by T. S. Ryder
"Thanks," Wanda said nervously. What would they expect in return for this kindness? Nobody did anything without wanting something in return.
"You're welcome, dear. Now, I imagine that this has been quite a trying ordeal. Try to rest."
Wanda shut the door as Lena walked away. She turned to the little studio and frowned. With all the guards around, she couldn’t just walk out of the palace. Oh, well. She'd find a way to escape soon enough. She always did.
With a sigh, she flopped down on the bed and gasped. The mattress was as soft as a cloud. It hugged her body, making her groan. She could lie there forever and never get up. Sleep dragged at her eyes.
The vampire king's gaze came back to her. That calculating look made her shiver, but not from fear like she would have expected at any other time. There was something else about it… She wasn't sure what. She had heard stories about him. He terrified most of the vampires she'd come into contact with, and after seeing him she understood why.
But at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder what had made him that way, and if there was a heart beating beneath that intense stare.
***
Several days passed without incident. Wanda spent the first day in her room, but when that became too boring, she tentatively started to explore. The best thing she found was a library on the fourth floor and, from then on, spent most of her time there. She had found some worksheets for basic reading and math there and was struggling her way through them.
Learning was something Wanda had always loved. She hadn't been able to go to school since the time she was young as she was too busy taking care of her parents. When they gave her to Jonas, he promised that she would learn new things. Reading and math weren't on the list. How to weigh and measure drugs, yes, but little more.
She was in the library when the king found her again. Wanda had sensed his presence before she saw him and had to struggle not to shrink away when he strode directly toward her. Instead, she cast a critical gaze at him. He was so built he looked like he could crush steel. His face had a hard jawline, square cheekbones, and eyes gray as storm clouds. The rest of him was all hard angles as well, the image not helped by the black suit he wore.
"You spend too much time in the gym," she told him. "Rock-hard abs? Please. Can you say overcompensating much?"
Adam stopped a few feet from her. His eyes narrowed and Wanda's breath caught in her throat. But he didn't show any other signs of anger. In fact, after a moment, he grinned broadly.
"You aren't afraid to speak your mind."
Well, that wasn't it at all, but Wanda wasn't going to admit that her bravado kept her from peeing her pants in terror. She had always been afraid of Jonas, and he was a skinny little wimp compared to this guy. And he was the king. He could do whatever he wanted – kill her, maim her – and nobody would stand up for her. Well, except maybe his mother, but Lena didn't seem to have all that much control over her son.
"If you'll excuse me, I was reading," Wanda said, mustering up all the disdain she could while her palms sweated badly. To her despair, Adam took a seat on the sofa next to her instead. She closed her book to hide that it was meant for children and glared at him. "What do you want?"
"Several things. The first of which is how you would like your compensation from Jonas. Cash? Land? Investment stocks?"
They were really giving her money? Wanda knit her brow. Was trading humans really illegal? From the way Jonas acted, she thought it was normal among vampires. "Uh… tax-free savings account."
"And what other punishments do you think are suited for him?" Adam's gaze was locked on hers.
Was this some sort of test? A challenge to see how rebellious she was against the vampire lords that ruled them? Wanda hesitated. If she could have her way, she'd choose to lock him away forever and give his land to all the women he kept prisoner to work as his drug mules. But Adam had to know about them, didn't he? It wasn't like it was some great big secret.
Better conform and not cause waves. Wanda didn't want this show of generosity to stop. "I don't think anything else is warranted. After all, I'd still be living on the streets if it wasn't for him."
The familiar line was bitter on her tongue, but Wanda tried not to let that show.
"Hmm." Adam frowned. "My mother won't want it to rest at that, but if you're sure…"
"I am," Wanda said firmly. No point in asking for more.
The king nodded. "Very well. Then he will have his fines. I am going to release him on bail, pending a more formal trial."
She opened her mouth to blurt out about the other girls Jonas kept but closed it again. Vampires didn't care about humans. This was a show. Jonas would get slapped by the fine and that was it.
"How are you adjusting to life here?" Adam asked, an awkward smile on his face.
"Uh… it's great, I guess. You could host dozens of families in here."
"I do. Most of my staff consists of human-vampire mixed families. It's very common, for a vampire to marry a human. There are even children born of such unions, though they are rare."
Whoa, that was possible? "Are they born dead? You know, since you're undead."
"I've never died in my life."
His gaze traveled down her body like it had the first time he saw her. Wanda shivered, but it wasn't like Jonas's leer. That vampire always looked at her like she was merchandise. Adam looked at her like he was trying to decide something. He nodded, apparently liking what he saw.
Wanda chewed on her lip. If she was honest, she liked what she saw in him, too. Of all the rotten luck, the man she found who fit her image of what her man should look like was a freaking vampire. That was a deal breaker.
She had had enough of vampires in her life, thank you very much.
"I find you very refreshing, Wanda," he said conversationally. He moved his hand as though to put it on her knee, but rested it between them instead. "Not many people talk back to me, and I find that occasionally I need someone who will. I also think it would be very amusing to witness the other vampires’ impotent rage when you speak to them the way you speak to me."
He chuckled, but Wanda didn't see what was so funny. Her heart was sinking. So much for getting the money and making a clean break. He was planning on keeping her prisoner just the same. He couldn't be worse than Jonas, could he? At least she wouldn’t be a drug mule…
"So, I have decided that I will marry you."
The blood drained from Wanda's face. Scratch that, this was worse. Way worse. Wanda leaped to her feet and backed away from the king. "No!"
Adam arched a brow.
"No, I'm not marrying you. You can't make me, either! I'd rather poke my eyes out and—" Wanda cut herself off. What if he decided to do what she would 'rather' do? She chewed on her inner cheek as the king stood, her heart thumping hard.
"I don't intend to make you marry me."
"Then what was that whole 'I'm going to marry you' thing you just said?"
"It was a proposal."
Wanda frowned. Was he serious? "It sounded more like a demand. If you're going to propose, you have to woo me first."
The vampire king took her hand in his and kissed it. The gesture surprised her, and her skin tingled where his lips touched her hand. "I look forward to wooing you, then. As I said, you are most refreshing, Wanda Olsen. I do believe you will agree to marry me in the end, though. It would be beneficial to both of us."
Wanda yanked her hand away and narrowed her eyes. "You can't make me stay here. I'll find a way to escape. I always do."
Adam's eyes darkened. "Always?"
She didn't respond to the challenge. After a moment, the king reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. Wanda's jaw dropped as he pressed it into her hand. All hundreds. There had to be a couple thousand dollars right there. She felt faint.
"That will be enough for a few weeks, at least, until the money Jonas owes you comes in," he said. "You are not a prisoner here, Wanda. You are free to leave whenever you wish."
<
br /> He walked away without another word. Wanda stared at the money in her hand, mind reeling. Was he serious? He had just given her all this cash and… she could leave. She knew how to live on the streets – she had done it before. This much money could last her for months. The book slipped from her hand and she glanced down at it.
She didn't have access to these sorts of books on the street. She didn't have luxurious bathrobes or enough bubble bath to drown in. Maybe she could stay for a few more days… What would it hurt?
Chapter Three – Adam
Adam quickly signed off on the last of the expenses for the ball he was planning to introduce Wanda to the vampire court. It had been his mother's idea. He'd have preferred to keep things lowkey until Wanda committed to him, but Lena was insistent. She was ecstatic about his decision to marry, although she warned him that if he tried to compel Wanda to agree, she would make his life a living hell.
And Adam wasn't going to risk seeing what that entailed.
A frown crossed the king's face. Wanda had been with them for a week already, and yet she showed no signs of softening towards him. He had bought her diamonds, a new wardrobe, gave her a car, and had taken her to several fancy restaurants. But she still clearly didn't trust his intentions. What else did he need to be doing?
"Hey, Mr. Grumpy face!"
The king closed his eyes and repressed a growl. When he had himself under control again, he glanced up to see his brother standing in the doorway. Christopher looked more like Lena than their father but had not inherited her selfless disposition.
And now he was back. Adam stood, studying him carefully. Rumor had it that he was starting to dabble in drugs, but there were no visual signs. Good. His brother had some common sense, then.
"I thought you were in Cabo."
"I was." Christopher shrugged. "Got bored, so I decided to come back. Sun's too hot down there. I know that we vampires aren't affected by sunlight, but I had to take up the nightlife just so I wouldn't get burned to a crisp."
Adam narrowed his eyes. "You came back because you heard about Wanda."
"You know me too well, brother." Christopher grinned as he leaned on Adam's desk. "Is she hot? I heard she was hot. A little on the plump side but—"
"Stay away from her."
Christopher grasped his heart and took on an affronted expression. "What? Am I not even allowed to say hello to my future sister-in-law? Have you so little trust in your relationship — wait. You haven't slept with her yet, have you?"
Adam growled. His brother was annoying at the best of times, but in this situation, there were questions that the king didn't even want to cross his mind. He stood and shoved a finger in Christopher's face, attempting to look as intimidating as possible. Most people would flinch back from him. Christopher only smirked.
"You haven't. What, is she demanding she be the queen first?" Christopher lowered his voice. "Has she got you whipped?"
"I mean it. Stay away from her."
"Afraid I'll steal her heart from you, Adam? Don't worry. I'm not looking for another human playmate. They get too serious too quickly. Besides, down in Cabo I met this great Tlahuelpocmimi lady and I think I've got a real shot at—"
Before Adam could tell his brother to keep his sex life to himself, the door behind them swung open. It bounced off the wall, no doubt denting it, and Wanda strode in. Her gray eyes were narrowed, makeup streaking her face like she had pressed her hand into eyeshadow and lipstick and dragged it over herself. A silky black garment hung from her hand. Behind her were several of the servants he'd assigned to help her prepare for the ball he was holding that evening. All of them looked terrified.
"What is this?" Wanda seethed, holding up the black garment.
Adam glanced at it. Spiral steel boning with a lace-up front and back to customize the fit. "A corset."
"And why are you putting me in a corset to dance in? Do you want me to pass out because I can't breathe? Or maybe you'd like my internal organs to be displaced because of the pressure?"
He let out a heavy sigh. Honestly. People just didn't know the history of these things anymore. "That is not a Victorian-era corset. It's designed to support your back and breasts better than modern bras do. You'll be more comfortable after hours of dancing in that than—"
He was just able to catch the garment before it hit him in the face. The king blinked, startled, as Wanda glowered at him. Her hands trembled in fists. There was a streak of red on what little of her palm was visible. So she had done that to her face on purpose. Odd.
"If it's such great back support, then you wear it!"
One of the servants gasped. She grabbed Wanda's arm, pulling her back, and opened her mouth. Adam rose a hand, stopping her from speaking. Even though his gaze was locked on Wanda, he could see all the others in the room tense. Christopher positioned himself just to the side between them, as though readying to throw himself in the way.
Their obvious fear only made Adam angry. Did they think he would hurt her? She was merely stating her mind. It wasn't like she was coming at him with a knife. Yes, he had killed hundreds of people in his berserk rages, but that was in battle. There was never a time in his life when he had attacked somebody if they weren't putting his or other people's lives in danger, and yet everybody expected him to fly off the handle.
It was exhausting, and the expectations were constantly pushing him towards doing just that.
Even Wanda flinched when he stepped towards her, feeding off the energy in the room, no doubt. But he didn't let that bother him, instead taking her small hand in his huge one and pulled her away from the servants. He wasn't going to be able to reassure her when everybody watched, expecting him to go crazy.
"You may all leave," he said, not looking at them.
Christopher was the only one to hesitate. "Adam—"
"Have you ever known me to harm a person just for speaking their mind?"
His brother mutely shook his head. He still looked hesitant, but left the study, closing the door behind him. Adam shook his head as he put the corset on his desk. What could he do to stop people from fearing him, yet still remain in control of the kingdom?
"I'm not wearing that thing," Wanda said.
"Anybody else would be agreeing to wear it already. I don't understand why they fear me so much."
Wanda narrowed her eyes. "You're kidding, right? You're built like Goliath and you do this angry-burning thing when you get mad. It's like hell is in your eyes. And then it just radiates from you. It's freaky."
Adam sighed. "But you aren't afraid of me, are you?"
"Honestly? I'm terrified of you."
He flinched, but Wanda didn't seem to notice.
"When Jonas brought me here, I fully expected you to kill me. I just wanted it to happen sooner than later. I was tired of being afraid."
Adam's hands clenched. "And do you still think that I'll kill you for defying me?"
Wanda studied him for a minute before shaking her head. "I don't think so. But who knows? I'm just a human. You're a vampire. What I think or want doesn't matter. You're going to make me wear that corset anyway."
"Doesn't matter?" Adam resisted the urge to put his fist through the wall. "What did Jonas do to you? I can have him strung up and—"
Her face paled and she backed away a step.
Adam swallowed hard. "Am I burning again?"
"Yeah."
He ran a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "When you are ready to share what happened with Jonas… I will be ready to listen. In the meantime, I am not going to make you wear the corset. But—" He glanced up to check her reaction. She looked nervous, but not terrified. Good. "If you'll agree to wear it, I will give you a thousand dollars right now and another thousand tomorrow morning. And if you don't like it, I won't ever ask you to wear one again."
Wanda's eyes went round. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Well then… Okay. Fine. I'll wear the stupid corset. Two thousand buc
ks – that's not pocket change."
It was to him, but he wasn't going to mention that. With a grin, he picked up the corset again and gestured for Wanda to turn around. She did so, sighing softly when he wrapped the satiny fabric around her. Adam laced up the garment so it was snug but not too tight, then cupped her waist with his hands. Wanda leaned into his touch, sighing just a little.
"Well? Is it that bad? Can you still breathe?"
"For now," Wanda grumbled. "But I don’t know if I can dance all night in it."
"Well, you'll only be dancing with me, anyway."
The human pulled herself from his hands. "Excuse me?"
Had he not spoken clearly? "You'll only be dancing with me. It's a vampire custom, for when the future bride and groom—"
"I never said I'd marry you." Her hands clenched again. "I am going to dance with whoever I want to dance with. I might not dance with you at all. Maybe I'll dance and flirt with everybody there instead of you. Maybe I'll even go back to somebody's room. Maybe your brother. He's hot. Like, movie star hot. And he doesn't strike me like the kind of guy who goes around telling me what I can and cannot do."
"You are not going anywhere with my brother."
"I am if I want to!"
He didn't understand this woman. She was feisty and obstinate, but there was clearly something below the surface he couldn't see. She said herself that she was terrified of him. While that in itself concerned him, her refusal to show it was admirable. Or was it? Was she really speaking her mind towards him, or was she overcompensating for her fear?
Should he push her on the issue, find out? Or just leave it alone and let her come to him on her own?
"This is meant to be an engagement party," he reminded her. "You aren't going to go to anybody's room except your own, and nobody but you will go in it. You are only going to dance with me and—"
For the second time, the door was flung open. This time, instead of a furious human marching in, it was his mother. He tensed. Her eyes were burning as she inserted herself between Wanda and Adam, and the king finally understood the whole 'burning' thing Wanda was talking about. And she was right. If Lena – small, delicate-looking Lena – could look this intimidating with it, he could only imagine what his bulk and height would do.
