My Vampire Fiancé Left Me at the Altar 33 Times

We were supposed to be in love for eternity. But my vampire fiancé, Caius, has stood me up at our blood-bonding ceremony thirty-three times.

The first time, the girl he’d sired, Evangeline, lost control during a hunt. He raced to her side, leaving me alone in the church under the blood moon.

The second time, he vanished mid-ceremony because Evangeline was being bullied by another clan. He left me to face the elders’ mockery alone.

After that, his little fledgling always had some fresh disaster for him to avert.

And he always had an excuse: “I sired her. She’s like a child to me.”

Then I saw the fresh bite marks on their necks. They had shared blood—the ultimate intimacy between mates.

My heart turned to ash. It was time to burn our betrothal to the ground.

The day I finally disappeared, he went mad, tearing our world apart to find me.

Silver dust from an enemy clan's attack burned in my veins, but I refused the vial from my aide, Heidi.

This was my thirty-third blood-bonding ceremony with Caius. My blood had to be pure for the ritual.

But I waited at the altar for three hours. He never came.

“My lady…” Heidi’s voice trembled. “Caius is still at the graveyard. The fledgling… Evangeline. She says she’s scared of the thunder and won’t let him leave.”

Thunder?

There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky tonight.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and swallowed the coppery taste of blood rising in my throat.

I reached for him through our communing stone.

Once. Twice… On the tenth try, he picked up.

“Larissa, what is it now?” His voice crackled through the connection, laced with impatience, not a hint of apology. “Evangeline almost attacked a human! You know how fragile fledglings are. She’s my responsibility.”

“The ceremony starts in ten minutes.” My voice was terrifyingly calm, even as my hands began to spasm.

“I’m on my way! Now, bare your mind to me. I swear I won’t miss it this time.”

The line went dead.

He gave his word. I didn’t hesitate.

I fought through the searing pain, pulling all my power to the surface. I lowered my mental shields, leaving my very essence exposed before the altar.

It’s the most fragile a vampire can be, a moment reserved only for the partner they will spend eternity with.

Caius finally appeared, fashionably late.

But before I could even see his face, a violent wave of energy ripped from him, tearing through the entire church.

A tremor ripped through my exposed core. My vision blurred.

“Damn it! Evangeline’s sire-bond… it’s shattered!” Caius hadn’t even taken a step toward the altar.

He stood frozen at the door, staring in horror at the communing stone in his hand.

“Larissa, I have to go. She needs me! She’ll fall apart if I don’t go!”

“Caius!” I tried to scream his name, but the silver poison’s backlash had stolen my voice.

“We’ll reschedule! I