From Slave To Queen (Athena and Michael) novel Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Before I can respond, he’s already let go and disappears into the carriage, which looks nothing like the rickety old cart they arrived in that first day.

1 cast a brief glance at the vampire and lower my head slightly, hoping he’ll understand the small gesture.

His eyes narrow a bit as he keeps his lips pressed in a tight line and nods back.

I hear the knock on the carriage roof giving the order to depart, and I remain standing there, watching my family leave me once again—this time, it promises to be forever

Part of me wants to keep seeing their faces as they vanish, but deep down, I’m thankful they have the courage not to look back. That would only make it more painful.

I stay like that until the carriage is just a tiny dot in the distance

Exhausted, I collapse onto the stairs and hug my knees to my chest.

A long time passes before I feel his presence prickling at my back

“I’m never going to see them again, I say, knowing he’s listening.

I flinch slightly when he appears beside me and sits down, stretching and crossing his long legs in front of him.

“Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel”

“You miss your mother, don’t you?” 1 face him, allowing myself the comfort of talking to him. “In the end, not even your nature makes you immune to the rawest, most painful feelings”

He gives a sad smile, and I lose my breath for a dangerously long time

The light hits him in such a stunning way it’s almost blasphemous to describe it as beautiful—but it is.

His hair is so black it has blue undertones, and his lips are full and masculine,

He was designed specifically to attract prey.

“Unfortunately, I know a lot about pain. Elara”

“Have you always been like this?”

I can’t stop

stop my tongue, which longs to ask the most invasive and undoubtedly inappropriate questions

Cassian looks at me so seriously I’m sure he didn’t like my question.

The silence that follows rapes goosebumps on my skin, anticipating the worst

“No, not always,” he answers without looking away from me. “Before, you might have even found me amusing”

“What did they do to you?

Without realizing it, my hand is resting on his forearm, as if I could extract the words I want to hear through touch

He notices the gesture–his eyes drop to my hand, and they seem to warm my skin.

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows.

“Why do you want to know!”

“You know why I hate you–your kind took away my freedom, ale my will to live from the moment I was aware of myself”

I grip him tighter.

“Tu like to know why you hate us. V

“It’s not a pretty story

“I don’t expect it to be,”

Why you hate me.”

He looks away from me and leans back, resting his arms behind him. I think he won’t answer, as the silence settles between us like a third presence.

12:21 PM c d

Chapter 75

I hear him take a deep breath.

“My kind is rarely monogamous. Vampires have so much time and beauty at our disposal that we see it as ridiculous to spend eternity with just one persion. Unlike humans–whose supposed God doesn’t love you enough to spare you from time, disease, and hardship—you tend to cling to one person. You find beauty in growing old together.

My parents admired that about you. They thought it was something beautiful.

They also wanted to spend eternity together–and believe me, that’s a long, long time”

“Are you saying vampires never consider loving one person for their whole life?”

“It’s not something that appeals to us. Normally, the Pure ones bond for a while–long enough to have children and raise them until they can fend

for themselves.

At least before, when we could still reproduce”

He sighs again.

“What I wanted to tell you is that my parents loved each other–so deeply that even our own race didn’t understand it

They said they learned how to love by watching humans, and that’s why they did everything in their power to ensure your safety.

My parents loved you–damn is

The leather of his gloves creaks as he clenches his hats.

My mouth goes dry, and despite everything, I can’t look away or force myself to leave without hearing the rest of his story, no matter how much pain and hatred is holds

“Humans conspired. They figured out how to kill the Pare ones–and that’s what they did. They managed to wipe out many of us, but they especially went after the women. They didn’t want us reproducing

A strangled laugh leaves his throat

“Idiots. They didn’t know that the Diluted ones would continue to exist–and would become an even worse threat.

Anyway, one night my parents organized a small dinner with the humans they trusted.

Some of them even owed my mother their children’s lives.”

His sapphire eyes pierce my skin when he looks at me again.

“My mother had the gift of healing. She cured several humans who were beyond hope–and look how they repaid her.

They killed her in cold blood. Impaled her before my eyes

And then they did the same to my father–blinded by pain and love, he didn’t resist.

He seemed to prefer following her rather than staying and fighting with me?

“You shouldn’t say that”

“They forced me to swallow my parents‘ blood while their bodies cooled at my feet.”

A muscle twitches in

in his jas

“They stained my soul in a thousand ways, El

Flara.

They whipped me, tore open my wounds, poured salt in them.

When they saw I was starting to heal, diey reopened them—again and again.

They raped me.

They made me live in my own hith

His fangs glint into view, and I swear they look even sharper than before.

“Eventually they grew bored of me–enough to relax their guard–and that’s when I killed them all.

I didn’t leave a single one alive, and it was so much fun to see their horrified fars.

Chapter 73

No one expected in–my gifts had remained hidden until then”

If I moved closer, maybe I could see the carrage in his eyes.

“Doy

you think that’s a good enough reason for me to hate you, Elara?

1 try to wet my mouth with saliva, but my body refuses to cooperate.

My hand is still resting on his forearm when I slowly lower it to touch the leather covering his

It might be my imagination–or something my body secretly craves–but I think I feel his hand gently squeeze mine

“Tim sorry” I say, “I know I’m the last person you want to hear that from—but I am. No one deserves that.”

Has body leans toward mine, and while one hand holds mine, the other rises to cup my cheek

I shudder at the feel of the cold leather against my skin.

“Well, I’m afraid I can’t say the same about you. I can’t regret what I did.”

“What do you mean?”

I don’t regret that you’re here.”

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