Filed to story: The Vampire Prince’s Bride
The stupid human boy must have been so greedy for wealth that he’d gone against my warning and touched the crystal anyway.
But how close had he been to the sapphire ring? Maybe he’d gotten to the ring before the crystal?
I searched his pockets and found nothing. He’d gotten all the way up the mountain, inside the cave, and his stupid greed had been the end of him.
I paced around his corpse, nearly screaming in anger. I’d been so close to getting what I’d wanted.
But I stopped pacing, realization dawning on me. This wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened. No… it was a blessing in disguise. Because if- once-I learned how to use the seeing crystal, I could ask it exactly how to free Geneva.
I pried the crystal from the dead boy’s hand, shoved it inside my bag, and headed back to the palace.
I smiled the entire drive there, knowing I was one step closer to freeing Geneva, marrying Sean, and finally becoming a vampire.
Sean
T he blood poured down my throat, and the human went weak in my arms. The warm, delicious liquid called to me, urging me to keep drinking-to drink and drink until I was bursting with it-but if I did that, this human would surely die.
And so, I pulled back.
I took one step away, and then another, wiping the excess blood off my lips. It smeared on my hand, bright and red, and I ran my tongue over it, determined not to let a single drop go to waste.
Then I stared at the twin pinpricks in the woman’s neck-at the droplets of blood peeking out from them-but I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms and forcing myself to back away until I stood against the opposing wall.
The woman opened her eyes, looking wearily around the room.
“Take her away,” I ordered to Laila.
“Are you sure?” the vampire queen asked. “She’s still alive. There’s more blood left…” She took a deep breath, indulging in the exquisite aroma. “It smells so delicious.”
“Take her away!” I glared at the human, aware of each pump of her heart as it sent blood rushing through her veins. But I forced myself to take shallow breaths. The shallower my breathing, the less sensitive I would be to the tantalizing scent that urged me to keep drinking until the woman was drained dry.
“Only if you’re sure.” Laila’s voice was silky and smooth-I might have even thought she sounded seductive, if she wasn’t annoying me to death.
I huffed and turned to Daniel. “Take her away,” I said steadily, looking straight into his eyes and putting as much power into my voice as possible.
Compelling him.
His face went slack, and he picked up the human, carrying her out of the room.
Once the doors closed behind them, I allowed myself to breathe normally again. I looked at Laila, waiting for her to say something. We were the only two in the room now-Camelia had been noticeably distant since my refusal of her proposal earlier this month.
At least she seemed to be accepting my rejection with dignity.
“I see you’ve been improving your compulsion,” Laila observed.
“I have,” I said.
“And that’s seven days in a row that you’ve been able to stop yourself while feeding.”
“It is.” I nodded. “I’m able to control myself around humans now.”
“In a sanctioned setting,” she pointed out.
I waited for her to continue-waited for her to say that it was time to move onto something bigger. That I was ready to leave the palace.
She said nothing.
“I’m ready to leave the palace now,” I said, since clearly she wasn’t going to say it first. “This past week has proven that.”
“Perhaps.” Laila smirked and raised an eyebrow.
“What else do you need me to do to prove myself?” I asked, raising my voice at her again. I knew she was a queen and that she technically deserved respect, but she frustrated me to hell, so screw the rules. “Do you need to bring a whole crew of humans in here to tempt me? If so, then do it! Do whatever’s necessary for you to trust me.”
“When you’re ready, I’ll know,” she said, giving me that irritatingly knowing smile of hers. “In the meantime, it’s Christmas Eve. I have some tasks to attend to in order to get the palace ready for tomorrow. I’ll see you soon.”
She smiled at me one more time, swished her dress around herself, and left the room.
Sean
I’d been pacing around my room for the past hour since Laila had left, deep in thought. What more did she expect of me? How many more humans did I have to successfully feed from before she trusted me enough to leave the palace? It almost seemed like she enjoyed keeping me here.
Like she was purposefully keeping me prisoner.
Music and voices started to fill the village-Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were apparently two of the few days each year that the humans were allowed to let loose and celebrate.
Excited chatter drifted through my window, and I couldn’t help thinking about my last Christmas-how I’d insisted on going to swimming practice instead of spending the entire day with my family. I’d always been so goal-oriented and ambitious, putting my Olympic medal dreams before everything else. I’d refused to slack off, not even for a holiday. After all, I wouldn’t be in my athletic prime forever. I’d figured I would have more time with my family afterI’d completed my goals.
I’d never expected that my life would be taken from me in a single night. That I would never see my family again.
They thought I was dead.
It was probably better for them to think that. They would never accept me for what I was now-a monster.
Hell, I didn’t even accept myself as I was now.