Princesses of the Night (Royal Blood Book 1)

by Tich Brewster

  It had been too long since they’d eaten Chinese food, and Tanya savored every bite. Being vampires, they didn’t need food to survive but unlike the movies, they could indulge because their bodies were not undead. “So, now what?” Dannika asked around a mouthful of food.

  Tanya grimaced.

  “I don’t know about you,” Dannika continued, oblivious to the fact her manners were lacking, “but I’m sick of being in the car.”

  Regina glared at her with disgust. “Okay, first of all, great manners. That’s real nice. Second, seeing how no one here knows who we are, I suppose we could afford to stay a night or two. It’ll be fun to see the town, maybe find a club or something.”

  “Yes,” Makinzee and Serienna chimed in.

  Regina aimed her thumb behind her toward the window. “I think I saw a sign for an Express Inn Resort.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The hotel was only a half a mile from the restaurant, right off the highway that they’d need to continue their southbound route. It was a huge castle-shaped hotel.

  The only room available was a family suite. Tanya gaped at the full-sized kitchen. The living area had a full sofa and a love seat. One bedroom had a king size bed and the other held two queens.

  It didn’t take long for Regina to convince Tanya and Dannika to join them on their night out on the town. After their showers, Makinzee picked out outfits for everyone, Serienna played makeup artist, and Regina styled their hair.

  Makinzee jumped up and down, clapping. “Ummm,” she hummed. “We are lookin’ good.”

  Looking in the mirror, Tanya’s eyes widened. “Wow.” She did look like she belonged on the catwalk. Ringlets of her hair swirled around her face, making her look sophisticated. Neutral-pink lipstick adorned her lips, making them look plump and kissable. Silver, purple, and black eyeshadow brought out the emerald in her eyes. The dress she wore flowed down to her ankles, hugging her body while enhancing her cleavage. “Look at me. I look fabulous.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good.” Dannika adjusted her necklace. “I could be a model.”

  “Yes, you could.” Kissing the top of her cousin’s head, Tanya grabbed her purse. “I’m ready.”

  Not knowing anything about this town, Serienna stepped out of the elevator and sauntered up to the front desk. A young man sat on a barstool typing away on his laptop. He glanced up at the sound of her heels clicking on the tile, his mouth gaping at the sight of her.

  “Hey there, handsome.” With a bat of her eyes, she had him eating out of the palm of her hand. “My sisters and I are new in town, and we were wondering if you could help us out?”

  “Of course.”

  Serienna batted her eyelashes at the guy. “We were hoping to get out and have some fun tonight. Do you happen to know if there are any good clubs around?”

  A flirtatious smile lit up his face. “Yeah, there’s a club not too far away.” Licking his dry lips, he eyed her from head-to-toe. “It’s called La Dinastia.”

  He wrote the address and directions on a sheet of paper along with his name and cell phone number. Grinning like a fool in an attempt at displaying sexiness, he winked at Serienna as he handed her the paper. Looking down at the paper, she gave him a little wink to boost his ego then sauntered away.

  Tanya tapped the countertop to gain his attention. “Thanks.” He still stared after Serienna, who was exiting the building. Leaving him to his daydreaming, she followed the others out the door. If he heard her, he didn’t show it. His attention was solely on Serienna and her swaying hips.

  The club wasn’t far from the hotel and wasn’t very large. Despite its size, the line at the door trailed along the building and around the corner, stopping at the edge of the parking lot. Tanya gaped, she figured it would take them an hour or more to get in.

  To her surprise, people stepped aside to allow them to pass right through to the front door.

  At the door stood a large man wearing a gun on his hip and a frown on his face. Holding out his hand, he asked for their IDs. That could be a problem, considering the fact they were only nineteen and not the legal age for a club of this sort.

  All it took was one flash of Makinzee’s pearly whites for him to give in. “Hi, handsome. We’re on a road trip and have been in the car all day. I think we must have forgotten them at the hotel. We don’t really need them, do we?” Her fingertips traced the line of his scruffy jaw.

  His nostrils flared as he inhaled her perfume. “Just promise to dance with me when I go on my break, sweet thang.”

  “Absolutely, just come find me.” Lifting her hand to her mouth, she blew him a kiss. Stepping aside, he allowed them to pass through.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  To say the club was packed would be putting it mildly. There must have been two hundred people crammed into the building. Which was what…ninety percent of the town?

  Several catcalls and whistles sounded from different directions as they made their way onto the dance floor. This was so not Tanya’s scene. She was more of a stay at home and binge watch television kind of girl. “I’m going to get a drink. I’ll be over at the bar if you need me.”

  A deer-in-the-headlights expression fell over Dannika. “Um, you’re not leaving me out here alone. I’ll go with you.”

  The bar was just as crowded as the dance floor. The bartender served several drinks before walking in their direction. “Sorry about the wait.” He wiped the countertop with a rag. “My name is River, what can I get you to drink?”

  “Two Cokes.” Dannika flashed him a smile as she pulled her wallet from her purse.

  Reaching over the bar to touch her hand, he nodded toward her purse. “You can keep that, sweetheart.” He smiled at the two of them then left to get their drinks.

  “Oh, my gosh.” Dannika smiled from ear-to-ear. “What was that? Did you see that?”

  “Yeah,” Tanya said, eyeing River as he balanced two glasses in one hand. The man’s eyes never wavered from Dannika’s as he set the drinks in front of them. He winked then rushed off to tend to his customers. “I think the man may be hot for you.” At her cousin’s shocked expression, Tanya laughed, nearly choking on her Coke.

  For the past fifteen minutes Dannika had done nothing but talk about the vampires Lazarith had said were their new family. The more she talked, the more anxious she got. “Do you think they’ll like us?”

  “Dannie, I’m sure they will.” Before she could say another word, Dannika raised her brow with a look that told her not to continue this conversation further.

  Curious, Tanya followed her cousin’s gaze to a spot behind her. A tall, incredibly skinny guy did a twostep move as he approached them. With his blue-plaid, button-up shirt and too tight jeans, he was the perfect image of a country man. His head bobbed to the rhythm of the music.

  A smile broke out on his face when Tanya’s eyes met his over her shoulder. “Hey there. My name is Jake.” He held his hand out. “Would you care to dance?”

  This handsome cowboy wanted to dance with her? She looked back at Dannika. There was no way she’d leave her cousin here alone while she fled with this man, even if it was for a few minutes.

  Dannika rolled her eyes. “She’d love to, Jake.”

  Jake led the way out to the dance floor the same way he’d approached their spot at the bar, with a twostep kind of walk. Wrapping his arm around her, he tugged her body flush against his and began swaying to the music. His evergreen fragrance wafted toward her, drawing her in.

  Dancing was not something Tanya was good at. In fact, she was horrible. She was not coordinated enough to move her feet and sway her body at the same time. Despite her failure to keep up with the beat, Jake was well experienced. Every time she got off beat, which was often, he would twirl her around and help her get back on track.

  One dance tu
rned into two and two into three. The longer she danced, the better she got. Sadly, she still stepped on his toes at least three times per song. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone has to learn sometime. Besides, you’re not as bad as you think you are.” He twirled her around again, the skirt of her dress waving in the air.

  The song ended, and Jake let his arms drop from her waist. Removing his hat, he bowed. “Thank you for dancing with me.”

  “No, thank you.” It had never been her intention to spend the entire night in the arms of a stranger, but the time had passed so quickly. Giving him a hug, she said, “I’m glad you found me. I had a blast.”

  Watching him walk away, she noticed how empty the club was. Time really does fly by when you’re having fun. Makinzee was the only one of her friends still out on the dance floor. The others were sitting at a table in the far corner.

  Pulling out a chair and nearly collapsing in it, Tanya slipped off her shoes to rub her aching feet. “I’m exhausted.”

  “Tell me about it.” Serienna leaned back in her chair, resting her head on the wall behind her. “I was beginning to think you were competing with Makinzee for the title of Dancing Queen.”

  Makinzee’s head whipped around, her eyes landing on the four of them. No doubt she’d overhead them with her vampire hearing. The bouncer from earlier spun her around, his hand landing on her rear to draw her close.

  When the song ended, Makinzee patted his cheek and thanked him for the dance.

  “Okay, okay. I’m ready to leave.” Makinzee flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You bunch of party poopers.”

  Entering the club was a young man wearing all leather. Four others followed, wearing the same type of gear. Bikers, maybe. The first guy laughed. As the girls made to leave, he stepped in front of the exit. Regina smirked. “Oh yay. Look at this fool. He seems to think that we’re a prize to be won.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, he rocked back on his heels. “Hello there, beautiful.” The glassiness of his eyes showed his intoxication. “I’m Jeremy, and these,” he motioned to the others that had followed him in, “are my friends.”

  “Don’t care.” Regina made a shooing movement with her hands.

  Ignorant to her meaning, or just not caring, he continued. “You beauties must be from out of town because, believe me, I would remember if we’d met before.”

  The look on Dannika’s face was one Tanya knew all too well. Irritation. “Look,” she snapped. “I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but we need to leave, and you’re getting on my nerves. First of all, we’re not interested in the likes of you. Secondly, you have no right to block our path.”

  His laughter bounced off the walls. This was getting ridiculous. Blank of all emotion, Regina looked him in the eye. “We’re not your type. Now move out of our way.”

  Confused, or mesmerized, he uncrossed his arms and stepped out of the way. “Come on guys, these girls aren’t our type. Maybe we’ll have better luck out on the floor.” Tanya glanced back at the empty room and smirked. Just as fast as they’d blocked them in, they were gone.

  On the way to the car, Dannika nudged Regina. “How in the world did you change his mind like that?”

  Shrugging her shoulders, Regina opened the driver’s side door. “I don’t know.” After everyone was seated and they were on the road, she said, “I just said it verbally, but I mentally willed him to go and forget about us. It wasn’t hard, it felt so natural.”

  While everyone raved on about Regina’s ability to make that stranger bend to her will, Tanya saw a flash of him in her mind’s eye. What she saw left her shuddering.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  After the scary vision of Jake her mind conjured up, Tanya was more than ready to leave this godforsaken town. The others had gone to bed the instant they arrived back at the hotel. Tanya took her time changing into her pajamas. She just couldn’t shake the fear something dangerous was headed their way.

  Tiptoeing as to not wake anyone, Tanya slipped into the room she shared with Dannika. She started to turn out the light when she noticed her cousin sitting on the bed with her feet pulled in and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her forehead rested on her knees, and her body trembled.

  “Dannie, what’s wrong?” Tanya rushed to her side.

  Dannika shook her head. “Oh, don’t mind me. I just have a lot on my mind.”

  That was something Tanya could relate too. Her mind was reeling with the meaning behind Jake’s red-rimmed eyes she’d envisioned.

  “I just need to get some things worked out. I promise to turn the light out and get to bed before long.”

  Tanya crawled in bed next to Dannika. “You want me to stay up with you? Maybe I can help with whatever has you freaking out.” Maybe it would help her with her own fears. God knows she couldn’t get any sleep right now, anyway.

  “Tay.” She sighed, her puppy dog eyes weighed down with worry. “You don’t have to.”

  “I know.”

  Dannika relaxed her hold on her legs. “But I would love it if you did.”

  Tanya nudged her with her leg. “Count me in.”

  Crossing her legs under her, Dannika asked, “Do you think that the rest of us will have some kind of powers?” Biting her thumbnail was something she did when she was nervous. “You know, like Regina? What she did back at the club, that was some kind of vampire ability.”

  “Dannie, is that what has you so down?”

  “Yeah. I know it’s stupid, even selfish, to be jealous.” Heat rose in Dannika’s cheeks. “I guess I’m afraid of being the oddball in our little group.”

  Tanya had also been amazed by Regina’s show of power but she wasn’t torn up over vampire abilities and whatnot. Needing to reassure her cousin, she decided to remind her of Lazarith. “You know what Lazarith has always said.”

  Dannika picked at imaginary lint. “I know. He’s told us that we’re special on so many occasions, but I’m dying to know what our powers are. I mean, will we all display the same powers or will we all have totally different ones?”

  “Unfortunately, I can’t answer that.”

  Dannika let her head fall against the headboard. “I’m just afraid that you all will start developing your powers, and I’ll be stuck as a fledgling forever.”

  Tanya hated to see her cousin worried. The girl suffered from abandonment issues. Her birth parents had abandoned her when she was only five years old. They hadn’t even had the decency to drop her off on a doorstep. They just left her on the side of the road.

  Fortunately, Tanya’s aunt lived across the street and had witnessed the whole ordeal. It took her no time to rush out to the child and save her from uncertain disaster. Heartbroken over Dannika’s chain of events, she took her in. Adoption papers were filed, and Tanya was blessed with the best cousin she could have ever asked for.

  Sadly, those memories still haunted Dannika, and because of her parents’ actions she feared rejection at every turn.

  Tanya rested her hand on Dannika’s shoulder. “Honey, you can’t push yourself into your powers. You will develop them as your body is ready. We all will.” By the gleam in her cousin’s eye, she knew Dannika would not give up without questioning the others. “Just promise me one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  Tanya looped her arm through Dannika’s. “Don’t bug the others about this. You know how they can be. The last thing we need is for them to get upset while we’re cramped in the car.”

  Dannika was silent. Finally, she looked over at Tanya. “Fine, I won’t pester them about it, but I will ask them what their thoughts are. Besides, maybe Regina has some tips on how I can start tapping into my developing abilities.”

  The girl was persistent. Hopefully, she won’t question them until they decide to throw her out of the moving vehicle. “I know patience i
sn’t your strong suit, Dannie, but you’ve got to give it time.”

  Tanya rested her head against Dannika’s. Thoughts of the other vampires Lazarith claimed as family were swirling in her mind. They had been on her mind a lot lately. Would they be powerful like Lazarith had said she would be? Would they like her?

  If she were to write down all her questions, she’d have a full-length novel.

  When it came to these people he chose as his children, Tanya wondered why he’d chosen them. Were they also special? She wasn’t jealous, but she was curious. “I think that we’ll be running into one of our new family members sooner than you think.”

  “What makes you think that?” Dannika sat up straight, shoving Tanya’s arm. A glimmer shined in her eyes as a realization hit her. “Tay, are you experiencing some kind of psychic feelings?”

  “No, of course not. I’m just anxious to meet them and learn more about our new family’s history.” As the words left her mouth, she questioned herself. Was she experiencing psychic abilities? She’d dreamed of Lazarith leaving then woke up to discover he had. Was it possible?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Well, I hope we get to meet them soon because the suspense is driving me bonkers.” Dannika leaned back against the headboard with a sigh.

  Out of fear of humiliation, Tanya had never shared any of her strange dreams with anyone. Her most recent dream was eating at her, and it was one she couldn’t hold in any longer. It had tormented her since she’d dreamt it their last night in the mansion. “I had this dream that I just have to tell you. It’s been eating me up.”

  Dannika furrowed her brows in puzzlement but nodded for Tanya to continue.