Twenty-year-old Claire must deceive a vampire prince to infiltrate the monarchy and discover their secrets while resisting her desire for him.
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Nothing in my life has ever been easy. Including the mission my family has sent me on.
My sister and...
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Croire (verb) to believe, to think
When our coach arrived at the castle, he was waiting for me.
I hadn't expected him to be. Not after the way he'd left. But there he was. Standing in the light of the midday sun.
I exited the coach, eyes fixed on him. Pieces of my unbound hair flew around my face in a gust of snowy air, but I didn't move to fix it. With measured steps, I made my way to where he stood.
Others joined me. Tyson, Okeri, and Natalia. But I took little notice of them.
Much like the first night we met, the sight of Bastien had my heart in a frantic race. But unlike that night, I knew much more about this vampire than rumors or gossip.
And I planned to bring him to his knees now that I was finally at his castle by discovering the location of the remaining demonic relics, and handing the information over to my family so they could systematically destroy them.
But first, I had business to attend to.
Standing on the steps that led up to the grand entrance of Chateau Rose, Bastien wore a black knee-length frock coat detailed with gold embroidery at the lapel and on the cuffs, a black shirt, and a black necktie. One hand gripped the head of his cane, the other tucked behind his back.
My dress matched his. Layers of black lace and black chiffon with gold applique on the bodice.
He looked like an inkblot against the majesty of his castle, which was hewn from soft pink stones. The tops of each turret frosted with snow.
I was drawn to him, despite how angry I was, in a way I couldn't quite understand. We'd been apart for the better half of a day, and seeing him again felt like coming home.
But I knew better than to be tricked. It was just the allure of him. A deadly predator who sought to set their prey at ease with their beauty.
He wanted to drink from me, nothing more.
I lifted the hem of my dress as I took the steps one at a time, careful not to trip up the long set of stairs, until I finally stood in front of him. This close, the color of his eyes was as brilliant as the frozen streams crisscrossing the land outside his castle.
I met his icy gaze with an equally chilly one.
Dipping my chin, I curtsied, as was expected of me.
Bastien bowed at the neck, then, strangely, extended his hand to me.
I looked up at him through my lashes, not sure what to make of this gesture.
"Welcome to Chateau Rose," he said in his deep, melodic voice. "I believe a tour is in order to acquaint you with the grounds."
I hesitated, not knowing what to do. Part of me wanted to let him lead me on a tour. I wanted to listen to him talk about this place he called home and let him show me the greenhouse he'd sketched for me late one night.
