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  THE VAMPIRE’S

  TRUE LOVE TRIALS

  A Nocturne Falls Short Story

  Kristen Painter

  Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year. The tourists think it’s all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals in town know better.

  Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.

  Vampire Sebastian Ellingham wants one thing: to marry Tessa Blythe, the Valkyrie he’s fallen madly in love with. So meeting her parents seems like the natural thing to do. He’s even looking forward to it, until he discovers they’ve already found her a husband. Now the only way to keep Tessa in his life is to complete a series of tests meant for a very different kind of supernatural. And failing means losing her forever.

  THE VAMPIRE’S TRUE LOVE TRIALS:

  A Nocturne Falls Short Story

  Copyright © 2017 Kristen Painter

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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  Table of Contents

  THE VAMPIRE’S TRUE LOVE TRIALS

  Welcome to Nocturne Falls

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  About the Author

  Many Thanks

  Sebastian knew Tessa was tired. She’d said very little since they’d returned from giving their statements to the vampire council. She sat in a chair on the balcony of their suite, staring out over the canal below and watching the sun rise over Amsterdam.

  The night had been long and grueling with hours of questions and testimonies, and neither of them was used to typical vampire hours, which was what the council kept.

  But at least the situation with Evangeline was resolved. Whatever punishment the council meted out was their business. All he cared about now was his darling valkyrie. And now that this ordeal was over and Evangeline was behind them for good, he was finally going to ask Tessa to marry him. Because, more than anything, Sebastian wanted to marry this woman and make her his wife. He believed she wanted that just as much as he did. He stepped onto the balcony. “Are you all right, love?”

  She glanced at him, her smile weak. “Yes. Just tired. And hungry.”

  “Let me order something for you. What would you like?”

  “Are you going to eat with me?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good.” She leaned back. “I need comfort food. Pasta. And steak.” Then she smiled in earnest. “And something chocolate.”

  He laughed. “I’ll take care of it.” He went back into the suite and ordered everything on the menu that he thought she might like, then joined her on the balcony again. He sat next to her and took her hand. “Anything else I can do for you?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so drained. Physically, emotionally, mentally… I’m wiped out.”

  He nodded. “Testifying in front of the vampire council wasn’t easy for me, and I’m a vampire. I can only imagine how hard that was on you. But you did beautifully. You were intelligent and articulate. Just as I thought you’d be. I’m very proud of you.”

  “Thanks.” She squeezed his hand. “I don’t think I could have done it without you by my side. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  She sighed and stretched a little. “I’ll feel better after a good meal and a long nap.”

  “We both will. I just wish we could have seen more of the city.”

  Her eyes brightened. “You mean you would have played tourist with me?”

  “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” He meant that as deeply as he could. “We still can, you know. There’s no reason for us to head back immediately.”

  She tipped her head, her expression skeptical. “There’s at least one good reason.”

  “Which is?”

  “Your sister-in-law could go into labor at any moment. You’re about to be an uncle.”

  “Ah, yes, that. Well, I’ll be an uncle wherever I am. And while the birth of my first niece or nephew is definitely a momentous occasion, I would much prefer spending time with you.” He cocked a brow. “What do you say? Shall we recover for a day, then take in the sights of the city?”

  “If you’re going to approve my time off, then…yes.”

  “Excellent. And of course your time off is approved. I’m on the board of directors at Harmswood Academy. If I say the dean of library studies needs some additional personal time in Amsterdam, who’s going to argue with me?”

  She grinned. “Good point. But you should still probably let someone know.”

  He pulled out his phone. “I’ll take care of it immediately.” This was just the chance he needed. With more time in the city, he could set up a lovely little dinner for two somewhere, then ask her the big question. He had the ring. Hell, the ring had been on his person since he’d bought it so that no opportunity might be missed.

  Tessa stood and stretched again. “I’m going to take a quick shower before the food arrives.”

  “All right.” He lifted the phone to his ear.

  She bent and kissed him, her touch soft and lingering. “Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  She traipsed off as his brother Hugh answered. “Sebastian? How did it go?”

  “It was arduous. You know how thorough the council can be, but it’s done and our end of things is finished.”

  His brother grunted. “Good. Any idea what Evangeline is going to get?”

  “Could be five years. Either way, she’s no longer my concern.”

  “We’re all glad you’re free of that woman.”

  “No more than I am.”

  Hugh laughed. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. And Didi? How did she do?”

  “Fine.” Their grandmother had accompanied Sebastian and Tessa since a very old friend of hers—and the vampire who’d sired her—was on the council. “I actually think she enjoyed testifying.”

  “Running Evangeline down has always been a hobby of hers.”

  Sebastian snorted. “She’s probably disappointed those days are over.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Well, you can ask her. She’s on her way home. Didn’t want to miss her first great-grandchild arriving. Speaking of, how’s Delaney? Am I an uncle yet?”

  “Not yet. I promise I’ll let you know as soon as possible. Do you have news to share with us?”

  Sebastian sighed, knowing exactly what his brother was talking about. “No. But we’re going to stay in Amsterdam a few more days, which is why I called so that you can square everything at Harmswood on Tessa’s behalf.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Good. While we’re here, I plan on taking her out for a romantic evening and finally asking. With this Evangeline business behind us, I feel confident she’ll say yes.”

  “We all hope that. Tessa
is a remarkable woman. Far better than any of us imagined you’d ever do.”

  “Now see here—”

  Hugh laughed. “You’re lucky to have her and you know it.”

  “No argument there.” The suite’s doorbell rang. Sebastian stood. “On that note, our dinner has arrived. All the best to Delaney.”

  “I’ll tell her. Best of luck to you as well.”

  “Thank you.” Sebastian hung up and headed in.

  Tessa walked out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam and wearing a hotel robe. She rubbed at her damp hair with a towel. “Was that room service I heard?”

  He nodded. “I’m just letting them in now. Do you want to eat on the balcony or in the room?”

  She smiled. “In bed.”

  He grinned in return. “That must have been some shower.”

  She laughed and headed past him toward the bedroom. “It was pretty good. Perked me right up.”

  He opened the door for room service. Maybe he’d ask her tonight. “Come in.”

  The server pushed the cart through the door. “Where would you like it?”

  “Right here is fine.” Sebastian wasn’t about to let a strange man, hotel employee or not, into their room while Tessa was dressed in nothing but a robe.

  “Very good, sir.”

  Sebastian waited until the man parked the cart, then signed the bill, handed the man some euros and shut the door after him.

  Sebastian pushed the cart into the bedroom. Tessa was sitting on the bed, pillows propped behind her, and looking very much the goddess he considered her to be. In his best imitation of Greaves, his rook, he bowed and said, “Your dinner is served.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t realize this hotel had butler service. Or that the butlers they hired were so handsome.”

  He straightened, barely able to keep from smiling at her sweet words. Despite her generosity with them, compliments were still a rare thing in his world. If she didn’t marry him—and soon—he wasn’t sure what he would do. “Steak, baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts, pasta in cream sauce with prawns and…” He pointed to the container chilling in the accompanying ice bucket. “Chocolate mousse with a side of ice cream.”

  “Also chocolate?”

  “Is there any other flavor?”

  Her smile was contagious. “You do take good care of me.”

  “It’s all I want to do. I love you, Tessa.”

  Her eyes rounded slightly and her lips parted. “I love you too. And I love what we have.”

  He opened his mouth again, the words marry me on his tongue, but her phone rang and interrupted him.

  They’d both turned their phones back on as soon as they’d left the hearing because of the impending birth. Tessa glanced at the display. And paled.

  “Delaney?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No.” She swallowed. “My mother.”

  “Answer it.”

  She picked up the phone and swiped her finger across the screen. “Hello?”

  Sebastian left her to talk and walked back out onto the balcony. As soon as she was done with this call, he was asking her. There was no point in waiting any longer. He pulled the ring from his trouser pocket and opened the velvet box.

  Tessa hadn’t been overly fond of the showy diamond she’d worn when she was pretending to be his fiancée, so he’d opted for something a little different. With the help of the fae jeweler in town, Willa Iscove, Sebastian had chosen a large Ceylon sapphire set in a halo of white diamonds with a few more trailing down the band.

  It was sophisticated and elegant and beautiful in a quiet way. Much like Tessa.

  He smiled at the thought of this ring on her hand. There was nothing he wanted more in the world than to be with her for the rest of his life. Which was going to be a very long time.

  He put the ring back in his pocket and leaned on the stone railing, his smile fading a bit. What if an eternity with him was more than Tessa could face? They hadn’t talked about marriage in a while. Not after deciding that they needed to get to know each other better. And it was only a few weeks ago that she’d moved back into the main house after living in the guest house for the last seven months.

  Would she think they knew each other well enough now? If she had any concerns, he was sure he could ease them. He dropped his head and stared into the canal below. He’d had one woman he couldn’t get rid of, now he had one he wasn’t sure he could keep.

  What if she said no?

  His old fears about being inadequate rose up inside him. What was wrong with him? They loved each other. That was clear. He needed to stop being so foolish and just—

  Footsteps behind him made him turn. Tessa stood in the doorway, her robe pulled tight and her arms wrapped around herself. The look on her face was a mix of reluctance and resignation.

  “Everything all right?” he asked.

  She leaned against the door frame. “I don’t know. No. I mean, yes, it will be. I think.”

  He gave her a quick smile. “Can you explain that?”

  “My parents talked to my sister, and Jenna let it slip that I’m in Amsterdam.”

  “And that’s not good?”

  She sighed. “They’re in Paris, and they want me to join them there immediately.”

  “We can do that.”

  “The thing is, my parents don’t know about you. I haven’t been hiding you from them, it’s just that they travel so much that Jenna and I rarely see them or talk to them, and on those rare occasions when I have spoken to them, it just hasn’t come up.”

  “I see.”

  “No, you don’t. I planned to tell them about you after we…” She bit her lip.

  “After we what?”

  Her smile was tight and apologetic. “After we got engaged. That way, it was done and we’d be safe and—”

  “Safe? I don’t understand.” He pulled the ring out of his pocket and opened the box. “And just so you know, I was planning on asking you tonight. Now that this Evangeline business is out of the way, I thought it was high time we got on with our future.”

  She sucked in a breath and put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Sebastian, it’s beautiful. And of course I will marry you, but there are some things in motion—”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with every ounce of joy flowing through him. “Everything else can be worked out.”

  She stared up at him. “I hope so.”

  He slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. “What do you mean?”

  She held her hand out, studying the gem he’d just placed there. “There’s so much to explain, I don’t know where to start.”

  Something dreadful was coming. He could feel it. He held on to her arms, needing to be connected to her. “Boil it down. Tell me the most important part.”

  She swallowed and met his gaze. “My parents have found me a husband.”

  Tessa settled into her seat on the train while Sebastian handled the bags. He hadn’t balked or hesitated when she mentioned seeing her parents, even after she dropped the bombshell that her parents had promised her hand to another man.

  Instead, he’d gotten on the phone and booked the trip, no questions asked. It was just a done deal. He was everything good and right and wonderful in her life, but she could see the doubt in his eyes. He didn’t really understand why she hadn’t told her parents about him. And he was questioning what that meant.

  She hated that she’d made him feel like that, but he’d understand more when he met her parents and realized how much tradition meant to them.

  Of course, there was always the chance that her parents wouldn’t stand by tradition. That they would just meet him, give their blessing and Gunther Henrikson would be forgotten.

  But there was very little chance that would happen. Not after the conversation she’d had with her mother. Tessa closed her eyes, hearing Magna’s voice in her head.

  “Gunther is a lovely man. He never really clicked with being a berserker, but he’s made a good life f
or himself. He’s got the second-largest insurance firm in French Lick, Indiana.”

  Tessa had groaned. French Lick did not sound like a place she wanted to live. It sounded vaguely obscene. She was sure it wasn’t, but still.

  Her mother had put on the hard sell for Gunther after Tessa’s less-than-happy response. “Tessa, you should be pleased that a man like Gunther is interested in you.”

  “You mean because I turned my back on being a valkyrie.”

  It wasn’t something her parents liked to talk about, so her mother’s answer had taken a moment. “Frankly, yes.”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “You don’t have a choice. He’s already completed the Seven Challenges—and beautifully, I might add—and your father and I have given him our blessing. All that remains now is for him to formally ask you.”

  “What?”

  “Well, it’s not as if you’re engaged to anyone else. You just said so yourself.”

  Tessa opened her eyes. Therein lay the nut of it. Her parents had thought she was going to be alone for the rest of her life, so when Gunther had come along, they’d jumped at the opportunity to make her life better.

  After all, Gunther was well-off, willing to overlook her somewhat sullied past, and he was a berserker. The trifecta of sons-in-law.

  Magna had even texted a picture. As if that was going to sway Tessa. Berserkers were generally handsome men, large and muscled with the kinds of physiques most NFL linebackers would kill for.

  From Gunther’s picture, it was clear why being a berserker hadn’t worked out for him. He was barrel-chested and chicken-legged. The combination made him seem on the verge of toppling over at any moment. And with a berserker’s mammoth sword in his hand, that very well could be what happened. Which would explain why he’d gone into insurance. Very few reasons to brandish a sword in that line of work.