The Vampire's Bewitching Bride (The Lonely Tavern Book 7) by Harmony Raines

Author:Harmony Raines [Raines, Harmony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harmony Raines
Published: 2024-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen – Caldric

The pie was beyond amazing. Second only to her grandmother’s, and as she ate it, she was transported back to those days when everything was so simple.

When her life was her own.

And the company was not too bad either.

“Are you sure you don’t want some?” Aralyn asked Caldric, who was studiously not watching her as she took one last bite of the pie.

“It’s not that I don’t want to try some.” He pointed at his stomach and made a circular motion. “Things don’t move like they used to.”

“Okay.” She folded the paper bag around the remains of her pie. “That is more information than I need to know.”

“They don’t teach you that at vampire hunter school?” Caldric asked in mock surprise.

“Well, first, there is no vampire hunter school. And second, my training focused around how to… Well, keeping a vampire in good health is not on the training agenda.” Aralyn shrugged.

Caldric chuckled. “You must be taught more than holy water and wooden stakes. And combat, of course.”

“Tracking. Stealth. Identification.” Aralyn counted off on her fingers, her brow furrowing slightly. “It’s not just about direct confrontations. Knowing your enemy means knowing their habits, their hiding places, how they think.”

“Ah, so you’re more of a vampire detective,” he said with an amused glint in his eyes.

“Something like that,” she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite herself. “Although I don’t think ‘detective’ quite captures the complete picture. Sometimes it’s just legwork and intuition.”

“Intuition, you say?” Caldric’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “And what does your intuition tell you about me?”

“I’m still trying to work that one out.” Aralyn turned to face him, and he stepped closer as he circled his arm around her waist. She licked her lips, leaning in.

What was she doing? He was the enemy.

But he wasn’t. There was nothing about Caldric that screamed danger to her trained instincts. His presence, though undeniably different, didn’t set off the alarm bells it should have, and the slight movement felt so natural.

“And your conclusion so far?” Caldric murmured as he brushed his cold fingers against her cheek. She shivered, but not from his cool touch.

In this moment, she wanted nothing more than for him to close the distance between them and kiss her. This might be the first time she had gotten close up to someone like this, outside of a fight, of course. And it felt nice.

“You’re different.” Aralyn licked her lips and took the initiative. But just as their lips were about to touch, it was as if she had two heartbeats.

There was hers, as familiar as her face in the mirror. And another. It thrummed in her veins, calling to her, beckoning to her. She danced away from him, grabbing his sleeve. “Do you hear that?”

“Music.” Caldric looked confused at first. Then he turned his head to one side and narrowed his eyes as if he were trying to pinpoint the sound.

“That must be the band Uncle Burt told me about. Come on.” She took his hand, guiding him through the people milling in the street.

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