Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
My eyes immediately dropped to her neck, looking for the mark that would declare her as mine. My lips turned down, and my brow furrowed when I saw nothing but smooth, flawless skin.
“What the fuck?” I muttered.
My family often teased me about being uptight, though I preferred to call it being studious and a gentleman. However, I could already tell that my consort would bring out my personality's rough, possessive side. One I hadn’t been aware that I possessed.
“Ummm…I think we’ll move on to the next house so you two can…ummm…”
Callidora broke the spell I’d been under, reminding me that we were not alone. In fact, another group of kids was skipping up the steps and shouting, “Trick or treat!”
Good question…
I looked my consort in the eyes and murmured, “We need to talk. Alone.”
She blinked a few times, looking unsure, but then she nodded. “Help yourself, children,” she said sweetly, setting the bowl of treats on the table with the bubbling cauldron. Then she turned and pushed open a black door with an oval window. “Come in.”
I followed her inside and quietly shut the door behind me. We’d entered a small foyer with a coat tree, a little table holding a black glass bowl, and a large ornate mirror hanging above it. The walls were painted a soft lavender, and the floor was marbled cream-and-gold tile.
It was much lighter than I expected for a witch's home.
She led me through a large arched doorway into a living room with a deep purple couch and two matching chairs set across from each other in front of a fireplace. The walls were the same color as the foyer, but a thick, cream-colored carpet was beneath my feet, and the decor was a mix of black and purple.
This was seriously different from any witch’s lair I’d ever been in. It was welcoming and cozy.
She waved her hand, and flames appeared in the fireplace, then she removed the voluminous cape and tossed it over the back of the couch.
My breath caught in my throat, and my mouth turned dry. Form-fitting leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt did nothing to hide her fantastic figure. She wasn’t overly curvy, but she had just enough to make her slim frame sexy as fuck.
Damn, she was gorgeous—from the top of her lustrous hair to her purple-tipped toes.
“Have a seat,” she invited, sweeping a hand toward one of the overstuffed chairs before taking a seat on the sofa.
Ignoring her gesture, I sat on the other end of the couch. “What is your name?” I asked.
“Celeste,” she replied with a cock of her head. “Yours?”
“Ren.”
“Nice to meet you.” Her formal tone made my lips curl down. “What is this about?”
“Destiny.” The answer slipped out, and she raised one elegant eyebrow. “How much do you know about vampires and their consorts?”
Celeste shrugged. “Other than that they exist? Not much. My coven doesn’t…”
She trailed off suddenly, looking uncomfortable.
“Doesn’t like vampires?” I guessed. “Doesn’t have anything to do with them? Doesn’t think we should exist?” My tone was casual, having heard all of this before and not bothered by it.
Celeste flushed, almost distracting me with thoughts of how far down it would go when she climaxed.
Focus, Bancroft! There would be plenty of time for that—eternity, in fact.
“All of the above?”
I chuckled and scooted an inch closer. “Not surprising.” Studying her neck again, I mused, “What is surprising is the lack of mark on your neck.”
“Mark?” Celeste echoed as she cupped her neck with her hands.
“You are my consort, Celeste. You should have a birthmark on your neck.” I frowned and gently pried her hands away, then ran my fingertips lightly over her collarbone and up to her face.
“Consort?” she gasped, jerking back. “Like your mate?”
“Exactly.” I moved to touch her again, but she leaned away. I knew I needed to help her understand, but I was incredibly frustrated by the fact that she had no visible birthmark. “You should have been born with a birthmark that looks like a vampire’s bite.” I continued explaining a little more about how fated mates worked in my world. She let me talk but looked as though she had a million questions.
“I promise to explain everything, love, and answer all your questions, but give me a few minutes to try to figure this out.” As I explored her neck a little more, something occurred to me. What if it was hidden? I sent out a pulse of magic, and suddenly, when my fingertips glided over the left side of her collarbone, it appeared, as if I’d wiped away makeup covering it.
There was only one reason that Celeste’s mark had been hidden, and from her genuine shock at my declaration, I knew she hadn’t been the one to disguise it. I was pissed as fuck that she’d been walking around without my brand on her. Even though no one would have known it was mine specifically, it still infuriated me. “There it is,” I said softly, restraining myself from leaning in to kiss and lick the two dark spots that were meant to be pierced by my fangs. Anger simmered in my gut at the person who hid her from her fate, and I wanted to demand to know who’d done it, but I didn’t want to scare my consort with my rage.