The Vampire King’s Captive

MARIA

How did one react to their lover telling them that their ex-lover-who never completely turned into an ex in the first place-was going to be staying with them for the next week?

Simple; They go out for long walks to clear their head. And if the first walk still doesn’t do the magic, then they keep going until their heads are successfully cleared.

Walking out one’s frustration. Was that even a thing?

It didn’t matter whether it was a thing or not. What mattered was that Maria was doing it and it was going to work for her-hopefully.

She wouldn’t lie and say that the thought of Elizabeth living under the same roof as her didn’t freak her the fuck out. She’d seen the woman-she looked like some ethereal being, tall, lithe, beautiful and oozed sexual appeal-and there was no way a man wouldn’t see her and not think about sex.

Bran was well on his way to developing feelings for Maria, she was sure of it, but at the end of the day, feelings were one thing and lust was another. She wasn’t there when Bran had met his ex but she imagined that one look at her would remind him about what he was missing. Knowing that they used to have sex before only made Maria feel worse.

Two days ago when Bran had told her that Elizabeth was around and would be living with them, it was like a cold bucket of water had been poured on her.

She had grown so comfortable with him and what they had that she’d forgotten completely about the woman. She’d been so close to asking Bran why out of everyone she knew, she’d decided to ask to live with him while her place was being renovated, but then remembered that they used to be lovers-or still were? It was so confusing-and she probably hadn’t seen anything wrong in staying with him.

Still, it pissed her off because why would she just show up unannounced?

If there was anything that Bran’s ex lover showing up had done, it was to remind Maria that she didn’t have as much hold over Bran as she liked to believe. The woman still had a considerable level of hold over Bran for him not to be able to refuse her, and as if that wasn’t enough, she’d touched him.

According to what Bran told her, Elizabeth touched him but he’d rejected the touch. Maria had not been there so how was she to know that it was the truth?

Wait, was she saying now that Bran was cheating on her? This was all so confusing.

She was acting like a jealous lover and she hated it. She’d never been in this position before.

Taking the bend that led to the area where the large piece of land was, Maria stopped short when she heard voices. From the sounds of it, it was two women talking. Their hushed whispers told her that whatever they were saying, they didn’t want anyone to hear and naturally, it only made Maria curious.

Why not spice up her day with secrets from the ones who knew more about the castle than any other person did?Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

After all, it wasn’t like she had her chaperone today. The closer she and Bran had gotten, the more he trusted her and he now allowed her to walk freely within the compound and without anyone following her. It wasn’t a statement that he’d made out loud.

She’d simply said she was going out for a walk by herself one day, and he hadn’t opposed her.

Since the distance she stood from them made it unable for her to hear what they were saying clearly, she amplified their voices with her powers and soon, it was almost like she was standing right next to them.

“She’s the first one to sleep in his room with him for this long. Don’t you think that’s strange?” One woman asked.

“It is but surely, once he finds his mate, she’ll move out. She has to.” Another woman replied.

Maria stood straighter, concentrating more on their conversation. Were they talking about her?

“But what if she’s his mate? Have you never considered it?”

In a chiding tone, the other said, “She cannot be his mate. She doesn’t bear his mark and even at that, fate could never pair the king with a Sorceri. It can never happen.”

Maria’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she realized that they were definitely talking about her.

She was the only member of the Sorceri living in this castle and coincidentally, she happened to be living with their king in his room, so it was her they were talking about.

But how did they know that she was a sorceress? She didn’t wear her glamour anymore and she’d never used her powers here for them to be able to guess that she was one, so how did they know?

“True,” a sigh from the first one. “His majesty is one of the oldest unmated vampires in the realm. Do you really think he’s even searching for his mate?”

“What creature wouldn’t?” The second one sighed as though tired of the first one’s questions. “And a king at that. He needs an heir. Of course he’s searching for his mate. And even if he weren’t, what business is it of ours?” She snapped. “Hush now before someone hears us. I have a husband and two children that I love.”

“You don’t have to be so cruel. Not everyone has found their mate, Sophia.”

Maria staggered away from the wall, done listening to their conversation.

Oh gods, the people knew who she was. No wonder her maid had stared at her like she was death personified when she’d tried to talk to her. No wonder the guards watched her with surprise and wariness whenever she let them know that she wanted to go for a walk.

They knew who she was and they were scared of her. And if they knew, there was a possibility that everyone else in the realm did too.

She didn’t even have to ask how they felt about her being their king’s lover because it was quite obvious that they didn’t approve.

Fate could never pair the king with a Sorceri, the woman had said.

Her time with Bran was temporary. He would find his mate eventually.

But why did the thought of him finding a woman and raising kids with her feel like a punch to Maria’s stomach?

Her mood now sour from the conversation she’d heard-now knowing what people thought about her, how they saw her-she turned around and walked back in the direction she’d come.

According to Bran, there was an identical land on the other side of the castle. She would go there instead. She’d never been before and should probably be going for the first time with a guard or her maid incase anything came up, but she didn’t need them. She had her powers. And it wasn’t like they wanted to be around her anyway-at least not with what she’d heard.

But before she turned and left, she caused a strong breeze to blow and it had the women letting go of the clothes they were hanging on the line to clutch at their flying skirts. Which meant that the wet clothes were now on the ground. They would have to rewash them.

She hadn’t even been able to smile when they started yelling curses.

“Hey, you look a bit pale. Are you okay?” Came a soft, scratchy voice.

Maria was just passing the entrance of the castle, lost in thought, when she heard the voice so she had to stop and look in the direction she’d heard it.

Her brows rose when she saw who it was. Elizabeth.

She considered ignoring her, but that would mean that Maria was angry at her, which would mean that she was intimidated by her.

Maria had brought a man back from the dead. She’d brought the ghost of a woman to the living world for a while. She was not going to be intimidated by Bran’s ex-lover.

“I’m fine,” she managed to ground out before turning away with all intentions of forgetting that this woman had just found the guts to speak to her, and continue on her walk.

“Would it be okay if I joined you on your walk?” The woman asked again, making Maria stop. “Staying inside with nothing to do is starting to mess with my head a bit.”

Staying inside with nothing to do? What did she expect when she came here? That she would be warming Bran’s bed?

Maria opened her mouth to say no because this woman was the reason she was stress-walking in the first place. But then she stepped down from the steps and came to Maria’s side, staring at her expectantly.

The ‘no’ hung at the tip of Maria’s tongue, unspoken, and Maria had to bite down on it to hold the word in.

She could do this. She could endure going on a walk with her lover’s ex, couldn’t she?

“You’re the woman that accompanied His Majesty when he came to my inn that night, aren’t you?”

Maria nodded.

“I didn’t know you lived with him,” she said, then in a tone of innocent curiousity, asked, “What are you to him?”

Maria swallowed the ‘It’s none of your business’ she wanted to say and instead, decided to do one better. “What are you to him?”

Elizabeth’s eyes sharpened at the question and Maria was positive she saw a hint of real malice in the woman’s eyes before she hid it quickly. A good actress.

“You don’t know?” She asked innocently, all wide-eyed. “I thought it would have been obvious that night. I’m his mistress.” Then she cocked her head, giving Maria an assessing glance. “How long have you known him? You must not have known him long if you don’t know who I am. Everyone in the castle knows that I am his mistress.”

Okay, this woman was definitely trying too hard?

Why was she trying to make the fact that she was his mistress so believable? And she honestly thought that she could make Maria jealous by telling her that?

Maria didn’t want to brag about being a man’s mistress. She didn’t believe that was something to be proud of.

“You’re right,” she said in answer to Elizabeth’s question. “I have not known him long. But I have known him long enough to know that you haven’t been around for a while. Why is that so?”

Panic flared in Elizabeth’s eyes, and she played with the edges of her body-hugging gown as a fake smile touched her lips. “Well, I’ve been very busy with personal matters, which was why I decided to take time off to pay him a surprise visit.” She sighed dramatically. “I know how much he must have missed me.”

This bitch was obviously lying.

Paying Bran a surprise visit? Hadn’t Bran told her that she was here because the inn was being renovated?

If the evidence wasn’t clear enough, Maria would have believed that Bran was the one lying, but this woman was trying too hard and that was enough to let Maria know that her words were lies.

They both stopped when they heard the sound of someone running towards them. No, not running. Light steps. Jogging.

The jogger was none other than Bran and she kicked a stone and stumbled a step when she saw that he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

He had on sweats that sat low on his hips, a shirt around his neck and a body covered in sweat. They ran down the hard planes of his chest and torso in rivulets, making his body glisten beautifully.

He slowed to a stop when he saw her and Elizabeth standing there. His brows dove down in confusion and his mouth parted just a bit.

When he swiped his eyes over Maria’s short gown, his green eyes blazed with heat and his jaw slacked even further. A tent started to form in his sweats-because sweatpants made it all the more visible-and his hands fisted and unfisted by his sides.

Maria took a hesitant step forward just as Elizabeth broke into a run and hauled into an unsuspecting Bran.

She had asked herself before if she could endure going on a walk with her lover’s ex and now she knew the answer.

She couldn’t.