VAMPIRE:Vampire Guardian Series: Paranormal Mystery Vampire Alpha Male Romance (New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Royalty Fantasy Romance Collection))

by Rachel S. William

  Mariska rolled her eyes dramatically, “you were drugged, just like I was Bruno but that doesn't answer my question.”

  “Well ma'am, if the prince returned and you were gone, he wouldn't have waited here. He would have gone looking for you.” Said Bruno.

  “What? What about you? Is he in the habit of leaving his men lying around half dead?” She snapped.

  “Ma'am, I was breathing, you're safely is more important,” He said.

  Finally, he found his phone and began to call random numbers and speak in Croatian. Mariska wasn't very good at her father's native language, so she struggled to follow the conversation. When he finished the conversation, she asked what was going on. He ignored her and made another phone call; she tapped her foot impatiently until he looked at her with a raised eyebrow but still said nothing and continued the conversation on the phone. After what felt like forever, he hung up and addressed her.

  “Gather your things, we are leaving right now,” He said impatiently.

  “Excuse me?” She said

  He looked at her with confusion, thinking his Arabic was the problem.

  In English he repeated, “Go pack, we are leaving, now.”

  She laughed and replied, “I don't take orders from you or anyone else. Especially not in my own home. Where is Daemon?”

  Bruno looked shocked, he hadn't anticipated the small woman to say no. “Miss Wasi, I don't mean to be rude, but we are not safe. My orders are to get you to the airfield.”

  Mariska smiled at him, “Bruno, I mean you no disrespect, but I'll be damned if I'm going to follow blindly someone I don't know on the orders of a man who left me moments before I was attacked.”

  He started to speak, but she ignored him and continued, “now, I am leaving, and I am going to the islands, but I will not be going your way. Or that of a prince who can't speak to me. No thank you; I won't be following your path that got my parents kidnapped also.”

  She spun on her heels to start making ing arrangements. She had sensed his attack before he had been moved, at that moment it was just a thought, not yet an action. She stopped and slowly turned to him. Lowering her voice, she glared at him as she spoke, “Bruno, I can feel you toying with the idea of kidnapping me. Tossing me over your shoulder and hauling me off to the airfield to appease your prince.” Her words made the large man turn pale. Evidently his prince hadn't told him she was an empath.

  “Think about that decision before you act on it. I will predict every move you make before you can carry it out. I was raised by two people who spent their lives fighting off supernatural monsters, far more intimidating than yourself. If you try to stop me from doing this my own way, I will destroy you.”

  She could feel fear replacing dominance inside of him and resignation where stubbornness had once been.

  “How quickly can we leave?” He asked timidly

  “A car will be here in thirty minutes, please come and let me know when it's here,” She said as she walked away.

  She heard him pick up his phone and argue with the man on the other end. No doubt it was the person giving Bruno orders from Daemon. She didn't need the person in between; she needed Daemon himself. She jogged to her room and changed into street clothes. Throwing a few more outfits and the bare necessities into an old book bag, she began to make the calls that would get her out of the country.

  Chapter Five

  Moments later a timid knock on her door made her smile. It was about time!

  “Ma'am? The prince would like a word,” said Bruno as he stepped in and handed her the phone.

  “Fine, fine,” she said, ushering Bruno into her room and closing the door behind him.

  She took the phone from him but didn't stop moving. With the door closed, she bolted it shut and moved to the other side of the room. Pushing the bed out of the way she briefly enjoyed Bruno’s look of confusion before speaking into the phone.

  “Hello your majesty,” she said with a hostile tone.

  He began to berate her. She wasn't listening though as he screamed about her stubbornness and what he was capable of. Instead, she finished moving her bed and pulled down the tapestry hanging behind it. She smiled when she looked at Bruno and watched his jaw drop. Pushing open the small door revealed a tunnel heading away from the house.

  “You will get on the plane with Bruno right now, or I will come get you myself!” The prince was screaming through the phone.

  “Alright darling, you win,” She said.

  “Wait, what?” Said Daemon.

  “I said, you win. I'll see you shortly.” She said before hanging up the phone.

  Looking at Bruno, she laughed at his expression. Like a small boy who had gotten his hopes up, only to be disappointed, “we aren't getting on the plane, are we?”

  Smiling, she said, “no my dear Bruno, not just yet.”

  He reached out his hand for his phone, but she had no intention of giving it back to him just yet. Instead, she asked him to go to the adjoining bathroom and find a lighter. The tunnel had never been equipped with electricity but had torches they could use. When he came back, she tossed him his phone as she grabbed the lighter from his hand.

  “After you,” she said with a smile.

  He didn't look very sure about the idea, but he complied none the less. As they set off down the tunnel, the large door closed behind them. A few minutes later, she heard Bruno mumble about no signal in the godforsaken tunnel. She could help but chuckle to herself. They walked in silence for about twenty minutes. When a dim light up ahead of them came into view, Mariska let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure if her parents would still have it.

  “What the hell?” said Bruno as they reached the exit.

  Mariska smiled and tossed him the torch which he bent down and put out in the water near his feet. They were looking at a small boat sitting on a river that looked like it was in the middle of a dessert, not in downtown Egypt.

  “My parents had it built when they first moved here. The river is not one that you will find on any map, mostly because it is so shallow and narrow in places that no large boat can pass through it. My father had this boat built just for this river, though.” She said.

  Bruno looked at the small boat. It would be easy to miss surrounded by the thick brush around the small river.

  “Al Harab?” he asked, looking at the words painted on the boat.

  Smiling at the irony, she said “‘The Escape,' my dad thought it would be amusing.

  At this, Bruno chuckled and helped Mariska into the boat. She set about getting the craft up and running. Even she was surprised by the quietness of the ship. They pulled out of the dock and began to navigate the small river. Mariska knew that Bruno was dying to know where they were going, she let him simmer for a while. After several hours, they watched as the river ended ahead of them. The came upon a small town and Bruno was surprised to see two small men waiting at the end of the river. A truck and trailer ready to take the boat back to its dock.

  Looking at her, he said, “So what now? We walk across the ocean?”

  Smiling at his anger, she just ignored him. She jumped from the boat and made her way to the other side of the village. As they walked, Bruno started to become more and more uncomfortable. He began to recognize the people in the town. Not as much who they were, but what they were. Everyone seemed to know and greet Mariska warmly. Vampires lived in peace with shifters and werewolves in this town. Likewise, witches and warlocks found harmony with empaths. Bruno was even sure he saw a taltos peeking out from a house. He couldn't be sure, though, taltos were thought to be extinct. Considered to be closer to a god than an actual being, he had only read about them in old hungarian scriptures.

  “Ah, here we are,” said Mariska with a smile.

  They had arrived in the Mediterranean Sea. Bruno couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it. A large cruise ship had taken port just across the waters on the island of Cyprus. An attractive tourist area.

  Smiling, Mariska looked at
Bruno. “You didn't think I would travel with anything less than style did you?” she asked.

  “No, I must admit, the journey will take longer but a luxury liner does sound rather nice.” he said.

  “Didn't you ever wonder how we get people to your little island without being noticed?” she said.

  Bruno was obviously awestruck. They climbed into another small craft that ferried them across the waters and onto the banks of the island. Once there, Mariska gave the captain names and produced passports that Bruno hadn't even seen her pick up. They were quickly shown to a large stateroom.

  “We should stay in the room and order room service for the trip I think. Once we are out to sea, we should arrive at the Faroe Islands in two days,” she said to him.

  He started to pull out his phone, no doubt to let the prince know where they were.

  “Um, listen, if you wouldn't mind, could you wait until we are away from the port before calling him? I don't want him storming the ship,” she said with a girlish smiled.

  Bruno smiled back and agreed to comply. He knew it wouldn't make a difference if he call him at port or sea; he could just as easily meet them at the ocean.

  As the cruise ship left the port, Mariska sat on the couch and enjoyed a glass of champagne. She watched the boat pull away and glanced at Bruno, who was waiting anxiously, phone in hand. With a dramatic sigh, she finished her drink in one large gulp and nodded to him. He didn't wait another moment, and he turned on his phone to call the Prince. She braced herself for what was coming.

  “What the hell,” muttered Bruno. He quickly took the back off his phone and removed the battery before glaring at Mariska.

  “You took my sim card?” he said.

  “It had to be done, I'm sorry.” she responded.

  As she predicted, he stood and stomped to the phone sitting on top of the grand piano.

  Speaking in choppy Arabic, he said, “Yes, I need an outside line.”

  As if moving in slow motion, he turned and once more glared at Mariska, a look that would kill a lesser person.

  “Yes, I understand. No, it's okay. Please bring me your oldest bottle of scotch, though.” he said in a whisper before slamming the phone down.

  “Well, it's the damnedest thing.” he said, still glaring.

  “Oh?” she said, unable to look him in the eye.

  “It would seem an electrical problem has destroyed any chance of an outside call. No need to worry though they said, it will be fixed at the next port,” he seethed.

  “Well, since we are getting off at that port, it shouldn't be a problem right?” she said sweetly.

  Bruno was obviously not amused. He said multiple words in Croatian that Mariska's mother would not approve of before storming from the sitting room and into one of the two bedrooms attached to the living area.

  Mariska knew that it was going to be a long trip.

  ***

  Thankfully, the trip went off without any problems. Two days after boarding the cruise ship, Mariska and her travel companion were boarding a small fishing boat. Their final stop would be the Faroe Islands, far off the coast of Iceland. She had been unable to stop Bruno from contacting the prince once they made landfall before boarding the fishing boat. She had no doubt that the prince would have a few choice words for her once they made landfall.

  As they approached the small island, Mariska felt her heart fluttering like a butterfly. There on the rocky shores of the coast was the man she couldn't stop thinking about, sitting astride a black horse. Mariska knew she would never be safe from him.

  Mariska took her time off boarding from the fishing boat. She didn't want to face Daemon. She had watched him berate Bruno for several minutes in hushed tones before Bruno had hung his head and mounted a horse to head for the castle. She thought she could still drag out her departure from the ship for several minutes until she felt two strong hands grab her around her waist and lift her down from the boat.

  “What the hell do you think you're doing?” she snapped at Daemon.

  He didn't answer, and before she could pull away, she felt his lips claim her own mouth passionately. She had been caught off guard, but it only took her a moment to respond to his kiss with equal passion. Her hands moved from his chest where she had planned on shoving him away up and into his hair. Pulling it gently to press him up against her more firmly. She felt his reaction as he pulled her to him tighter. She felt his passion growing hard against her. Faintly, Mariska heard someone clearing their throat several feet away. She didn't want the embrace to end but already she felt him pulling away from her.

  “Never disappear like that again.” he whispered to her.

  His words, spoken out of concern, stirred her aggressive nature. She wanted to slap him for thinking he could command her. Before she had the opportunity, though, he pulled away from her. He didn't let go of her hand though as he began to order the men around the dock to load her things and take them to his quarters at the castle. The words made her blush, and she pulled her hand from his. No matter what emotions he stirred in her, she was not his subject.

  “Excuse me, they can take my bags to the Inn in town,” she said to Daemon defiantly.

  He smiled at her, realizing his misstep. Moving closer to her, he spoke to the guards. “Please take Miss Wasi’s belongings to the en-suite on the fourth floor of the west wing. It's an exquisite guest room, in the castle. Is that a fair compromise?” he asked.

  She blushed at his words and willingness to please her, “Yes, thank you,” she whispered.

  “Now, lijep I only brought one horse. Will you ride with me or will I be forced to ride back in the SUV with the men?” he said playfully.

  Once again, Mariska blushed. She had heard the word lijep enough as a child to know it meant beautiful. Her father had often called her mother that. She nodded her head, unsure if she could answer him without giggling like a schoolgirl.

  Without any notice, he scooped her up into his arms and placed her on his horse. She’d almost forgotten that he was a vampire; his strength surprised her regularly. With grace and ease, he jumped onto the horse behind her. Mariska wondered if she would always become so hot and bothered when his body touched her own. He wrapped his hand possessively around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She had to resist the urge to arch her back to feel his manhood pressed against her buttocks. She felt his free hand come up to her neck and sweep her long hair to the side.

  Bending his head down, he kissed her softly on the now exposed flesh of her neck. She gasped at the intimacy of the act. Unable to stop herself, she shuddered in the saddle which elected a moan from her prince. Mariska heard him moan and felt his lips travel from her neck to her ear.

  Softly, he whispered to her, “My lijep, if you continue to move around like that, we will not make it to the castle.”

  She couldn't speak as his lips once again found the collar of her neck. Her breathing was fast as she laid her head against his firm chest. She felt the hand that had been wrapped around her waist start to move up slowly until it was barely brushing her breast. Her nipples responded immediately and became erect.

  The slamming of a trunk made both of them jump. She turned to look at the noise and saw a man approaching the horse.

  “Your majesty, we are ready.” said the man.

  Clearing his throat, Daemon nodded his head. Without warning, he gave his horse rein and the large steed leapt into action. Quickly cantering over the cold hillside they reached the castle in no time at all. As they approached the gates, Mariska was stunned by the size and the beauty of the structure.

  Daemon helped her dismount. She watched him as he pulled her down, as close to his own body as he could. The fire between them had not been tamped down on the ride over. She was ready for him to take her right there in the stable if he would. He smiled, apparently, he was thinking the same thing.

  “Its an amazing thing when you get two power empaths together.” said a voice from the door.

  Smiling, Da
emon broke off their gaze and spoke over Mariska’s head to the person who had spoke. “and it's a terrible thing when one spies on their prince.”

  Turning, Mariska saw a taltos. Several inches taller than Daemon, the woman, stood with dark hungarian skin and perfect features. Although Mariska was sure if she looked carefully, she would find six fingers on each hand.

  “Mariska, we have been waiting for you for some time. I was sure that my young prince was going to have me beheaded if you didn't arrive soon,” she said as she reached out to embrace Mariska.

  “Thank you for not enlightening him to my journey, wise one,” said Mariska, she knew that taltos should be respected and also feared.

  They were akin to gods, born with all the knowledge of the universe plus the gift of foresight; very few remained in the world. The Naqi had all but hunted them to extinction. They didn't like something so good and pure fighting against them. Mariska saw the taltos flinch and immediately cleared her mind; she had forgotten they were telepathic.

  “I am so sorry, I have spent too much time among the common man.” she said, blushing.

  “Do not apologize child. I know you crave time with our prince, but I would request some of your time first. It concerns your parents.” she said.

  “Absolutely.” said Mariska.

  The taltos eyedher curiously, “I hope you do not plan on sharing your gift with Daemon. I rather enjoy piercing his mind.” she said as she turned away. “I will meet you in a few moments in your chambers child.” they thought

  Mariska watched her go, she turned back to Daemon and smiled.

  “What was that all about? What trick?” he asked.

  “Oh, when I was a young girl, and my parents first discovered that I was an empath, they sent me to stay with a friend of theirs for the summer. He taught me how to control my thoughts so that supernaturals, witches, spells, that sort of thing couldn't penetrate my mind. I think that's why Yelda let me go also. He couldn't get any information from me which is what I suspect the poison was meant to do.” she said as she started walking to the castle entrance.