The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

  I smiled, speechless.

  "Get settled in and then we'll meet in the dining hall for something to eat," my father said. "After that, we'll share more with you more about our work and why we're here."

  "And you'll tell me all about my special mark?"

  They smiled. My father said, "That's a crucial part of all of this. We couldn't leave that out."

  I walked into my room, dropped my bag onto the enormous bed and looked around. It was bright and smelled fresh. I opened the drawers and found clothes that looked to be the right size. Those must be the ones that I had overheard Brooke talking about making for me.

  I went to the bed and noticed framed pictures on the nightstand. They were pictures of me with my parents from when I was small. One was even a baby picture. I picked it up and studied it. I had never seen a picture of myself as a baby before, aside from Cliff's drawings.

  There was a knock on the door and a girl who looked no older than me tiptoed in. She said, in a very heavy accent, "Your meal has been prepared, your majesty. Please join your parents in the dining hall."

  "Thank you," I said and put the picture back in its place. I found my way back to the dining hall. The mansion was so huge that I knew I would get lost in it before too long.

  We ate in silence and then my parents led me to a drawing room. We sat down in some very comfortable chairs and a servant closed the large, heavy doors to give us privacy.

  "Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?" my mother asked.

  "I couldn't ask for anything more. Except to hear what's going on." I smiled.

  My father laughed. "I can't blame you. I know that I'd be dying of curiosity if I were in your seat." He turned to my mother. "Caitlyn, where do you think is the best place to begin?"

  "Why don't we start by explaining the mark?"

  "Yes, that's a good place to start. Alexis, when you were born, you had a blue and silver, swirling star on your neck. It was exactly the same as the image in the scrolls from the ancient prophecies about the Sonnast. Before we could silence anyone, several vampires sent out word that you had been born with the mark."

  "We feared for your life," my mother said. "We called for one of the strongest vampires, who has the gifts of blessings and curses. He made your mark invisible to the eye. It isn't gone, but no eye can see it. After that, nobody could prove whether or not you had the mark. Of course, the rumors spread like wildfire, because all of the descendants knew that the mark meant the arrival of the most powerful vampire since the Fyrsturae. One day, you will be as powerful as they were. You'll be equal to them, as if you were the tenth one."

  My mouth dropped open.

  My father said, "That's why you were kidnapped and had the order put out on your death. A great number of vampires are extremely threatened by your very existence. That's the very reason we wanted you to stay hidden and living as a human. With your mark covered up, it would be impossible for you to be found. Until you started your transformation, that is, at which point other vampires could sense your presence. That's how the Moretti's ended up discovering your location."

  "So, what's the secret that only our line knows?" I begged.

  "Are you really ready for this?" my mother asked.

  "There's only one way to find out," I said, trying not to let curiosity get the best of me.

  They exchanged a look for a moment before my father spoke. "How attached are you to Clifford? Have you two bonded?"

  "I'm not exactly sure what you mean by bonded," I said. "We haven't done anything beyond kissing, if that's what you mean. But, I love him with my whole heart and I can't wait to marry him."

  "I wasn't referring to any kind of physical bonding, though I'm glad to hear that it hasn't progressed."

  I looked away, embarrassed.

  My mother looked me in the eyes. "You're not going to like what we have to tell you, my child."

  My stomach dropped. I looked back and forth between them. "What is it?"

  "The mark is a sign that you are to marry Alrekur Vidarsson, the very first vampire. He had spent two thousand years waiting for you when he was killed."

  I stared at them. "If he's dead, then how am I supposed to marry him?"

  "Your transformation set off a series of events," my father said. "One of which will be the resurrection of all nine of the Fyrsturae. Beginning with Alrekur, followed by Halldor and all of the rest in their birth order."

  I opened my mouth to protest, but not a sound came out.

  "Once we locate Alrekur and he's been brought back to life, you two will court each other and then be married."

  I shook my head over and over. "No…."

  "The two of you will rule all vampires forever. This was foretold over three thousand years ago. We're so proud and honored to be your parents."

  "This isn't possible! What about the prophecies about Cliff and me? I remember the engagement ceremony. Even after the Moretti's were defeated, you said that Cliff and I would be together. You acted like the only thing that would keep me from him was if I chose Tanner."

  "Child, we couldn't speak of this in front of any other vampires."

  "You could have told me!"

  "It wasn't the right time," my mother said.

  "And this is?" I demanded. "After I've completely and thoroughly fallen for Cliff! What if I say no?"

  "You can't. This prophecy is unbreakable."

  "I thought that the other one was, too!"

  My father said, "Think of it like the law of gravity. The law of gravity is absolute, except when the law of lift supersedes it. As you undoubtedly know, that's how birds, bats, insects, and airplanes fly despite gravity. The prophecy about you and Cliff is like the law of gravity, and the prophecy about you and Alrekur is like the law of lift."

  "Why didn't you tell me about this? Why let me fall in love with Cliff?" I stood up, nearly knocking over the heavy chair.

  My father reached out to touch my arm and I jumped back. No way was I going to let him touch me. He might have had the same calming power that Cliff did, and I wasn't about to be calmed down.

  "We understand that this is upsetting," my mother said.

  "Upsetting? Upsetting! That doesn't even come close to how I feel right now! How could you do this to me? You've been playing me since I was a baby. Leading on both Cliff and I, when you knew the truth! You knew it!" I couldn't keep the tears from spilling down my face.

  "There was no way around it. Cliff was the next one up for the throne and we didn't have a way to tell anyone without revealing the truth, and inflicting the curse upon ourselves."

  "We were going to tell you before your transformation, but that wasn't possible because of you living with humans. The last thing that we wanted was to hurt you."

  "I want to go to my room." I glared at them.

  "Do you want to hear about how close we think we are to finding Alrekur's resting place?"

  I shook my head. "No, I don't want to know anything about it. Please, let me go to my room. I need to be alone."

  "You can go to your room, but please do not leave the grounds."

  "Where would I go? This place is in the middle of nowhere, and I don't even speak the language of this country! You told me this here on purpose!"

  My mother said, "We'll give you some time to calm your thoughts and then we can finish this discussion."

  I didn't ever want to finish the discussion. My father opened the large doors slowly and I ran to my room. I slammed the door and threw myself onto the bed. It was so soft that I nearly sank into the middle of it. I climbed under the blankets and covered myself completely. I let the bed swallow me up as I pretended that this nightmare had never happened.

  How could they do this to me? It was beyond cruel, leading me to believe that Cliff was my destiny when it was actually someone else! How was that even possible? I knew with every fiber of my being that Cliff was my future. I had free will and I could choose who I was going to be with, and it would be him. Even if we didn't rule the w
orld together and I had to cross the most powerful vampire to ever live. If that was even possible.

  I tried to imagine what it would be like to rule the world with Alrekur, but I hardly knew anything about him. All that I knew was that he was the first and most powerful vampire. But, somehow he had been killed. He wasn't omnipotent, and he could be killed. Again.

  Even if I had to secretly plan a way out, I'd find a way. Cliff and I would marry—I would see to it. My parents had betrayed me, so I would deceive them. I would pretend to go along with their plan, but secretly I would find a way to marry Cliff. Even if I had to go against Alrekur himself.

  The more that I thought about it, the more determined and confident I felt. I would fight for Cliff or die trying. There was no way that I was going marry some three thousand year old dead guy. Not only that, I was his descendant. That meant that he was my great, great grandfather times about ten. That was completely disgusting.

  After a while, I had lost track of time and ignored a knock on my door. I heard it creak open and I lay perfectly still, hoping that whoever it was would leave me alone, thinking that I was asleep. I didn't expect any better results than I'd had back home, but it was worth a try. I really didn't want to see or talk to anyone.

  "Your presence is requested in the parlor room, Miss."

  I tried to remember which one was the parlor room. I couldn't remember, so I continued to pretend to be asleep.

  "Miss Alexis, I know that you're awake. Your parents are expecting you in ten minutes. Ring the bell by your bed if you need me to help you with anything."

  I had a bell? I peeked out from under the blankets to look for the bell.

  "I knew you were awake! I will let your parents know that you're getting ready."

  I groaned. Where was Brooke? Wasn't she supposed to be my servant? Not that I wanted her to serve me, but I desperately needed her as a friend. I would have preferred Cliff, but there was no way that that was going to happen now. Now that I was supposed to marry my grandpa.

  When I finally found my way to the parlor room, my parents were sitting at a table talking.

  They both rose and gave me a hug. I didn't hug them back.

  "Are you still upset, darling child?" my father asked, sitting back down.

  "I'm beyond upset! I don't understand how you could do this to me. What about how happy you two were when you found out that I had changed Tanner with my blood? You were acting pleased that I would be on the throne, even if I chose him."

  "I can see that that's how it must've looked," my mother said. "We were actually happy that it would give George and Francine something to focus on. They've been pestering us for a long time about bringing you back and getting you two prepared for the wedding. We knew that Francine would get worked up over Tanner and buy us some more time to get everything prepared for you and Alrekur."

  "Are you serious? That's what you were so happy about!" I crossed my arms.

  My mother said, "We understand that it's going to take some time to adjust to the news, but we need you to pull yourself together. We have a busy itinerary and you're the princess. This is going to be your first public appearance with us, so you need to be on your best behavior. Even if you're seething with anger, you must be diplomatic and gracious. That's what we have to do, too, and it does get easier with time."

  "We leave in twenty minutes for our first appointment," my father said. "Caitlyn, do you have an outfit that you'd like her to wear?"

  "There are dresses in your closet, Alexis. Please pick one and pull up your hair. We're going to meet with some important vampires from our line."

  I nodded without a word, turned around and went back to my room. I grabbed a dress without even looking at any of them. I pulled my hair up into a massive bun with some clips I had found in a drawer in the vanity. As I was about to leave my room, I saw some high heels in my closet. They were so gorgeous; I smiled despite myself. I grabbed a pair of jeweled strappy shoes and put them on, hoping that I could walk in them without tripping.

  I walked out of my room and the entire way to the front entrance without so much as stumbling. My parents were already there, waiting for me with a couple of the servants.

  "You look stunning," my mother said. "You may very well be the most beautiful vampire ever."

  My father nodded. "You are indeed gorgeous, my child. Simply gorgeous. Aside from your mother, I've never seen such beauty in all my years."

  TWENTY ONE

  We arrived at a house that was equally as impressive as the one we were staying in. We were going to meet with Darek and Raine Rintel, the top vampire leaders in Germany. They were also from the first line of the Fyrsturae, and looked every bit as young as my parents. They welcomed us warmly and I was glad to discover that they spoke English.

  "We're so pleased to meet you, Alexis! You've been missed all of these years," Raine said.

  "Yes, it's a true honor to meet you," Darek said. "How are you enjoying our fine country?"

  I wasn't enjoying myself at all, but I couldn't tell him that. Not that it was the country's fault. I smiled and said, "This is a beautiful country. Thank you for inviting us to your home. It's my pleasure to meet you both."

  We were ushered into a sitting room and given glasses of blood mixed with one-hundred year old wine. "The best wine you'll ever taste," Darek promised.

  I wasn't thirsty for blood, but knew that I needed to be polite. I knew enough about foreign cultures to know it would be an insult to the hosts if I didn't drink what was placed in front of me. I picked up the glass and took a little sip. To my delight, I discovered that it actually tasted quite good.

  "You like?" Raine asked, eyes sparkling.

  I smiled. "Yes, very much. Thank you."

  "We keep our human volunteers very well fed and take excellent care of them. That's the secret."

  "That and good wine," Darek said, smiling. "We have it harvested from the best preserves in the country. The humans have no idea that they exist."

  We all laughed, and I began to relax. I looked around the room and saw artwork all over the walls from an artist that I didn't recognize. I noticed very light music playing in the background. The windows were huge and overlooked a magnificent garden.

  "You like the garden?" Darek asked. "Our son, Rufus, created that. It was his pride and joy before he married and moved away. Now he's one of the rulers of Romania with his wife, Claudia."

  "It's very beautiful. He has a good eye."

  "Shall we get started?" my father asked.

  Darek picked up his glass and took a sip. "Yes, let's. Is Alexis up to date with our project?"

  My father shook his head. "We've been busy catching up and haven't had a chance to go over the details with her yet."

  "Of course," Darek said. "What does she know?"

  "We've explained that her transformation set off the Fyrsturae resurrection process."

  "Good, good," Darek said and then turned to me. "Nobody knows where any of them are buried. It's long been rumored that Alrekur was hidden in our good land of Germany. Ever since you were born with the mark, it's been our priority to find his body. Even more so since you began—and have now completed—your transformation. We have people on it around the clock. It's a very complicated process to find a vampire that was hidden a thousand years ago."

  "It's believed that he's hidden under the protection of a witch's spell," Raine said. "We've had to locate a witch from the line of the one who cast the spell. It's taken years to complete that one task alone. That line of witches has nearly been eradicated. It has also been quite a process to find even the general location of the body, because the vampire who managed to kill Alrekur went to great lengths to hide him."

  "Once he has been brought back to life, the rest will follow?" I asked.

  "Yes, in the order that they were born," Darek said. "There are vampires all over the world searching for the bodies of the other Fyrsturae. They've all been hidden in different places. They're so powerful that their en
emies wanted to make sure they were never found. But they greatly underestimated the Fyrsturae descendants. We will find them all."

  "Because of the curse, we only have vampires from the first line searching for the Fyrsturae now," Raine said. "If anyone from the other lines knew what we were doing, they would demand to know the reason. We've been keeping this mission secret. Not a single vampire outside of our line knows what's going on."

  "Nobody suspects anything?" I asked, thinking of the conversation that I heard between Cliff and Brooke.

  "Do you know something?" my father asked quickly. "I sense that you do."

  I was surprised by his reaction, and his ability to sense my thoughts. "Well, I overheard Cliff saying that his parents thought you two might be up to something with all these trips to Europe. They said that that's why they wanted him at the castle, to look into it. But then they told me that they really just wanted to get him away from me."

  "Those two are so sneaky and distrusting," my mother said. Her eyes flashed red. "Especially that Francine. She's so worried about getting her line onto the throne that it interferes with her job assisting us. She's such a meddler."

  My father rested his hand on her arm. "Don't worry yourself, Caitlyn. Soon enough, all the Fyrsturae will be awakened and our Alexis will rule with Alrekur. Halldor's line won't have a single family ruling anywhere. Including the Montgomery's."

  "You're right, Geoffrey. I'm sorry."

  "How close are we to finding Alrekur's body?" my father asked, turning his attention back to Darek and Raine.

  "We have strong reason to believe that it's hidden in some caves that have long been believed to be haunted. His murderer must have hoped that those rumors would be enough to keep everyone away. The caves have tunnels and many places that have either been blocked off or have caved in."

  "That sounds very promising," my mother said, smiling. "That's the perfect place to hide Alrekur."

  Raine said, "We've got several of our toughest servants staying with the witch so that she doesn't flee. Once the body has been found, she'll meet us all and break the spell that has been protecting him. It's believed that the enchantment acts as a force field, blocking anyone from getting near the body."