My Blood To Give

by Paula Paradis

  My Blood To Give

  Part Two

  A Prince Among Vampires

  by Paula Paradis

  This is purely a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This book may not be re-sold or given away without permission in writing from the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or distributed in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means past, present or future.

  Copyright © 2015 Paula Paradis. All rights reserved.

  A Prince Among Vampires

  My Blood To Rise

  My Blood To Give

  My Blood To Bind

  PaulaParadisBooks.com

  Chapter One

  Dara opened her eyes and looked around. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was flying through the night sky with Andrei. After a time, she had fallen asleep. Had that been a spell put on her?

  Satin sheets rustled around her, and downy quilts brushed her bare skin. The morning sun shone through the window on the other side of the room.

  Even with the sun blazing, a fire crackled in a stone fireplace across the room. Curtains surrounded the bed, and brocade fabrics hung over the back of a chair by the fire.

  Where was Andrei? No one else was in the room.

  Dara hugged the sheets to cover her breasts. How had she gotten undressed? Who undressed her? She couldn’t even see her old clothes anywhere.

  Massive granite blocks formed the walls on every side. Wooden timbers stretched over the door and the window and across the ceiling. The chair by the fire was constructed of rough-hewn wood, but the ornate corner posts of the bed shone with a high lacquered varnish. Had Andrei taken her to a medieval-style castle?

  Eerie silence echoed through the room, and Dara bent her ear to listen. What was different about this place? Then she realized no bird songs came through the window. What sort of place had Andrei brought her to where there weren’t any birds? Was this a dream?

  She should get up and get dressed. At that moment, the door opened on silent hinges. Two young women glided in.

  Dara couldn’t see their feet move under their long, billowing dresses, and they wore their hair twisted in piles on top of their heads.

  They smiled when they noticed Dara.

  “You’re awake,” one of them chirped. “We hoped we wouldn’t wake you up. You’ve been sleeping so long.”

  “How long?” she asked.

  “Four days,” the other replied. “We wondered if you would ever wake up.”

  “What place is this?” Dara asked.

  The girl stood up straight. “You’re in Sanctuary Palace. I’m Reeva, and this is Angela. We’re your personal handmaids.”

  “Handmaids?” Dara asked.

  Angela set to work, cleaning up, tending the fire.

  Reeva smiled. “You’re Andrei’s consort, aren’t you? He is the Prince of Sanctuary. That makes you the princess. A princess needs handmaids.”

  “I’ve never had servants before.” Dara gasped. “I’m not sure I what to think about that.”

  With a laugh, Reeva said, “You should just enjoy yourself.”

  Dara’s head was spinning. “This can’t be real. Andrei said he wanted me to be his princess, but I thought … you know, that he was just using a figure of speech. I didn’t know he meant…” She waved her hand around the room. “I didn’t know he meant I was going to be an actual princess.”

  Reeva came to her bedside. “Come on. I’ll help you get dressed. Andrei wants to see you as soon as you wake up.”

  “He wants to see me?” Dara looked out the window. “But it’s day time. Don’t vampires hate the sun?”

  “Sanctuary runs by different rules,” Reeva said. “It’s not like anyplace else in the world.”

  Dara wasn’t sure she understood what Reeva meant. “Are we…” She didn’t know how to phrase the question. “Are we on Earth?”

  “Of course.” When Dara frowned Reeva laughed. “Think of it as a secret room in a big house. One that no one can find unless they are brought there. After being persecuted for centuries, the vampires created a place where they could be safe. Sanctuary.”

  Wrapping the bed sheet tighter around herself, Dara over to the fire. She stood with her back to the heat while Reeva picked out clothes from a walk-in closet and arranged them on the bed.

  “How did I get here?” Dara asked. “I only remember falling asleep.”

  “That’s the Passageway,” Reeva explained. “It puts everyone to sleep—everyone except the vampires, of course.”

  “Andrei said I would be blindfolded so I wouldn’t know where I was going,” Dara recalled.

  “You wouldn’t know where you were going even if you stayed awake and watched,” Reeva told her. “The Passageway is a magical portal to Sanctuary. There is so much power in it, humans are overwhelmed. You wouldn’t be able to find your way through it, no matter how hard you tried. Only vampires can traverse it.”

  Dara shuddered.

  “What’s wrong?” Reeva asked. “Are you still cold?”

  “The vampires,” Dara murmured. “You sound so matter of fact about them.”

  Reeva laughed. “I have been around vampires almost all my life.”

  Dara peered into the young woman’s face. “Are you a companion, too?”

  In answer, Reeva bent her head back to reveal the long curve of her graceful neck. For the first time, Dara noticed two round puncture wounds on her neck. Rings of purple surrounded the holes, and older green and yellow bruising discolored the skin farther away from the bite.

  Dara stiffened.

  “Why are you so shocked?” Reeva touched Dara’s neck where she still bore the fresh scabs of Andrei’s bite. “I can see Andrei has fed from you, too.”

  Dara closed her eyes and turned away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Reeva went back to what she was doing. “You better learn to get used to it. You’re not in Kansas anymore.”

  Dara looked at her. “Is that where you’re from? Andrei said there are quite a few people born here.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” Reeva replied. “But I wasn’t. I’m from Pasadena, actually.”

  Dara frowned. “How did you get here, then?”

  “The same way you did,” Reeva replied. “I was bitten by a vampire, and she brought me here to be her companion.”

  “She?” Dara repeated.

  Reeva nodded. “What did you think? Did you think that being a vampire’s companion was a sexual thing? It isn’t like that at all. Anyone can be a companion to any vampire. It just means you give your blood to sustain them.”

  “He’s fed from me…” Dara couldn’t finish her sentence.

  Reeva shook her head. “It’s different with you and Andrei. He wouldn’t bring you here just to feed from. He wants you to be his queen and his consort. There’s more to your relationship than just feeding.”

  “How can you stand being nothing more than…” Dara struggled to find a way to say it without offending Reeva. “…cattle?”

  “I don’t think of it that way. I’m very happy where I am. I was a little girl the first time my benefactor bit me, and she was old. She was more of a grandmother to me than anything else. I lived with her for more than fifteen years before I was able to rise in position where I could serve the vampires of Royal Family.”

  Dara stared at her. Then she turned away. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand all this.”

  “You’ll figure it out.” Reeva took the final garment from the chair and held it up. “Now for the gown. Then we’ll do your hair and you’ll be ready to go downstairs.”

&
nbsp; The gown she held up glistened in the morning light. Threads of gold and silver ran through the fabric, and dainty pearls hung from the seams.

  Dara gasped when she saw it full length. “Am I supposed to wear that?”

  Reeva smiled. “It’s stunning, isn’t it? Did you know this gown has been in the Royal Family for more than a thousand years? All the queens and princesses have worn it.”

  “I don’t think I can wear anything that fine,” Dara breathed. “What if I damaged it?”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Reeva told her. “It’s been damaged many times before. Did you know Marlena De Valle went to the guillotine in this dress? She got blood stains all over the bodice.” Reeva laughed out loud. “She was quite vexed afterward.”

  “But you just said she went to the guillotine,” Dara said. “How could she be upset when her head was chopped off?”

  Reeva wagged her finger at Dara. “You’ve got a lot to learn. Nothing can kill a vampire. All that nonsense about stakes through the heart and sunlight and garlic and silver bullets—it’s all fiction. Vampires are immortal. Nothing can kill them, not even cutting off their heads.”

  “Then…” Dara faltered. “What happens?”

  “They grow a new head, of course,” Reeva explained. “You cut off their hand, they grow a new one. You shoot them with a gun, the hole closes up. You can’t burn them. They could walk through a nuclear explosion without even feeling the heat. They’re immortal. Some say their power comes from the same ancient magic that made the world. They say vampires used that magic to create Sanctuary.”

  Dara blinked again. “This is amazing.”

  “So you don’t have to worry about spilling wine on your gown,” Reeva told her. “Now let’s get you ready. We can talk more while I’m doing your hair.”

  Dara stepped into the gown, and Reeva buttoned it up the back. “I hope you’re not going to have to dress me every day.”

  Reeva gasped. “Why not? That’s my job.”

  “I don’t want that,” Dara exclaimed. “I don’t want servants waiting on me hand a foot. I don’t deserve it.”

  Reeva shook her head and smacked her lips. “You’re Andrei’s consort. You’re going to have servants. That’s how it is.”

  “I don’t want that,” Dara repeated. “I only want a normal life.”

  Reeva turned her around and looked her straight in the eyes. “That is what you definitely will not have.”

  Chapter Two

  Dara stood between Reeva and Angela. They put the finishing touches on her clothes and hair.

  “How do I look?”

  Reeva took down a hand mirror from the shelf by the door and held it up to Dara’s face.

  She caught her breath at what she saw. She didn’t recognize the beautiful princess looking back at her. Her hair sat in coiled heaps on top of her head, and her face topped the graceful curved stalk of her neck. Only the blue-black bite mark marred her white skin. The low scoop of her bodice showed off the bruising and the puncture wounds.

  Where was Dara Lachance, the clerk from New York? She’d never even dreamed of being a princess when she was a little girl. Now she had servants waiting on her.

  “What’s going to happen?” she asked.

  “You’ll be introduced to the court,” Reeva explained. “Then you’ll take your place at Andrei’s side for the official audience with the king and queen.”

  “Who are the king and queen?” she asked. “Are they Andrei’s parents?”

  Reeva laughed. “They’re vampires. Andrei’s parents have been dead for centuries. No, the king, the queen, and the prince are elected by the Assembly of Vampires.”

  “Assembly.” Dara wrinkled her nose.

  “Why do you say it like that?” Reeva asked.

  “That’s the thing.” Dara looked up at her. “I knew about the Assembly before you told me. Don’t ask me how I knew, but I did.”

  “You did?” Reeva tilted her head.

  Dara took a deep breath. “The night after Andrei bit me for the first time, I had a dream. I dreamed of a shining city where everyone was happy and satisfied. I was walking through the streets smiling at everybody. Then I came to a big building, and I went up the steps and inside. Court was in session, and I went up into a mezzanine and looked down on what was going on.”

  Reeva nodded. “That’s right. That’s how it is. Companions aren’t allowed on the Assembly floor, but they are allowed to watch from the mezzanine. You said you had the dream after Andrei bit you. You must have had a premonition of Sanctuary.”

  “How is that possible?” Dara asked. “I didn’t know anything about it.”

  “You would have received the information through Andrei’s bite,” Reeva replied. “I’ve heard about that sort of thing happening between vampires and their consorts. You will share in some of their powers. That can never happen with companions.”

  Dara couldn’t help looking down at the bite mark on Reeva’s neck. “Whose companion are you now? Do you belong to the king or the queen?”

  “I belong to the entire Royal Family,” Reeva replied. “Any vampire in the household can feed from me whenever they wish.”

  Dara shook her head in wonder. “How can you survive that?”

  Reeva waved her hand. “They feed from us within reason, of course. No vampire would feed from a person if it would endanger their lives. They’re not monsters, you know.”

  Dara dropped her eyes. “I just can’t get over everything I’ve ever heard about them. I always thought they killed people.”

  “What would be the point of that?” Reeva asked. “If they killed everyone they bit, they would have no one left to feed from. They would go hungry. They don’t want that. They want people happy and healthy and thriving so they have strong blood to drink. That only makes sense.”

  “What about the legends?” Dara asked. “Will we not turn into vampires by being bitten?”

  “No. That’s only in the movies. Vampires are a race of their own. Some say they were here before the first humans.”

  “You’re right,” Dara agreed. “I do have a lot to learn.”

  Reeva smiled. “Are you ready to go downstairs?”

  “No,” Dara replied, “but I’m not going to get any more ready by standing around.”

  Reeva took her by the hand. “You’ll understand everything better once you see it for yourself.”

  “That’s what Andrei said,” Dara replied.

  “Just remember,” Reeva told her. “Most of the companions here were just like you once, and this experience was as confusing for us as it is for you.”

  “It couldn’t have been that confusing for you,” Dara replied. “You came as a little girl.”

  “It was much more confusing for me,” Reeva told her. “My benefactor told me nothing about where I was going or what would happen to me. She just picked me up and took me without a word.”

  Dara’s mouth fell open. “How could she?”

  Reeva shrugged. “That was a long time ago, and I’ve been here ever since. So don’t worry too much. If you start to get scared, just look at me. I’ve been here over twenty years, and nothing bad has happened to me.”

  “You’ve been bitten … how many times?” Dara pointed out.

  “Thousands,” Reeva told her. “The vampires aren’t dangerous, and they aren’t here to kill us or harm us. Every time I’ve been bitten, I have benefited.”

  “Everyone keeps saying that, but after Andrei bit me, I felt horrible. I had no strength, I was cold, and I felt like puking.”

  “It can be like that the first time,” Reeva said. “Your body is in shock. Now, after I’ve been fed upon, I feel nothing but pure bliss for days. It’s the most wonderful feeling a human can experience. It’s so much better than sex.”

  Dara widened her eyes at Reeva.

  The handmaid laughed and patted Dara on the shoulder. “This is the way it is in Sanctuary. The relationship between the vampires and the companions is
good for everybody.”

  Dara shook her head. “It’s just very hard to believe.”

  Reeva led her to the door. “You’re here now, and there’s no going back. Now stop stalling and come on. Once you get over your fear and dive in, you’ll feel much better about the whole thing.”

  Before Dara could make any more excuses, Angela opened the door and Reeva led her out onto a landing overlooking a grand sweeping staircase. A high-ceilinged foyer stretched out below her at the foot of the stairs. Reeva gave her hand a tug and they started down the stairs.

  Dara’s dress spread out behind her and swept over the steps. She looked down at her feet, but her wide skirts covered her down to the floor. It felt like she was gliding over the floor when she walked.

  Reeva turned to a door under the staircase and gently nudged Dara to go through it.

  Her breath caught in her throat when the room thundered with a deafening cheer. Faces surrounded her on all sides, and the noise of shouting voices reverberated off the ceiling timbers.

  Dara teetered on her feet, but at that moment, Andrei appeared out of the crowd. His hand took the place of Reeva’s, and he led her into the hall. The crowd parted to make room for them. Dara couldn’t feel her legs move across the floor, but somehow she made her way through the room without falling on her face.

  Andrei stopped at the foot of an enormous stone platform. High above them, two people sat on carved wooded thrones. Their glittering garments spread across the steps and floor all around them, and golden crowns sat on their heads. Dara blinked. She couldn’t force her mind to accept that this was real. This was no fairy tale, and those people up there weren’t human. They were vampires.

  Yet they looked exactly the same as any other human beings Dara ever saw. They looked as human as Andrei. She could see only one difference between vampires and humans. Vampires bore no signs of bites on their necks.

  The king leaned closer to her, his eyes twinkling.

  Andrei urged her forward, and he led her up the steps onto the platform. They turned to face the crowd, and a hush fell over the room.

  Andrei held up his hand to indicate he wished to address the Assembly. “This is my consort, Dara. She will be my princess and my queen. I beg you to make her welcome.”