The red seal burns in my retinas.
I shake my head. “I won’t turn Winnie into one of us.”
“Alaric, youmust.”
I stand, tipping Mirabelle unceremoniously to the floor.
“Don’t be so naive, Alaric. Our kind will accept a human on your arm, but only if they know she will become one of us. You do not understand how fragile our position is. You wish to stand against me to marry this human? This I respect. I can see now that your love for her is real and not merely a way for you to wriggle out of your responsibilities to our family. But we havelaws, and the son of a noble bloodline is not exempt.”
I bow my head. “I won’t do it. It is Winnie’s choice, her life, not mine.”
“A vampire and a humancannotwed. She cannot live here with you until she is dust and bones. Why do you think this rule exists, Alaric? It’s to protectyou. What will happen to your heart when Winnie ages and you do not? What will happen to you after she dies an old woman and you live on, eternally youthful, your heart shattered into a million pieces? Stronger Upyr than you have been driven mad by their desolation. You consign yourself to an eternity of misery for one short human lifetime of happiness. It is unthinkable, and I don’t say that lightly. Unlike contraception, there is no cure formortality.”
“I don’t care.”
Callista’s dress crinkles as she leans back in her chair. “Turn her, Alaric, or I shall do it myself.”
“You will not touch her.”
“A marriage between a vampire and a human is an aberration. It would be like a wolf marrying a lamb. If you truly wish to bind your soul to hers, then she must be one of us. As your mother, I will do that which you cannot. You may hate me for a century or two, but I’m used to your ire.”
Memories flare hot against the insides of my skull. Callista pulling me to her breast on the battlefield, spilling her blood into my mouth as she drank from me, the waves of agony and ecstasy that pulsed through my body as my soul died and I was reborn a monster.
The idea of her fangs anywherenearWinnie …
“You would issue an ultimatum to your son?” I rasp.
“Would you expect anything less from me?” My mother smiles, and her sharp incisors glint in the candlelight. “I do this for your own good, Alaric. She is not one of us. But she could be. Turn her, or I will do it myself.”
She leaves me then, her skirts rustling as she glides from the room. My nails tear at the leather of the chair. I made Winnie a promise, but how can I tell her this? How can I explain?
Winnie’s bright smile burns behind my eyes. I love her with the kind of fierce, reckless love that I have always believed impossible for a monster like me.
I love her, but she cannot survive me.
I love her too much to make her like me.
What am I to do?
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
WINNIE
Faye: OF COURSE I’m going to use Winnie Wins on the show. I sold the show based on the concept! Just because your name is on the system doesn’t mean you own it. It’s part of our brand, and if you’re not willing to do what it takes for this business to succeed, then I’ll have to do it myself. When you come to your senses we’re going to have a serious talk about your future with Clutter Queens.
“Ow.”
My hand flies to my head as Beth jabs another bobby pin into my skull.
“Hold still, Winnie. I know what I’m doing.”
“Yes. I loved your work onHellraiser, but you’re turning me into a slice of Swiss cheese. Ow.”
“AsexySwiss cheese.” Beth grins as she twirls my chair around.
I gasp. Beth is a magician. She’s twisted my hair into an elaborate style that frames my face with wisps floating free like I’m a fae princess. She’s rubbed one of her serums into my skin andI’m glowing, and the subtle sparkles she’s added around my eyes and across my cheeks only add to the mystical effect.
“Alaric won’t know what hit him.” Komal grins as she tugs on black dress trousers.
