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A blaze of heat burned through my veins. “If you touch her, I will kill you,” I hissed. “I won’t warn you again.”

Cool fingers tapped my hand. “As if you could stop me, my sweet Lukas.”

I could feel her, she was trying to get into my head. It felt like little worms were digging into my skull and trying to force their way through. I blocked her, even though she was my Queen and could order my execution on the spot.

The only reason I’d survived her this long was because she liked me. The same went for a few of my peers. There used to be more of us, but... not anymore.

Eternity could get boring unless one livened it up.

Before I stood, I took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “What are you wearing?” Her nose wrinkled.

“I will be getting changed. There is one more thing—I did not come back alone. A vampire named Kiam took the liberty of following.” Annalise raised a single brow. “He is unique.”

My Queen snapped her finger and her slave approached with a glass. “No, that’s not what I want.”

She lifted her dress, baring a hairless lower body. The young man set the crystal flute down and pulled his long tunic over his head before he tossed it to the floor.

“I will introduce him to you later,” I stated. She didn’t look at me as her fangs descended.

The slave approached her outstretched arms. “I knew I smelled something turned. Enjoy him while you can.” She waved a dismissive hand at me.

I had the distinct feeling she wouldn’t be able to kill him, though I couldn’t say why for sure. It was a quality that would save him in a Realm full of natural born vampires. We were the First Realm, and we didn’t forgive.

We prided ourselves on being born vampires and coming from the first of our kind. We also prided ourselves on only mating with our own.

Which meant Cassia was at risk.

And Kiam was about to find himself employed for the first time in hundreds of years.

CHAPTER 7

Cassia

“Holy shit,” I muttered into my pillow.

What a fucking nightmare.

Tugging the comforter down, it felt funny. Almost like a velour whereas the new blanket Bryan and I recently bought was one thousand thread count. My fingers slid back and forth along the edge, and the sensation remained. The softness was incredible and reminded me of a chinchilla. I’d had one as a pet when I was in grammar school and I used to press it against my face, it was so soft.

A sinking feeling filled my soul as my heart raced. I was scared to open my eyes or lift my head from the pillow for fear of what I would see.

The last thing I knew, Bryan and his whores were scattered across my living room like they got hit head-on by a dump truck. And there was a duo of vicious strangers responsible for the carnage. Two oddly attractive men. An arrogant blond and a spooky guy who wore makeup like he worked at a goth Wal-Mart.

No matter what had happened, I was going to have to face it, so I rolled over.

The bed I was lying on was huge—bigger than any I’d ever seen, length or widthwise. It was kind of like a box, with walls and curtains hanging around the large openings. The headboard was deeply carved and peaked with a solid wall behind it.

Across from the foot of the bed were large windows with diamond-shaped panes. They were so far away it seemed like wherever I was, the space was larger than my entire apartment.

I scooted down and peeked out the side, sucking in a breath when I saw the rest of the room. It was like I’d been transported to a gothic fantasy world. Everything was either black, or rich, dark stained wood.

And everything was molded and carved. From the walls and furniture to the ceiling and trim. Crystal and brass, mirrors, and artwork. Oh my God.

I was out of bed before I felt myself moving. There was a spectacular oil painting in a thick, gilded frame directly across from me that pulled me from the enormous mattress.

The sky was similar to the one I’d drawn with colored pencils recently, in warm ochre shades. The mountains were stylized just the way I’d been going for but hadn’t really been able to quite capture. My stomach twisted, looking at it. It was so beautiful and I just wasn’t talented enough.

Tearing my gaze away, I walked down to the windows. The view made me feel like I was in the painting. Was I dreaming right now? I glanced at the floor. My toes touched hardwood, but my heels were on what appeared to be a Persian rug.