Chapter 1

Samuel

Charlotte never left Holly's side. All I could do was look on as she ignored my existence. Every cell in my body was telling me to take her. I could hear her delicious blood thrumming around her body, and the scent coming from her assaulted all my senses. I clenched my hands into fists to stop my agitated gestures. To her, I would look like a villain rubbing his hands together with glee.

What she didn't know was that I was trying to stop myself from kidnapping her again. A hand came on my shoulder, and I glared at the person who would try to take my focus away from my blood mate.

"You need to calm down," Alexander murmured.

"How did that go for you?" I snapped back at him.

He grinned before slapping my shoulder.

"I had an excuse. My 168 years of captivity drove me to become a greedy bastard," he said to me, but his face softened as he looked at Holly.

"I'm not sure I can resist her," I said with a frown while trying to tamper down my jealousy at his obvious bond with Holly.

Charlotte and the children had washed up and changed into fresh clothing, which Holly had arranged. I heard everything Holly had discussed with Charlotte because I was shamelessly listening at their door.

Thankfully, Duncan and his lackeys had not raped her because she had kept her face smeared with dirt and fought them each time they came to drink from them. However, watching the children being terrorised had been traumatic for Charlotte as she'd been helpless to protect them.

She had some minor cuts and bruises from her fights, and it infuriated me that it was my kind who harmed my blood mate. Seeing the two healing puncture wounds on her neck was agonising for many reasons. Knowing that Duncan had drunk from my mate made me wish Alexander hadn't given him a quick death. If I had to follow her to the ends of the earth to protect her, I would. There was a seedy underbelly of vampires where they consumed blood from babies and children. It was strictly prohibited, but the coven leaders and Elders couldn't keep a bead on everyone.

"You need to take a walk, Samuel. Your flashing red eyes will not comfort your mate," Alexander said before slowly walking towards Holly.

Charlotte instantly froze at his approach, and I heard her heartbeat speed up. Her beautiful green orbs bulged out of her eyes. Even in fear, her eyes showed more life and soul in comparison to my deadly dark ones. Holly put an arm around her shoulder and stroked her hair before Charlotte swallowed a couple of times before backing away from Alexander.

She twirled around and strode toward the children's room, leaving me to watch her chestnut-brown hair sway from side to side down her shapely back. I raised my nose in the air and inhaled the last of her sweet-scented blood before she vanished. My shoulders sagged in defeat, and I slumped into my chair before closing my eyes. It would be a long time before Charlotte trusted me.

I had been sceptical that the baby Holly carried could indeed be Alexander's, but after my powerful reaction to Charlotte, I knew that blood mates existed, and I would use every trick in the book to woo my sweet mate. I survived the end of the Byzantine Empire when we were with the Elders, and as I moved through time, I often wondered what the purpose of my existence was. Yes, the coven oversaw three countries, but after existing for over 600 years, I was more than ready for the task ahead.

My eyes narrowed on the door that Charlotte had closed. I straightened my back because she was my blood mate, and nothing could stop me from possessing her. I wanted a mate and my children more than life itself.

∞∞∞

We settled a fair reparation package for all the victims, but they signed a non-disclosure document except for the children. Holly and Charlotte had spoken to Callum and Andrea's parents. The suspicious looks they gave us told me that they didn't believe the vampire story. Charlotte had left her phone number for the children before a tearful goodbye.

Holly and Alexander had escorted Charlotte home, compliments of my plane. I remained at a distance, lurking in the background. Everyone had left to go back to London on my aircraft. I had no commitments that Derrick and the others couldn't handle in my absence. My word remained true to Alexander and Silas. I would not mention the existence of blood mates to anyone.

The light turned off in the living room, pulling me out of my thoughts. I silently moved around the branches and watched Charlotte through the windows. The branches creaked beneath my weight but didn't stop me from following her from the bathroom window to her bedroom. She paused at the window and stood beside it, looking outside. Elgin was a small town, nothing compared to the cities I had lived in, but it was ideal because I wouldn't lose her scent. Her small flat was above a bakery on the high street. The bedroom faced the back garden, which, luckily for me, had a few mature trees. She closed her curtains, and I sighed in disappointment. The need to see her was imperative. If she caught me inside her apartment, it would only terrify her.

I settled onto a thick branch to get comfortable for the night.