Filed to story: The Vampire Prince’s Bride
“So what did you do to my friends?” It took all of my self-control not to strangle her again. The only thing stopping me was the glint of the needle tucked away in her pocket. The pain from the first two doses of wormwood was still wrecking havoc through my system-I knew my body well enough to know I couldn’t handle any more.
“They’re dead,” she said. “Blown up by the terrorist who bombed the hotel.”
It took a few seconds for what she’d said to sink in.
Once it did, the weight of my teammates’ deaths crushed me.
“You were the terrorist, weren’t you?” I said. “You planted that bomb. You killed them all.”
“Of course not.” She laughed and pulled her hair over her shoulders. “As a vampire queen, I have the ability of compulsion. As a prince, you’ll have compulsion too, once you learn how to harness it.”
“What’s compulsion?”
“Mind control,” she said simply.
“You used it on me, didn’t you?” I realized. “At the bar when you asked me to ask you up to your room, and after you’d bitten me, when you told me to stop talking and to stop fighting you.”
“I did,” she confirmed. “And I used it on a young Muslim man the night before I met you, when I gave him the supplies and instructions to carry out his task. He was a kind, peaceful man without a violent bone in his body, but men of his religion are easy scapegoats these days. ISIS was eager to take credit for the bombing despite having nothing to do with it at all.”
“You’re a monster.” Disgust rolled through my body as I looked at her.
How many innocents had Laila killed in her immortal life? Did she have a heart at all?
“I’m a queen.” She lifted her chin, holding her head high. “Queens make hard decisions for the sake of their kingdoms. If they don’t, their kingdom will fall, and they’ll reign no more. I’ll do whatever it takes to make my kingdom the strongest it can be, and I’ll always protect my subjects-especially the princes and princesses I sire. You’ll see that in time.”
“In the meantime,” she continued. “You’ll learn to control your bloodlust. Vampires need more blood when they’re newly turned, so you’ll be weaned down until you’re drinking a normal amount each day. Then you’ll be tested to ensure you’re in control. As long as you’re strong and disciplined-which I know you are, since that’s why I chose you as my newest prince-you’ll get through this and claim your rightful place in theVale.”
I could barely pay attention to what she was saying.
Because right now, my entire family thought I was dead. Blown into pieces.
But I wasn’t dead. And as long as I was alive, there was a chance I could see my family again.
I would do anything to see them again-even if that meant playing nice with Laila so I could squeeze as much information out of her as possible.
Gathering information was a good goal. Because once I had enough information, I could figure out a plan to get out of here and go home. I didn’t know what I would do with myself when I got home, but I could figure that out later.
Now, I needed to focus on escape.
“You’re saying that I can learn to control this… bloodlust?” I watched Laila carefully as I spoke. “That I can stop myself from killing?”
“You must stop yourself from killing.” She sat straighter, apparently happy with where this conversation was heading. “If a vampire can’t maintain control of their bloodlust, they risk revealing our existence to humans. And while we’re powerful and strong, humans outnumber us. The supernatural community as a whole is better off keeping humans in the dark-especially now that humans have created weapons that could obliterate us with the touch of a button.”
“And what about the vampires who can’t control their bloodlust?” I asked.
“Like I told you before, I chose you because of your determination, discipline, strength, and ambition,” she said. “Not only will you learn how to control your bloodlust, but you’re going to be one of the strongest, most powerful vampires alive. Besides myself, of course.” She smiled, widening her eyes in a way that would have looked innocent if someone didn’t know better.
“You didn’t answer my question.” I raised an eyebrow, unwilling to let her steer me off course so easily. “What happens to the vampires who can’t control their bloodlust?”
“They’re not allowed to live,” she said simply. “At least, not the ones from our kingdom. And as you’re a vampire of the Vale-a prince of it-our kingdom is all you need to concern yourself with right now.”
“How many other kingdoms are there?” I asked.
“Six, including theVale.”
“And what are they like?”
“I’m here to oversee your transition-not to be a history teacher.” She scrunched her nose, as if my question demeaned her. “The palace library is full of books with answers to those kind of questions.”
“I’m allowed to leave my room?” Given my treatment since waking up, I hadn’t expected as much.
“Of course,” she said. “You’re a prince, not a prisoner.”
I was thrilled to hear this, but worried at the same time.
“What about the humans?” I asked, voicing the cause of my concern. “If I run into one and smell their blood, I might…” I trailed off, unable to say it out loud.
I might murder them.
“You won’t run into any humans in the palace,” she said. “The only humans here are in the dungeons.”
“Humans don’t work in the palace?”
“No.” She laughed again. Clearly, she found my ignorance of life in the Vale amusing. “Humans are slaves. They give us their blood and do menial labor in exchange for their homes in the village at the outskirt of the kingdom. The respectable jobs-such as serving the nobility in the palace-are given to vampires. You’ll only see other vampires in the palace, and your personal bodyguard will escort you everywhere you go.”
“You’re giving me a bodyguard?” I imagined it was to keep an eye on me rather than protect me.
“You met him earlier-he brought in the first human for your transitional meal,” she said. “His name is Daniel, and he’s one of our best. I wouldn’t give you anything but the best.”
I nodded, feeling devoid of life as I took in everything from the past few hours.
None of this felt real. It felt like a bad dream-like I would wake up and everything would be back to normal again.
Neither of us spoke for nearly a full minute. Eventually she walked over to sit next to me, and she placed her hand on my leg.