Filed to story: Two Vampire Brides (Vera & Lucien) Book PDF Free
“Celene reported back to me regularly,” the King continued. “She told me how distracted you were. How you lost focus after Vera left. How… obsessed you seemed.”
He tilted his head at Lucien. “She also told me something else. That you never touched her.”
Lucien’s jaw twitched, but he said nothing.
The King went on. “Even when she made herself available deliberately, I might add, you refused her. Left the room without a second glance.”
“What?” I whispered, staring at Lucien.
He turned to me, face suddenly raw, stripped of all ego. “It’s true.”
I blinked, taken aback.
“You never touched her?”
He shook his head, his voice quiet. “Not once.”
“Why?”
He let out a breath. “Because I couldn’t get you out of my head. The moment you walked out of Shadowmere, everything cracked. I overheard my mother and sister laughing, saying they were glad you were gone. That they’d finally won.”
He paused, swallowing hard.
“I was furious. I sent guards out to find you, but they came back empty-handed. You were already gone.”
I stared at him, my pulse thudding in my ears.
He lowered his gaze, voice breaking slightly. “I’ve been incomplete without you.”
A thick, tense, and heavy silence stretched between us, and our eyes locked.
Neither of us moved. Neither of us blinked. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I saw him.
Not as the Lord who betrayed me. Not as the man who let his coven crush my spirit. But as the broken part of myself I tried to bury.
My heart clenched.
The King cleared his throat. “So what’s your decision, Vera?”
I turned, startled by the sound.
He stood now, looking down at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
“You must choose. Will you bond with Lucien… or someone else?” he asked.
Lucien bolted upright. “She can’t choose someone else.”
I turned sharply to him. “Why not?”
His voice cracked. “Because I can’t watch you with someone else. I can’t stand the idea of it.”
My chest tightened. “But you were fine watching me stand beside Celene?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I wasn’t. I hated it. Every second of it.”
I stared at him.
He took a step forward. “I’m sorry.”
I swallowed. My voice came out quiet. “It’s fine.”
He shook his head. “It’s not. But… do you forgive me?”
I hesitated.
The words caught in my throat. Could I forgive him? After everything?
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I want to. But I don’t know if I can.”
“That’s enough for now,” he said softly. “That’s more than I deserve.”
Something inside him broke. He closed the gap between us and pulled me into a hug.
I didn’t push him away. For a heartbeat, the world stopped.
His arms were warm, familiar, and I remembered what it felt like to be held by someone who knew every part of me.
Then came the King’s voice again. “The next surprise…”
We pulled apart. The King gestured toward the side chamber. The doors opened, and a figure stepped inside.
Both Lucien and I turned to look, and we gasped.
“Celene?” I whispered.
She stepped forward, her expression unreadable. She looked different somehow, not the manipulative woman I remembered, but something else. Something almost… apologetic.
“Hello, Vera,” she said softly.
The King looked at me. “She’s your fifth cousin, Vera.”
My blood ran cold. “What?” I breathed.
VERA’S POV
The cobbled path wound around the edge of the palace gardens. Lanterns flickered to life in quiet succession, casting warm glows on the hedges and stone walls.
Lucien walked beside me, hands in his pockets, his face unreadable.
We hadn’t said much at first. Just walked.
Then I broke the silence.
“Celene,” I said, slowly.
He nodded once. “Yeah.”
“I mean… no one would’ve believed she wasn’t real. When she showed up as your mate, everyone thought she was from the Crimson Court, part of a political move. Strong bloodline, high status. And now…”
“She was a plant,” Lucien said grimly. “From your father. A test.”
“I can’t believe she’s my fifth cousin.” I repeated, finding it still hard to believe.
Lucien stopped walking and turned to me. “I still don’t understand how none of us caught it.”
“We weren’t meant to.”
I looked at him.
He looked… different. “You passed the test,” I said, a little more softly.
“I wasn’t trying to,” he replied. “I didn’t even know I was being tested.”
“And yet you passed.”
He gave a short, dry laugh. “Doesn’t mean you know what to do with me.”
I blinked, and then he reached for my hands. I didn’t pull away. His palms were cool, his grip hesitant but steady.
“Do you want me?” he asked, voice low. “Not as an obligation. Not for appearances. Just… you. Do you want me?”
The question hit like a wave. Not because I didn’t have an answer. But because I did.
I looked down. “I need time.”
He nodded, and for a moment I thought he was going to let go. But he didn’t.
“And your mother and sister?” I asked quietly. “How are they going to handle… all this? Me returning. Wearing a crown. Being bonded to you again.”
His jaw shifted. “They’re sorry.”
I tilted my head. “That easy?”
“No,” he said. “It’s not easy. They’re not magically good people now. But they’ve seen the damage they did. I made sure they see it. And I told them if they ever tried to speak to you with anything less than reverence, they’d answer to me.”
“What did you tell them exactly?”