"It could and it won't hurt to try."
"No it won't." He nudged his horse forward and caught up to his cousin as they continued to the club. "Thank you for offering this."
"It's not a sacrifice on my part I assure you. Not with that woman. I've never been much for the intrigue of politics but we both know I've never turned down a pretty face."
"No you haven't," Atticus replied with a chuckle. "You have been keeping your distance from Camille though."
"Even I am not that much of a cad," Merle replied with a hearty laugh. "I see nothing good coming from me getting entangled with the sister of the girl you've become determined to marry."
"Neither do I," Atticus agreed.
"Plus she is too young for me. I'll stay away from her," Merle vowed.
"Thank you," Atticus said as they pulled up outside of the club. "I only plan to feed while we are here and then go back."
"I plan to be much longer than that." Merle smirked at him before leaping off his horse in a graceful bound. A young vampire boy dashed out to take the reins from the both of them as Atticus dismounted beside his cousin. He walked with Merle to the door of the club but he could already feel the enticing draw of Genny pulling him back to the house.
***
Atticus leaned in the doorway and stared admiringly at Genny sitting in the window seat. Her knees were pulled up and a tablet rested on them as she wrote something on a piece of parchment. She'd taken her braid out, her raven hair spilled over her shoulders and down her back in thick waves to her waist. Love swelled in his chest as he watched her, to him she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and he couldn't get enough of simply looking at her.
Finally sensing his presence, she lifted her head and blinked at him through the candlelight. A smile spread across her mouth and lit her eyes. "You're back."
"I'm back," he said as he straightened away from the doorframe and entered the room. He closed the door before walking across the room to where she sat. "You were too busy to notice though."
She put aside the tablet and lay her quill down carefully. "Never."
"What were you writing?"
"About my day."
"Am I in there?"
She smiled mischievously up at him. "Maybe."
"Do I get to read what you've written?"
"Never," she said with a laugh and took hold of his hands when he held them out to her.
Her nose wrinkled as she caught his scent. It had been an involuntary reaction from her but it still caused a pang in his chest. "I only touched her in order to feed from her."
An alluring smile curled her mouth. She slid her arms around his neck and rose onto her toes. "I have no doubt," she murmured as her lips brushed against his.
Heat sizzled over him; he was instinctively drawn closer to her as his body sought out the connection with hers. His hands were in her hair before he even knew he was moving. The silken strands of it slid through his fingers and clung to his forearms. He pulled her closer as the clamoring need for her rose to epic levels.
"Genny," he breathed against her mouth.
Her hands clasped hold of his as she tilted her head back to meet his desperate kiss. Her taste was the balm he needed to rid his mouth of the blood he'd consumed tonight. He'd been relieved to discover blood once again had the pleasant, although coppery taste of wine and cinnamon. Though he'd enjoyed feeding again, it still wasn't the blood he craved most. That was inside of this woman, the only woman he'd ever loved and would ever love.
He gathered her within his arms, lifted her off the ground and held her against him. The feel of her body held snugly against his sent his passion spiraling toward levels he'd never experienced with another woman. He could barely think straight, he clung to her as if his life depended on it.
Gathering the last of his self-control, he forced himself to break off the kiss before he couldn't. "Atticus…"
"We have to stop before this goes too far," he whispered in a ragged voice and he placed her on the ground again.
Her lashes lifted, her black eyes gleamed as she looked up at him. "Don't stop."
Though his heart didn't beat it felt as if it were racing in his chest when he looked down at her. "Genny what I want…"
"I know what you want Atticus, I want it too." She pressed his hand against her chest. "You own my heart."
His free hand fisted in her chemise at her thighs, he stared at her as he waited for her to change her mind. Waited for her to see the ragged need in him and realize that there would be no turning back if this continued. With frustrating slowness, he began to slide the chemise up her body. Instead of telling him to stop, she raised her arms for him to pull the thin material over her head. The candle flames flickered over her alabaster skin, causing it to dance with reds and oranges as he stepped back to drink in the sight of her.
"Beautiful." It was the only coherent thought he could form right now.
He couldn't stand the suddenly abrasive feel of his clothes against his skin as he lifted her up and carried her to the bed. He had to feel her flesh against his; it was the only thing that would ease the pressure building within him. He placed her tenderly on the bed. Stepping back, he hastily shed his own clothes before climbing onto the bed with her. The smile on her face would have tempted the angels from heaven, he thought as she opened her arms to him.
The sensation of her flesh against his eased some of the clamoring desire within him as he kissed her and touched her and lost himself to the feel of her slender body. A small cry escaped her, her fingers dug into his back when their bodies finally joined. Being back in her presence these past few days had helped to ease the madness that had been festering within him, but finally being physically united with her made him feel utterly complete. In those moments it felt as though an inexplicable, yet completely unbreakable, bond wrapped around them both, tying one to the other. It was such an intense feeling that he was certain he could see a steel link wrapping around them.
The pressure of her fangs against his shoulder caused his to lengthen in eager response. As her teeth pierced his flesh his own sank into her neck. In that instant he understood what it was to become one with someone, to share an eternal bond. This experience with her was something he'd never known could exist but it was by far the greatest experience of his life.
His heart swelled with love as he lost himself to her. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her, nothing he wouldn't give up. She belonged to him and she would know only love and happiness from now on.
He pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he fell back on the bed and tried to process the emotions still flowing through him. Her fingers curled into his chest, she snuggled against him. "Did I hurt you badly?" he asked in a ragged voice.
"Never," she whispered. "Is it supposed to be like that? It almost felt like this link connected me and you, like it joined us somehow. Is that normal?"
"No." He kissed her forehead and brushed the hair back from her face. "I felt the same thing and I have never experienced anything like it before. I can't ever let you go, Genny."
She rested her chin on his chest and smiled at him. "I don't ever want you to and I will never let you go. You're my heart, Atticus."
He pulled her down for another kiss. "You're my soul," he told her as he nibbled on her bottom lip.
- CHAPTER 19 -
Atticus strode into his father's manor the next day and glanced around the massive front room. "Where is my father?" he demanded of one of the passing servants.
"I think he is in his private solar milord," the man gushed out before scurrying away.
Atticus hurried across the rush covered floor to the stairs. He climbed them swiftly and briskly walked down the hall of the second floor. Raising his hand, he knocked on the door to his father's solar and entered when he heard the gruff, 'come in,' issued from the other side. Opening the door, he stepped into the dim candlelit room. His father sat at the head of the table with a golden goblet beside him
and some parchments spread on the table before him. Atticus glanced around the room for some of his father's servants, or his uncle, but they were alone.
"New details of the truce and The Council," his father said and gestured absently toward the parchments. "I see you've finally decided to return."
Atticus ignored his father's disapproving tone. "There is something we must discuss."
His father lifted his goblet and took a sip of it. The potent scent of blood drifted up from it as he studied Atticus over the rim. "Such as?"
From years of experience he knew it was best not to hedge at things around his father. There had never been a time he'd openly disobeyed his father before. However, there was far more on the line here than what country they would be in or what his schooling and training would be. There would be no falling in line this time, not when it had to do with Genny.
"I'd like to discuss my betrothal to Anna."
"What of it?" his father inquired.
"It is to be called off."
His father quirked an eyebrow as he leaned forward and poured himself some more blood from the tankard at his elbow. "I see that the woman you've decided to play house with is far more skilled at the art of seduction than I had given her credit for."
Atticus's hands fisted at his sides. "Don't talk about her like that," he grated from between clenched teeth.
His father snorted with laughter. He took another drink and leaned back in his chair to survey Atticus with a twist of his upper lip. "One would think she was your first with the way that you're acting, but we both know that's far from true."
"How do you even know about her?"
"I'm not a fool nor am I blind. With the way you've been behaving these past few weeks I knew something was amiss. I have my ways of finding things out."
Arturo or Merle wouldn't have told his father anything, of that much he was certain. That left only one way for his father to know about Genny, he was spying on him. Atticus placed his hands on the table and leaned toward his father. "You tell your men to stay away from me and especially her."
His father dropped his goblet on the table. "You will not speak to me like that again. You may have your mother's blood in your veins but I am stronger than you, boy. I own you, and I will do as I please with you and my men. You are not free in this world."
Frustration swelled through Atticus as he glared at the man across from him. His father was stronger than he was, he would not be able to overtake him, not now while he was still so young. "I am not marrying Anna," he said bluntly. "Merle has offered to marry her in my place…"
"Of course he has. It will give him an advantage over you that he's never had before." His father believed those words but Atticus didn't. "Especially if you're insane enough to think that you will marry that village girl. It seems your cousin has more common sense and drive when it comes to the intrigues of politics than I'd given him credit for. My son, however, appears to be an imbecile."
He fought the urge to drive his fist into his father's face but he refused to rise to his father's baiting. "You can arrange it so that Jane or another of Silas's relatives, whichever he chooses, will have the opportunity to marry my firstborn son," Atticus continued as if his father hadn't spoken.
A cruel smile twisted his father's mouth. He poured himself another goblet of the viscous blood. "You think they aspire to be linked to the child of a prince and a gutter rat?" he scoffed.
His teeth ground loudly together. "You and I both know that you have your ways and that you could work something out with them if you tried."
"Yet again you're speaking to me as if you have a choice in this matter. Let us get this straight right now, you have no choice here. This marriage will benefit us all; do you think this truce amongst the nobles will last long? We must have the House of Salaze on our side when the truce collapses, that won't happen if you try to get out of this marriage. We will not be making an enemy out of them because you're caught up on some village whore."
The blood rushed to his face; before he could stop himself he banged his hands on the table. "I told you not to talk about her like that!"
His father slammed his goblet down, blood sloshed out the sides of it and onto the table. Before he could even blink, his father was upon him. Atticus's fingers flew up to claw at the hand squeezing down on his windpipe as his father thrust his face into Atticus's.
"And I told you not to speak to me like that again!" he spat. "You're not strong enough yet, boy."
Drawing on Genny's blood and the connection they shared, power swelled up to surge through his veins. His upper lip curled into a sneer as he lifted his forearm and smashed it against his father's hand with enough force to knock his father's hold free. Surprise flickered briefly over his father's features but he suppressed it quickly and stepped back to straighten his tunic.
Atticus hadn't been expecting to break free of his father's hold. Even with his breeding, it never should have been possible. His father had almost four hundred years on him but he wasn't about to be pushed around, and he most certainly wasn't going to make Genny unhappy by being forced into a marriage that he didn't want. His father could probably still take him in a fight to the death but neither of them were willing to let this escalate to that point. They would both be losers then.
"Merle will marry the girl," he said as he straightened his own tunic and stepped away from the wall.
His father released a harsh bark of laughter. "Merle can only marry the younger daughter. Silas will not accept a substitute that has a lower pedigree than his own daughter. You will marry Anna. You need only bed her often enough to get her pregnant with a son then you can go about your life with this village woman as you see fit."
"There are others amongst us that would prefer not to see this marriage happen. I'm sure if I bring this new arrangement up to The Council they will be more than happy to see Merle replace me. If it comes to that we will lose an alliance with Silas."
His father's mouth pursed, the flicker of red in his eyes shocked Atticus more than his sudden attack had. His father was never ruffled, never showed any signs of losing his composure, but that flash of red revealed just how agitated he was right now. "If you continue to refuse to marry Anna, I'll have the village woman killed."
Red suffused Atticus's vision at his father's blunt threat against Genny's life. Before he could stop himself he took four steps toward the man. He came back to his senses before he launched himself at his father and started the fight to the death that he hoped to avoid. If he lost the fight, Genny would be left alone and defenseless in a world that was becoming increasingly hostile for her.
"Don't threaten her," Atticus growled.
"You will do as you're told and I don't care what I have to do in order to ensure that. You will marry Anna or I will have the girl killed. I don't care if it takes me years, I will find an opportunity to destroy her if you refuse this contract or if you bring any other option up to The Council."
Atticus's hands fisted, his nails dug so deeply into his palms that blood spilled free. He didn't know what to say or do, with that one threat to have Genny killed, his father had taken all options away from him. "Stay away from her."
"The wedding will be moved up to the end of next month. I'd suggest finding a more suitable place for your mistress so that your bride doesn't become aware of her existence." Atticus took another step toward his father. His father lowered his goblet to the table and turned to face him. "You're valuable to me but don't think I won't beat you into submission and lock you away until the marriage can take place. If you force my hand, I will hide the girl from you and you'll never know where she is until you've produced an heir."
"Stay away from her," he enunciated each word vehemently.
"I'll stay away from her if you remain the dutiful groom."
His teeth ground together so tightly that he thought he might shatter a few of them. "So be it."
"Is that a yes?"
"Yes." It was a lie, he knew it was a lie, b
ut he forced himself to hold his father's gaze as he uttered the words, "I will marry Anna."
"Good," his father said in a cheerful tone that made Atticus's eye twitch. "Now get out."
Atticus waited for a minute before spinning on his heel and storming out of the room. He wanted nothing more than to escape this manor. He had to put some distance between himself and his father, but there was something that he had to retrieve before he could escape here.
He hurried to his room, gathered what he needed and left the manor. It was just beginning to rain again when he stepped outside. Merle was waiting for him where he'd left him by the stable. "Went that well did it?" his cousin inquired as he handed Atticus the reins to Drago.
"He threatened to have Genny killed."
Merle looked at him as if he'd just told him that it never rained in England. "Atticus…"
"I'll find a way to destroy him if he ever lays a hand on her," he vowed as he swung onto his saddle.
Merle's mouth pursed, his eyebrows drew thoughtfully together before he turned to look at Atticus. "I know you don't want to hear this but maybe you should marry Anna. It doesn't have to be for a long time."
"I told him I would marry her but that is not going to happen. I have to get Genny out of this country and somewhere safe." The only problem was he didn't know how he was ever going to be able to do that, or where they could possibly go that his father and the other aristocrats wouldn't eventually find them. "Somehow."
Merle turned toward him as they entered the woods and rode through the rain toward the vampire village. "I may know of a way," he said. "And a place that will be safe."
***
"There is a woman at the door for you, milady."
Genny looked up from the game of dice she'd been playing with Camille and frowned at the guard Atticus had left behind. Arturo was standing in the doorway with his shoulders thrown back and a blank expression on his face. She'd asked him numerous times to stop calling her milady but he insisted upon it.