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If only they were heading away from the family compound at breakneck speed, rather than toward it

"Mother’s had the entire Darkhaven buzzing with plans and arrangeht" Marcel spoke over the deep snarl of the engine "I can’t reroaned "I’h with any of this"

"What?" Jehan looked over and found his only sibling’s face slack with incredulity His light blue eyes, so like Jehan’s own--a color inherited from their French beauty of a mother--ide under Marcel’s tousled crown of broaves "You have to go through with it There’s no blood bond between the Mafakhirs and the Sanhajas anyo"

When Jehan didn’t ie the severity of the problem, his brother frowned "If a year and a day should pass without a naturalbetween the families, the terms of the pact specifically state--"

"I knohat they state I also know those ter a very different ties anymore" And thank fuck for that, he mentally amended "The pact is a relic that needs to be retired Hopefully it won’t take tooto make our father understand that"

Marcel went quiet as they veered off the highway and set a course for the rae that comprised their family’s Darkhaven property In a few short minutes, they turned onto the private road

The family lands were lush and expansive Thick clusters of palht sky, small oases amid the vast spread of dark, silken sand Up ahead was the iron gate and tall brick perirown up

Even before they approached the luxurious Darkhaven, his feet twitched inside his boots with the urge to run

While they paused outside the gate and waited to be admitted inside, Marcel pivoted in his seat toward Jehan His youthful, twenty-four-year-old face was soleht? Not once in all of the six-and-a-half centuries it’s been in place It’s not a relic It’s tradition That kind of thing may not be sacred to you, but it is to our parents It’s sacred to the Sanhajas too"

His brother was so earnest, e this bullet "If you feel that strongly about it, why don’t you pick up the torch instead? Take o back to orously shook his head "Even if I wanted to--which I don’t--without anothernaturally between our families, the pact calls for the eldest son of the eldest male of our line That means you Besides, there are worse fates Seraphina Sanhaja is a gorgeous woman"

Seraphina It was the first time he’d heard the name of his intended A silken, exotic name Just the sound of it made Jehan’s blood course a bit hotter in his veins He dish as he stared at his brother He couldn’t deny that a part of hiued to know more "You’ve seen her?"

Marcel nodded "She and her sister, Leila, are both stunning"

Not surprising, considering they were Breedh they didn’t have the vampiric traits of Jehan’s kind, the half-human, half-Atlantean females called Breedmates were flawless beauties without exception His Paris-born mother was testament to that As was Lazaro Archer’s fla with her, then?" Jehanshrew? Or is it worse, a meek little mouse who’s afraid of her own shadow?"

"She’s neither" Marcel grinned as he eased the Laates "She’s lovely, Jehan You’ll see for yourself soon enough"

"Not if I have anything to say about that" Crossing his arms, he sat back in the buttery soft leather seat "I have a return flight to Roives et the hell out of here"