“I’ll be fine. The marriage isn’t for a couple more weeks. I have time to think things over. Maybe Fredrick isn’t as bad as he seems.”
Noah snorted.
“But I really do have to go now.” Without thinking, she kissed Kai on the cheek and before Noah could get offended, she did the same to him. “Thank you for everything!”
The two men watched her as she walked away, heading to the large mansion she called home.
“Do you think she’s going to go through with it?” Noah asked.
“She’s a smart girl, she’ll make the right decision.” Kai watched her a little while longer before he turned his back and started down the alleyway. When he came across a large, chain-link fence, he had no trouble jumping to the top, perching on it like a bird on a tree branch. He waited for his brother to join him before his face broke out into a wild grin. “Race?”
Noah responded by jumping onto a nearby rooftop. Seconds later, he bolted, running so fast he was nothing more than a blur. But before long, Kai was hot on his tail, catching up to him as they seemed to almost fly over the gaps between the buildings. A few people spotted them, gasping and pointing, but the two brothers paid them no mind, each of them determined to win the race.
The adrenaline that rushed through their veins was addicting, causing them to run faster and faster. Soon, they reached the city limit and without missing a beat, they rushed into the forest, weaving amongst the trees. Kai kept to the ground, hurdling over fallen logs and other obstacles while Noah kept to the treetops.
He hollered and screamed, feeling more alive than ever, swinging from tree branch to tree branch, even doing a few flips along the way.
The two brothers never tired, even when they started to climb the side of the Pillai Mountain. It would have been easier to use the path, but where was the fun in that?
Their strong hands gripped the jutting rocks, their shoulders rippling with muscle. One fall and they would seriously injure themselves, but they didn’t seem all that concerned. They had done this dozens of times before.
Noah jumped onto a nearby ledge, his grip nearly failing him. He hung on one arm, dangling for a second, his eyes wide.
“Stop fooling around,” Kai said, jumping effortlessly onto the ledge above him, hoisting him up with ease.
Noah chuckled. “You never take a joke, do you?”
From that point onward, it was smooth sailing to their home. They clung to the edge, the path so narrow they had to shuffle along. When they rounded the corner, their gorgeous house came into view. Beyond it, the bright blue ocean sparkled in the first rays of sunlight.
***
Meanwhile, Azurdee snuck into her mother’s mansion, hoping she wouldn’t get in trouble for breaking curfew, but of course, the second she stepped inside, the matriarch seemed to materialize out of thin air.
“Where have you been, young lady?”
“S-Shopping,” Azurdee answered quickly, hoping it would quell her anger.
Azaria snatched up her daughter’s shopping bags, pulling out the putrid yellow dress. She held it between her fingers as if it was a dirty piece of garbage. “What is this?” She asked, looking horrified.
“A dress…” Azurdee avoided her mother’s piercing gaze.
“This is nothing more than a dishrag.” Without hesitation, she ripped the dress in half, throwing it to the floor. “I cannot believe you wasted our money on such filth.” She barred her teeth, snatching up the matching yellow hat. “And this?” She hissed, her voice so low, Azurdee knew she was in trouble.
“It’s a matching hat…”
“Get out of my sight.”
Azurdee couldn’t move.
“Now!” Azaria’s voice bellowed through the entrance hall, causing Azurdee to jump. Before her mother’s anger could get out of hand, she rushed up the stairs to her room, leaving her purchases behind, knowing the servants would dispose of them.
Inside her room, she locked the door, leaning against it.
She closed her eyes for a minute, the excitement of her night finally catching up to her. With all her limbs feeling as if they were made of lead, she trudged toward her bed, sitting on the edge.
Faintly, she could hear her mother screaming at some of the servants.
Azurdee was so sick of living under her mother’s rule. She wanted to leave, and there were only two ways for her to do so. She either married Fredrick and braved life as his wife, or she took up the brothers on their offer.
Sighing, she plopped back into her bed, staring at the ceiling. The ceiling fan moved in a winding circle, just pushing the hot air around, making the room more stuffy than cool. She wanted to turn it off, but at the same time, she was too tired to get up.
So, she closed her eyes and pretended she was by the seashore, the soft breeze running through her hair, the salt air new and refreshing. She could almost hear the seagulls squawk overhead.
But it was crazy.
She couldn’t just run away with a couple of strangers. Sure, the brothers had protected her today, but she didn’t know them as much as she wanted to. All she knew were their names, clan, and that they liked to pickpocket in their spare time.
How was she supposed to trust a couple of guys like that?
“It’s crazy…”
***
The next night, Azurdee ventured out of her room, looking for something to eat. Since she had angered her mother, she had tried to stay out of her way, knowing that tempting the woman was like playing with fire. It never ended well.
She stepped into the kitchen, where a few servants were busy making dinner. “Miss Azurdee.” The chef said, bowing his head.
“Alfred. How many times have I told you that you don’t have to be so formal around me? You practically raised me.” She said, walking up to his stove, looking at what he was cooking.
“It’s my obligation, Miss Azurdee, as your mother’s servant.”
Azurdee frowned slightly. After spending some time with Kai and Noah, she was becoming more sympathetic toward the lesser vampires.
“Do you have anything I can nibble on before dinner?”
“I’m afraid the roast is already in the oven. I’m preparing a glaze for the meat, but it will not be done for a few hours.” He explained.
Azurdee frowned, her stomach rumbling. She walked over to the fridge and pulled it open, looking for something that might satisfy her hunger.
“Would you like me to make you something?”
Azurdee bit her lip. “Do you have roast beef?”
“Roast beef, miss?” The chef tilted his head in confusion. In the noble household, the only meats they were allowed to eat were stag, ram, and the occasional pheasant. Beef was looked down upon as food of the lower class.
Azurdee instantly realized her slip up and bit the inside of her lip. “Never mind, I’ll grab something from the pantry.” Quickly, she scampered out of the kitchen and into the large pantry filled with a variety of food items, but none of them looked particularly appealing.
After last night’s roast beef sandwich, her stomach craved the tender, slightly bloodied meat. Maybe, she could convince the brothers to bring her back to their mother’s restaurant one day.
Wait. What was she thinking?
Convinced that she wouldn’t find anything worth her while, she decided to just wait until dinner. Slowly, she walked back up to her room, passing the parlor on her way.
Inside, she heard her mother’s voice. “I’m glad you could come around, Fredrick. It must be difficult with your busy schedule.”
Curious, Azurdee pressed herself against the wall and listened.
“Not a problem at all. Especially for my future mother-in-law.”
“You can stop with the flattery. It doesn’t work on me.”
“My apologies, but I only speak the truth. In three short weeks, we will be family. Our clans united in such a way this kingdom has never seen before.”
“It’s precisely for this reason that I wished to sp
eak to you.”
“Oh?”
“As you must know, there’s a storm brewing on the horizon. Meteorologists predict that it’ll hit around the time of the wedding.”
“Can they really be that accurate?”
“They have always been accurate. It is how we manage such successful harvests year after year.” Azaria explained. “It’s one of the many reasons why the Hallowed held so much power for so long, our monopoly on crops was indisputable.”
“Only to be surpassed by the Vigils when they discovered a better way of extracting diamonds from the mines.”
“I’m not here to talk politics.” Azaria’s curt tone quickly ended their conversation.
A few moments passed in silence. Azurdee could hear her mother pacing back and forth.
“As I was saying, a storm is predicted to hit during the time of the wedding so I propose that we expedite the ceremony.”
“I have no objections. For when?”
“This weekend. The sooner my daughter is married, the better.”
“Excellent. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure she behaves like none other once we’re married.”
“I certainly hope so.” Azaria's voice was full of disappointment.
“But you aren’t just throwing her at me because you think she’ll be an unfit wife, are you?”
“No. She will be the perfect wife.”
Azurdee didn’t bother to listen to the rest of their conversation. She was already rushing back to her room. She couldn’t get married this weekend, she wasn’t ready!
Clumsily, she clambered up the stairs, nearly tripping along the way.
She couldn’t let this happen.
She had to run away.
Once inside her room, she closed the door, locking it with a bolt and chain, not wanting anyone to disturb her as she began to pack. She knew she would have to pack light, especially if she was going all the way to Pillai Mountain.
She grabbed only the bare necessities, throwing them into a small backpack. It quickly bulged, making it difficult for her to zip it up.
Breathing hard, she finally finished, looking around the room, making sure she didn’t forget anything important. One last time, she walked into her closet, pushing through all the obnoxious gowns, looking for any t-shirt she might have missed in her frantic packing.
When she was sure she had everything, she pulled back her curtains and opened the window. A strong breeze rolled into her room, groaning loudly as if warning her.
But Azurdee had already made up her mind.
She was going to run away. She wasn’t going to let her mother or anyone else decide who she was going to marry.
With the slip of paper in her hand, she looked at the address one more time before she grabbed onto the window ledge and hoisted herself out.
She took one final, deep breath before she took the plunge.
Chapter Twelve
Azurdee hit the ground hard, her vision blurring from the impact. Her bones ached, but she ignored the pain, running toward the tree line, hoping none of the servants spotted her.
Once she reached the woods, she looked over her shoulder, but the estate was quiet. No one would notice she was gone until dinner, which gave her just enough time.
But only if she hurried.
She sped through the forest as fast as she could, her bag banging against the small of her back.
Overhead, dark clouds rolled in, blocking out the moon, making it hard to navigate. Azurdee wasn’t one of the hunters, she had never been trained to see in the darkness. She slowed her pace, focusing on the obstacles underfoot so she wouldn’t trip and hurt herself.
This was crazy.
She thought about turning back. Maybe she should just go through the rite of passage, like every other noble girl her age. What made her so different that she thought she should have a choice when others didn’t?
But the thought of marrying that scumbag made her skin crawl. No. She simply couldn’t go through with it. She tightened her grip on her bag and continued through the forest. When she made it to a clearing, she could see the Pillai Mountain looming before her. She was already tired, but she couldn’t give up now. She had already come this far.
A few feet away, she arrived at a rushing river. The water flowed rapidly toward the ocean, carrying sticks and other debris in its powerful current. Azurdee looked for a safe way to cross the body of water, but as far as she could tell, the only way across would be to swim through.
Thinking there must be another way, she started up the bank, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that might help her. Finally, she arrived at a fallen log that spanned the length of the river.
It would take a lot of balance, but as long as she remained focused she thought she just might be able to do it. Carefully, she climbed onto the log. Luckily, the wood was still pretty firm. Hopefully, it would be strong enough to withstand her weight. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself before tiptoeing forward, taking her time.
She refused to look down at the angry water beneath her. Just thinking about it sent chills up her spine. What would happen if she slipped and fell in? Noah wasn’t around to save her this time. She gulped, keeping her eyes fixed on the log.
With sweat running down the back of her neck, she continued forward, her feet barely moving.
So far so good.
She was about halfway when she slipped on a patch of moss. Her eyes widened and she reached out her hands to break her fall. Desperately, she clung onto the log, but it rolled and she found herself dangling upside down. Her hair grazed the water, some of the loose items in her bag fell in and disappeared along with the current.
Azurdee shook in fear, trying to edge her way toward dry land, but the second she moved, the log started to crack.
“Fuck…” She whispered to herself.
What was she supposed to do now?
If she kept going, the log would certainly break. If she let go, she would never survive the harsh river.
Her grip started to weaken the longer she held on. She couldn’t keep this up forever.
With no other choice, she shimmied forward.
Again, the wood cracked and splintered, threatening to snap at any moment. Azurdee cursed under her lips but continued forward. The muscles in her arms were starting to burn, but she ignored the pain, knowing she had to hold on if she had any hope of survival.
Her fear of water made it hard for her to breathe, especially when it looked like it wanted to gobble her up.
Crack!
The log snapped in half.
Azurdee splashed into the river, thinking she was as good as dead. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, waiting for the water to consume her, but it never did.
Confused, she opened her eyes to find that she was sitting in about two feet of water, her clothes soaked, her backpack waterlogged, but besides that, she was perfectly fine.
She grumbled under her breath before she got up, looking like a wet dog. Still grumbling, she took some time to wring her clothes dry as much as possible. With an evil glare, she cursed the river for fooling her into thinking it was deeper than it really was.
With her shoes now drenched and squeaking with her every step, she started on her journey once more. Soon enough, she reached the path Kai had told her about.
The road was wide and free of obstructions, making it an easy trek. In no time at all, she arrived at a beautiful home, right on the shore, exactly as they said. It was large, at least three stories. She couldn’t quite make out the color in the darkness, but it looked like a light blue. A large porch in the front overlooked the sea. A garden was blooming with flowers in the back.
Azurdee admired it for a moment before it started to rain. Fleeing from the sudden downpour, she rushed onto the porch, making quite a ruckus.
Before she could even knock on the door, Noah was standing there, a knowing grin on his face. “We thought you would come around, we just didn’t know it would be this soon or that you’
d make this much noise. What’s the rush, princess?”
“Noah, can’t you see she’s wet. Let her in.”
“Oh, she’ll be more than just wet when I’m done with her…” He whispered under his breath.
“Did you say something?” Azurdee turned, narrowing her eyes in his direction.
“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Noah chuckled, feigning innocence. “Please, come in.”
Chapter Thirteen
Azurdee stepped into their grandiose home, dripping onto the hardwood floor. Immediately, Kai helped her with her bag, easing it off her shoulders while Noah tried to ‘help’ with her wet clothing.
She slapped him away. “I’m fine.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t bite my head off. Was just trying to help.” He shrugged as if he had done nothing wrong.
“The bathroom is right this way. Why don’t you take a shower and get yourself settled while Noah puts your clothes to dry?”
“What…? Why do you get to bring her to the bathroom and I get stuck with laundry duty?”
Kai shot his brother a reprimanding look before he pressed his hand into the small of her back, guiding her toward the bathroom.
“Thank you,” Azurdee whispered, grateful that they were giving her such a warm welcoming. “I’m sorry I just showed up unannounced.”
“It’s alright. We’re just glad to help.” Kai answered with a smile.
They arrived at a white door. Kai opened it, revealing a modern-style bath, complete with a walk-in shower, two-person sink, and a cute tile backsplash that decorated the wall. “Wow…”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s amazing… How did you afford all of this?” Azurdee asked the question before she realized what she was saying. Her cheeks colored in a light pink. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude… it’s just…”
“I understand. You wouldn’t think a couple of low-class vampires could afford something like this. That’s understandable. But you also know what Noah and I are capable of. Pickpocketing provides quite the revenue.” Kai flashed a toothy smile.
She frowned slightly at the mention of their thievery, but she didn’t venture to make a comment.
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