"We can tie her up, carry her with us and then hand her over to our parents. They can decide her fate," he said.
My body was filled with strong waves of energy and strength. I needed to do something to release them.
"Okay, you carry that heap of flesh and I'll fight off any of Vince's followers that we might run across," I told him.
He picked Samantha up and said, "Let's go back to the room I was in and chain her up there."
"Sounds like justice to me," I replied. "Let's go."
We ran to the room and it took about a fraction of the time that it had taken when we were coming from that room. "Why was that so quick? Last time we went all over the place and it took forever."
"I kept getting lost," he admitted. "These chains aren't going to come off this bed. We're going to have to come up with a different plan to restrain her."
I walked over to the chains, gave a quick yank and they came off easily.
He smiled. "I could get used to this."
He threw Samantha onto the bed and we quickly tied her up good and tight.
"Follow me. I remember how to get down to the main level," I said.
He picked her up again and we ran quickly to the main level. I was very glad when a vampire jumped out at us in the hallway. I ripped him to shreds in just a few seconds. I needed to get my energy out.
As we got closer to the main area, we began to find a lot of vampire bodies sprawled all over the floors. We had to step over and around many of them.
"Do you hear that?" I asked. "It sounds like a conversation. Let's go see what's going on."
We followed the sounds of voices and came to a large room. There were about thirty or forty vampires, all gathered around a very large table. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at us as we entered the room. They all erupted into applause and cheering.
I momentarily forgot about the internal power that was driving me crazy. The ovation took me by surprise, and I was very embarrassed to have that kind of attention directed onto me. It reminded me of the homecoming dance all over again.
They started asking questions all at once.
"Did you kill Vince?"
"Was it just like the prophecy?"
"Tell us the details."
"Did you get injured?"
"How did you do it?"
Two vampires that I did not recognize stood up. The male put his hands up in the air and said, "Silence!" Everyone stopped talking immediately.
"Father, Mother," Cliff exclaimed. "You're here."
I stood taller. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to address the two of them.
They walked straight towards us and his mother gave me a big hug. "It is so good to see you again, my child. George and I have loved you since you were a baby, and you were always like a second child to us. We are so glad that you are back and we look forward to the day that our families are united."
I hugged her back and said, "I have been remembering more and more with time. The memories I have of you two are fond ones. I look forward to getting to know you both."
Cliff's father smiled at me and said, "It's a joy to see you again after all these years, child. It will be a pleasure to catch up with you and see how well you have done. I've heard that you still very much have a mind of your own."
I smiled. "Yes, I've received several complaints about that."
"You're your father's daughter, nothing else would be expected." He then put his arms back up in the air and began speaking to everyone, "Clifford and Marguerite, who now goes by her middle name Alexis, stand up front and share with you how our battle was won."
I looked at Cliff. Alexis is my middle name?
We have a lot of catching up to do, my princess.
We walked up to the front of the room, following Cliff's parents. They had us stand and his father motioned for all of the other vampires to sit and listen to our story. I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying to the remaining vampires, because I was scanning the vampires in the audience.
I hoped that all of my friends made it through the battle successfully. I noted my friends as I looked through the audience. Brooke…Clara…Brooke's parents…Tanner…Brad…Eric…Jordan (Clara's friend who surprised me in the woods when I was training). My heart sank when I realized that I didn't see Steve. As much as we always bumped heads, I didn't want to think of anything happening to him. He had been like my own big brother when I was growing up.
I didn't have time to dwell on it for long, because Cliff's father had handed the floor over to us. Cliff started sharing about being chained up in the room and how I came in to rescue him. As he went on through the entire story, he made me sound like such a hero.
I would have been blushing had I any human blood in me. I could already tell that the new vampire blood worked differently. I didn't feel like any kind of hero, but the way he told the story I was quick-witted, strong, and brave. Everyone started whispering and gasping when they heard how quickly I had completed my transformation.
When he finished the story, he asked me if I had anything to add and I just shook my head no. I was so embarrassed by the attention and the hero status that I wanted to run and hide.
Unfortunately, that wasn't going to fly. They wanted to hear from me. Most of them were very curious about me because I had been gone so long, and most had thought that I was dead until very recently, since my parents didn't want the Moretti's to hear that I was still alive.
I took a deep breath and said, "Thank you all so much for coming all this way to support us in this battle. As you know, the Moretti's have wanted me dead since I was very little. Today, you have helped to right that terrible wrong. I can't thank you enough for all that you've done. I look forward to serving as your princess."
Everyone clapped and I was very glad that it was enough to keep them happy. I was not prepared to give a long speech. I had just gone through a major battle, after dying and transforming into a full vampire.
After I was done speaking, everyone got up and came to talk with me. I felt like I was in a sea of faces. I hoped that being a princess wouldn't always be like this. I thought that it must be due to the newness of finding me alive, and that I would eventually get some space. It was just like going to school after I was crowned Homecoming Princess.
After everyone had had their chance to talk to me, I was worn out and word had been received that my mother and father were on their way. Most everyone started cleaning up the colossal mess that had been made in the battle.
Brooke was commissioned to get Cliff and me looking our best while everyone else cleaned. My hair was stiff and sticky with huge amounts of blood. It was also all over my shirt.
I sent Clara to Brooke's house to pick up shampoo, clean clothes, makeup and some other stuff that she would need to make us presentable to see the king and queen.
"Where is Steve?" I whispered, afraid to hear the answer.
Tears filled her eyes and her lips trembled.
"No. It's not possible, it can't be." I felt light headed.
She took a deep breath. "He was proud to fight for you. He knew that you were going to be an amazing leader and he really wanted to see you become a vampire. He would have been very proud of you today. I wish he could have heard you share your story of victory."
I wrapped my arms around her. "Brooke, I'm so sorry. You've just lost your brother. What are you doing here with me? Go and be with your family. Don't worry about me."
She hugged me back. "I'll mourn later. Steve would have agreed with me. Meeting your parents is one of the biggest days of your life. I'm here to serve you because I want to. Not only as our princess, but as my friend. I'm here for you."
"Are you sure? Clara can get me ready this one time."
She took a deep breath and stood tall. "I'm completely sure. I want to be here for you. It's an honor for me to serve you."
I gave her a sad smile. "Thank you, Brooke. It really means a lot to me."
"Well, I'm not the only one who has lost a loved one.
Many did today, and they're all helping to clean up this mess."
"It looks like we lost about twenty or thirty vampires," I said.
"About thirty. We had seventy-three show up in total."
"I feel horrible that any had to die," I said.
"They were more than happy to serve you," she said. "Besides, the Moretti's took a much worse hit. There were about ninety of them and not one remains, except Samantha."
"That's awesome that we beat them even though we had so many less on our side."
Clara showed up and she and Brooke found a dressing room with a large bathroom. They began to set it up for us.
Cliff was behind me and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Do you have any idea how scared I was right before you died?"
"No," I said. "You told me that everything was going to be fine."
"That's what I wanted you to believe so that you would stay strong," he said. "I thought it would take more than six hours for you to transform if you died. I didn't think that we had that long. I was certain that I had lost you."
"What about the prophecy?"
"I wasn't even thinking about it. All that I could think about was how I didn't want to lose you. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you again."
"Why do you blame yourself for my kidnapping? You were just a child. You couldn't have prevented it."
"I should have been able to stop it. I should have protected you."
I turned around and looked into his eyes. "I don't blame you and I never will."
"You might when I tell you the whole story."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I overheard your watcher discussing the plans. I didn't understand what they were talking about, so I didn't say anything to either of our parents. If I had, you would have never been kidnapped and been raised so far away from me."
The pain in his eyes was so strong that I could almost feel it myself. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You were just a child. You can't be to blame. Like I said, I will never blame you."
"There is so much that I want to tell you," he said. "There is so much to fill you in on."
"We have all the time in the world," I told him with a huge smile. "Centuries lie before us. This is the very beginning."
He cupped my face in his hand. "For that I am extremely grateful."
We looked into each other's eyes for a few more minutes and I truly felt that I was home. It was the greatest feeling I had ever experienced. If I'd still had a heartbeat, it would have been going very fast. I could've stayed in his arms staring into his eyes forever.
Clara had other plans, however. "Come on you two! We need to get you cleaned up and presentable. You can moon at each other later."
We both started laughing and followed her into the dressing room. She sat Cliff down on the couch and began scrubbing his face with a washcloth. Brooke ordered me into the shower and closed the door behind me.
When I got out of the shower, I saw a brand new outfit waiting for me on the bathroom counter. It was an elegant dress, and as soon as I had it on, Brooke ran into the bathroom and began putting on my makeup.
"Do you have any questions?" she asked.
"About what?" I asked.
"You're about to meet your parents, the highest ranking vampires in the world. I would have imagined that you have some questions."
I thought about it but couldn't think of anything to ask. "They're my parents. I'm sure that I'll be fine."
"Okay," she said. "Let's just get you ready then." She dried my hair and styled it almost as fancifully as she did when I went to the dance.
"Are you going to continue to make my clothes and dress me up?" I asked. "I could definitely get used to this."
"I'm here to serve you. If you had grown up in the castle, I would have been doing this as soon as I was old enough. It's my job."
As soon as we got out of the bathroom, Cliff was rushed in to take his own shower, and before I knew it, we were walking down the stairs back to the room where everyone had met after the battle. As we walked along, I was amazed at how quickly everything had been cleaned up.
When we entered the room, I saw Cliff's parents standing next two vampires that I recognized from my dreams as my own parents.
I froze in place. What was I supposed to do? Why hadn't I asked Brooke any questions when I'd had the opportunity?
Cliff gently grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. We approached the four vampires and I scuffled my feet. I had waited so long for this moment, and suddenly I wanted to hide under a rock.
We were four feet away from my parents when we stopped. I just stared at them. They were gorgeous and I couldn't get over how young they looked. If they were to order drinks, they would be carded for sure. How could they be over 800 years old? What had they done in those centuries? I suddenly wanted to ask them a thousand questions.
They stared back at me. Were they as nervous as I was? Or were they just taking me in? The last time they had seen me, I was only three years old.
I was flooded with emotions and unable to sort them. I wanted to run and jump into their arms like a little kid, but everyone had told me over and over how regal they were and how proper that I needed to act. As if running to my parents would cause them to kill me on the spot for my irreverence.
Memories flooded and I remembered hundreds of times that I had run into their arms. My father had flung me into the air and caught me. My mother had held me close and told me how beautiful and smart I was. Maybe everyone else feared them, but they were my parents.
I let go of Cliff's hand and I ran to my father and gave him a huge hug. He returned the embrace as soon as I touched him. "I've missed you guys so much. I hated waiting so long to see you."
Squeezing me, he said, "I can't believe that it's really you. We've dreamed of this day for years. It was as if someone had killed me when I was told that you were dead."
My mother wrapped her arms around me too. "I'm so glad to finally have you back, darling. Letting you stay with those humans after finding out that you were alive was the hardest decision I've ever had to make."
Tears were streaming down my face and I said, "I've been waiting to meet you guys again. It's been so hard only being able to see you in my dreams. Can I go to the castle with you?"
They both stepped back with tear-stained faces. My mother said, "Unfortunately, we still have unfinished business to take care of in Europe. We would love nothing more than to bring you back with us now if we could. We just can't."
"Nothing would make us happier," my father said. "But as king and queen, we have many obligations and we can't get away from what needs to be taken care of. You will understand this someday." He gave me a sad smile.
"It looks like we will back at the castle this summer," my mother said with a twinkle in her eye. "We will have to arrange a foreign exchange program for you."
"I'm going back to my human family?" I asked, dejected.
"We know that you love them and that they love you," my father said. "We've caught some of the news coverage. With all that we have going on, it would best for you to continue your life there."
"But I haven't seen you in so long," I whined, like a little kid. "I want to spend more time with you. You're the king and queen, can't you just decide to go to the castle and spend some time with me? Send someone else fill in for you in Europe." I had to refrain from stomping my foot and crossing my arms.
Brooke glared at me. Nobody talks to the king and queen like that! You need to take their orders happily.
My father hugged me. "Dear child, our hearts desperately long to be with you as well. This summer, we will catch up and make up for lost time. We can't ignore our obligations. It was dangerous for us to leave for this short trip but we had to see you."
Brooke looked shocked that he hadn't reprimanded me for such disrespect. Apparently, it was true that I take after him with my independence. He understood me.
"When do you suppose we should begin
discussing the wedding?" Cliff's mother asked.
I heard a gasp from the back of the room. I turned around and Tanner was standing in the doorway.
"Who is that?" Cliff's mother asked, pointing to Tanner.
"Isn't that the boy who was kidnapped with her?" my father asked.
I looked down at my feet and mumbled, "Yes, that's him. But he's a vampire now."
"He's a vampire?" Cliff's mother exclaimed. "How did that happen?"
I had forgotten how well vampires can hear. I took a deep breath. "I accidentally turned him."
"What?" Cliff asked.
"It was an accident. I was trying to save his life."
My mother shook her head with an almost-smile and turned to my father. "She's definitely your daughter, Geoffrey."
"Caitlin, don't make light of this," Francine exclaimed to my mother.
"How did you turn him?" my mother asked me.
Did I really have to discuss this in front of Cliff and all of our parents?
"It's okay," my father said. "You can tell us."
I sighed and explained what had happened from when I found him nearly dead at Samantha's hands to the bloody mouthed, botched CPR attempt.
Francine's face was awash in anger and disgust. George looked shocked. I looked at Cliff to get an idea as to why his parents were so angry. He looked agitated himself.
I looked to my parents. What did I do wrong?
Both of my parents were attempting to cover smiles on their faces. I was completely confused. What I had said had angered Cliff and his parents, but seemed to please my parents. What could have done that?
"Don't even let your thoughts go there," Francine huffed at my parents. I could see that she was restraining herself. I guessed that royalty didn't scream and shout because it wasn't dignified. But if they could, she would have been throwing a fit.
My mother let her face break out into a full smile. "Darling child, you didn't do anything wrong at all. In fact, you've secured our family's place on the throne."
"I'm completely lost," I said.
"Surely you are aware that if you chose anyone aside from Clifford you would have to walk away from the throne," she said.
I nodded my head in agreement. Where was this going?
The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 34
