CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

S tars filled Willow’s eyes as she lay panting. Brayden was draped over her back, his strong, talented hand running across her thigh. He pulled it back and draped it over his own large leg.

“I need more of you, baby.”

She could barely talk, so instead, she let out a muffled moan and arched her back, giving him her answer.

Things were so confusing in her world right now. But this, right here, with Brayden—the way he dominated her—she felt safe, loved, and protected.

She needed it.

He shifted, propping himself against the pillows, and lifted her onto him. Lying along his body, he whispered into her hair with that husky, sexy voice of his.

“Relax, I’m going to pleasure you some more.”

He nudged her legs to fall apart at his waist and guided his erection inside. Together, they sighed.

“You feel so amazing.”

“Do I fill you up?”

Did he ever. “Yes, so perfect.”

He moved rhythmically, kissing her neck, his hands gripping her breasts, needing them. One hand reached down to rub her clit, and immediately, she was on the edge.

“OhGodohGod.”

She tried to arch but his thick arms were holding her body as he pleasured her. Beneath her, she felt the solid strength of him, and her pants turned ragged.

“Your body fits with mine so perfect, mi amore.”

“More, Bray, harder.”

He raised his hips and sped up. Thrust, thrust.

She fought for control but was completely at his mercy in this position. Just as he liked it. Just as she liked it.

“Patience, my little sex kitten.”

She had none; she needed release. Her muscles clenched around his cock and he hissed.

“Willow, fuck.”

He sat, pulling her legs into a sitting position, and thrust deeper. His strong arms wrapped around her, and he pumped. Again and again.

“Yes!”

“Gods.” The deep growl in her hair.

Their orgasms struck together as he controlled the movement of both their bodies. Clutching his thighs, stars filled her eyes as her cries joined his.

After they’d cleaned up, she lay in Brayden’s arms feeling surprisingly content, given she was inside a vampire castle. She knew he would never hurt her. The more information she gathered, the more empowered she was to decide.

Did she want to become a vampire? No.

Living forever had never been a desire of hers, so the opportunity to become immortal wasn’t as appealing for her as it might be for others. She knew some people hunted for the fountain of life. Not her. She didn’t want to lose her humanity. She loved being human. Still, she couldn’t remain human and be with Brayden.

Life without Brayden?

That was a strong no also. Sure, she’d only known him for just a over a week, but this was how deep her feelings went. A glimpse at his life over the past few days, and it was clear there would be a huge adjustment to her life. He was a freaking prince! And a vampire. She sure knew how to pick ’em.

And he wasn’t a prince just in name; he lived in an enormous castle with hundreds of staff who bowed. Jesus.

“Your mind is making whirring sounds.” He ran a lazy hand down her back and across her bottom.

“Just processing. Everything.”

A kiss landed on her forehead. “Sleep, Willow. Tomorrow I’ll show you around the castle where you’ll learn more about my life. What could be our life.”

She sat up and stared down at him.

“I thought I was ready for all of this, but I’m not sure.”

He drew her face to his lips and gently kissed her. “It’s not going to be easy, sweetheart. Just take it minute by minute.” He narrowed his eyes, a slight tilt to his lips. “Did I not tire my female enough?”

She flopped her head back on his chest. “No. I’m so unsatisfied. Poor me.”

She felt his chest shake in silent laughter, and a grin hit her lips.

They woke up many hours later, the sun dipping low in the sky.

Willow stood by the large window, staring out across the castle grounds. While it was vast and she could see from her view all the people bustling around, there was a peaceful feel about Castle Moretti.

Despite being full of vampires who would probably love to bite her. She shivered.

“You ready?”

She turned and her heart missed a beat.

“Willow?” He stood in the doorway, hand frozen in the act of doing up his watch, a look of concern on his face. She knew now he could hear her heart rate, so any time it beat faster, he became a mother hen. Or rather, her protective rooster.

“What’s wrong?”

She grinned and shook her head. Some days he was so naive. Today, he had on tight black jeans which hugged his thick thighs and long legs. He’d chosen a navy-blue, long-sleeved cotton top which clung to his six-pack. Hair, still a little wet from their shower, curled around his ears.

He was freshly shaven, and had grinned when she had insisted she put moisturizer on him. Afterward, he had suddenly lifted her off her feet and kissed her forcefully.

“Just reminding you I’m a powerful vampire despite letting you do that,” he had said in a deep, exaggerated voice.

She had been breathless as he grinned, placed her back on the floor, and walked away, looking incredibly pleased with himself. He had no need to prove anything. Brayden was all alpha. Dominant, tall, broad, and gorgeous. Every woman’s desire.

And he was hers. He was also a vampire. So not exactly perfect.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said, coming back to the present moment. “Just...I’m just admiring the scenery.”

He smirked. “Let us go on our tour.”

They walked around the castle for what felt like hours, where she was introduced to dozens of castle citizens and staff. They treated her like royalty, which had been the greatest surprise. Many of them curtsied, and when she had glanced at Brayden, he’d simply given a little nod indicating it was right and proper.

She’d rather they curtsy than bite her, so she let it go.

“This is the center of our security,” Brayden said, swiping his finger across a security panel. He glanced at her before pushing inside.

“Lance”—he placed a hand on Willow’s hip—“set Willow up with access.”

All four of his team were seated around the room at various desks.

“Yes, sir. Welcome home, my lord.” He then smiled at her. “And welcome, pr—ah, Willow.”

What was he going to say? “Hi, Lance.”

She recalled the night out in Los Angeles where Lance had left with two of Brianna’s friends. He was a good-looking guy and seemed to have charmed the pants off them.

Probably literally.

“Come around here.” He indicated to a device on the desk. Brayden then introduced her to Tom, Kurt, and Marcus.

“So, you’re the one distracting our prince, huh,” Marcus teased. Brayden stood protectively close, as he had from the moment they’d met. Right now, she appreciated it more than ever. These men were large, dangerous looking, and downright gorgeous. All of them were over six foot three with wide shoulders.

“These are my senior lieutenants. If you ever need to, you can trust them with your life. They report to Craig—”

“Did I hear my name?” The powerful vampire barged into the room and gave her a wink.

“Hey, Craig.” She’d met him enough times now to feel some semblance of comfort, though she doubted she ever would feel completely comfortable. He had a powerful and dangerous vibe like the rest of them, but there was something else too. A darkness. An edge. Think bad boy on steroids. His good looks likely melted panties, and she really hoped a pair of them hadn’t been Brianna’s.

Unless it had been really damn good, and just the one time. Heck, everyone deserved a good old-fashioned one-night stand at least once in their life.

“Welcome to the castle.” Craig sat at his desk and leaned back. “Regan is secured; I’ve got two discrete guards on the job. Now we wait.”

Kurt crossed his arms. “I don’t think we should just wait.”

Lance directed Willow’s finger across the scanner while she listened to the conversation around her.

“We need to keep this contained. We’ve sent a crew to Italy, but it could be a long game. Let’s see what happens at the ball,” Craig said firmly.

Willow glanced at Brayden, who appeared to be more interested in her finger than the discussion. She wasn’t fooled, though.

“He’s received no more correspondence, which raises some questions,” Marcus continued.

Bray looked up. “None?”

Marcus shook his head. Craig shrugged. “He said communication was sporadic. I don’t think it means anything.”

Back to watching the scanning of her finger. When they were done, he pulled her into his side.

“Next forty-eight hours, my priority is getting Willow settled into the castle,” he said. “Brief the LCs. They need to know what’s going on. It goes no further than that tier.”

Craig frowned. “We’re not telling them about Regan.”

“No.” He shook his head in agreement. “They just need to know there’s a potential coup at play here. I want the hall and the grounds prepared for it. Our guests arrive in a week.” Brayden gazed down at her, looking serious. “Let’s not make the mistake of assuming it won’t happen until then.”

Tom coughed. “What do we tell the officers?”

Craig answered, “Increased rebel activity and the prince’s mate is in residence.”

“That’ll do it,” Tom agreed.

“He’s right,” Brayden said, directing Willow to the door. “Use Willow’s presence here as the reason. Tell them the new princess is here.”

What?

Wait, what?

The door closed on Craig’s muttered, “ Fuck me. ”

Brayden gently pushed her frozen-in-place body along the corridor. “Keep walking, beautiful. I’ll explain. Close your mouth; you’ll catch flies.”

She looked at his grinning face and nearly tripped over her feet.

“Do I need to carry you?”

She straightened and stuck out her chin. “I don’t know, do princesses normally get carried around by princes?”

He let out a laugh. “Probably. Let’s do it and see if anyone says anything.”

Next minute, she was scooped up in his arms and squealing. By the look of the mile-wide smile plastered on his face, he was having far too much fun to let her down, so she didn’t bother asking. She knew he was too stubborn, anyway. Fortunately, there was no one in sight, so she just laughed at him.

They pushed through a pair of double doors, which led into an open courtyard with a glass dome overhead. Stars sprinkled across the sky beside a stunning full moon. Around them were dozens of trees and stretches of bright green grass. Bench seats were placed at random spots along a cobbled path.

The inside park was filled with dozens of vampires. It looked like an everyday scene, except for one thing: they were all exceedingly beautiful and healthy looking.

In hindsight, she hadn’t yet met an average-looking vampire.

“Put me down, silly.”

He did. “We can use this area day and night. Like all the glass in the castle, the dome is coated in our protective treatment.”

So she could live here as a human and just change her body clock. As usual, he read her mind.

“No, Willow. To protect the existence of our race, and for your safety, you need to turn.”

She pouted. “You’ll protect me.”

He shook his head, dragging her along the path. “I can’t be with you always. You’ll be a member of the royal family, exposed to dangerous vampires.”

“A real princess?”

He smiled. “Yes. My princess.”

Shit. So. It was really a thing. No wonder people were curtsying.

“Vincent was telling the truth when he said the longer we wait, the more dangerous it is. But I’m not leaving your side for now, so don’t worry. No one will harm you.”

She stepped a little closer to him, and he squeezed her hand. How many people would want to harm her? Exactly how serious was this threat? As a vampire, how would she be expected to protect herself? She had so many questions.

“What if someone tries and you can’t protect me?” A reasonable question.

Apparently not. Brayden nearly broke her hand with his squeeze. “Let’s talk in here.”

Through two huge floor-to-ceiling length doors they went, and into what was very obviously the throne room. It was empty of people, but not of decor. Two beautiful thrones made of wood and covered in black, white, and red material sat at the end of the room on a raised dais, with the Moretti crest on top of each and in multiple spots around the room.

Rows of chairs lined the side of the room on top of the dark red carpet. In the middle was a large table, which appeared to break down into smaller sections.

Brayden closed the doors and turned. He looked around the room and stood listening.

“This room is soundproofed. We can speak in private.” He led her over to a big window where they looked out toward the water in the far distance.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she offered.

Turning, he took her face in his hand. “I meant it when I said no one could hurt you. One day I will explain in detail if you choose to become a vampire, but I need you to feel safe.”

“I do. I just need to understand the dangers. I know you want to protect me, but if someone—”

“Willow, please. Listen,” he said, gripping her chin a little tighter. “Vincent and I are two of the strongest vampires in existence.”

Oh.

“Craig is a close third.”

She believed him. Nodding, she said, “Okay.”

“There is much for you to learn. The dangers, the relationship between the king and I, our history.” He looked over to the thrones.

Oh. Did he want to be king?

“We were in LA because the king was being poisoned.”

What?

“Oh my God—wait, I thought you couldn’t die like a mortal?”

“We can’t. His illness was extremely confusing for the small group who knew. A few days ago, we found the traitor; however, it’s part of a larger coup.”

Great, so she was in a castle full of vampires who were at risk of a coup taking place. One with other dangerous vampires.

Things were just getting better.

“This is why you must decide soon, and if the answer is no, I will take you to the new house in Hawaii. With your memories wiped.”

Willow imagined her life in Hawaii. Sun, sand, and aloha vibes. The tropical lifestyle was one she had dreamed of. Yet, she wouldn’t have Brayden.

“I think it’s dangerous being here.”

He nodded. “It is.”

“I know you think you’re powerful, Bray.”

He smiled. A dark, dangerous smile. “I don’t think anything, sweetheart. I am THE most powerful vampire.”

She sucked in a small gasp. Brayden wasn’t a show-off. For him to say something like that, she knew it had to be fact. Or at least, for him to strongly believe it.

“Willow. Never repeat those words, do you understand? Especially not to or in front of the king. He must appear as the most dominant alpha of our race,” he warned.

She nodded.

“Your safety and protection are, and will forever be, my priority.” He turned to look out the window. “So you needed to know.”

Willow leaned her head on his arm. “Thank you for trusting me with the knowledge.”

Brayden would still wipe her memory if she left, but she liked that he had shared such an important piece of information with her.

His arm went around her.

“I will do anything for you, Willow. Anything. Which makes me vulnerable, especially while you’re human. I know you need this time, but please know that every day you wait increases the risk.”

During this dangerous time, Brayden was putting the royal family in a tenuous position by being so vulnerable and distracted.

“I’m surprised Vincent is okay with this.”

“He’s not,” he replied, giving her a small laugh. “You’ve seen his mood.”

Oh.

“Still. Why take the risk?”

“Because you’re my mate. You’re the mate of a prince. Should you choose me, you and I will continue the Moretti line.” He wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on the forehead.

“But the king...”

“So far they haven’t produced an heir; we don’t really speak of it. It’s complicated for vampires, and a lot for you to take in on day one. Let’s get something to eat. A meal has been prepared for us.”

Willow followed her vampire prince and mentally made a note to continue asking about that important topic.

If she were to become a vampire, she needed to know if she could become a mother. That seemed important.

So many questions remained unanswered. So many questions she had yet to learn that needed answering.