Prince Vampire by Amarinda Jones Page A

anything but. He was surprised when his cousin appeared suddenly outside, half-naked, hair abound, as if he had stormed out in a rush or been thrown out. It was funny to think that a woman would deny his cousin. Few did. “Interesting.” Valdemar looked pissed off. The woman clearly wasn’t as enamored of him as he was of her. But then Valdemar always was the romantic one, throwing his heart and soul into everything. Victor smiled as his cousin disappeared just as quickly. He knew he would be needing blood, especially if he had been shagging that woman. It gave Victor an idea.
    “Hello,” he greeted the woman as he appeared in her home.
    Aureliann looked at him. “What are you doing back here?” She had put on a robe and was sitting hunched up on the sofa.
    “I could not leave things as they were.”
    “No,” she agreed as she stood up.
    “Come to me, Aureliann.” Victor held his hand out to her.
     
    Aureliann looked at the hand that was reaching for hers. The veins stood out harsh and gnarled on the pale skin. The fine hairs on the back of her neck prickled in awareness that something was not right. She looked up into the green eyes that stared back at her. Aureliann saw no love or passion within. Those eyes were dead. Though this man was almost the spitting image of Valdemar, he was not the prince she knew.
    “Victor.” The evil cousin. Cue the dramatic music. It was like she had walked into a soap opera.
    He smiled. “Very good, my dear.”
    It was exactly how she expected a snake to smile. “Where is your cousin?” If he was here and Valdemar wasn’t then that didn’t bode well. The thought that Victor could have done something to Valdemar made Aureliann angry. While it was true that she found Valdemar’s presumptions arrogant, she did not want him out of her life just yet. There were things about him that she needed to get her head around.
    “Hmm, let’s see,” Victor murmured as his eyes raked her body with an insolent glare. “You threw him out.”
    “As I will you.” Aureliann re-tightened the robe around her body. The way he leered at her made her sick.
    Victor laughed at her words. “Oh, I’m not my soppy cousin who allows himself to be pushed out the door. I plan to stick around and have some fun.”
    Aureliann knew what that look meant and if he touched her she would fight like a woman possessed. “You can’t have me. I belong to your cousin. We bonded.”
    “There are no marks on your neck.” He started to circle her like a predator looking for weaknesses. “You may be bonded by sex but not blood. That’s a big difference.”
    She made sure she did not have her back to him. Where was Valdemar? How the hell do I deal with this pretentious prick? In her mind she called to Valdemar. Surely if we are connected he will come to me.
    “Touch me and I will scream and I can scream really loudly.” She looked at him in distaste as he laughed at her words. “Maybe that won’t save my life but it’ll give you a really bad headache.”
    Victor looked amused at her threat. “Deny me, woman, and I will make you suffer.”
    “And I will kill you.” Valdemar appeared suddenly in the room.
    Aureliann did the girly thing and ran to him. She had been worried about his safety and his strength renewed her own.
    Valdemar arched his eyebrow as he pulled her to his side for protection. “So you want me now, lovely?”
    “Shut up.” She was glad to see him but he still annoyed her. “How did you know I needed you?” Had the mind thing worked?
    “We are linked and nothing can break that.” He turned to his cousin. “What do you want, Victor?” Valdemar’s voice was harsh.
    Victor laughed in contempt. “Cousin, you know what I want. I want everything you have, including the woman.”
    “Oh puke,” Aureliann muttered in disgust. “’Like I’d go for sloppy seconds.”
    “Bitch,” Victor snarled.
    “Wannabe,” she retaliated.
    Valdemar silenced her with a look. “You know that