The Replacement: A Culling of Blood and Magic Read online

  She wasn’t like the other women in his Culling either. No, Emery’s eyes were curious and wild. Muting her spirit and her mouth to emulate her sister would be a challenge. Not only for her, but for him too. It was her mouth that fueled his libido.

  Her exhilarating scent lingered on him, teasing him. She was different, though he couldn’t place exactly what made her so. He did know the bloodlust that plagued him all his life ceased when she was near. Instead, his body hummed in response to her and drove him to the brink of insanity with the need to claim her. Even the mere thought of her caused him to shift in his seat.

  She was it.

  He didn’t know how he knew, but she was it.

  None of it mattered, though. His desires rarely did when it came to his Culling. His father had a plan, and he was expected to follow it. A plan that didn't include taking a no-name woman from California as his bride.

  The entire Culling was a joke.

  It was a horse and pony show every vampire crown prince had to endure to find his bride, to secure the family legacy. Bloody witches. Despite the few exceptions to the rule, the woman who became queen was chosen for who her family was and what they could bring to the crown, not love.

  His father already had a few women selected as favorites.

  Sloane never had a chance at winning his hand. Neither did Emery. The magic of the Culling deemed her responsible for her familial duty and nothing more. She had to play the game. Just like him.

  It was a shame he’d already promised his father he’d bring her to the castle as Sloane.

  He cleared his head of the idea that he could keep her as she was. He’d ultimately do as his father wished, just as soon as he got every image of her, real and fantasy, out of his mind.

  Pressing her up against the wall like he did less than an hour ago. How he imagined she would take his entire length within her. Then, there was the glorious image of her from last night.

  She’d been too drunk to remember dancing with him. When the first few beats of the song came on, she’d lost it, dragging him out against his will, telling him it was her favorite. He remembered, though. He remembered every moment with her in his arms. They were memories August would hold on to for the rest of his long life.

  But why her?

  What made her special?

  “August?” Her sweet voice pulled him from his thoughts. “I said, what comes next?”

  Her big whiskey eyes widened ever so slightly, and she smiled at him with those kissable lips. Lips he most definitely wanted to taste again.

  He fought the urge to lean in. He couldn’t let her distract him, whatever it was about her that captivated him and caused his nerves to fray. She may be in his world, but she didn’t want him. Something she made exceptionally clear with her words. Even if her body said otherwise.

  And he shouldn’t want her. He was the bloody crown prince, and he didn’t fawn over a simple woman. There were more important things to worry about than plunging into her pussy. There were plenty of women he could sample if he couldn’t get a grip on his dick.

  “First, sit up straight. Sloane had impeccable posture. If you’re going to be her, then you’ll have to act as though you’ve grown up in the castle.” He picked up the binder that sat between them and placed it in her lap. “Then, you study.”

  “Study? Are you serious?” The hostile look in her eye and the way she cocked her brow had him wanting to fuck the smugness out of her.

  He could count on one hand the number of people who could look at him like that and survive. Yet there she sat, as if he weren’t the crown prince of vampires to one of the biggest territories in the world. As if he were just an average person who’d walked into her hotel room and sat down. That would be another thing he’d fuck into her.

  Respect.

  “You have twenty-four hours to become Sloane Montgomery, the most favored Culling woman of Augustine Nicholson. That means you need to know everything she knew about the castle and the people who live there.” He opened the first page of the binder. “In here, you will find a biography on each of the women of the Culling, photos of the royal family, advisors, and servants Sloane came into contact with regularly. In addition, there is a map of the castle for your convenience. Learn it.”

  He knew it was a daunting task, but she could do it. At least he had hope she could. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be long before a court member or castle staff knew they had a death on their hands.

  She flipped through a few pages of the binder. When her eyes returned to his, something darkened within them. “Do I have to be her, August?” Her full lip jutted out ever so slightly, begging to be nipped. She locked in on his gaze, and he could see every emotion she was feeling in them. Anger. Sorrow. Maybe even a touch of fear. Being as old as he was, he’d learned to read others easily but that didn’t mean he enjoyed reading them on her face. “I’ve already agreed, but help me understand why I can’t just be me.”

  Fuck, why did she have to look at him like that? Like he had all the answers she needed, when he didn’t. She was putting her trust in him, but he hadn’t earned it. He wished she could be herself, wanted nothing more than for her to go to the castle and wreck everything those pampered women thought they knew. He could imagine it: her hair in that same messy bun, the same ratty sweatshirt. Sitting cross legged on a three-hundred-year-old chaise lounge with Cooper eating a breakfast burrito with her face buried in an old tome.

  Emery would have brought in a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stuffy life, but Emery wouldn’t exist in the castle. She was about to be stripped away and not in the fun, for his eyes only, kind of way.

  All the things that made her unique would be taken from her, and he wished he wasn’t the one responsible for asking that of her. He wished his world would get the opportunity to know the woman with the pink hair. The woman comfortable in her own skin, not afraid to be herself. The woman with the tiny little freckle on her lip that he wanted to taste again so badly his fangs ached.

  No.

  “Do you remember nothing I told you last night?” He spoke with a level tone, keeping a distance between them while continuing to berate himself internally.

  She rolled her eyes and ungracefully shifted off the bed to grab the pitcher of Irish coffee. She sipped directly from the pitcher. Damn, she was adorable as hell. He didn’t even know cavegirl-with-no-class was his type until just then.

  “You and I both know, at a certain point last night, all coherent retainment went out the window.”

  He huffed a frustrated sigh. She had been a feisty, yet charming, drunk. “Right now, there is unease in the supernatural world. The truce between the three factions has never been so thin, and a death in the castle could tip the scales. I believe Sloane’s death was intentional, to expose an inability to protect what’s mine. To make me look weak in the eyes of the witches and the wolves. As I said before, having you become Sloane allows us to have the leg up. Let the murderers believe they didn’t succeed in whatever plot they’re trying to execute. We have the upper hand while we figure out what they are trying to accomplish.”

  “Did you fail to protect her?”

  August rubbed the back of his neck. It would be easier for him if she didn’t ask questions. He could compel her to be silent, but he refused to be responsible for Emery losing her fire. “Yes.”

  She furrowed her brow, her face a picture of judgement. His judgement. “Do you think she was targeted specifically?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  He held his ground at her verbal challenge. It had been too long since a woman had the guts to spar with him, and damn if it didn’t make him want to keep her more. “Because she was considered the front runner in the Culling.”

  “She was?” Her brows raised along with her voice.

  Wrong answer. Telling the woman he wanted that her sister was the frontrunner in a game for his heart wasn’t his smartest move. She’d thrown him off kilter with her questions, and he’d slipped up.

  Then again, maybe this was the answer to his problem. If Emery believed he loved her sister, maybe she’d stay away from him. Make both of their lives a hell of a lot easier.

  “Because we appeared to spend a lot of time together.”

  Emery slammed the binder down on the bed and glared daggers at him. “Did you or did you not have a thing with my sister?”

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “I have a thing with a lot of women. But even if I did, it wouldn’t be any of your business.” That was a lie, and he bloody knew it.

  Emery’s eyes watered, on the verge of tears.

  “Emery, I didn’t—”

  “Fuck you.” Emery stood and effectively cut him off. She barely set the pitcher down on the cart before she turned on him, heat in her eyes. “I’ve taken every bit of this situation in stride. I could whine and complain about how unfair the whole thing is, but I’m a realist and can see that a pity party isn’t going to do a damn thing for me. However, knowledge about my sister is sure as hell my business, and you know it. I’m going to be her, for fuck’s sake, August. I have to know these things otherwise I’m flying blind. Otherwise...” she trailed off and put her hand delicately over her mouth.

  “Otherwise what, Emery?”

  She stared at him, her jaw clenched, eyes searching for something in his, but he didn’t know what. Her internal battle waged silently with no guts to tell him the thoughts that plagued her. He wouldn’t pretend to know what she was thinking. That was a dangerous game to play when it came to someone who made him feel the way she did. The things she didn’t say could be more dangerous. So, he asked her again, this time lower, asserting his dominance. “Otherwise what, Emery?”

  “Otherwise, I could be next.”

  An unsolicited g
rowl formed deep in his chest. It’d been centuries since anything brought that sound from him, and she’d done so before the sun reached its apex. “I will not allow that to happen. You are mine.”

  “Because being yours worked out so well for Sloane? And I am not yours in any capacity.” The words delivered a slow, cold slice to his ego.

  His hands fisted at his sides, her accusation fanning his anger. He wanted to pin her down until she understood it wasn’t his fault.

  At least he kept telling himself it wasn’t.

  A single tear fell down her cheek. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t manage to pry his gaze off her. Her sorrow tugged at his heart, and he didn’t like her effect on him. With most women, he’d walk away and allow them to wallow in their useless emotions. But with Emery, he wanted to do something he’d never done with another Culling woman.

  He wanted to comfort her.

  It should disgust him...but it didn’t.

  August steadied his voice, knowing she was not going to understand what he was about to say. Though, he hoped one day, when the time was right, she would. “It’s not my story to tell.”

  If looks could kill, he would have a dagger through his chest. “It was my sister’s life that was taken, August. I don’t care whose story it is.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry she’s gone.” Her eyes narrowed on him.

  Damn. He wasn’t fooling her with his halfhearted answer. But he would do whatever it took to protect his family, and it wasn’t his secret to tell.

  Emery sank back onto the bed and rested her elbows on her knees. She raked her hands through her pink-streaked hair, lacing them at the base of her neck. “You don’t know who they are, do you? The ones that killed her.”

  “No. I don’t. Which is why you shouldn’t be involved. As you said, you could be next.”

  “I’m only here to find out what happened to my sister. I’ll keep my head down.”

  He wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him of that fact or herself?

  August reached out and cupped her face, despite all logical instincts telling him not to. His skin hummed the moment he touched her, and her eyes widened. He leaned in, holding her gaze. “Emery, I’m only going to say this once. From this moment on, you are mine. Until I deem it safe to release you from your duty. You. Are. Mine. I am a man of my word and will keep you up to date on the investigation of your sister’s death. But make no mistake, I protect what’s mine. You will be safe in my care.” He closed the small distance between them and brushed his lips lightly against hers.

  Emery closed her eyes, shutting him out from whatever emotions she was feeling. She spoke quietly against his lips. “I’ll never be yours.” With that, she pulled away.

  August reluctantly let her go. He forced himself to steady his breath. They were just words, the words of a woman he barely knew. And yet, they inexplicably cut deeper than any sword his greatest enemy could wield.

  When Emery opened her eyes, the fire in her gaze that shone when she went toe-to-toe with him had returned.

  Good. She was going to need to be strong to succeed at the castle.

  She didn’t acknowledge his actions, instead her attention went to the binder in her lap. She thumbed through the first couple pages, stopping on a photo that was taken the month before. “Who’s this?”

  “That’s Thea.” A smile tugged at his lips as he studied the little girl with pigtails. “She’s my younger sister. She looks innocent enough, but be warned, that girl is a hellion.”

  Her shoulders relaxed as he spoke of his sibling. The Culling women knew about his family, having been raised in the castle. It was rare someone new came, and he found it nice to talk about them with someone who had no knowledge.

  She smiled, and he ached to pounce.

  Her brows furrowed and she tilted her head. “I thought vampires could only produce male heirs? Something about dominant genes.”

  “That’s correct. Thea is adopted. My mother volunteers at one of the orphanages on the south side of Chicago. She met Thea there and instantly knew she was something special. Unable to leave her there, she brought her home to be a part of our family.”

  “She’s human?”

  “Yes, she is, and deaf.”

  “Wow,” Emery paused, her mouth hanging open. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Why? Because a vampire family couldn’t possibly do something nice for another living being?”

  With the flip of a switch, August’s need to protect his family took over. He was on the edge once more, needing to make her understand, but also keep her at arm’s length. Welcome her, yet still be detached of any emotions that tethered him to her.

  “You know, Emery, we aren’t all bad.” He tried to keep his composure, but a growl escaped him.

  “I know that.” Her voice was firm and direct. A show of falsities. “It’s just interesting that a vampire family would take in a human girl. Human blood is your main food source. It’s like a lion raising a lamb.”

  Her words pushed him over the edge. He had no idea who she learned of vampires from, but she clearly did not understand them or their motives. His motives. She may be the only woman to ever consume his mind and body, but she was still human. And in his experience, every human outside the castle was the same.

  Discriminatory of that which they didn’t understand.

  “I’m sure you think you have us all figured out. We’re the vampires that prey on weak human children. The vampires that took your sister.” His hackles were raised, and there was no backing down from the fight now. “You think you know us, but you’re going to need to check that attitude at the hotel door. Whether you want to believe it or not, your sister loved living at the castle. She found love, passion, and friendship within its walls. Do remember that when you show up tomorrow.”

  Emery’s jaw tightened, and her lips drew into a line. “I’m sure you know all about the love and passion Sloane found during her stay at the castle, Your Highness. She was your favorite, after all. Oh wait, I’m sorry. I was your favorite.” Her eyes narrowed on his. “I won’t be sloppy seconds, August. Especially not to my sister.”

  His hands balled into fists in his lap. He needed to leave before he said something stupid. Well, more stupid. Emery could think whatever she wanted about him. About his family. Everything would come to light in the end, and he couldn’t wait to see the shock on her face when it did.

  He stood from the bed and grabbed his coat off the chair before storming toward the door. He was blowing everything out of proportion, but he didn’t care. He wouldn’t admit the root of his problem, the reason he needed to get the hell out of that hotel room, was not her lack of knowledge about vampires or her accusations of her sister's role at the castle.

  No, it was her tenacity. Her personality. The way she spoke to him with little regard for his station. She spoke her mind, and it drove him wild with need. Needs he couldn’t explore with her if he were to keep his promise to let her go.

  Emery continuously showed him she wasn’t looking for his attention. Wasn’t kissing his ass so she could be his next queen. She was honest to a fault and couldn’t keep that damn mouth of hers shut. He could find plenty of ways to shut it for her. Ones he would thoroughly enjoy.

  He liked that she talked back. Damn it, he hated that he liked it so much.

  He needed to shake that woman from his system, needed to forget about Emery and every bit of her intoxicating personality. Because the next time August saw her, she’d be a distant memory.

  The next time he saw her, she’d be Sloane.

  Chapter Five

  Emery closed the binder in front of her and peered out the window at the beautiful sunset over the Chicago skyline. She’d finished her studying and knew everything from the difference between Victoria I. and Victoria M. to which fork she should use first when dining with the royal family.

  She’d spent all fucking day in her luxurious hotel room reading that damn binder.

  All day.

  She should have raided the mini bar, ordered room service, and watched every pay-per-view as a big middle finger to August and his attitude, but that wouldn’t solve any of her problems.

  She’d still have to show up at the castle and play the part she’d agreed to. It was the only way she’d be kept in the loop on the investigation of Sloane’s death. And once the investigation was over, she could leave and get back to her life in California.