The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 149

CELINE

I swallowed hard at his words and his hypnotic gaze, but I didn’t feel as euphoric as I had imagined I would.

Maybe because he was a vampire, and I didn’t like that arrogant, snobbish race at all.

"Mía, are you sure this man is our mate?"

"It seems like he is."

"What do you mean ‘seems,’ Mía? Wake up!"

"Yes, yes, I can feel the bond’s chemistry, but… I don’t know. I don’t want him to touch me. It’s only connected to your vampire side."

“You’re distracted. It’s rude to talk to your inner wolf while I’m asking you something.”

“Can you hear her?” I asked, feeling a flicker of hope. He let go of my chin and straightened up.

“How could I hear your animal side? We haven’t even performed any ceremony,” he replied in a slightly mocking tone, walking toward a nearby table.

He did hear her, I thought, and once again, my mind drifted to that man in the castle. Was he real?

“We have a lot to talk about, you and I. It’s unexpected that my mate is a hybrid. Honestly, it’s not very pleasant for me,” he said, approaching again. My eyes locked onto the dagger now in his hand.

Was he going to kill me?

“You don’t have to end my life to break the bond. You can just reject me. In fact, I don’t like this bond either.”

I kicked my feet and tried to stand, but he moved at an incredible speed, pressing the tip of the dagger to my neck, tracing it softly along my skin.

“Who said we can’t both benefit from this bond?” His low voice poured into my ear, and I didn’t dare take a deep breath.

“Tell me what you need from me, and I’ll tell you what I need from you.”

I stood there, stunned. Did I need something from him? Of course, something crucial—something life or death.

Even though I resisted the idea of having a vampire as my mate and wanted to fight it, the Goddess had screwed me over with this bond. And honestly, I didn’t want to die—who would, when the solution was right in front of them?

But just the thought of him marking my neck made my stomach turn. Why, if he was my mate? Then again… if it were another vampire...

“I need your mark to stabilize my vampire side. Once I’m healed, we can dissolve the bond. That’s all I ask. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to tell me what trick you used to get into the castle. How did you manage to pass through the forbidden lands?” He seemed very interested.

“Forbidden lands? I just climbed over that gate. Can’t you?”

“Don’t play dumb, hybrid! I mean…” he recomposed himself from his sudden outburst. “What’s your name?”

“Celine,” I replied, annoyed and frustrated—this wasn’t getting us anywhere.

“Look, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. I just passed through the gate, that’s it…” But then I remembered he had told me only I could enter.

“You didn’t hear a man’s voice? A vampire? What’s your connection to Prince Zarek?” he asked, visibly anxious. The mention of that name stirred something deep inside me, but it faded quickly.

“Yes, I… I saw a man. He told me he could let me into the palace. Who is he? Is his name Zarek?”

And then I heard the story of that vampire imprisoned in the dungeons, and suddenly, everything made sense.

He had been locked up there by one of the first Selenias, punished for his crimes. Now that none of them ruled and no one controlled the castle, he was merely looking for a foolish, unsuspecting girl to seduce and use to set him free.

A pang of disappointment throbbed in my chest, a dull ache that soon faded in the storm of my thoughts.

His dark hair dripped onto his pale skin, tracing down to his bare torso.

“Better than expected. She says she’s my mate,” I said, unable to hold back a sarcastic smile as I poured some wine from the liquor cabinet into a crystal glass.

“What kind of nonsense is that?” he inquired, stepping closer to snatch the glass from my hand and taking a slow sip.

My eyes couldn’t leave his lips, now stained red by the drink, which only accentuated his mocking expression.

“I’m sure this has something to do with that old warlock, Merkall. Very clever. I even felt something pulling me toward that woman, calling me. She just doesn’t realize I’m going to turn her own trap against her,” I said, taking back the glass and grabbing him by the waist, pulling him against my taller frame.

I took the last sip and tossed the glass onto the table, lowering my mouth to suck on his cold lips, exchanging the drink as our tongues intertwined.

We moved step by step toward the bed, never breaking the connection, feeling his hardness grow against mine as I caressed his strong back, sliding my hands down to the towel I was about to remove.

“I think you’ve found a gem, Claus. She seems to be Zarek’s true mate. Do you know what that means?”

“That if we have his mate as a hostage, we’ve got that Ancient bastard by the balls.”

“You have no idea how much your villainous streak turns me on,” I whispered, smirking as I pushed him onto the bed.

The towel slipped away, revealing Claus’s sexy, toned body, sprawled on my sheets, waiting just for me.

I pounced on him, excited and burning, ready for a night of lust with my true mate.

*****

VALERIA

“I don’t know what’s happening, but I can’t reach Celine through my spell,” I said, frowning at everyone in the room, concern weighing heavy in my voice.