Filed to story: The Vampire Prince’s Bride
I wanted to flinch away. But I just stared at where she was touching me, not moving.
Because with her this close to me, the needle full of wormwood was closer than ever.
If I got that needle, I could stab her with it and run.
But where would I go? The palace was full of vampires, and guards were outside my door. I guessed the guards had needles full of wormwood too.
I wouldn’t make it five feet before they took me down. And that was all assuming that wormwood affected Laila at all.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” she cooed. “But I’m here for you, for anything you need.” She locked her eyes with mine, wet her lips, and leaned forward, her hand inching up my thigh.
Playing along would be a good way to gain her trust and improve my chance of escape.
But my stomach twisted with revulsion at the thought of being intimate with the woman who had stolen my life from me. Despite how beautiful she was on the outside, I only saw one thing when I looked at Laila now-a monster.
So I turned my head from her and leaned away.
Silence lingered in the air as she took in my refusal, and I flexed every muscle in my body, preparing for her to punish me with another dose of wormwood.
She drew her hand away from me, but she didn’t reach for the needle.
“Fine.” She spoke coolly, and she stood, staring down at me in disdain. “You don’t have to want me romantically. But I’m your sire, which means we’ll always be bound. I urge you not to forget that.”
She turned around and left the room without giving me a chance to reply.
As the door slammed shut, I curled my hands into fists and swore that someday, she would regret ever choosing to turn me into a vampire prince.F or the next week, I spent as much time as possible in the palace library, reading what I thought looked like the most important books in the non-fiction section. The texts were lengthy and wordy, especially the ones from centuries ago that were written in older forms of English. But I powered through them anyway.
Because to escape the Vale, I needed to know as much about the kingdom as possible.
I returned to my room at sunrise. As always, a large glass of blood waited for me on the table.
I downed the blood, but it wasn’t enough. It was like I’d had an appetizer but no main course.
I needed more.
With the glass still in my hand, I marched to the door and opened it. Daniel and another guard were in their positions outside my quarters.
“Your Highness?” Daniel’s arms went to his sides as he stood to attention.
I’d never get used to that title. But what he called me was hardly a concern right now.
“I need more blood.” I was quick to get to the point. “The amount I’m getting isn’t enough.”
“I understand.” He stared straight ahead, not meeting my eyes. “I sent your complaint to the kitchens yesterday.”
“And they gave me less today than they did yesterday!” My nerves felt like they’d reached a breaking point, and I threw the glass to the floor, shattering it in my fit of anger.
Daniel didn’t flinch. “They’re weaning you down to the point where you’re satiated with a normal amount of blood each day,” he repeated what he’d been telling me throughout the week. “You might feel like you need more blood than they’re giving you, but you don’t. That’s your bloodlust talking-not your body. We’ve all been there before. The only way to overcome the bloodlust is to refrain from gorging yourself on blood you don’t need.”
“I’m not asking to gorge on blood.” I grit my teeth together, not understanding why he didn’t get it. Like he’d said, he’d been there before. He should understand. “I just need enough to function. One more pint a day. That’s all I need.”
I hated begging, but I was desperate. It was harder and harder to focus every day. Each day, I was inching closer to a breaking point.
“You’re getting all you need.” He finally met my gaze, surprising me with the worry in his eyes. “You need to learn to control yourself. If you don’t… well, you know the rules as well as we all do.”
Vampires who can’t control their bloodlust aren’t allowed to live.
It was the most important rule of the Vale. And if there was one major takeaway I’d had from my recent reading, it was that the supernaturals loved their many rules.
“Fine.” I marched back into my room and slammed the door shut behind me. Daniel was only trying to help me-I knew that-but it didn’t mean I had to like what he was saying.
I got ready for bed and tried to sleep, but it was impossible. As the week had progressed, falling asleep had been getting harder and harder. Now, all I could do was lay there, trying to think of ways to get more blood.
Despite what Daniel had told me, this had to be more than my bloodlust talking. I needed more blood to function. I clearly wasn’t being given enough.
Maybe Laila had taken my rejection of her advances harder than she’d made it seem? Maybe she was withholding blood from me as an act of revenge?
When hours passed and I still hadn’t fallen asleep, I knew I only had one option. I’d have to go to Laila and beg her to understand. I’d do anything-literally anything-if she’d give me more blood.
If that meant taking her to bed, then so be it.
But it was noon-the middle of the night for vampires. If I woke Laila from her sleep, I’d only irritate her.
I’d have to wait until sunset.
For now, I raided the bar inside my quarters, finding the closest thing that resembled blood-a bottle of red wine. It looked like a fancy vintage, but I didn’t care. After uncorking it, I didn’t even bother pouring it into a glass. I drank it straight from the bottle.
It didn’t take long until the bottle was empty.
I left the empty bottle on the table and pulled open the curtains to the doors that led to the balcony. I’d been in the palace for a week, and had yet to step outside. I’d spent the nighttime hours in the library, so I was only in my quarters was when the sun was up. And one of the first things I’d read about vampires was that while the sun didn’t incinerate us on the spot, exposure to it was painful and draining. It was why vampires followed a nocturnal schedule.
Maybe if I stood in the sunlight for a few minutes, it would drain me of enough energy that I’d be able to sleep.
It would be painful. But at this point, I was willing to try anything for a few hours of sleep.