Vampire Brides (Vera & Lucien) Book PDF Free
“It was a joke, Caelen.” I sighed. “A poor one, perhaps, but still a joke.”
We stood in silence for a moment, the weight of revelations settling around us like dust after a storm.
“What will you do now?” I finally asked.
“I don’t know. Away from court, certainly. The King isn’t known for his forgiveness. Especially not when it comes to failed assassins.”
The thought of him leaving created an unexpected ache. Despite everything, despite the betrayal and lies, he had become part of my world. A complicated, infuriating part, but one I wasn’t ready to lose.
“You could stay,” I found myself saying. “Not as First Lieutenant, obviously. But the coven could use someone with your… unique skill set.”
Hope flashed across his face, quickly suppressed. “And have every coven member watching me, waiting for the knife in the back? That’s not fair to anyone.”
“When has anything about our situation been fair?” I countered. “Besides, I’m the heir. If I say you stay, you stay.”
“Is that an order?” he asked, eyebrow raised.
“It’s an option,” I corrected. “One you’ve earned, despite everything.”
He studied me, confusion evident. “Why would you do this? After what I’ve told you?”
I considered my answer carefully. The truth was complicated, a tangle of respect, anger, and something deeper I wasn’t ready to examine.
“Because you had the courage to tell me the truth when lies would have been easier,” I finally said. “And because I believe people can change. Even royal assassins.”
He laughed at that, a genuine sound that eased some of the tension between us. “Former royal assassin, thank you very much.”
“A significant improvement.”
“I thought so.”
Before I could react, he stepped forward and pulled me into an embrace. I stiffened, surprised by the contact, then slowly relaxed into it. His arms were strong, his heartbeat steady against my ear.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “For not immediately having me executed.”
I pulled back, meeting his gaze. “The day’s still young.”
He smiled, and for a moment, I could almost forget the chasm of deception that had opened between us. Almost.
“I should go,” he said reluctantly, stepping away. “Give you time to process. And myself time to figure out what comes next.”
I nodded, suddenly wanting to say a thousand things and finding words for none of them. He moved toward the door, each step creating more distance between us.
At the threshold, he paused, turning back with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
“Vera?”
“Yes?”
“Lucien still loves you,” he murmured, his voice so low I almost missed it.
My heart clenched at the words. “Caelen-“
“I know you don’t want to hear it. But with everything that’s coming, with the coronation in three days… you should know. He never stopped loving you.”
“That doesn’t change what he did.”
“No,” he agreed. “But it might explain why he’s been so desperate to make amends.”
“And you’re telling me this because?”
“Because you deserve to know all the truth. Not just the parts that are convenient.”
And then he was gone, leaving me alone with truths I wasn’t ready to face and a future suddenly more uncertain than ever before.
Three days until coronation. Three days to find a mate or lose everything.
And now I knew that the one person who might be willing to bond with me was the same person who had shattered my heart years ago.
The irony wasn’t lost on me.
LUCIEN’S POV
I told myself I’d walk away, far from Vera and Caelen. Let her have her moment, her crown, her future.
But I didn’t leave.
I stood just out of sight, behind the marble arch near the east wing gardens, where the torches burned low and the shadows gave me cover. I saw them as they spoke.
Then I watched him lean in. Watched her bury her face in his shoulder.
And I heard him.
“Lucien still loves you, Vera.”
And instead of rage… I went still.
“Lord Lucien,” a voice called behind me, pulling me out of the fog. I turned sharply.
It was one of the royal guards, eyes downcast. “His Majesty requests your presence in the throne chamber.”
I hesitated for a beat, casting one last look toward the pair disappearing through the west corridor, before nodding stiffly. “Lead the way.”
The walk felt longer than it was. Every step was a weight, every hallway echoing with something I couldn’t name. By the time we reached the throne room, I’d replayed every moment with Vera a thousand times in my head.
The guard pushed the heavy doors open, and there he was-King Aldric, seated on his obsidian-carved throne, eyes sharp and unmoving.
“Your Majesty,” I said, bowing.
“Come forward,” he said.
I did, slow and steady, until I stood at the base of the steps leading up to his seat.
“Do you know why I called you here?” he asked.
“No, Your Majesty.”
The King studied me. “What do you want from Vera?”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
He didn’t blink. “You’ve hovered like a ghost these past few weeks. Watching from the shadows. Stirring tension. So I ask again, what is it that you want from my daughter?”
I took a breath. “I want her forgiveness. I want to make amends for everything I didn’t say… for everything I failed to be when she was my mate.”
The King didn’t flinch. “You failed her publicly. You allowed your bloodline to drag her name through the dirt. She nearly died severing a bond you treated like a convenience.”
I swallowed hard. “I know.”
“Do you?” His voice was ice. “Do you know that breaking a blood bond can kill a vampire? That she spent weeks in agony, her very essence tearing itself apart?”
“I know.”
“So why now?”
“Because I see her clearly now. Not as a political alliance. Not as my coven’s trophy. But as who she truly is.”
The King’s eyes narrowed. “She is more than you deserve.”
“I know that too.”
A long silence followed. The tension in the room was thick, the air almost hard to breathe.
Then, he said, “You do realize that Vera cannot ascend the throne without a mate.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“And you came here to offer yourself.”
“I came to tell the truth. If she wants nothing to do with me, I’ll accept that. But if there’s a chance that I can stand beside her and protect what she’s becoming, then yes… I’d give everything to do it right this time.”
The King was quiet.
Then he spoke again, softer. “I heard you had taken a second mate.”
I didn’t flinch. “Yes, Your Majesty. But… we are no longer together.”