In War, There Is Love

Loyalty I

They spoke about different things after that, mostly Maya asking him how it was living in this court as an ambassador compared to this one.

There was something intriguing about Jeremiah. Something she wanted to figure out, but at the same time Maya hoped she was wrong. There were too many things she had to figure out around her, and for once she hoped at least someone enjoyed her company without having a greater motive for it.

“It’s almost daytime,” he told her, walking towards the window and opening one of the dark brown curtains just a little so he could let the first ray of sunshine in. “Do you want to go outside with me? All this darkness is suffocating.”

Maya was on the verge of saying ‘yes’. Jeremiah was right, she needed light to survive as much as the vampires needed to avoid it so they could live. But the word got stuck in her throat when she noticed the pair of red eyes at the door, dangerous, scary, bone-chilling.

God, she should have said ‘yes’ now. She should have gone out of there when she still had the time, and yet she felt her head shaking almost involuntarily.

“You go.” She tried smiling at Jeremiah as if everything was okay, as if she couldn’t feel the eyes upon herself, more intense with every breath she took. How long had he been there? How much had he heard?

With every day that passed, he proved he was a little more sick in the head. Maya should’ve been scared of that, and maybe she was—just a little bit—but it was all mixed with some sort of wicked excitement, the same thing she had felt that night in his room while he had drawn blood out of her lip and she had let him like she had been the starved one.

Damn it, maybe she was a little bit sick on the head, just like he had said.

“Are you sure you want to be here all alone?” Jeremiah asked, looking concerned, and for the first time Maya liked that look on someone. “It’s dark. You can never trust these vampires. Nor can you trust your husband.”

A part of her was glad at least someone inside this castle was worried about her, but at the same time she couldn’t help the feeling that Jeremiah wanted to open a conversation they shouldn’t have, especially not while her husband was listening.

Perhaps it was natural. Perhaps it was them against the vampires here, because they were the outsiders, because of how close Silas and Agnes were.

If she was smart enough about this, Jeremiah could be her biggest ally.

So why did it feel somewhat, almost like a betrayal against the vampires?

Maya shook her head, almost laughing at herself. It couldn’t be betrayal if they weren’t on the same side.

“I’m positive,” she answered Jeremiah, however. “I still want to watch around a bit more while I have the chance.”

He smiled at her as he walked away, an actually cute smile that, not surprisingly, did absolutely nothing to her heart. At least not the twist inside her chest her husband’s intense gaze left on her.

For a second she was afraid Jeremiah had seen Demetrius on his way out, but when the Vampire King walked inside and closed the door behind his back, there was nothing written on his face.

Absolutely nothing.

She hated how easily he could wipe his face off his emotions when he really wanted to. Maya had aspired to do that her entire life. She had succeeded most of the time, but never as effortlessly as her husband.

Strangely though, he didn’t walk towards her. He stood there, his blood-red gaze burning holes in her face as he took her in.

They said curiosity killed the cat, but still Maya expanded the ball of light that flowed above her palm, letting it rest somewhere above their head so she could see him better, and slowly closed some distance between them. “Are you so obsessed with me that you’ve actually started to follow me around, husband?” she provoked, too aware that the eyes were still red and completely different from the rest of his emotionless face.

He let go of the door handle, and made only one step closer to her. Just one and it had the desired effect. It sent chills down her spine. “Funny considering you’re in my room, somewhere you know well you’re forbidden to be, having a nice little chat with one of my enemies.”

Why did his voice sound somehow deeper? It was like velvet, caressing your skin but never wrapping around you properly.

It sounded dangerous.

“Your enemy?” Maya let out a fake laugh and crossed her arms on her chest. His eyes followed the movement, for a second resting on her open neckline. She had a small chest, but the way he looked at her, she had never felt more beautiful. More powerful. “Jeremiah is just someone that follows orders from his Queen.”

“Exactly.” Why was he being like this all of a sudden? “Someone whose loyalties never lie in me.”

Did he mean her loyalties didn’t lie with him either?

Maybe he was right, but it stung either way. Until now, Maya had never done anything for him to really doubt her.

Still, she tilted her head to her right, now just a few inches away from him. “And does that hurt your fragile masculine ego? How bad. Just when I thought you were a little more interesting than the rest of the male population.”

The sound of laughter that left his lips made her suddenly weak on her knees. “Because you know that too well? First with your ex-lover, and now with the wizard.”

The truth hit Maya like a strike of lightning, and she couldn’t help the grin that spread on her face, nor could she hide the surprise from it. “You’re jealous,” she stated.

He furrowed his brows together.

“This is why you’re being like this. You’re jealous. About Jeremiah.”

Maya hadn’t thought it could be possible, but his eyes turned a darker shade of red somehow. Almost harshly, his hand cupped the back of her head, drawing her face an inch closer to his, both breathing harder for some reason.

Maya hated how she had to crane her neck to look at him, she hated the strong grip on her hair and hand, but mostly she hated the circles that his thumb drew on her cheek, slowly but steadily. It felt like her heart was about to explode out of her chest, and he hadn’t even touched any part of her body.

The attraction she felt towards him was disgusting. Intoxicating. Drawing. Breathtaking. Insane. She wanted to fight it but sometimes, in times like this, when he was so close he could take her breath away, she couldn’t.

Bloody mate bond that messed with her head.

“I’ve never been jealous in my entire life, darling. I’ve always had everything I wanted.” His lips were so close to hers, she could feel his breath on hers as he spoke.

“You don’t have me,” Maya whispered, feeding on the way he visibly, barely restrained himself from crashing his lips on hers. He wanted to. Just as much as she did, but neither was going to be the first to admit that.

“Because I don’t want to.”

Well, for some reason, that left a bitter taste in her mouth. “That’s why you’re stalking me around and accusing me of being with the wizard?” She bit down on her bottom lip, watching the way his blood-colored eyes followed the movement. “And what if I am?” she pressed. “This marriage is nothing more but a political arragment. Mate bond or not, it isn’t real. We hate each other. I can do anything and anyone I want and you cannot stop me—”

His lips came on hers hard, and it was bruising. It couldn’t be called a kiss because it really wasn’t one. It was him shutting her up with something that felt a lot like violence, biting and bruising her lips until blood trailed on her chin, but never in her life had Maya felt something more intoxicating.

She wanted more. More, more, more.

“Say one more word, wife. One more and he doesn’t see the sun another day.”

Suddenly, they heard noises coming from the other side of the door, and even in that state of mind, Maya realized they weren’t alone anymore.

“Demetri?” Anthony’s voice was heard from the other room. “Is everything okay?”

Her husband didn’t answer. Nor did he let her go. His grip had turned almost painful, and Maya hated how she didn’t want him to let go either way.

Harder, a part of her said, but she shut it up instantly.

“Leave him alone,” she hissed. “You’re bluffing. You cannot do anything to him without declaring war on the witches.”

“How bad for them, right?” Demetrius smirked.

This time, she managed to push his arm away from her. His skin was cold, dead, but she still felt like she lost some sort of warmth when he wasn’t touching her anymore. “You’d kill someone just because you’re sick and jealous?”

“No.” He shook his head slowly. “Just because I can. Because I love showing you what happens when you disrespect me.” His thumb went to gather the blood on her lips, but she pushed the hand away once more before he could.

“You’ll never taste my blood again,” Maya said between her teeth. “The first time was a mistake. There won’t be a second.”

Slowly, without saying a thing more, he opened the door and made a few steps away from her.

“You harm him, Demetrius, and I’ll tell the entire world that we’re mates. Let’s see how you’ll deal with that then.”

He only threw her a hateful look and rushed outside, not saying a word to his brother, who stood behind the door, looking at them with interest, and with a smile plastered on his face. “I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping.”

Maya’s brows lifted, mocking him.

“Alright, I was,” Anthony said with a shrug. “What can I say, you two bring out the worst in me.”

She sighed and sat down on the closest couch. Suddenly, she felt tired, like she had physically fought her husband.

He was draining, and yet pulling.

“Now who would he kill, again?” Anthony sat down on the couch next to her.

Maya didn’t know what came over her, but she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, for the first time comfortable in a male’s—especially a vampire’s—presence.

To her surprise, Anthony didn’t think it was weird, didn’t even comment on it.

“Jeremiah.”

“Ah.” He laughed. “Of course it’s Jeremiah.”

Where had she ended up? They were talking about killing someone like it was the most normal thing in the world. “You don’t sound surprised,” she told him.

“Of course not. It’s Demetri. He wanted to kill the wizard since the ball.”

She narrowed her eyes and lifted her head to look at him. “He did?”

Anthony shrugged. “Yes. You were dancing with him,” he said it like it was the only explanation in the world.

“You vampires are strange.”

“Just possessive.”

That would mean Demetrius was possessive of her. And it couldn’t be possible, considering they despised each other. It was about his ego, but Maya chose not to comment on it. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder again. For a second she wished she had known Anthony earlier. Or that Liam, her only brother, had been just a little more like him.

Not the killer part, but the caring side. The funny side. How bad that he hated her.

Everyone did, actually.

“I care about you, Maya,” he said, just like he had read her mind. Vampires could, but not her mind. She was royal blood. “So does Lilith, and so does my brother.”

Maya chuckled in sarcasm. She could even believe it when it came to Lilith, perhaps, but not Demetrius. “Your brother cares about no one but himself and the two of you. “

“That’s not true,” he objected in a soft voice. “He cares about his people, about his realm, and about you.” She didn’t believe it, but she didn’t say anything more. “I can’t say he lives based on the morals everyone else does, Maya, but if there’s one thing he wants from people surrounding him, that’s loyalty.”

Loyalty from her?

Even if she wanted to give it to him, how could she, when she had been sent here with the only duty to murder her husband?

Her husband that had ended up being her mate?

“Can't you just give us a chance?”