Page 72 of Sold to the Dark Vampire Prince

Dani was almost sure the cough that followed was smothering a laugh.

“If you’ll please follow me.”

They made their way down a winding forest path, through trees that had grown twisted and wilder than any she’d ever seen. Several times, she paused to stare, only to have Alex gently tug at her hand, silently reminding her it wasn’t safe to fall behind, not in this place.

“It’s so beautiful,” Dani said. And so deadly, she suspected, shivering as the woods grew colder and darker. “How long has Finneas been king?”

“Not long,” Sera said shortly. “After claiming their share of the human lands, Finneas’ parents, the former fae king and queen, quickly grew tired of life among mortals, and returned to the immortal realm. But before they left, they had a fervent desire to see their children settled.”

“That was where you came in.”

“Finneas was given control of half the fae lands and his sister, Niamh, the other half.” Sera’s tone turned cold. “Finneas is a manwhore who cares for no one but himself. He has a reputation for indulging in faerie revels, reportedly sleeps around, and has no desire to settle down. His parents desperately wished for him to find a mate who would ground him. Hence the treaty with my father.”

“Oh, please.” Dani made a sound under her breath. “I can’t imagine they really thought that would work.”

Serafina snorted. “He had no more interest in getting mated than I did, except perhaps for a good roll in the hay.” She glanced ahead to where Killian was walking, and lowered her voice. “He came up to me at the party where we were to be formally introduced, murmured something crude about having never been with a vampire and asked if I would prefer to suck his neck first or his cock.”

Dani gasped. “The bastard. I hope you slapped him.”

“I shoved him into the fine crystal punch bowl his parents had brought as an engagement gift.”

Dani couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Killian discreetly muffle another cough.

“Well done. I hope he was picking slivers of glass out of his hands for a week.”

They’d reached a darker part of the forest. All around them, delicate rivers cascaded down the mountainside, spilling over rocky outcroppings to form tiny waterfalls. They pooled in a shimmering silver lake she could see off in the distance, obscured by fog. A stone walkway seemed to be carved out of the mountain itself, crossing the water in ornate arched bridges and fanciful overlooks that could only have been created by magic. The air was cool, and faintly scented of pine and the damp loamy earth.

They ascended into a courtyard with delicate flowering trees in bloom. She wasn’t sure what sort of tree they were, perhaps something that only grew here in the land of faerie, but the white sweetly scented petals were rather lovely. Perhaps even in autumn, the fae king could command the trees to do as he wished.

“Welcome to Thornwood,” Killian announced. “Home of the king.”

Sera smoothed her dark green sweater. Dani was just about to squeeze her hand in reassurance when a figure turned at the end of the courtyard.

Like most fae males, he was tall and wiry in build, standing half a foot taler than Sera. He wore his pale blond hair long on top and razored short on the sides, revealing piercings along the edge of very pointed ears. Rather than traditional fae dress, he wore jeans that sat low on his hips, a white undershirt that hugged his lean frame, and a pale blue linen shirt over it, the sleeves rolled to the elbows.

Sera narrowed her eyes. “Taking your responsibilities seriously, I see?”

“Here we go,” Alex muttered under his breath. “Can you please try not to get us poisoned?”

“Serafina Visconti.” Finneas raised an eyebrow. “May I presume you didn’t come all this way just to shove me into another expensive display of glassware?”

“That can be arranged.”

The fae king smiled, walking towards them. “Alexander, it’s been too long.”

“Good to see you, Finneas.” Alex extended his hand. “This is Daniela Girard.”

“A pleasure. I’ll admit, I’ve been following your media feeds with some curiosity.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Sera said. “There’s been a complication, one that hasn’t been announced publicly.”

Finneas listened as she explained the onset of the sickness and the initial appearance of the bruising. He nodded when she reached the part about the shape of the marks resolving into scrolls.

“And you think they’re mating marks. May I see?”

When Dani started to extend her wrist, Alex stepped in front of her, rolling up his own sleeve. Finneas raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, but bent to examine the base of his hand.

“Well?” Sera crossed her arms.