Filed to story: The Vampire Prince’s Bride
She seemed aware and intelligent-there was a depth in her expression that I hadn’t seen in any of the other princesses I’d been introduced to thus far.
She was certainly the opposite of her counterpart, Princess Bianca. Bianca was tall, with short blonde hair that reached her chin. With her high cheekbones and hollowed features, she looked like a high fashion model. But her eyes… they were empty. Devoid of emotion.
She had no reaction as she looked at me-she just stared. I’d heard it said that eyes were the windows to the soul. If Bianca’s eyes were a window to her soul, I couldn’t help but think that her soul was empty.
I jerked my gaze away from hers and glanced straight ahead, above the heads of all the princesses. “I’m pleased to have met you all this morning,” I said, making sure to sound as dignified as possible-like a true prince, despite only just becoming a prince a year ago. “It’s my honor to have you as my guests during your time in the Vale. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you while you’re here.”
Some more than others, of course, although I didn’t say that part out loud.
“Yes.” Laila agreed with a nod, placing her hand gently on mine. “It’s both of our honors to have you as guests. As queen of the Vale, I offer my blessing while you’re here, and the best of luck in capturing Prince Sean’s attention. He’s the strongest prince I’ve sired yet… and also the most stubborn.” With that, a few nervous chuckles passed through the room, and she smiled at me before looking back out at the crowd. “Which makes him one of the most eligible bachelors in the entire supernatural world-something I’m sure you know, or else you wouldn’t be here today. But anyhow, we have much to get ready for, with the parade this afternoon and the welcome ball tonight. Your assigned guards will escort you to your quarters, where you can get settled in and ready for the festivities.”
She waved her hand and stood, and I followed her lead.
“Wait!” someone called, running through the doors-a vampire I recognized because she worked in the palace library. “There’s someone else here. Someone who claims…”
“Who claims what?” Laila demanded. “Please continue-we don’t have all day.”
“I think it’s best for you to hear from her yourselves.”
The librarian stepped to the side, making way for a striking redheaded vampire to pass through the doors. She was medium height and slender, with petite features that I suspected made her look younger than the age of which she was turned. Here eyes went straight for mine, and she gasped when she saw me, but she got a hold of herself a second later.
Who was this girl? I was certain I’d never seen her before. But the way she was looking at me… it was like she knew me. Like she’d seen me before.
Perhaps she was a sports fan who recognized me from my pre-vampire days? That would make sense. Many in the human world knew about Sean the upcoming Olympian swimmer.
But the way she tilted her head… there was something familiar about it. Something I couldn’t quite place.
“Who are you?” Laila’s eyes narrowed as she studied the girl. “Why are you barging into our ceremony unannounced?”
“My name is Princess Ana.” She held onto the sides of her dress and lowered herself into a curtsy, although her gaze was on mine as she spoke-not on Laila’s. “I’m from the Seventh Kingdom, and I’m here to compete for Prince Sean’s hand in marriage.”
Scarlett
I looked up into Sean’s eyes, every inch of my body shaking from terror. But I breathed deeply, reminding myself to remain calm.
I couldn’t risk having my cover blown this early. I’d consumed the first vial of vampire blood before sunset, and Geneva had worked hard to style me to appear like a perfect vampire princess. It would all be a waste if they caught onto my lie immediately and killed me on the spot.
And while I was terrified, I’d also already lost everything I’d ever loved. What more did I have to lose?
So I kept my gaze on Sean’s, finding calmness and confidence in his familiar silver eyes. My gaze traveled down to his lips, and I couldn’t help recalling when he’d kissed me in that alley, and how completely happy I’d felt in that moment. It was the first time I’d been happy since being kidnapped to theVale.
That happiness had been ripped away when he’d betrayed me. And suddenly, I no longer saw Sean’s eyes as familiar. He was a liar, just like all of the other vampires in the Vale. He’d used me.
His eyes suddenly seemed as cold as the metal they resembled.
“You lie.” Laila held her head high, and everyone in the audience was silent as they watched us. “There is no SeventhKingdom.”
I swallowed and touched the side of my hip, feeling the sapphire ring Geneva had instructed me to hide in a sewn pocket of my underwear. It had seemed ridiculous at first, but I’d quickly realized that it was the safest place for the ring-a place where no vampire, or any other creature, could stumble upon it.
Her ring was a reminder at the power I held by owning it, and feeling its presence helped me regain my confidence and concentration.
“There is a Seventh Kingdom,” I said, forcing myself to believe the lie as I spoke it. “I cannot tell you its location, as that is a secret known by only those of us who live there, but I assure you that the kingdom is real. When we got wind of the news that the Vale had invited princesses from each vampire kingdom to compete for Prince Sean’s hand in marriage, we thought it only fair that we participate as well. So… here I am.” I gave a small, hopefully humble smile, making sure to remain focused on Laila and to avoidSean’s gaze.
“You take me for a fool,” Laila said, her eyes hard. “How old are you, child?”
“I’m newly turned,” I said, since pretending like I was from another generation would surely be too difficult of a lie to maintain. “I was turned by the leader of the Seventh Kingdom only two years ago.”
“Your sire is an original vampire?” Laila quirked an eyebrow-I wasn’t sure if she was doubtful or intrigued. I suspected both.
“Of course,” I answered. “How else would I be a vampire princess?”
“There are only six original vampires, including myself,” Laila stated. “I know them all. Tell me who sired you and I will call upon them to confirm so we can put this nonsense about a Seventh Kingdom to rest. That is, assuming you’re even a vampire princess as you claim to be. You haven’t yet demonstrated a mastery of compulsion. It’s safe to assume that you’re not actually a princess until you do so.”
I lifted my chin at the challenge and turned to one of the vampire guards at the entry. I recognized him-not just because he was one of Sean’s main bodyguards, but because he was one of the vampires who had murdered my family.
I still recalled the way he’d stared at me after dropping my brother’s limp body to the ground… how he’d been about to pounce on me before one of the other guards had stopped him. He hadn’t listened out of the good of his own heart, but because they’d come out on their mission to collect new human blood slaves and I’d been the only one of my family who’d been left alive.
I hated him for killing my brother. I hated all vampires who gave into their bloodlust and murdered innocent humans. It was moments like these-when I was reminded of all the lives lost because of these monstrous creatures-that I questioned my desire to become one of them.
Then I remembered how they’d kidnapped me and trapped me in the Vale as a blood slave. If I hadn’t been brought to the Crystal Cavern by Camelia and found Geneva’s ring, I would have been a slave to the vampires for the rest of my life.
Despite my rage against them, it was better to be powerful than to be a victim. And I hoped that if I were ever turned into a real vampire, I would have the willpower to fight through the bloodlust and kill no one.
A life as a monster was better than a life as a slave. At least as a vampire, I would be free. I would be in control of my own destiny. I could make the choice not to kill. I would make that choice.
But right now, I had one mission-prove to Laila that I was who I claimed to be. To do that, I first needed to prove that I could use compulsion.
I wanted to compel Daniel to take the nearest stake and plunge it through his heart.
But compelling one of Sean’s guards to take his own life surely wouldn’t be a way to earn favor with Laila and the rest of theVale.
Still, I deserved a tiny bit of revenge…
“Remove all of your clothing and do a headstand in the middle of the throne room,” I commanded Daniel, throwing magic into my voice in the same way I had while practicing with Geneva earlier. “Right now. And don’t move from that position until I tell you to.”