Chapter 140

“What?”

He stared at my birthmark and licked his lips. “Mind if I have a sip?”

“Yes, I do mind.”

His jaw dropped. “You…you don’t love me?”

“No.”

“But—”

“There are no buts.” Adam had told me I could love whoever I chose. I looked into his son’s black eyes. I didn’t choose him.

“Behave, Valeriu,” the Countess admonished him, murmuring something about his mother spoiling him. “Tyrell can’t feed you…he’s already fed Daniel.”

“A turned vampyre.” He sniffed. “You shouldn’t have wasted yourself on him.”

“Bigoted asshole,” I muttered under my breath. I’d never encountered such bias among vampyres before.

Valeriu’s jaw dropped, ?tefan turned away—but not before I saw the grin he was trying to hide—and the Countess simply stared at me. I pretended I didn’t notice their reactions. It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten they had preternatural senses but…yeah, I had, and I could feel my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.