Filed to story: The Vampire Prince’s Bride
“Dose her with wormwood to ensure she harms no one else and send her home,” I instructed, since it was the only option that made sense. Then I raised my voice, wanting everyone to hear what I said next. “Give the injured human meats and cheeses as an apology for what has happened. Attacking humans might be permitted in the Tower, but here it’s illegal. In the Vale, we protect our citizens. Anyone who cannot abide by our laws is not fit to be our princess.”
I sat back, signaling that I was finished, and the guards tookDaniela away.
“That was the correct decision.” Laila nodded in approval, speaking softly to me so she wouldn’t be heard over the chatting crowd. “It was exactly what I would have done.”
“It was the only choice,” I agreed, and then I hopped out of my carriage, walking toward the carriage for theTower.
The other princess-Isabella-remained in her seat. She sat perfectly straight, her long hair cascading over her breasts, which were pushed up and swollen in her tight dress. It was impossible not to stare, but I forced my gaze to meet hers.
She watched me steadily, her eyes glinting with challenge. Challenge for what, I wasn’t sure. From what I’d learned about her, she’d only been turned two years ago, making her one of the youngest vampires here. Perhaps she thought I was going to eliminate her as well?
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure exactly whatI was going to do. But all eyes were on us, so I needed to say something.
“Princess Isabella,” I addressed her with a small nod.
“Your Highness,” she answered in return.
“I understand that the Tower permits its vampires to feed from humans at their will,” I started. “So it’s understandable that Princess Daniela has not mastered control over her bloodlust.” I paused for dramatics, took a deep breath, and continued. “It’s my job as prince of the Vale to ensure that our human citizens remain unharmed. After your sister’s display, I must ask you-do you believe you have the willpower to control your bloodlust?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but I interrupted her before she could speak.
“If you don’t trust your control, please don’t be ashamed to admit it,” I said. “Better to know now than to put more of my citizens at risk.”
The guards stood behind me, and I stared at her as intimidatingly as possible, wanting to ensure that she answered honestly.
“I’ve never killed a human, Your Highness.” Her voice was strong as she spoke, her gaze not leaving mine.
“Never?” I raised an eyebrow. “Not even immediately after being turned?”
“Never,” she confirmed. “I’ve seen too much death-both as a human and a vampire. Like all vampires in the Tower, I’m accustomed to drinking from the vein. But I’ve never killed. You can ask King Devin himself, if you must. He will confirm that I speak the truth.”
“No need.” I stepped back, signaling that I was done here. “I believe you.”
I turned away from her to face the guards. “Watch each princess carefully,” I commanded them. “Any princess who tries to leave her carriage while we’re in the human village will be dosed with wormwood, no questions asked. Understood?”
They nodded that they did, and a few of the princesses scooted closer to the center of their carriages.
Fear still shined in the eyes of the humans, but a few of them relaxed their stances. Good. The purpose of involving the humans in my selection was to boost morale to get their minds off of the recent wolf attacks. It wouldn’t do to leave them more paranoid than they were before. I needed to do something to distract them.
“I apologize for Princess Daniela’s transgression,” I said, locking eyes with as many of them as possible as I spoke. “Your safety is my upmost concern. Today is supposed to be a celebration, and I assure you, as prince of the Vale, that what just happened will not be repeated. Any princess who breaks our laws will be eliminated from my selection with no questions asked. In addition, all human citizens of the Vale will be provided with cheese and wine tonight to thank you for your understanding,”
The humans hooted and clapped in appreciation, and I re-joined Laila in our carriage.
“Well played,” she said with a smirk.
“What can I say?” I shrugged casually, matching her smirk with one of my own. “I learned from the best.”
The carriage gave a small tug, and we both waved to the crowd as the procession continued.
Scarlett
M y quickly put together carriage was last in the procession, and driving through the streets of the Vale was more difficult than I’d anticipated.
As we rolled along, I was flooded with memories. First, there were memories from the vampire town. Mike and I had often sneaked around the markets there to steal food for ourselves and our friends in the Tavern. Many humans worked for the vampires, so it had been easy enough for us to go unnoticed in the streets. Those streets had been where he’d taught me to fight back. Yes, it had been small things like stealing the occasional bit of forbidden food, but it had always felt good to know that I wasn’t letting the vampires control every aspect of my life.
I remembered the way Mike had laughed and smiled whenever we’d get to a safe spot with the food in our bags and the vampires none the wiser.
Now, Mike was dead because of the vampires. I would never hear his laugh again, or race after him down the streets with the rush of adrenaline pounding through my veins from the thrill of successfully acquiring the food we weren’t allowed to buy.
A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down, blinking tears out of my eyes. I couldn’t cry. It would make no sense for Princess Ana of the Seventh Kingdom to cry.
I needed to push away my emotions and become a perfect mask of calm, like Queen Laila and the other princesses.
I was able to do that for the remainder of the time that we were in the vampire town, but driving through the human village was much harder. I saw some of my familiar haunts-the main square, the bookshop, and the road that led to the Tavern. But that wasn’t what made it difficult.
The most difficult part was seeing the faces in the crowd. I spotted Norbert standing off to the side, watching the procession thoughtfully and eyeing up each princess. Norbert was the bookshop owner in the village, and it was because of him that I’d discovered my love for reading. I’d often traded chocolate I’d stolen from the vampires for new books to enjoy.
Norbert was the closest person to a father figure that I’d had in the Vale. But when he looked at me now, it was with complete lack of recognition. Which shouldn’t have surprised me-the transformation potion made me look like a different person-but it sent a hollow pang through my chest nonetheless.
The point where I nearly lost my composure was when I saw Martha, the youngest girl who worked at the Tavern. She was only fifteen, and she wore her hair in two braids as she watched the procession. She leaned over the rail to get a good view, transfixed as we passed, but her skin was gaunt and she had dark circles under her eyes. She’d always struggled more than the others when she had to donate blood-I’d always made sure to give her extra of whatever food I stole in the hope that it would give her strength.
Now, she was likely getting no extra food at all.
I gave her a small smile as I passed, wishing I could do more-wishing I could give her the food she so desperately needed. I wished I could free her from this horrible place and return her to her parents who loved her.
I wanted to wish for Geneva to rescue Martha and teleport her back to her parents, but I knew I couldn’t do that. I needed to think long term. The vampires kept meticulous records-they needed to, to make sure they were getting as much blood from us as possible while keeping us alive and working. If Martha disappeared, the vampires would notice.
It would arouse suspicion regarding the newcomers-the princesses-and make it more difficult for me to bring down the Vale from the inside.
In the meantime, I promised myself that once I completed my mission, Martha would be one of the first ones I would rescue. I would personally see her safe in her parents’ arms.
I was imagining how happy Martha would be when the South American princess attacked the human boy.
It happened so fast-I didn’t have time to blink before her fangs sunk into his neck and screams erupted through the crowd. Then the guards were pulling the princess away, Sean kicked her out of the selection, and he approached the other princess-Princess Isabella-in her carriage.