Filed to story: Two Vampire Brides (Vera & Lucien) Book PDF Free
He tilted his head. “Why?”
“She left.”
He raised an eyebrow.
I explained, “She saw what I didn’t. That I never truly let go of Vera. She said it the night we returned from the conclave, that I didn’t look at her the way a man should look at his mate, and she was right.”
“Celene was always perceptive.”
“Yes, she was. And she deserved better than a man still bound to someone else’s memory.”
The King was silent again, fingers drumming slowly on the arm of the throne.
Then, without looking at me, he muttered, “I put you to a test.”
I frowned. “What test?”
“When I allowed you to return to court. When I let you speak for Vera during the assassination attempt. I wanted to see if you’d choose her safety over your own pride.”
“And?”
“You risked everything to save her life.”
I met his gaze. “Because it was the right thing to do.”
“Or because you love her.”
“Both.”
Before he could respond, the chamber doors creaked open.
I turned, and froze.
Vera stepped in, her eyes finding mine instantly. She looked… conflicted, exhausted, yet regal and raw all at once.
The King’s voice boomed. “Vera.”
She approached slowly, unsure, glancing between her father and me.
“You must give Lucien another chance.”
Her mouth opened slightly. “What?”
“You need to be bonded within the next two days to ascend,” the King said. “There are no exceptions. The Council will not recognize your claim without it.”
“What?!” she exclaimed, her voice sharp with disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
The King stood. “I am.”
Vera looked at me, then at her father. “And you… you want me to go back to the man who abandoned me? Who stood by while I was torn apart by his family?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Her eyes burned into mine, betrayal surfacing like an old wound reopening.
“This is a joke,” she muttered, backing away.
“No,” the King said, voice firm. “This is politics.”
“Politics?” Vera’s voice cracked. “You’re asking me to bond with the man who destroyed me for politics?”
“I’m asking you to consider what’s best for the kingdom.”
“What about what’s best for me?” she demanded, power flickering beneath her skin.
“You are the kingdom, Vera. Your personal desires cannot come before your duty.”
“My duty?” She laughed bitterly. “My duty is to mate with my ex-husband because ancient laws demand it?”
“Your duty is to rule,” the King said. “Everything else is secondary.”
“Even my happiness?”
“Even your happiness.”
The silence that followed was deafening. I could see the war playing out across Vera’s face, duty against desire, responsibility against self-preservation.
Finally, she looked at me. “What do you have to say about this?”
I swallowed hard. “I want to earn your forgiveness. I want to prove I’m worthy of your trust. But not like this. Not because you’re forced into it.”
“Then how?”
“However you’ll let me. For however long it takes.”
She stared at me for a long moment. “And if I say no? If I refuse to bond with you?”
“Then I’ll accept it. And I’ll help you find someone else who deserves you.”
“Someone else?” The King’s voice was sharp. “There is no one else, Vera. The bloodline requirements, the political necessities, Lucien is the only viable option.”
VERA’S POV
He stood in front of me, his voice shaky, his eyes filled with something I couldn’t yet name.
Then I charged.
I didn’t think as I just moved.
My hands gripped his collar and shoved him back a step. “Did you manipulate my father?” I demanded, my voice tight with fury.
Lucien didn’t resist. His arms stayed limp at his sides, like he knew he deserved it.
He shook his head slowly. “No. I swear, I was just as shocked as you.”
Before I could decide whether or not to believe him, a low chuckle echoed from behind me.
The King. My father.
Still seated on his obsidian throne, watching us with something dangerously close to amusement.
“Look at you two,” he said, motioning toward us with his ringed hand. “Still at each other’s throats. Still charged with unresolved desire. You turned my daughter into this firestorm, Lucien, and she still loves you. I can see it in her eyes.”
I let go of Lucien and took a sharp step back.
“I would never be with him again,” I snapped. “Not after everything he did. Not after what he let his mother and sister do to me.”
The King raised a hand. “Sit.”
I hesitated, jaw clenched, still breathing hard.
“Please,” he added, softer now.
I sat.
So did Lucien, though his body looked rigid, like he didn’t know what to do with his hands, his eyes, or himself.
There was a stretch of quiet before I finally asked, “You said something about a test?”
Lucien turned toward him too, clearly trying to piece together the same puzzle.
“What test?” Lucien asked.
The King leaned back, folding his hands. “Celene.”
We both blinked.
“Celene?” we echoed.
He nodded. “She was the test. I sent her to Shadowmere for two reasons. First, because I needed Vera to leave that coven on her own. If I’d taken her by force, her rage would’ve been pointed at me.”
I stiffened, eyes narrowing. “You manipulated me.”
“I guided you,” he said coolly. “And the second reason… was to test him.”
Lucien blinked. “What?”