The Vampire's Reflection Read Free Page A

this here?” She forced herself to look away from the scabby face frozen forever in a terrifying howl. Its claws were gnarled around its slanted head and she fantasized about what might happen if a human were to stumble across such a thing.
    Valek finally dropped his gaze from the afternoon sky, transferring all of the light his eyes had seemingly soaked up down at her. He was beyond beautiful. She had pictured this vision about a thousand times over her years growing up. It was absolutely criminal to conceal something this unearthly in the darkness, where no one could appreciate it.
    “The body will decompose too quickly before anyone else stumbles across this clearing again.”
    His large, cool hand closed delicately around hers, pulling her away from the corpse already seeming to melt into the frost, its flesh quickly peeling in on itself. Charlotte had never seen anything like it—like watching the decomposing process of a dead animal, sped up. A few small beetles were already crawling around the skull. But that was the thing about magic. Right down to the core of its biology, Law One was always in practice: never reveal the existence of magic to the mortal world .
    Valek laced his long, bloodless fingers through her warm ones again as they treaded together back down the path covered over by a light dusting of fresh winter. It sparkled in the late afternoon light like finely sanded diamonds. The only other prints left in it were their previous ones, when they’d traveled across the Occult borders earlier that day. Looking up at him again, Charlotte noticed a sudden smirk play across Valek’s sculpted features. She was just about to question it, when he abruptly shoved her up against the trunk of a tall, thin evergreen. His sweet scent enveloped her as he pressed himself against her body, hands moving to the narrow of her waist. She gazed up at him, unable to blink.
    “I love when you look at me like that,” Valek chuckled. His claw grazed over her cheek, making the hairs rise on the back of her neck. He pressed his cool lips to the pulse throbbing at the base of her throat and whispered against her skin. “Like you’re afraid of what I’ll do next.” He kissed her lightly before burying his face in her neat curls, his mouth gently pressed against her scar.
    Charlotte wound her fingers around the material of his overcoat in anticipation. But Valek merely kissed her skin once before pulling away and helping her back onto the path.
    “Come,” he offered. “We should be heading home. It’s on the verge of dusk. And we do know what evil things like to lurk in the night.” Valek winked at her and flashed another large grin.
    Charlotte snorted. “I used to be one of those things too, you know.”
    Valek’s lips pressed into a thin line as he proceeded to lead her away. Charlotte only frowned, though, knowing the grievances he had with himself about the awful things he used to make her do. The fact of the matter was she was a murderer, just as he was. Even though she didn’t possess his fangs, power, and agelessness, they were both the same amount of monster. The only difference was she didn’t regret her actions as much as Valek did. She perceived her victims as sacrifices to keep the love of her life alive. They did not die in vain. She didn’t identify with her mortality at all.
    Charlotte’s world, in that moment, seemed as peaceful as it could possibly ever be in spite of being out on a Vampire’s hunting errand. It didn’t matter what they were doing, as long as they were together, with no Elven guards close behind. Vladislov was dead. Aiden was still only missing, though without any order and followers, rebuilding the Regime single-handedly would be a difficult task for him. There was no longer any fear or consequence now that Valek and the rest of their adopted coven of rogues and misfits had toppled the Regime throne.
    Smiling, Charlotte recognized how amazing it was to know Valek stayed steadfast