“I will check on you after I take care of a few things and send out the guard, will you be okay?” he asked with concern.
“Yes dear,” she said with a smile.
She made her way from the great hall and returned to her room. She didn't stay in her chambers long, though. Mariska cared for Daemon, but she wouldn't let any man control her, no matter her feelings. She grabbed a warm coat and her riding boots and cracked open the door to her room. The hallway was clear and she made a dash for the back door. Once in the stables, she found it was easy to find a stable hand and have a horse saddled.
The young man looked at her curiously, “Will his Majesty be joining you?”
She blushed as she spoke, “No, not today. I just want to ride the countryside for a few moments before this storm sets in.” she said.
She was grateful for the riding lessons her parents had insisted she took as a young girl and also thankful that she had listened to the kitchen staff talking about a storm that they anticipated coming. They said it would be there by nightfall; it would probably shut down the island for at least two days. Mariska was sure she would be back before the storm, though. The village was only a few miles away. If her parents weren't there, she would return and try the village on the far side of the island after the storm.
As she mounted the horse and rode from the castle, though, Mariska was sure of one thing. No man was going to control her. Not a king, a guardian or a vampire. She wouldn't be his prisoner.
Chapter Ten
Mariska could feel the wind picking up as she made her way into the village. On the ride into town, she started to doubt her resolve as much as she doubted the storm was going to hold off until nightfall. The coming storm had created a small level of chaos in the village. The people were latching down windows and closing shops earlier than she had anticipated.
The village was an isolated area. It was like a flashback to the 1800’s where cars and SUV’s almost seemed out of place. Because of the remote location of the island's, fuel and parts for cars breaking down were difficult to come by. Most homes had cars but all still used horses, bikes, and even dogsleds in the winter for transportation.
It was also a great thing for tourists. People would travel from all across the globe to the small islands which had almost been frozen in time. You could find a cell phone and the internet in every home and teens still headed into the two larger cities to find nightlife, clubs, and shopping. The small villages, though, like the one she was in now, enjoyed a far more laid back atmosphere. It was the perfect place for supernaturals to live out their lives in peace.
The small inn had a stable in the back which Mariska took advantage of. As she handed off the reins to the stable hand, the boy eyed her suspiciously. The horse’s blanket, saddle, and bridle all had the princes insignia on them. She didn't think she looked like a horse thief. Mariska didn't think people still stole horses at all, but the boy seemed to think something was off. She smiled and thanked him quickly as she stepped inside.
“Hello darling, how can I help you today?” said a large woman from behind a reception desk.
“I am looking for my parents actually, I was hoping they may have taken a room here.” said Mariska as she moved over to the fireplace.
The wind had cut through her harsher than she had realized.
“Oh now darling, I’m sorry, but we can't give out the names of guests,” said the woman, her voice a little harsher than before.
Mariska eyed her suspiciously. It seemed odd that in a town this size, people would be so mistrusting. Mariska hated to read people's emotions without permission, but she didn't see as she had a choice. Once she did, she smiled. The woman had been right not to give her information. She did not take into consideration where she was; the island was a refuge to all sorts of supernatural. No doubt any outsider could claim they were looking for a family when they were actually working for the Naqi.
Still smiling, Mariska fished her ID out of her wallet and gave it to the woman.
“Please, my name is Mariska Wasi. My parents were fleeing the Naqi but went missing. A taltos told me they made it to the island but didn't say where.” said Mariska.
The woman recognized her name and her look softened almost instantly as she spoke.
“Oh! My child! I am so sorry, I can't be too careful, you understand? I didn't recognize you, and I should have since the prince has taken such a fancy to you.” the woman started to blush as she spoke. “Your parents though aren't here. Please, have a cup of coffee in the restaurant, though, I’ll call over to the other village lodge and see if they are there, though.”
Mariska thanked the woman and walked through a set of doors to the diner. She knew she needed to get back to the castle before the storm set in, but she had to know if her parents were safe or not. A young girl brought her a cup of coffee, and Mariska sat by a large fireplace while she waited.
“Excuse me, Mariska?” said the woman from behind the counter.
“Yes?” said Mariska, rising from her seat to speak with the woman who had entered the dining room.
“I called the inn on the other side of the island,” she said hesitantly.
Mariska was sure her behavior indicated her parents weren't there.
“Here's the thing, your parents were there.” said the woman.
“Oh! That's great news!” said Mariska, gathering her coat to leave.
“Well, they were there, but they left yesterday. She wasn't sure where they were going. She didn't even know they had left actually. Her part time boy said they left after she went up to look for them for me.” said the woman.
Mariska's heart sank, where would they have gone?
“Well, thank you for looking. I should get going,” said Mariska.
“What?” said the woman. “Child no, you aren't going anywhere. Take a look outside,” said the woman.
Mariska went to the window and looked outside. It was pouring down rain, and what was worse, the wind was causing signs, trees and grass to stand almost vertical.
“Oh god,” she whispered.
“It will blow over by morning, I know these storms,” said the woman walking away. “I setup up in room three, top of the steps to the left darling.”
“Thank you,” whispered Mariska. She couldn't believe her luck.
If Daemon was going to be mad at her for leaving, he was going to be furious with her for this also. She didn't care that much, though; she had no desire to be his plaything. Mariska was sure that was she was to him. She retreated to her room, there was nothing more to be done with the afternoon and the weight of the day and her parents missing was weighing heavy on her heart.
“I’ll find you,” whispered Mariska into the pillow on the soft bed before she fell asleep, tears running down her face.
Chapter Nine
A loud crack of thunder made Mariska bolt up in bed. She screamed at she sat up. The darkness of her room made it hard for her to remember where she was at for a brief second. The lights flickered and came back on though while the storm raged on outside. Mariska looked around her room and for the first time saw a shadow in the darkness. Instinctively, she reached for the pen under her pillow. As the shadow moved from the corner, she felt her heart skip.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” said Daemon.
She had never seen him like that before; his eyes were almost black. He was furious.
“You have no right to be here,” she stumbled, she was scared, but she was not his captive.
“Bullshit!” he boomed. “This is my hotel! This is my town!”
His anger stirred her own fury. “I don't care what you own; you conceited ass! You will never own me! I am not some possession you can boss around and control!” she screamed at him.
His look changed instantly; he looked afraid and hurt. “Is that what you think?” he said, barely above a whisper.
She glared at him, “It's the truth isn't it? Am I just another woman you think you can control? Well,
I’m not. I don't want to be here; I don't want to be your prisoner. I just want to find my family.” she said, tears filling her eyes.
Daemon fell to his knees in front of her. “Mariska, please. If you want to leave, you can go. Please, don't leave me, though.” he said.
She could barely look at him; she wanted to hold him. “Daemon, I’m scared.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist, “I will always protect you, Mariska. I love you.” he said.
Her breath caught in her throat; she couldn't believe what she had just heard. “What?” she whispered.
He lifted her chin with his hand and looked into her eyes passionately as he spoke. “I said, I love you, I want to be with you forever. I don't care if it's here or somewhere else. I want to be yours.”
“Oh, Daemon.” was all she could say before kissing him passionately. She hadnt know; she didn't know he had loved her.
“I love you too, I will never leave you again.” she said earnestly.
Their passionate embrace led them back to the bed. They took their time undressing each other while the storm raged outside. Before their lovemaking had been an act of need, of pure animal desire. Now, they took the time to pleasure each other. When the climax came, Daemon once again professed his love for her and he brought her to ecstasy again. Exhausted, they slept for a short time afterwards but the storm wouldn't allow anyone to rest for a long night.
With the moon hidden behind the raging storm, Mariska and Daemon lay in bed, at peace with the world for a brief moment.
“Daemon? I need to find my parents,” said Mariska quietly.
“No, you don't.” he said instantly.
She felt her anger starting to build back up, she feared the time they’d spent together had been a lie. Softly, she whispered, “so you still won't let me look for them?”
He maneuvered to his elbow so he could look into her eyes, “Mariska my love, there is no need. Your parents arrived at the castle after you left. I had been coming to your room to tell you when I found out you were missing.” he said as he stroked her hair.
An enormous weight was lifted from her shoulders. “Oh my god Daemon! Thats fantastic!” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him once more.
“I am sorry I left,” she said to him.
He looked at her again and said, “I’m not, if it meant that we could be here, in this moment together, I would ask for you to act on your own all the time.”
He kissed her playfully on the mouth. She loved the idea of making love to him again but they were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Daemon rolled his eyes but jumped from the bed to answer the door. It was the stable hand from before. He gave Daemon a note. Daemon shut the door as he opened it. Mariska saw and felt the fear in him as he read.
“Daemon? What's going on?” she said sitting up in bed.
“It's the Naqi.” he said.
“What?” she said, now she was even more worried.
“The keepers have seen a premonition. They are coming after the storm,” he said.
“Well, they have tried to infiltrate the island before haven't they?” said Mariska.
“Yes, but, this time, they have a taltos.” he whispered.
Mariska now understood his fear, if they had one who was able to break the enchantments and spells, it could mean war. The guardians were hiding the island and keeping the ground enchanted so anyone who came to cause harm burned as soon as they touched it but if that spell was broken, it would mean bloodshed. Daemon saw the fear in Mariska's eyes now and he went to her. He held her and looked into her eyes as he spoke.
“Mariska, no evil can harm us or those we love and protect. Together, we are stronger than any force that this world has ever seen,” he said, “I love you.”
Mariska felt at peace immediately. She knew his words were true; they would defend the island no matter what. Their love would overcome all.
“I love you too,” she said.
***
As they rode back to the castle after the storm had cleared the next morning, they saw boats approaching. At first, fear was struck into both of their hearts. Looking to the castle though, Mariska saw a sight that took her breath away. On the balcony stood ten taltos, their skin shining in the sun. She drew her horse up to a halt and watched. Even from a distance, she could hear them chanting. She watched as a gust of wind blew down from the castle and hit the first ship, its sails cracked under the weight of the wind and crashed down into the hull of the boat.
Mariska looked in awe at Daemon, who smiled, “I told you, we will always win.”
Good, they had more to fight for than he knew, thought Mariska as she placed a protective hand on her womb.
CHOSEN BY THE VAMPIRE GUARDIAN
Vampire Prince Series Book 2
By Rachel S. William
AmazingRomanceBooks.com
Chapter One
Mariska Wasi was out of her element. Just days ago she had been enjoying the final hours of her legal education in sunny California. Now she was on the Faroe Islands, surrounded by supernatural beings who had all fled there for the protection of Prince Daemon. Daemon was the guardian of the keepers and all their magic; he was the vampire protector of the innocent from the evil undead family, the Naqi.
Never before had the Naqi been able to reach the shores of the islands which were veiled and guarded by a race of godlike creatures called taltos. With the Naqi ships approaching, Mariska and Daemon are riding hard back to the castle, where her parents have taken refuge. Unlike many of the others on the island, Mariska and her family are not supernatural.
They have worked for generations though to hide and protect those who would fall victim to the Naqi, and thus, a target was placed on their backs. Mariska longed to see her parents, but she also had to wonder how they would react to the new relationship she had formed with the lord of the undead. She also wondered how they would feel about the half-vampire child growing in her womb.
***
Mariska looked on in wonder as the approaching boats started to inch closer to the shore. Like the others in the castle, she had just witnessed the group of taltos send one ship to its grave at the bottom of the cold sea with their powerful magic. It didn't stop the others from advancing, though. The intruders had never made it that far before, and their determination was admirable. It was a fool's errand, her partner and the prince, Daemon, wouldn't let them get very far.
He had been guarding this land and its people for the entirety of his life. That was a long life too, as a vampire; he had acted as the keeper’s guardian for over one hundred years. His father had been the guardian before him and his fathers before too. Daemon came from a long line of the undead who vowed to protect humans and supernatural alike. Mariska loved that about him.
“We need to get to the castle.” said Daemon looking at Mariska.
He spurred his horse, and she followed him quickly on her own mount.
As they approached the gates, they dropped down to let in their prince and his partner. If you looked at the scene from the outside, it looked like something from an old film. In reality, they had advanced weapons, cell phones and a private jet just yards away. The ancient castle had been the keepers home for eons, though; they would never leave. The pair rode up to the massive doors and hurried inside.
“I need to speak with the keepers,” said Daemon as he turned from Mariska.
She nodded to him, and he left after giving her a light kiss on the cheek.
“Well now, I didn't get a greeting so warm,” said her mother, coming down the steps in the front hall.
Smiling, Mariska all but ran to embrace her mother.
“Oh, I am so happy you are safe,” said Mariska. “Where's father?” she asked with concern.
“Ah, you know him, he couldn't sit on the sidelines when there was knowledge to be gathered.” said he mother sweetly.
Mariska followed her mother's eyes to the high castle walls. In the distance, she could see her father, Roje, co
nversing with the taltos.
“Now, was that a show of affection I saw our prince give you child?” asked Apardia.
Mariska blushed, “momma, we don't have time for this right now. We need to help them.” said Mariska, anxious to change the subject.
“Fine, but we will need to talk about your plans now with that little bun in the over.” said Apardia, turning from her daughter.
“How did you know!” said Mariska in shock, he had only just found out herself because of a premonition.
“Know what?” asked a booming and familiar voice from behind her.
Spinning around, Mariska saw her oldest friend and college roommate. Jamesson was a towering werewolf who had protected Mariska for as long as she could remember. He would tell people that it went both ways though because of Mariska’s empath abilities. She was always warning him about the dangers of his life, most of the time in the forms of a woman.
“Jamesson! Oh my lord! What are you doing here?” screamed Mariska, jumping into the large man's arms.
“Well, I heard through the grapevine that your mom and dad were in trouble. When I got here last night to rough up some feathers, I found them safe and sound. I figured I would stick around for the battle now. I’ve got nothing better to do with you gone.” he said lovingly as he set Mariska down.
“It figures, you would be the one to hunt out a good fight.” said Apardia, embracing the young man.
Jamesson was like an adopted son to her and her husband. He was a loving and loyal man. She worried that he would never find someone who could keep up with him, though, he loved life and the adventures it could bring. As a werewolf, he would live an unusually long life and Apardia and Roje wouldn't always be around to watch over him.
“Awe, come on mom, I promise I won't get hurt.” he said affectionately.
“You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, child.” said an enchanting voice from behind the small group.
VAMPIRE:Vampire Guardian Series: Paranormal Mystery Vampire Alpha Male Romance (New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Royalty Fantasy Romance Collection)) Page 5
