Becky rolls her eyes at me after she manages to give me the final stitch. ‘You’re the Lord of our coven, who's supposed to be strong and powerful, yet here you are being the biggest sook over a few stitches.’
‘You just gave me six stitches on my arm and another fourteen on my chest! So that’s more than a few stitches.’
‘The lion’s breath was supposed to make you brave and not sook the entire time. Must have been a dud bottle,’ Becky laughs.
I glare into her brown eyes, but she smiles, tucks her short brown hair behind her ear, and shrugs.
‘Okay, Becky, you’ve had your fun. I’m out of here,’ I tell her, taking my shirt from Soren and putting it on.
She purses her lips which are thickly coated with red lipstick, ‘Don’t you want to know why your wounds haven’t healed yet?’
I turn to face her, ‘You know why?’
Becky walks to the table and brings the well-made dagger to me.
‘This isn’t an ordinary dagger, Lord Talon. This dagger has been crafted to kill any supernatural. The spine and quillon are silver, and the dagger’s blade is made from Moonstone. The grip of the dagger is even made from dragon bone. Moonstone will cause our wounds to heal slowly at the same pace as humans, just like silver does to werewolves. If we were to be stabbed by this in an artery or main organ. We wouldn’t heal quick enough to survive. Instead, we would die. How she knows that Moonstone is a weakness to vampires baffles me. It’s secret knowledge only a few know of.’
‘That might explain why Lylah was so desperate to get it back. She kept pleading I return it to her as if it were her most precious thing in the world.’
‘Do you think she made this dagger?’ Becky asks.
I take the dagger from Becky and tuck it in my belt. ‘I honestly don’t know, but I know not to underestimate her.’
‘I look forward to meeting this she-wolf,’ Becky smiles.
Soren glances at me, and I look back at Becky.
‘Lylah doesn’t have a wolf. She can’t shift. Her mother is also a witch, but Lylah can’t cast magic either.’
‘Are you serious? That would make her a human? How does she know she has no powers? Has she even tried?’
I burst into laughter, ‘Has she tried? Are you kidding me? Yes, she even tried using me as her guinea pig to cast the spells on. But thankfully, she was right, and nothing happened.’
Becky squints and looks me up and down. ‘If her spells didn’t work, then why are your ears pointy?’
I quickly grab my ears through my thick wavy long hair to feel them. The soft round edges feel the same as normal. Becky laughs, and I realise she is joking.
‘Really, Becky? You still have the maturity of a one hundred and twenty-year-old vampire,’ I scowl.
She laughs, ‘Says the two hundred and sixty-four-year-old vampire who whimpers over a few stitches.’
I roll my eyes and face Soren, ‘I don’t have time for these shenanigans. Soren, inform everyone in the coven to meet in the hall immediately and then go to the kitchen and organise a tray of food and a drink for Lylah.’
‘Yes, Lord Talon,’ he bows and dashes away quickly.
I make my way to the hall and sit in my regal chair. Its gold framed and lined with red velvet. There’s a slightly smaller version of the same chair beside mine, which now belongs to Lylah as her being my Blood Flame makes her the lady of the coven.
Over a hundred vampires enter. They whisper and ask each other if they saw the girl who returned with me and if they know who she is. I hold my hand up, and they all become silent. I adjust one of my large ruby rings on my finger.
‘As you are all aware, due to gossiping amongst each other. I have returned home with a new member of our coven.’
They all turn and talk amongst each other, curious as to why and who she is, as they noticed she isn’t a vampire. ‘But first, the meeting with the Alpha Lycan and his pack we organised did not go to plan, and we were attacked.’
The vampires look at each other annoyed to talk, and whisper that I, their Lord and Master, was attacked. I gesture my hand again for them to stop talking.
‘They still believe we are responsible for the deaths of the humans and some of their pack members. But, during all this, Alpha Maximus’s daughter, Lylah, was there, and it turns out we are Blood Flames.’
‘Master has found his Blood Flame,’ they gasp.
‘We finally have our lady to serve,’ others say.
‘Yes, our coven is now complete with our Lady, but she has no idea what a Blood Flame is or that I am her Blood Flame. Lylah has been through a lot and is not in the right frame of mind to know just yet. So, it’s very important no one is to tell her or explain what it means. Once she has settled in and become more comfortable, preferably with her no longer trying to kill me,’ They all gasp. ‘Then I will tell her and explain it to her, then.’
‘She tried to kill you, Master?’ Tobin asks in shock and steps forward.
‘Only a few times,’ I smile, twirling Lylah’s dagger with my fingers.
Everyone is confused as to why I seem calm about the situation. ‘Lylah has very impressive fighting skills. So, be sure not to make her angry when she decides to explore the castle grounds. Lylah can go anywhere she likes within the castle but must never leave the castle grounds without Nadia or me under any circumstance. Is that clear?’
Everyone nods and bows.
‘Now, go back to your duties,’ I say, standing and walking away up the stairs.
I find Nadia sitting in a wooden chair outside my chambers.
‘Did Lylah receive her tray of food?’ I ask.
‘I took it from Soren and brought it into her. She hadn’t moved from the seat. So, I placed it on the table beside her. I tried to talk to her, but she remained silent, so I left and waited here since.’
I nod, ‘Okay, you can go and return in the morning to keep an eye on her.’
‘You’re going to spend the night in there?’ Nadia asks in surprise.
‘It is my chambers, Nadia. My clothes are covered in blood. I need to bath and change anyway, and besides, maybe being near her might help?’
Nadia snorts a laugh at the idea.
I glare, making her silent, knock on the door and enter. I close the door and then face Lylah to find she hasn’t moved or eaten any of the food.
‘You must surely be hungry?’ I ask, trying to muster up a conversation with her.
Lylah ignores me, staring at her feet.
‘Okay, then. If you don’t want to talk, I have other things I need to do anyway. Like, take a bath,’ I say, walking to the other side of the room and unbuttoning my shirt.
Lylah flinches and stares at me when she realises I’m undressing. I throw my blood-drenched shirt into a basket and turn to see her eyes looking over my body.
‘You’re welcome to take a closer look if you like?’ I smile.
Surprisingly she stands, blushing and marches towards me, not with a smile but a scowl.
‘What do you think you’re doing getting naked in my room?’ she growls.
Our faces are only an inch apart. If only Lylah knew how sexy she looks when she is angry. I look down at her lips. I want to kiss them, suck them, taste them even.
‘This is my room, Lylah and thanks to your wonderful artwork across my chest and arm. I need a bath.’
She looks guilty as she stares at the wound on my chest. Her hand reaches out to touch it but then stops and withdraws her hand back. I swiftly grab it and place it on my chest over the wound—sparks from the contact fly between us.
Lylah breathes heavily. ‘Why do I feel this?’ she asks.
‘I’m not a threat to you, Lylah,’ I say, tucking a strand of her white hair behind her ear. She gazes at me as her chest rises from the touch. ‘That’s why you feel this,’ I whisper.
Lylah steps back. ‘Wait, this is your room? I don’t want to be in here. You could at least be a gentleman and give me my own chambers!’
I smile, ‘You don’t have a choice to be in here,’ I step towards her, keeping eye contact.
She steps back nervously with each step I take forward until her back hits a wall. I place a hand above her head and lean in to whisper in her ear. ‘But, if you let me, I can show you how much of a gentleman I can be.’
Lylah’s chest rapidly rises. Her eyes flash to a light blue and flicker. The bond is trying to force us both to slam into each other, but I can see she is fighting against it. Lylah concentrates on slowing her breathing, and she mutters random words through her breath as if to distract her mind.
Then, Lylah looks into my eyes with full control of herself, ‘You are anything but a gentleman, Lord Talon.’
‘Hmm,’ I smile. ‘Yet I’m sure you’ve been having many sensuous thoughts of me ever since we’ve met?’
Lylah flinches, ‘The only thoughts I have of you are ill ones!’
I move my face closer to hers, and her eyes flicker a light blue again. I smile. ‘I very much doubt that. Your eyes tell me otherwise,’ I tell her, tilting my head to the side.
‘I-I’, she stutters with a blush.
I turn and walk towards my bathroom, unbuckling my trousers. I let everything drop to the ground, giving Lylah a full glimpse of my backside as I enter the bathroom. I hear her breath hitch, which makes me smile wider. I close the door behind me.
‘Damn it, Lylah!’ I hear her growl at herself.