Opulent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) by Isabelle Gallo Page B

figure said and sat up with some difficulty, one hand clutching his injured, bloody arm. The color of his blood was dark, a clear sign that he was of some royalty.
    “Let me help you.” I tried to take his hand, but he quickly turned. “Let me help you,” I repeated.
    “Who are…are you…Chenille East?”
    “Yes, I am, now if you could just let me-,”
    “Chenille? Chenille where are you? Get over here!” It was Pete.
                  The boy froze, sat as still as a statue. Even his breathing stilled. “Who are you? What is your name?” I whispered.
    “I am…Lucian, Fitzray’s cousin.”
                  There is that name again.
    “Chenille!”
    “I can’t leave you here, you’re hurt.”
    “Don’t worry about me, just go. Meet me here when Pete is asleep.”
    “But your arm-,” I began.
    “Go!”
                  Slowly I made my way over to Pete, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder at Lucian as I did so.
    “Where were you? I heard a loud noise and-,”
    “That was thunder, nothing to worry about.” I pushed him back through the doors of the palace.
    “It didn’t sound like thunder, it sounded louder.”
    “It was thunder.” I struggled to make my voice sound convincing.
                  He laughed quietly. “You look so shaken.”
    “ You look so disheartening.”
                  He smiled and pressed his lips to my neck. “Must I make you begin the Ceremony?”
                  I laughed. “You can’t make me drink your blood. It won’t happen.”
    “How about Fitzray? How was his blood?”
    “Who is Fitzray?”
    “No one important,” he grumbled.
    “Well, whoever he was, I’m sure his blood was delicious compared to yours .”
    “Why you-,”
    “I have no trust in you and I don’t want to drink your thick, acidic blood. That’s why I don’t like it. I don’t like you .”
    “Of course you do. I am all you have.”
    “That’s not true! And I would prove it to you if you took me to Catastrophe-,”
    “I will never take you to Catastrophe. Everything you would ever need and want, I can give to you,” he spat.
    “Well, I want to go to Catastrophe.”
    “Except that .”
                  I crossed my arms impatiently. “I want to be left alone for the rest of the night.”
                  Just as I turned, his hand grabbed my arm.
    “Why must you be so difficult,” he scorned. “I only do what I do out of love,” he chimed, practically mocking. I realized, remembered , that those were the last words my brother said before he was killed. “I do love you.”
                  I looked away in disgust from the vampire. A part of me wanted to echo his words, but another part of me would have pierced my heart if I had. His poison had control over me, which made me echo these words repeatedly without me realizing it. Each time I had said them, he kissed me and gave me the poison I craved, but in doing so, he lost more of his poison to control me. At the same time, he became more and more powerful from the sense of the fake love he was receiving from my words.
                  I broke away from his grip, this time refusing to echo his words. This was a first, the sense of my independence from him, and he growled loudly at my rebellion. My gaze focused elsewhere, to the stairs, and I made my way toward them.
    “Come back.”
                  Tossing my head, I swaggered up the stairs. As I proceeded away from him, he angrily ran after me.
    “You cannot disobey my wishes, Pete.”
    “And you cannot disobey mine .”
                  Once I made it to the top of the stairs, I settled my feverish glare over him.
    “I am Queen of the vampires. Not even you can overpower me .”
    “Oh yes I can. Since I am King and you are mine, I can easily overpower you in every way.”
                  He prowled up the stairs like a