CHAPTER THREE

“ S he needs to go home.”

“I know, I know. Just a couple more days, please,” Willow begged him. “I gave up my life for you.”

Brayden’s eyebrows fast-tracked to his hairline. “Seriously, you’re playing that card?”

Willow grinned. “I’m desperate.”

That made two of them.

Allowing a human in the castle had caused a big and loud debate between him and the king, which he usually enjoyed, but not this time. Brayden wanted Brianna gone just as much as his brother.

For one, it was dangerous for her to be in their world, and a risk to the entire vampire race. If she discovered what they were and communicated it to the outside world, the complications would be astronomical.

However, he knew this was important to Willow as she said goodbye to her human life. They would have headed back to Los Angeles so she could say goodbye and wrap up her life there once she had adjusted to her new vampire body, but Brianna had beaten them to it. So he had asked the king for a few days’ grace.

The other reason he wanted her gone was Craig. He knew the guy was struggling with her around. On one level, it was amusing to see his commander so affected by the sassy redhead, but Brayden needed his attention back on the job.

Brianna, he’d observed, was agitated by the vampire, but though she was attracted to him, it was clear she wanted to keep her distance, which suited Brayden just fine.

One less damn drama.

Whatever had gone on between the two of them in that bar was a thing of great mystery; one neither of them would talk about, which was all kinds of interesting.

Brayden assumed it was embarrassing, and so had let it drop.

Regardless, he sensed an attraction still existed, and the last thing he needed was his new, freshly turned mate worrying about her friend sleeping with a vampire. Willow had only just accepted him and their existence. She would not like her friend getting caught up in all of this.

Not that Craig would be her mate; that wasn’t possible. But only the two males knew that.

“One more day. I’ll send her home in the jet. Last offer.”

Willow’s face dropped. “I know. I just wish she could be at our ceremony. She’s my best friend, Bray.”

He felt his chest tighten. He too had a soft spot for Brianna, but more so, he felt for his mate who had given up everything, including her mortality, to be with him.

“I know, sweetheart. If I could find a way, I would, but it’s simply not possible. It’s still a week away, and she would be exposed to much of the vampire world if she attended. It’s too great a risk.”

“I know. She’d be terrified, just as I was, and the king would freak.”

Yeah, he would, and rightly so. Brayden had given Willow time to process the knowledge of their existence while she chose whether to become his mate for life, but he was the captain of the Royal Vampire Army, as well as a Moretti prince. It was his job to protect the existence of the race, as was his commander’s, Craig.

Brianna was a risk. The sooner she left, the better. “Tomorrow, Willow. I’m sorry.”

She nodded and laid her head down on his chest. Gently, he rubbed her back and let her process the loss.

Yet another one.

“It’s okay, Bray. I made this decision; I knew what it meant. Getting to see her again has been a bonus.”

“Baby.” He ran his hand along her body, and she moaned. “Make more noises like that, my little vampire, and my cock is going straight back inside you.”

Willow bit his nipple, her new fangs drawing blood. He gripped her hair and tilted her head back as a rush of excitement sped through him.

“Oh, no, what will I do,” she said, taunting him. “A big, strong vampire wants to make love to me. Please stop.”

Brayden let out a growl, and with vamp speed, flipped her on the bed. He whipped her arms up to the headboard, tying them with silk cords. Big eyes full of desire with traces of fear watched him, and in response, arousal spread through his veins.

“That’s right, principessa . I’m still in charge.”

Willow might be strong now, but he was an alpha, and with all that he was, he needed to dominate her, to possess her and fill her with his cock every damn day.

He loved her more than his own life and desired to make her happy. His need was not violent or coarse; he simply needed her submissive. For her pleasure and his.

Willow’s body arched in agreement, and it was all the answer he needed. The wetness at her core, the way she gave him access to every part of her body, screamed yes, this is what I want . She wanted and needed to be dominated just as much as he needed to dominate.

With the Moretti blood running through her veins, her physical body was now stronger, but she’d never be as strong as him. No one would be. Brayden was the most powerful vampire in the race. He’d shared the family blood secret with her after she’d turned, and explained that female vampires—like female humans—were not as physically strong as males.

There was much for her to learn about being a vampire, and he would teach her, starting by learning how to manage her new strength. Christ, she’d nearly crushed Brianna when she had shown up at the castle two nights ago. Thanks to Craig’s quick thinking, he’d grabbed Willow before she’d reached the human.

He had nearly ripped Craig’s throat out for touching his mate, but at the last minute had controlled the beast within. The entire moment had been a fucking disaster in the making.

Willow had only just awoken from her death sleep after he’d turned her. What usually took two to three days had taken seven, which was why Brianna had come searching for her missing friend. He’d not given a thought to her human world while he sat exhausted and strung out, waiting for her to awaken.

Highly protective of her on any day, at that moment, he had been almost out of his mind by another male touching the female he’d nearly lost so many times. Even if the damn guy was his best friend.

Now here they were, with another human in the castle and a hotheaded king on his tail.

He licked his way down Willow’s lean, powerful body, feather touches around her core.

“Brayden.” She arched and let out delicious groans as he circled her clit. “Ohhh my God.”

A lick and a flick, and his cock was ready to get back inside her.

“Willow.”

“Please, my prince.”

He grinned. He loved torturing his strong-minded mate.

“Good girl.” He plunged his fingers inside her, flicking her clit with his tongue and twisting one of her nipples.

That trio always got results.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER , he stood under the shower going through his mental to-do list. First, he had a coup leader to track down and eliminate. That was his priority. Then he had to get the king to make a damn decision on the punishment for his former advisor, Regan, who they had caught poisoning the king.

Since vampires were immortal and didn’t get sick, the king’s unknown illness had been a surprise and serious concern to the few who were privy to the situation. They had eventually discovered the king’s advisor had been lacing his daily cup of tea with belladonna, a nightshade plant. News to all of them, they were now researching the herb and its effects on vampires. While it had weakened the king, whether or not it would’ve eventually killed him was unknown.

The impact of the belladonna aside, they’d all been shocked at Regan’s betrayal. He’d loyally served Vincent and their father as the king’s advisor for more than a thousand years. When they had discovered he was being blackmailed by the rebellion who’d kidnapped his mate and daughter, it had become clear why.

Getting the females back was also on Brayden’s list.

But he needed to get a decision out of the king on how he wanted to deal with Regan, who was currently under guard. He was sure Vincent wouldn’t ask for Regan’s head, although he was certainly within his rights; the king was a pragmatic and fair leader.

They’d all felt for the guy when he had broken down, finally able to share that his females had been missing for so long. Not that it excused his actions—God, Brayden had wanted to throttle the guy for not coming to him—but as a mated male, he now understood the fear for their lives and how disempowered he must have felt. Did still feel.

Brayden would support whatever his brother decided.

His team in Italy, ground zero for the rebellion, had strong intel the females were being held in a secure location. In fact, other intel coming in from his soldiers in the European country was extremely interesting, and he planned to speak to the king about an aggressive new strategy. They’d had enough of being on the back foot and just reacting. It was time to get proactive and snuff them out. They were dangerous and had put enough innocent lives at risk recently.

Vincent was a diplomatic king, and that worked well in these modern times, for sure. He had witnessed his brother’s smart mind take them into a new world after their father the king had handed over the throne, so to speak. But the time for diplomacy with these rebels had come to an end.

Brayden hoped that the king’s recent experience of being slowly poisoned and watching his queen with a sword to her throat had laid a strong enough foundation for this discussion. If not, Brayden was going to have a closed-door conversation with his brother that neither of them wanted to have.

In times of peace, a diplomatic king was effective. In times of war, of which they were now in, they needed a warrior at the helm.

He had no desire to be king or overthrow his brother, but he may just have to force his hand.

Even if it was only the king who knew about it.