Filed to story: The Vampire Prince’s Bride
“And what of your true identity?” Geneva asked. “You won’t be able to hide the fact that you’re a human forever.”
“I know that,” I said, since it was the biggest flaw with the plan. “But if I become queen, I’ll have political connections with the original vampires who rule the other kingdoms. I’ll just have to hope that when the time comes, I can strike a deal with one of them to get them to turn me with no one ever knowing the wiser.”
“The original vampires are always open to making deals,” Geneva said. “But you must be warned-their price will be steep.”
“I know.” I glanced down at the sapphire ring, aware that I wore the greatest bargaining chip of all right on my finger. “I’ll do what I need to do when the time comes.”
“And then, I hope that one day-in the future, of course-we’ll be able to work together to free me from this ring,” Geneva said. “I’m not quite sure how the spell can be broken, but anything can be figured out if enough people work hard enough to make it happen.”
“Assuming all goes well with us working together, I don’t see why I wouldn’t help you,” I told her, since it was true. “In the meantime, before we start on the plan, we have the issue of Camelia to deal with.”
“What about her?” Geneva asked.
“She has that mystical seeing crystal-the one Mike was holding when he was thrust from the cave,” I told her, a lump forming in my throat at the memory of my friend who had also been killed because of the supernaturals. “She told me about it before bringing me here. She looked into the crystal, asked it who could retrieve your ring, and saw my face.”
“The Omniscient Crystal,” Geneva said slowly, resting her hand on the similar crystal in front of her. It was the one she’d used to view the moments when Camelia and I had made our blood oath, and when Sean had seen the dead body that looked like me. “It was too powerful in the wrong hands, especially since it kills any human who touches it. The witches first tried to shatter it, but the magic in the crystal was still strong. So they locked the pieces in here. Your friend Mike must have touched one of the pieces, and that was what killed him.”
“Yes.” I recalled how Geneva had warned me earlier not to touch the crystal. “Surely Camelia will look into the crystal and it’ll tell her that I’m still alive.”
“That’s a possibility,” Geneva said. “The crystal certainly has the power to do that.”
“Unless she doesn’t have the crystal anymore,” I said. “Unless someone stole it from her and returned it to the cave.”
“Is that merely an idea?” Geneva raised an eyebrow. “Or is it a command?”
“It’s a command.” I steadied my voice, standing straighter. “I command you to teleport yourself invisibly to Camelia’s room, take the crystal, and return here at once. Then, once you’re back, we’ll get started on turning me into a vampire princess.”
Well, a fake vampire princess… but close enough.
“Done.” Geneva smiled, snapped her fingers, and she was gone.
Sean
T hree days.
That was how long it had been since I’d been introduced to the kingdom of the Vale as their newest vampire prince.
Laila, of course, had already moved onto the next order of business-preparing the letters that would be sent to the five other vampire kingdoms, inviting them to send two princesses each to the Vale as contenders for my hand in marriage. She’d called me to her quarters soon after sunset so we could go over what she had so far.
“Here’s the final version,” Laila said, handing the invitation to me. “Once you give it your stamp of approval, I’ll give the witches the go ahead to deliver them to the leaders of the other kingdoms.”
I took the invitation from her and read it over.
Her Royal Majesty Queen Laila of the Vale invites each vampire kingdom to send two princesses to celebrate the coronation of Prince Sean of the Vale. During the extended celebration, the prince will get acquainted with each of the princesses, and will ultimately offer one of them his hand in marriage.
During their stay, each princess will be provided quarters of the highest standards, as befits a lady of her rank.
The princesses should arrive by sunset on Saturday, at which time they will be introduced to the prince.
More details inside.
“It looks great.” I handed the invitation back to Laila without bothering to look at the further details inside. What more did I need to know?
I’d thought that I would stop being a prisoner here the moment I learned to control my bloodlust and was allowed to leave the palace walls.
That was far from the reality.
Because as long as Laila ruled, I was bound to answer to her. And right now, Laila insisted that I marry a princess from another kingdom because the alliance would strengthen the Vale against the possible rebellion of the wolves.
Centuries ago, the vampires had settled upon this land, forcing the wolves who’d lived here to take up residence elsewhere in the mountains. The wolves hadn’t been able to fight back at the time-they didn’t have the numbers, But they did insist upon a pact with the vampires. A pact that they would respect the boundaries of the Vale as long as the vampires didn’t extend the kingdom further into their land. The vampires had agreed, and both species had lived in peace.
But the wolves were wild creatures who lived like savages in the forest. They’d seen the kingdom erected by the vampires, and they were jealous. They wanted the land as their own. Two of them had even managed to get past the magical boundaries and attack humans.
They’d been amassing their numbers-we knew that. We just didn’t know by how much. And while she hadn’t straight out admitted it, I knew that made Laila nervous.
The six vampire kingdoms all pretty much handled their own business. But if we had an alliance with another kingdom, we would be stronger. More ready to fight, if it came to that. And as the only unmarried prince in the Vale, the responsibility had fallen on me to make that alliance.
Of course, no one had bothered to ask me what I wanted. Not like I expected as much. They hadn’t asked me if I’d wanted to be turned into a vampire, either.
As a human, I’d been a swimmer training for the Olympics. I’d had more promise than any other swimmer in the country. It had gotten me noticed by the media… and by Laila. She’d identified me as a “strong specimen likely to take well to the change.” And so, she’d flirted with me at a bar and accepted my invitation up to my hotel room. We’d been in bed together when she’d attacked.
The last moment I remembered of my human life was her fangs piercing my skin.
The next thing I knew, I was in my bedroom in the Vale, standing over a corpse drained of blood.
I’d drank it all. I’d killed him. He was dead because of me.
My bloodlust was strong. So strong, in fact, that days after being brought to the Vale, I’d escaped the palace and slaughtered dozens of humans in the village.
If I hadn’t been a prince, the vampires would have killed me instantly. A loss of control like that wasn’t permitted in the Vale. But I was a prince, and Laila was eager to see my potential. So she’d locked me inside the palace walls and kept me guarded at all times until I’d learned to control my bloodlust.
It had taken me a year. One awful, anguishing year. But I’d done it. I gained control over the bloodlust, to the point where I was able to venture into the village, surrounded by humans, and not murder a single one of them.
It was that night, when I’d gone into the Christmas Eve celebration disguised as a human, that I’d met her. Scarlett.