by Leigh Walker
Even though I already knew the answer.
He raked a hand through his hair, making it spiky and a little wild. “Turned into one of my kind. Vampire.”
“Please take that back.” The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet. “Eve doesn’t want to be a filthy bloodsucker.”
My maids gasped.
I was vaguely worried he would drain me dry for my treacherous words, but he didn’t move from his seat.
“No offense, Your Highness.” The apology came out thickly, as if I were underwater.
“I understand this wouldn’t have been your friend’s choice.” The prince sighed. “And I appreciate you’ve had a terrible shock.”
I remembered the look of terror in Eve’s eyes as the queen sank her fangs into her neck. “Terrible—yes, that’s the word.” I took a wobbly step backward, as if I could escape the conversation. The room spun around me.
“Miss West?” The prince shot to his feet.
The last thing I saw as I hit the floor was his shiny boots, polished to a lustrous, depthless black.
I woke to Evangeline pressing a cold cloth to my forehead.
“Are you all right, miss?”
“What time is it?” I was disoriented, my voice raspy.
“Almost midnight.”
I nodded. “Sorry about that. About fainting.” I’d never fainted in my life. “And what I said to the prince.” I peeked at her.
“His Highness understood. You had a great shock.” She shushed me and shook her head. “To be honest, we were all surprised.”
I sat up a little. “Why were you surprised?”
Her eyes were wide as she handed me a glass of water. “I didn’t know what happened when they bit a human. I didn’t know they could change us.”
I took a shaky sip. “It’s not exactly good news.”
“No.” Evangeline got busy folding cloths, arranging them neatly on the bedside table. “Still, it was kind that the prince came here to talk to you. He seemed very upset about what his mother did.”
“It’s not exactly a great way to start the competition.” I watched her continue to fold, wondering how much I could get away with asking her. “Do you know what will happen to Eve?”
“No, miss. The staff’s been talking about it all night, of course. But the nurse on call only said the girl’s got a fever, and she’s tossing and turning. There’s nothing they can do for her except watch. I heard the queen sent some Northerners to the medical ward to attend her, but that’s all I know.”
I nodded. “And the prince? What happened with him after I…collapsed?”
Evangeline took my glass and carefully set it down. “He stayed until the doctor checked on you. He picked you up and put you on the bed himself.”
I cringed, imagining him carrying my inert body. The image was beyond awkward, especially because of the way I’d insulted him. Filthy bloodsucker.
“He was very gentle.”
I nodded, unwilling to say more. Evangeline seemed completely loyal to the royals, in spite of what they’d done.
She eyed me. “I only say that because you seem afraid of him.”
I sat up further. “I am afraid of him. Aren’t you?”
Evangeline shook her head. “No, miss. Like I said, I’ve never been mistreated here. The others say the same thing. We’ve never been afraid. But with all the girls here, all the excitement about the contest, it might just be a lot for them to handle, especially the queen. She’s been quite isolated.”
“You’re making excuses for her?”
Evangeline smoothed the comforter. “It’s just that respect is very important to them. That was the first thing we learned in training. They take words seriously. They aren’t ashamed of being what they are, but they won’t tolerate cruelty and prejudice in others.”
“Maybe they should have put a warning in the invite. Except it wasn’t an invite—it was an order. And Eve didn’t want to be here, but she followed the law.”
She nodded. “The emissary’s search committee should have known about her politics. She should never have been brought to the palace.”
I pulled my comforter up. “But she was, and look where it got her.”
The maid patted my hand. “You should rest. Tomorrow’s a long day. The twins and I will be in bright and early with your new wardrobe. We’ll need to do your hair and makeup, all the bells and whistles.”
I nodded. But as soon as she closed the door, I hopped out of bed.
With all that had transpired, bells and whistles were the least of my concerns.
Chapter 8
In The Midnight Hour
I took a deep, shaky breath then opened the door. The hallway was dimly lit, and my guard was nowhere to be seen.
I crept quietly toward the stairs. I didn’t know where the medical wing was, but I remembered the direction in which they’d dragged Eve.
I had to find her. I had to make sure she was okay.
The general said we weren’t allowed out of our rooms after the sun had set. I didn’t let myself think about why as I stole down the stairs.
The grand foyer was empty. I could hear music and voices drifting from one of the rooms nearby, but I saw no one. No sentinels guarded the entryway. Was that because they were human? Were they, too, banned from roaming the castle after hours?
I headed in the direction I’d seen Eve being taken. The palace was dark, only dim lanterns lighting the cavernous hall. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, half wishing I was back upstairs under my velvet comforter, my fire keeping me warm. But my mother’s words echoed inside my head.
You’re a West, and that means you don’t give up, and you don’t get to roll over and hide your eyes.
I’d seen what the queen had done to Eve. But my friend, however reckless, hadn’t deserved her fate. Eve needed to know she still had an ally, to know she wasn’t alone in this strange and terrible place.
Still, I’d promised my mother. For the love of all things holy, stay alive. I had to be careful.
I stayed close to the wall and kept moving forward. There was light ahead and voices. I wondered if I’d found the medical ward. As I drew closer, I could hear the conversation more distinctly.
“Have you seen this happen before?” a woman asked.
“Not like this. It’s the fastest transformation I’ve witnessed,” another woman answered. “We need to be prepared for her to wake up sooner than we planned.”
“We have plenty of supplies from the bank. We should be fine.”
The other woman tsked. “It’s a pity. She’s very young.”
“She made her own bed.”
I crept closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of Eve.
“Miss West,” a deep, smooth voice said suddenly from behind me, “aren’t you out awfully late?”
I whirled, my heart stuttering.
The prince stepped out of the shadows. He arched an eyebrow as he looked me from head to toe. “It’s nice to see you conscious, my lady, but I’m afraid you’re in violation of curfew.”
“Um. I… I, um…”
He smiled a little, more amused than scolding, and my shoulders relaxed. But then footsteps thundered toward us, and the prince’s face turned stormy. “Don’t say a word, and don’t move.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind his back so that I was covered by his cape, pressed up against his body. I held my breath, but not before I got a heady whiff of his scent, masculine and earthy.
Do all vampires smell this good?
The footsteps came closer. My heart thudded so loudly that I feared they’d be able to hear it.
“Your Highness.” A sentinel stopped in front of us.
“What is all the ruckus about?” The prince sounded pissed, and quite frankly, a little scary.
“One of the ladies is missing from her room.”
“Which one?” the prince asked.
“The other girl from Settlement Four.”
“I’ll take care of it. Send the others back
to their posts. Have you spoken with the king or queen?” I felt his big body tense.
“No, Your Highness. We wanted to handle it first.”
“Don’t say a word to them. That’s an order. After the debacle earlier this evening, I think we should spare my parents any more worries. I will handle the girl. Understood?”
“Of course, Your Highness. I’ll tell the others, and we’ll return to our posts immediately.”
The prince waited until they were gone, then he lifted his cape and let me out from under it. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Not a very dignified hiding place.”
“Don’t apologize.” I shook my head. “You just saved me.”
Even as shadows played across his face, it softened. “You were attempting to see your friend, I presume?”
I nodded.
“You shouldn’t.” He took in my rumpled traveling dress and sleep-mussed hair. “She’s not in any shape for visitors, and you don’t appear to be, either. Let’s get you to your room before my mother finds you and declares you dessert, shall we?”
I shivered. “Y-yes.”
Seeing the look of absolute horror on my face, he frowned. “That was a joke.”
“Oh,” I said, shakily. “Ha-ha.”
Brow furrowed, he muttered something under his breath and took me by the elbow. “If we see anyone else, don’t say a word.”
I nodded. I was probably too petrified to speak, anyway.
We swept down the hall. Now the sentinels manned their posts at regular intervals. They pretended not to see us, looking straight ahead. Each of them was pale, their skin almost silver in the darkness.
Sensing my distraction, the prince nodded toward one of them. “At night, we only have the Black Guard. During the day, human guards protect the palace.”
With rumblings of a revolt on the horizon, the all-human guard seemed…ill-advised. I didn’t say anything for a moment until we were up the stairs and out of earshot. “You trust them?”
This was so not my business. Still, my genuine curiosity about this new world and the intersection of our kinds got the better of me.
The prince looked at me sharply. “Who?”
“Your human guards?”
“With my life, my lady.” We reached my door, and he bowed formally. I fumbled through my curtsy and caught a flash of it again—his dimple. “There’s a lot you don’t know about my family and about our kind. We’ve existed peacefully with our staff and our human guards since we came here. If you ask them, I believe they’ll tell you we treat them fairly and they aren’t afraid. They’re happy to be here.”
My maids seemed thrilled with the arrangement. But as they’d come from the frozen, starving tundra known as Settlement 8, what else were they going to say?
The prince tilted his chin, inspecting me. “I’ve brought you and the others here because I’m invested in this competition. It’s important to me. I want our kinds to rule the land together, human and vampire.”
He mentioned nothing of love, nothing of finding someone to share his life with. Any far-off inkling I’d had of this being a search to find the prince’s soulmate vanished. “So this competition is strictly for politics?”
He bristled. “Don’t say it like it’s a bad thing. The safety and prosperity of the settlements are of the utmost importance. In addition, I fully expect to make a match for love. That’s the only way the union could last. I must be able to trust that my wife is committed to both my family and me.”
I thought of the other girls sobbing as his mother ravaged Eve’s neck. Good luck with that. But then I looked at the prince’s handsome face. Even with such odds, he would probably manage just fine.
“I have high hopes for the Pageant.” He crossed his powerful arms over his chest. “I want to bring peace to the settlements, and our races to live together in harmony. That’s the only way we’ll all survive.”
“Survive? Survive what, exactly?”
His eyes flashed. “Threats to the settlements.”
“What threats?”
He took a step back. “It’s late, my lady. You need to rest. But before I let you go, I need you to promise me something.”
I waited for him to go on.
“No one can know you were out of your room tonight. I don’t want you to be made an example of.”
“I promise.” I couldn’t get the words out fast enough. I had zero desire to be another case study.
“Then I take my leave.”
“Wait—wait. What will happen with Eve?”
The prince blew out a deep breath. “Her new life will begin soon. Is it enough that I promise to bring you news?”
No, I thought.
“Yes,” I said.
“I will meet with you tomorrow and answer questions about your friend.” He bowed again. “Until then.”
It wasn’t good enough, but at least it was something. “Until then.” I nodded instead of fumbling through another curtsy.
The prince’s cape sailed out behind him as he strode away without giving me a backward glance.
Chapter 9
It’s Complicated
I woke to my maids fussing around the room and squealing over each new dress they hung in my closet.
“Can you believe what the seamstresses came up with?” Bettina gushed “Everything’s so gorgeous!”
Bria’s eyes shone. “Now we know what they’ve been working on for all these months.”
Evangeline beamed as she held up a golden-hued frock. “This is fit for a princess. I cannot wait to see Miss West in this!”
I groaned and pulled my covers up, watching them bustle. In the light of day, my situation seemed dire.
My only friend at the palace was in the medical wing, becoming a vampire because she’d insulted the royal family and my hostess, the queen, had bitten her. The vampire queen.
Speaking of vampires, I was surrounded by them and the humans who loyally protected them against threats.
Speaking of threats, apparently, the settlements were in danger. The prince had said as much. He said the royals and the settlers needed to work together to survive.
Speaking of the prince—the vampire prince—he’d admitted that the Pageant was for political purposes but that he also wanted to fall in love with the winner.
I’d come here to win. But we hadn’t even started, and I was already screwed.
There was no way the prince would fall in love with me. Not now. My first night at the palace, and I’d already passed out in front of him, broken explicit rules, and insulted his family terribly.
But the fact that I wasn’t exactly princess material wasn’t my only problem.
I was afraid. Afraid of the Dark Prince, afraid of his family, afraid of his world.
You promised Mom. You promised to try.
The prince seemed kind, the prince was handsome, and the prince was tall and strapping. He was also a vampire. A vampire like his mother, the queen, who’d just ravaged my friend.
A vampire, like the ones my father and brother had gone off to fight, never to return.
Rage bloomed in my chest, but I pushed it aside. I pictured Winnie and Remy asleep next to the fire, huddled together for warmth. They were innocent.
They were also my responsibility.
I didn’t get to be a coward. I would try to win the prince’s heart because it was the only way to save my family. If I didn’t do something, the West clan would be begging in the streets by summer. I owed my family my best effort, even if trying to make the vampire prince fall in love with me and propose was already utterly hopeless.
Even if my own heart thundered in a mixture of terror and fury at the thought.
“My lady, you are stunning.” Evangeline finished tying the back and adjusted the emerald velvet of my gown.
The twins put the final touches on my hair and makeup then stepped back. “Wow,” Bria said.
“Just gorgeous,” agreed Bettina.
“Have a look.” Evangeline encourag
ed me toward the full-length mirror.
I sucked in a deep breath when I saw my reflection. My hair flowed in loose waves around my shoulders. My face shimmered with just the right amount of makeup. I looked healthy and slightly sparkly, but not over-done. Large tear-drop emerald earrings glinted against my pale skin. The velvet of the dark-green dress, the same hue as the jewels I wore, glowed in the early morning sunlight. The brocade front fit snugly, accentuating my curves.
“It’s lovely. Thank you.”
Evangeline shook her head. “The dress is pretty, but you steal the show. I think the prince will approve.”
I blew out a shuddery breath. “We’ll see.”
There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Evangeline instructed.
Tariq poked his head through, his shellacked hair reflecting the sunlight. “Ah, Gwyneth. You’re looking lovely.”
I curtsied. “Good morning, Tariq.”
He held out his hand for me. Did I imagine it, or did Evangeline and the twins give him disapproving looks? I didn’t have time to ask. I took his hand, and he swept me from the room without giving me a chance to say goodbye. He hustled me down the hall.
“Where are we going?”
“I need to speak with you. Privately.”
He threw open the door to a small study and ushered me inside. He closed the door then whirled on me, cape flying. “Where were you last night?”
“In my room.” Until I snuck out.
“I have verified information that you were out of your room in the middle of the night, in direct violation of curfew.” A vein throbbed in his temple. “What do you have to say to that?”
“I have—”
The door burst open, and the prince stormed in. He wore a dark-gray tunic, and his hair was a bit wild, as if he’d run to cut us off. “She has nothing to say, Tariq.”
I watched, shocked, as the prince slammed the door behind him. He glowered at Tariq. “Miss West was with me last night. We were getting to know each other better.”
“Of course.” Tariq shrugged, immediately feigning indifference, as if he hadn’t been about to pop a blood vessel moments earlier. “I was just checking in with the lady, Your Highness. I’m in charge of the contestants. They’re my responsibility. I can’t have them out at all hours, running about. Especially after what already happened.”
