A Crown of Blood and Ashes

by Elle Middaugh

  I sighed. "Yes, I know. But right now I need you to just trust me."

  She nodded reluctantly. "What should I tell the king and queen about where you are?"

  I paused, gazing aimlessly into the crowd as I thought. "Tell them I went for a walk to clear my head. Tell them I went north."

  "But you're heading for the southern gate?"

  "Lyra... just do as I say. I have to go."

  I quickly darted through the gate, then sprinted the rest of the way back through the woods. Every footfall rattled my bones with the pressure of getting there in time. I didn't know why it was so painfully important to save this guy's life, but... it just was. Maybe it was a subconscious attempt to prove my parents wrong. To prove all witches wrong. To show that vampires weren't just killing machines. That they could be... good. Or something. Then again, I might save the guy just in time for him to sink his teeth in my neck and suck me dry.

  Wouldn't that be irony at its finest?

  My throat burned, my lungs ached, and sweat was spattered across my forehead, but I made it back to the cave in record time. Panting quietly, I uncorked the potion and positioned it above his lips. Lips that were pale and almost gray in hue. He was losing color as he lost life, turning ashy in almost every sense of the word. Heat radiated off his skin, sending me into a panic. Literally at any moment, this guy could combust. I had to hurry.

  Tipping the vial slowly at first, I tested the waters to see what he'd do.

  He swallowed, thank God, but nothing else. No strange faces, no cringing or anything.

  Okay....

  I tipped the vial at a steeper angle.

  He continued to swallow, but it was a painfully slow, subconscious process. I began to question whether or not he'd have it down by the time ten minutes was up.

  Finally, the last drop slid out.

  His body immediately seemed to ease. His face looked peaceful. And best of all, his skin was cooling off and regaining color. I crossed myself, despite the fact that I wasn't even Catholic. Thank Jesus....

  I sat there for a few minutes, patiently waiting for him to wake up.

  Eventually he stirred.

  I watched intently as his brows furrowed. Thin brows. And his jaw clenched. Lined in sexy stubble. His hand slowly slid across his bare chest to where the arrow was lodged. When his fingers brushed the carbon fiber shaft his eyes instantly snapped open. Beautiful hazel eyes, tropical blue mixed with mint green. They drew me in even as those eyes darted over to me, confused as fuck and maybe even a little panicked.

  I put my hands in the air. "It's okay. You're okay now."

  "Where am I?" he asked, and my heart practically melted.

  The deep bass of his voice was incredibly sexy. But that allure was quickly surpassed by the fact that he had some sort of accent. I was a sucker for accents.

  "In a cave?" I sort of asked in reply.

  He grinned, a sexy thing that sent heat straight to my core. "I can see that."

  Then he ripped the arrow from his chest. Flesh tore and blood gushed out. I had to turn my head to keep from gagging.

  Surprisingly enough, he chuckled. “Can’t take the sight of blood?”

  I shook my head, still not daring to face him. “I don’t think it’s the blood, per se, just the... violence.”

  “Violence?” he asked in that sexy accent. British. No, Welsh. Welsh impersonating British. “I’ve had fang wounds that bled worse than this.”

  Which, of course, instantly had me imagining his teeth sinking seductively into my neck.

  A strange thought for me to be salivating over, considering our kinds usually hated one another. Getting bitten was supposed to be seen as a failure, a sign of weakness and incompetence. My pale skin blushed a rosy pink, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Why am I not healing?” he asked. Concern laced his words.

  I stole a peek over my shoulder. The wound was still streaming blood down his perfectly carved chest.

  I forced myself to swallow my strange concoction of emotions.

  “You were poisoned,” I said. “I gave you an antidote that saved your life, but it’s going to take some time for the toxins to completely run their course.”

  He laid his head back down on the stone floor and bit his lip. “Great.”

  “Don’t worry!” I said, instantly trying to cheer him up. “I’ll take care of you while you’re here.”

  His hazel eyes slid to my body, his gaze hot as a physical touch. “Will you, now?”

  I nodded quickly. “Yes, just... not right now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I need to see my parents before they send out a search party. Because if they find you... well, then I may as well have left you to burn in the sun.”

  He blinked. “Damn. I thought you meant you were going to let me fuck you and drink your blood later.”

  Hot heat washed over me like a tidal wave.

  Oh. That kind of taking care of him.

  Then he winked. “Seriously though, how were you planning on ‘taking care of me’ anyway?”

  “I meant tending to your wound and making sure the poison safely runs its course....”

  How could I be so stupid? Of course the guy was going to need blood and want sex—he was a vampire, for fuck’s sake! A sexy as hell... vampire.

  I sighed. “I can probably help you out with the blood situation at least.”

  His eyebrows rose in anticipation. “Yeah?”

  I nodded, feeling my cheeks flush.

  “Do I have to wait until later for that? Or do I get to taste you right now? I’m practically starving....”

  He was looking into my eyes, not staring at my throat. It was strangely intimate and made me weak in the knees.

  I brushed my long blonde hair behind an ear. “Let’s take this one step at a time. I need to make sure you’re safe from my parents first. I’ll be back tonight. You can have your drink then.”

  His gaze darkened and he bit his lip. “And the fucking too?”

  I blinked. “Jesus, vamp, what did I just say about taking things one step at a time?”

  He chuckled. “Sorry. I thought we could kill two birds with one stone, that’s all.”

  I shook my head and had started walking toward the mouth of the cave when a thought came to me. I spun on my heel and crossed my arms.

  “What were you doing at that campsite last night, anyway?”

  “Having some takeout,” he said, carefully. “The legal kind. Not that that prick who shot me cared. Ugly sod, too. Curly hair, teeth too big for his arrogant smile.”

  My hand shot to my mouth.

  Oh my God! Dominic. My betrothed was the asshole who’d shot this beautiful man with a poisoned arrow? I guessed it shouldn’t have surprised me.

  “Doesn’t matter now, I suppose,” he continued. “He’s gone. An arrow for an arrow, yeah?”

  “An arrow for an arrow,” I agreed with a slow nod.

  It was difficult to hide the terrible relief I felt. The wedding was off! I could finally breathe again.

  With a completely genuine smile, I waved goodbye and started walking away.

  “I can’t wait to see you later,” he called from behind me.

  I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip. “I can’t either.”

  I just needed to make sure that there was a later.

  3

  Autumn

  I rushed to my room, in the tallest tower in the south wing, and immediately started a shower. I needed to talk to my parents, but the whole thing would probably go over smoother if I wasn't covered in random bloodstains.

  As the water heated, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My dark blue eyes were wide and wild, and my cheeks and lips were flushed. I stared at my mouth, wondering what the vampire's kiss might feel like.

  Suddenly I noticed movement behind me.

  Lyra stood from the edge of my bed and crossed her arms.

  "Where have you been, Autumn Delarose? Your pa
rents were furious when I told them what you'd said. They threatened to have me fired if I didn't find you within the hour."

  I rolled my eyes and unzipped my now-tattered silver gown.

  "They can't fire you. I won't allow it."

  "They're the ones in charge, though. Not you." She turned around just before my gown cascaded to the floor in a shimmery puddle. "And besides that, I'm curious as to where you went too. You seem... different. Like something's changed."

  I stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain. "Promise you won't tell?"

  "Cross my heart, my lady."

  "I was meeting someone."

  She was silent for a moment, so I took the time to shampoo my hair.

  "A male someone?"

  A grin hit my face. "Yes."

  "Does Dominic know his betrothed is sneaking around with other men behind his back?"

  I laughed out loud. "Dominic wouldn't care if I was fucking the horses in the stables. All he wanted was the crown."

  Her keen ear caught the word in past tense.

  "Wanted? He no longer desires your hand?"

  I ran a soapy puff across my body, scraping insistently at the rusty brown spots.

  "He no longer desires anything," I clarified. "He’s dead."

  She gasped, and I imagined her covering her mouth with both hands.

  "Trust me," I added with a smile. "I'm brokenhearted."

  She scoffed. "So brokenhearted that you're going to rush right back into the arms of this new fling, aren't you?"

  I stared straight ahead, imagining the vampire’s handsome face. The sexy accent coming off those smirking lips. The feel of his big hands on my hips and his sharp teeth in my neck.

  A slow smile burned across my lips as the bubbles rinsed from my skin and slid down the drain.

  "Yes."

  Lyra huffed.

  "Listen to me, Princess Autumn." I imagined she'd said it with a shaming finger. "This is a bad idea. I'd like to officially discourage you from doing this."

  She had no idea just how bad of an idea it really was.

  I turned the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around myself before completely stepping out.

  "What did they say?" I asked, backtracking a bit. "When you told them I was fine.”

  She crossed her arms and spun around once more to give me privacy.

  "They were relieved, of course. But they'd taken it as a personal insult from me that you hadn't shown up to say so yourself."

  I chuckled. "Sorry, Lyra. I was doing something important."

  She glanced at me over her shoulder. One eyebrow was raised. "Someone, you mean. Why was he so important that you'd risk infuriating your parents?"

  "Lyra, I'm twenty-two years old, for fuck's sake. I don't honestly care if Mommy and Daddy get mad at me."

  I entered my walk-in closet and started sifting through my wardrobe. I wanted something sexy.

  She sat back down on my bed.

  "It just doesn't make sense," she muttered. "Why the secrecy?"

  My heart started hammering. She was getting closer to the truth and I honestly couldn't handle it. It was still too new to even me. Hearing it out loud might shatter the illusion and crush me. I needed to stop it.

  I poked my head out of the closet. "I hate to do this, Lyra, but... I order you to stop speaking about this. I'm done discussing it."

  She stood and bowed. "Yes, my lady. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  Universal speak for, can I go now?

  I sighed. “No, thank you.”

  She curtseyed swiftly, then left the room.

  I sighed even louder and shook my head. Why did my words feel so harsh? Seriously, it was better, safer, for everyone involved to know as little as possible. What part of that was at all unreasonable?

  Doubt wriggled around in my stomach like a worm.

  There was also the part where I was afraid to tell her the truth. Afraid because, A, she’d immediately tell my parents. And B, she'd probably tell me just how stupid I was being. I had a bad feeling she'd be right.

  I mean, what were the odds that this gorgeous man wanted me for something other than sex and blood? According to every witch and mage I knew, that's all vamps ever cared about. Then again, according to my own theory, they surely cared about all sorts of things beyond those two carnal desires. But could he care about me specifically, the daughter of his greatest enemy? My parents had personally ordered the deaths of thousands of vampires over the years. He would probably be in just as much trouble as I would be if this turned into something more.

  My smile fell, and I grabbed a dress that was more comfortable than sensual. As much as I irrationally wanted that vampire, the fact was, we really couldn’t go there. I'd give him my blood as promised in order to help keep him alive, but as soon as the poison left his system, I would have to forget about him.

  The thought had my very soul suffocating, though I had no idea why. Maybe I was having some sort of complex? One where the heroine was hopelessly attached to the victim simply because she’d saved his life? Was there such a thing?

  I pulled the dress over my head, then flopped onto my bed.

  This totally fucking sucked.

  Later, at dinner, I received the ass-reaming of the year from my parents.

  I guessed it simply made them feel better to yell at me and make me feel like shit. There was certainly no power behind their words. Aside from deciding who I married, they had no control over my life. Though, honestly, that was a pretty big aspect of control. One I hated.

  My mother rubbed her temples. "Another suitor down the drain."

  "He was a twat," my dad said through a mouthful of steak. "We'll find another in no time."

  Mother sighed. "It might be time to try the secret plan."

  My lips parted in surprise. "Secret plan? That sounds horrifying."

  Dad ignored me and stared sternly at Mom. "I hate the secret plan."

  "But you love the end result," Mother teased with a smile.

  Dad smiled too. "That’s true, I do."

  Then he rubbed his chin and thought.

  "Hello?" I said, waving my hand between them. "What's the secret plan?"

  Mother shrugged. "Wouldn't be much of a secret if we told you, would it?"

  Dad chuckled and grabbed her hand from across the table. "We'll discuss it more in private, darling."

  "Of course, my love," Mom said with a pouty smile. She knew just how to push his buttons.

  Glaring, I dropped my fork on my plate. "May I be excused?"

  Dad waved me away with a hand. "Go. Get some sleep. You had an awful night last night and it's showing on your face."

  "Must have that beauty sleep," Mother added in a singsong tone.

  I deepened my glare, if that were possible, and stormed from the room. After gathering up some supplies and slinging a bag over my shoulder, I marched through the long hallways and straight out the massive front doors.

  I had a hungry vampire to attend to.

  But first I needed to see Lady Deidra.

  There were a few customers perusing the shelves when I walked in, so I hung her old cloak on the coatrack and clung to the shadows in the back. I had my own robe to hide behind this time.

  Spying me from across the shop, she cocked her head toward the back room.

  I nodded in return and made my way through the beads.

  She hobbled in a few minutes later.

  “Well? Did he live?”

  I smiled and nodded. “He did. I’m here to remit payment. How much do I owe you?”

  She cocked her head and studied me intently, reading something behind my eyes that even I couldn’t see. Then she sighed, shambling over to a tray of tea. She brought it to a small round table and carefully lowered herself into a chair.

  “Sit,” she said, gesturing to the other seat.

  I did as ordered, hanging on her every word and action.

  As she poured two cups from the steaming pot, I notice
d the tattoos on her wrists and hands. Blood dripping from a rose. Blood leaking from two parallel holes. Blood running like a tear from an Egyptian-looking eye. The woman clearly had a thing for the red stuff.

  “You like blood?” I asked, stupidly.

  “Blood magic is the strongest kind,” she replied, handing me a cup of tea.

  I got the feeling she’d merely hedged around the actual answer.

  “Tell me. Do you love this vampire?”

  I nearly choked on my tea. “No. I barely know him. I don’t even know his name.”

  She frowned. “Then why risk everything to save him?”

  I shook my head slowly. “I have no idea. I guess I just feel like vampires deserve a chance."

  "Why?"

  "I don't know. Maybe because I feel like I deserve a chance, one my parents refuse to give. There are plenty of witches and mages who are evil and shouldn’t merit an ounce of leniency. And yet, when it comes to vampires, there are probably good ones who are worthy of all sorts of credit, but they're disregarded simply because of what they are. And that just seems... wrong. On so many levels."

  Deidra was smiling.

  "You have a very pure heart for being a royal. You're right that not enough good people are given a chance—yourself included."

  "Thank you, Lady Deidra. Now, how may I repay you for the potion?"

  She stood and gestured to the door.

  "I can't bring myself to charge you for doing something so brave and kind."

  I stood too. "Thank you again. For everything."

  She bowed in reply.

  On the way out, I couldn't help myself. I put a roll of cash in the tip jar. She needed it far more than I did. Then I left the little shop, slipping soundlessly through the woods that led to my new favorite cave—and my new favorite vampire.

  4

  Autumn

  As I approached the shadowy entrance, my heart was pounding a million miles per hour—and not from exertion. No, this time it was from nerves, excitement, and uncertainty. Would he still be there? Would he be ravenous? What would the bite feel like? Would I like it?

  I paused, eyeing the vegetation around the opening. Rhododendrons flourished in the area, blooming in pinks and purples throughout the forest. Some of them grew to be nearly eight feet tall. They’d make a perfect cover for the cave’s mouth. An extra layer of protection.