CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

“ A re you falling for him?”

Brianna shrugged.

Willow sat on the edge of the sofa, her little black dress taut against her tanned skin. Bri had no idea how so many of them had such rich-colored skin when they never saw the sun.

She added it to her list of questions which even if answered, she’d never remember when she returned home.

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Willow frowned.

“Forget it, please. It’s a moot point. If I don’t end up being his mate, then I’m going home. At least I get to enjoy this time with him.”

Her friend stood up and reached out her hand.

“Come on. We better go meet Kate.” As the door closed behind them, Willow glanced at her. “For what it’s worth, if I didn’t know he’d had a mate, I’d think you were it.”

Her eyes widened.

“Why?”

Willow lifted one shoulder. “He’s the same with you as Brayden is with me.”

Bri let that sink in. Her mind reflected on how he was never more than a foot or two away from her when they were with other people. His hand always on her hip. His eyes always on her from across the room if they had to be apart.

“Would it be so bad if I was his mate?”

Her friend sighed.

“Aside from an eternity of guilt?”

“You act like I have no choice in the matter. I don’t have to fall for him.”

Probably.

“Tell me, Bri, do you really want to become a vampire?”

She immediately shook her head. There was no question. She didn’t. It wasn’t something she wanted.

“No. Neither did I. And I don’t want this for you.”

Bri frowned, and they kept walking. Where that left her and Craig, she didn’t know.

Except she did.

She didn’t belong in this world she was temporarily living in. Soon, she would go home.

They wandered through the castle, and as Bri looked around at the enormous structure, she took in the high ceilings which were three or four times as high as a normal home. The walls were rich with paintings and tapestries, crystal chandeliers hung in more spaces than she could count, and around every corner, there seemed to be another staircase or hallway.

It was strange living in a castle, but while she didn’t think she’d ever get used to it, now it felt playful. Like an opportunity to discover all kinds of interesting pieces of history. She’d loved hearing about Craig’s younger years and life in another time. He had lived so much life, as had many vampires.

In a strange way, she was jealous of Willow. Not only was her friend now part of their history as Princess Moretti, but she now had a huge, bustling family. Something Bri didn’t have. Well, not really. Her husband had left behind an alcoholic father who was now in care, and given how they had rarely seen him when Christian had been alive, she would not start now. He was abusive and horrible, so she had sent him a Christmas and birthday card after the funeral and left it at that.

Her own parents lived in Ohio. They had been saddened when she left home, being the only child. However, she had wanted to go to a good university, and they’d wanted that for her too. There, she’d met Willow and Christian. They’d fallen in love and gotten married.

After being stationed in Hawaii for a few years, they had gotten the news he was being transferred offshore, so they’d moved their family home back to LA so she could be with her best friend.

They’d argued about her getting pregnant before he left, and then again when he returned for visits. And now, the rest was history.

“Will you have children?” she suddenly asked Willow.

“I hope so, but it could take a long time. The king and queen have been trying for over a hundred years.” She leaned down and whispered, “Don’t say anything. It’s a touchy subject, as that’s actually forever.”

More than a hundred years?

“I mean, that is forever. But also sad.”

Willow nodded. “It is. I hope we don’t get pregnant first. I would feel terrible.”

Brianna put a hand on her friend’s arm. “Don’t. From what little I know of Kate, she wouldn’t want that.”

“You’re right. In reality, it could take ten or twenty years.”

Bri puffed up her cheeks and let out the air. “Wow, it’s crazy to think that when I’m nearing my fifties, you could be becoming a mom. And when I’m an old lady, you’ll still look like this.”

The two of them looked at each other and shared an uncomfortable smile.

“As long as we’re both happy, that’s the main thing, right?”

But she couldn’t help wondering what life had in store for her. Would she return to her life and meet someone else? Get married, have kids? She knew she was going to leave her job. Her conversations with Craig had highlighted how unhappy she had been.

Maybe she would ask Willow if she could buy her business off her and make something of it now that her friend was a princess. And a vampire.

Being in Italy, though she’d seen very little, had triggered her desire to travel. Sure, she’d seen parts of America and lived in Hawaii, but there was a whole world around her she had no idea of. Different cultures, different ways of living and thinking. And heck, even a whole different race.

Her heart dimmed.

She knew she shouldn’t, but life without her huge, moody vampire seemed empty.

They took the next flight of stairs that led to the royal wing. It was wide and grand, as you’d expect, with the purple Moretti carpet. On the edges of the steps were subtle black M ’s.

Kate appeared at the top of the stairs, and they stopped.

Bri drew in a little breath. She was stunningly regal and beautiful. Long blonde waves curled down her back, which she swung around her shoulders as she pulled on a long cream coat. Underneath, she wore a long black silk jumpsuit that accentuated her tall, slim figure. Pearls on her ears and neck.

She looked every bit a queen.

“Let’s go, girls!”

Thirty minutes later, they were sitting in a softly lit restaurant and sipping on champagne. The music was light and fun, and all three of them were attracting just the right attention from the single men at the bar to make it interesting but not annoying.

One of them had sent over a bottle of Cristal, but when Kate had waved it off and Willow had declared she’d had enough, Brianna had dragged it across the table and sent the two men a wink.

Because Cristal.

Even if she only finished half a glass, she was determined to sample the overpriced champagne. Just because the two females she sat with were vampire royalty and could afford to drink the stuff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—alongside their jugs of blood juice, as Willow had begun calling it much to the amusement of the household—didn’t mean she could afford to. She most definitely could not.

Turns out it was nice, but not that nice.

“Excuse me for a moment, my loves, I’m heading to the ladies,” Kate said, pushing out her seat.

Bri sighed, watching the vampire walk across the room and capture everyone’s attention. “She is really beautiful, isn’t she?”

“I know, like supermodel beautiful, right?”

They both sighed, then looked at each other. It was like the longest farewell in the history of forever. They were stuck in a cycle of knowing that at any moment, they’d be saying goodbye.

Every day they got together was a gift, but also a curse.

In some ways, her relationship with Craig was a wonderful distraction. She had nearly killed him for his egg punishment today, but watching his disappointment when he’d arrived home and seen her in full, though faux, control of her senses had been totally worth the effort.

A smile slipped onto her lips before she caught herself. Glancing at Willow to see if she’d noticed, she saw she hadn’t. Instead, she was staring behind Brianna as if she’d just seen her worst enemy.

When she went to turn around, Willow reached out and squeezed her hand hard, hurting her.

“I want you to grab your bag and walk out the door. Right. Fucking. Now. No questions. Just GO. RUN.”

Her mouth fell open, heart pounding.

She reached down to grab her handbag, but a shadow fell over her.

“Nice to see you again, Willow.”