Bite of Vengeance

Bite of Vengeance BLOOD OATH BOOK THREE R.L. CAULDER WHITE RABBIT PUBLISHING Copyright © 2022 by R.L. Caulder R.L. Caulder reserves all rights to and/or involving this work as the author. This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people either living or dead, or events is purely coincidental unless the author has express permission from a living person to use their namesake. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical, including information storage and retrieval systems, now known or hereinafter invented, without written permissions from the author, except for brief quotations in a book review. Cover by: Luminescence Covers Created with Vellum Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Other books by R.L. Caulder About R.L. Caulder Alexandra Chapter 1 ALINA I knew you were just a slut who would bend over for me after I found you fingering yourself in that window. My chest burned with a fire that stole my breath and threatened to consume me whole. I felt ashamed and angry, burning with humiliation despite knowing Andrei didn't mean his callous words. With each breath I took, the fire scorched me from the inside out. How was I supposed to douse it when the biting sting of rejection fueled my fury and hurt? No—that wasn’t the Andrei I’d bound myself to. That was the Andrei that Jeoffrey had pinned beneath his foot. Stop doubting it, Alina, fuck. It was so damn hard to just let it go, though. My natural instinct was to protect myself and my heart first, fuck everything else. Letting go of that internal conflict would never be as simple as snapping my fingers to poof it away. Andrei's lifeless eyes plagued me. What did Jeoffrey manage to do to him in such a short time to break his spirit so completely? I let out a groan as my fingers twitched at my sides, aching to touch the blood drop on the back of my neck that reminded me that we were supposed to be together. We were entwined, forever. Fated mates. But there lay the second, arguably bigger, issue. Could I place my faith in the fact that we were supposed to be together, or was Fate playing her cruelest joke on me yet? Was I worthy enough of such a gift? “Alina!” Lo called out, her voice cutting through the thoughts plaguing me. Her warm smile brought one to my face as well as she approached with a tall, slender man at her side. An intricate black tattoo crept up from beneath the white dress shirt he wore and up his throat. Messy, white hair that was an adorable juxtaposition to the crisp, tailored lines of his suit, fell into his warm brown eyes. “This is Rin,” she introduced as he held out his hand, showcasing a similar tattoo to the one on his neck crawling up his hand and onto his fingers. “He’s a Pawn on the board and our most recent induction before you joined us.” “Hello,” I mumbled as I offered my hand in return. I knew I should probably show more interest in meeting these members, but my mind wasn’t here at all, completely consumed by the situation with Andrei. “Pleasure you to meet the new queen,” his deep voice rumbled as his large hand swallowed my smaller one in a quick, polite shake. “Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.” A deep rumble came from Drake at those words, but Lo was quick to slap him on the chest and reprimand, “He didn’t mean it like that, you caveman,” before turning to Rin and tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow. “Let’s go, Rin.” As they walked away, my eyes darted to Andrei’s back as he chatted with a raven-haired beauty at his side. Her tight, floor-length dress shimmered with the black sequins that covered every inch of the fabric. She had a killer body, and a flare of jealousy rose within me at the sight of Andrei with her. Drake led us in their direction, but it was as if Andrei sensed me the second I got within a hundred feet, excusing himself. “Pleasure talking to you, Silvyn.” Was this how it would be between us now? Unable to even be in the same vicinity? My chest burned, and my throat constricted with the unpleasant thoughts rolling through me. As soon as I opened my heart to the realization of my feelings for Andrei, I opened the door to a heap of unwelcome, emotional demons as well. Anxiety over being wrong, fear of another rejection if I tried to pursue him after this, desperation to prove the truth of what I knew about his father. I hadn’t realized I felt so strongly already about Andrei until the precious words fell through my lips. Panic had set in when I felt like I was losing him for good, but it was too late to stuff them back down my throat now. I’d told him I loved him—it was the first time I’d uttered them to a man who wasn’t a part of my family—and of course it ended with him walking away from me. That was par for the course. The woman turned on our approach, her striking purple eyes catching me off guard. Her eyes were wide and gentle, full lips splitting into a smile as Drake introduced her. “Alina, this is Silvyn. She’s a Rook on the board.” She offered me a nod, lifting her glass of champagne. “Welcome to the board, Alina. Cheers