Chapter 23: The Border

Aurelian's fingers were cold iron on my wrist.

He pulled, and I fell to my knees on the stone.

His fangs came out, yellowed and long, and his mouth opened at my arm.

"Just a little," he rasped. "Just enough to live..."

Evander hit him so hard that he flew off me.

He landed on his back, wheezing, and the black rot ran out of his mouth.

I scrambled backward on my hands.

Evander stood over his father with his chest heaving.

For one moment I thought he would hesitate.

"Evander," the Lord said, almost fond. "My boy."

"I'm not your boy."

"I made you."

"You made me the son of a woman you kept in a cellar."

"She was dying anyway."

"She was a girl when you took her."

Evander knelt.

He put both hands on his father's face, and the old man's eyes widened.

"Don't," Aurelian whispered. "You'll be alone. You'll have nothing."

"I'll have her."

"Evander..."

"My mother said not to let anyone take her," Evander said. "She was talking about Seren."

He twisted his hands, and the sound was short and final.

The Lord's body went slack.

It did not move again.

The valley stood silent in the red light.

Evander stayed kneeling for a long time.

I crawled to him and put my arms around him from behind, and he turned his face into my shoulder.

"I killed my father," he said.

"I know."

"I'm not sorry."

"I know that too."

A breath rattled out of the dead man's chest.

I flinched.

The body was not quite finished.

The thin old mouth moved, and two words came out, so faint that only the two of us could hear.

"More. Hidden."

Keep reading free with an account. Start My Fated Mate Chose My Sister, So I Claimed the Vampire Heir from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.