Read Vows of a Vampire for Free Online

the strength of ten men. Dante’s death sapped him of everything. His courage, his confidence, and his honour. What good was he to anyone?
    Frustrated, Varick left the Grievance Hall and descended the marble staircase to the lower level. Blake, one of his coven brothers, sat in the commons room, a thick book sprawled open in his lap.
    With a glance upwards, he nodded. “Ah, my brother, you look troubled.”
    Of all his coven brothers, Varick trusted Blake the most. “I’m afraid my mind is reeling tonight.”
    The silver-haired vampire closed his book and smiled. “I’d be happy to listen if it will help.”
    Varick sat across from him, his leg propped on his opposite knee.
    “It’s Aubrey.”
    “Ah yes, females—they’re the devil.”
    He winced. While loyal to his coven, he couldn’t bear to have anyone speak unkindly about Aubrey. “Not so. Not her. She’s different.”
    Blake cast him a comical look and laughed. “Brother, I only meant it in jest. I’m referring to all females and the hold they have over us, whether we like it or not.”
    Varick feigned amusement, not wanting to alienate the one person he could confide in right then. “I apologise. Touchy subject, I guess.”
    “I’d say so. Didn’t you learn anything from Dante about loving a mortal?”
    He’d learned how empty one could be without love. “Believe me, I’ve tried to convince myself she means nothing to me, but so far it hasn’t worked. In fact, I believe I made things worse.”
    Blake groaned. “What did you do?”
    His muscles tensed as he replayed the scene he’d come upon just seconds before he’d almost lost her. “I saved her life tonight. The car she drove nearly went over a cliff. She would have died had I not intervened.”
    He didn’t dare meet his brother’s gaze.
    “Sounds like you were a hero.”
    Varick studied him, surprised by his nonchalance. “I suppose it could be looked at that way, but...”
    “Yes,” Blake prompted.
    “While I’ve done my best to watch over her from a distance, tonight I made the choice to let her know I existed. We…spoke. I told her of the vow I made.”
    Blake shot forward, brows arched, lips curled in disgust. “You met in person? Are you mad? Please tell me you are joking.”
    Briefly, Varick worried he’d made the wrong choice in speaking of her. “You don’t understand. She almost died. Her frame of mind frightened me. I did a quick mind sweep and her actions were erratic. She didn’t think there was anything left to live for. I couldn’t in good conscience allow her to go through with killing herself.”
    Blake put a hand up and shook his head. “While it’s admirable that you saved her, she’s a mortal. Her chosen path isn’t for you to decide.”
    The path he wanted for her included them together. Forcing himself to stay calm, he took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “I promised to make sure no harm came to her. In any form. Including if she took her own life.”
    He watched his coven brother stand and move around behind the couch, the vein in his forehead throbbing.
    “You can’t make your existence be about this vow to Dante. You’ve let it—her—control you for far too long. And—”
    Varick didn’t even let him finish. “If you witnessed in your mind that someone you cared for would die, and you held the power to save them, wouldn’t you?”
    Blake sat back down across from him. The silence alone nearly drove him mad.
    “Yes, I suppose I would. Let’s move past the whole rescue mission and get to the heart of the matter. Why, after you saved her, didn’t you leave her alone?”
    He dropped his shoulders. “Being in her presence, I couldn’t turn away. I had to talk with her, touch her.”
    Blake sighed and leaned back against the couch, his fingers steepled. “How did it feel?”
    Nothing brought him greater pleasure than speaking about the woman he loved. “She nearly brought me to my knees with her beauty and innocence. I thought