Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince
Chapter 33

His words made me gasp withsurprise. I couldn’t really think about what that statement implied. I pulledaway and searched his face, studying his features more closely. It was too muchto hope for something I knew couldn’t possibly exist. “You can’t be Noah…” Ibreathed out.

He smiled and shook his head. “I’mnot Noah. He left a journal and in the last pages before his sudden death, hewrote these entries about this woman he never named. No one else in my familyunderstood why he talked about her in the way that he had. They all believedthat Noah was happy with his arranged marriage. But he wasn’t. Our history saysthat he was found staked and completely drained of blood. His head was severedfrom his body in that version, but I knew that wasn’t true. Noah didn’t knowthe created, none of our family knew the created until recently. When he wasfound, completely drained of blood, our family figured out that we weren’t safeanymore among the humans. That is why we formed bonds with the warlocks and theother clans. We made friends among the created and forged the blood oath. Wethought we were protecting ourselves from man and science, but other issuesarose.”

I swallowed, knowing this was myfault.

Finn continued. “Noah was one of myancestors. Tiberius is related to me by marriage, several generations removed.It makes a lot of sense now, knowing your story. You were one of us, the born.”

I shook my head. That wasn’t true.“My family was human. I didn’t know vampires existed then. We did not drinkblood, ever.”

He frowned. “But the Cassian Coven…You are a Cassian…”

I didn’t have an answer for him. Itwas like that piece of information had been hidden from us both, if it everexisted to begin with. I only knew what I remembered from those days, and as Ithought back to when my family and grandparents were alive, I didn’t recallever seeing them drinking blood, or talking about blood, or having wine mixedblood at all. They drank wine, but who didn’t in those days? It was true thatwe were privileged, rich in a sense, but our social status didn’t have us minglingwith vampires, born or created that I knew of, until my father met the Duke.

Finn sighed, but still smileddespite the fact that we didn’t have an answer for what actually happened thenight I was created. “It doesn’t matter. What you are has never mattered tome.”

I shook my head. If he had taken meby surprise before, it didn’t matter now. This was beyond shock, beyondintrigue. “What?”

He took my hand and pulled meupright. He caressed my palm and the underside of my hand gently. With everytouch and swirl my skin burned with a raging fire. “I knew when we first metthat you were intriguing and delightful, despite your attitude towards me.Somehow that never bothered me.”

I scowled, knowing that what hespoke was a downright lie.

He chuckled, reading my face.“You’re right, it bothered me. Maybe that’s why I read Noah’s journal so muchtrying to figure out the puzzle. Maybe that’s why I’m attracted to mystery. Ormaybe that’s why I wrote in mine about replaceing a love like his, knowing that Iwould be like him in so many ways with an arranged marriage to a vampireprincess. Though, I never expected for me to fall for you.”

I completely froze.

He took advantage of my stillnessand leaned in, pulling me close to his side. He laid my head against his shoulderand he hummed the waltz song from the night we went to the Blue Lagoon. Hisright arm wrapped around my body, while his left hand gently grasped one ofmine. The movement alone sent shivers and jolts down my spine as the signalstraveled into my legs and feet. I hadn’t been this close to someone in a longtime. His lips kissed the top of my forehead and I closed my eyes.

A dream it might have been, but Icouldn’t remember. I only knew I didn’t want to wake up.