The Vampire Heir

by Juliana Haygert

  Nolan pointed his finger at me. “But you—”

  “Enough!” the oracle said, her voice echoing through the almost empty ballroom. Everyone fell silent. She continued in her regular tone, “That’s enough. We should—”

  “Wait,” Dorian interrupted her. “You’re the fucking oracle. How come you didn’t see this? How come you didn’t sense Reynard was in danger?”

  She turned her hard gaze toward him. “I don’t have to explain the logistics of my gift to you, worm.” Dorian stepped forward, looking like he would barrel into her, but Alex’s arm shot out in front of his chest, stopping him. “However, I’ll say this. I don’t choose when the visions come. They happen whenever they want and they can be about anything they want. It’s not my call.”

  “What a great oracle,” Nolan said in a low voice, even though we all could hear him quite clearly.

  I could feel the tension radiating from all of them—from all of us. Soon, a fight would start.

  I opened my mouth to try to put some order to this the mess, when Roberta, Reynard’s main consort, stepped forward. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her lips trembled.

  But, even through her pain, she lifted her head and stared at each one of us. “You were his princes, the men he trusted with his life, with his family. I don’t care if you have problems with each other. For him, for Reynard, put it aside and work together to find who did this. Then avenge him.”

  I lowered my head in respect. “You’re right, Lady Roberta. We’ll start on it right away.”

  She nodded in response. Her gaze fell on the man on the floor who had spent the last three hundred and some years by her side. Tears filled her eyes. With a whimper, she turned around and hurried out of the ballroom. The other three consorts and two guards followed her.

  “The mourning period starts now,” Sarki said, her voice with the same authoritative timbre I had only seen her use a handful of times before. She met my eyes, raising one eyebrow at me, as if she wanted to pass me a secret message. “Peacefully, we’ll arrange for Reynard’s and the guards’ proper burial, and we’ll mourn them for ten days. After that, we’ll find who did this and we’ll make the traitor pay.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement. One by one, they left the ballroom, until only Alex and I were left—with the dead.

  I knelt beside Reynard’s body and laid my hand over the silver cross pendant resting on his chest. “I’ll find whoever did this to you. I promise.”

  Alex snorted. “Don’t pretend to be innocent. I know it was you. And I’ll prove it.”

  He snarled, then marched out of the ballroom with the others.

  Well, he was sure it was me, and I was sure it was him. I just had to find a way to prove it.

  7

  Thea

  I gaped at the prince’s back as he dashed down the hall, faster than lightning. He was leaving Judy and me alone with this human boy?

  “Come with me,” the boy said, his voice still in that weird shifting tone teenagers possessed. “I’ll take you two to Prince Drake’s chambers.”

  He started walking down the hallway, and having no other option, I followed. We crossed a long corridor, then turned into another sweeping staircase. The landing atop the stairs opened into a wide archway where two vampires stood guard, and into an empty room. The boy hurried to the double black doors on the other side of the room.

  There, he paused, propped a knee up, in which he rested Judy’s back, and fished out a big, black key from a necklace under his shirt. He put it into the lock, and like magic, several other invisible locks turned, one by one, their clicking sounds echoing in the empty room.

  Finally, the clicking stopped, and the boy opened the door.

  I followed him in and gawked at the place.

  There was no black and burgundy here. In fact, it seemed we had entered a modern house by the ocean, instead of a corner of a dark castle. I crossed a short foyer, then walked around the large sitting room, my boots ticking on the cream stone floors. I ran my fingers along the back of the beige leather sectional and scanned the many light brown bookcases spread around the room—all filled with books and scrolls.

  Two steps led up to a dining room where a beautiful glass table and eight beige leather chairs took most of the space. I pulled out a chair and sat on it, inclining my head so I could admire the long, glass chandelier. A thin sheet hung by metal cords in the corners, and atop of it, dozens of lit candles, all in tones of beige, soft yellow, light green, and light blue.

  It was beautiful.

  Almost as beautiful as the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the gardens and the thousands of twinkling lamps illuminating it, almost like a mirror of the night sky. As if in a daze, I went to the window and rested my forehead on the cool glass. There was no moon tonight, but the many bright stars did a good job of being pretty by themselves.

  “This way.” The boy’s voice snapped me awake.

  “Right,” I said.

  Right. Judy. Me. Castle filled with vampires.

  I followed the boy into yet another wide corridor, which had the same cream stone for floors and plain, beige walls. Double white doors were at the end of the long corridor, and I was guessing that was where the prince actually slept.

  “In here.” The boy opened a white door on the left. “You can stay here until Prince Drake returns.” He walked into the bedroom and deposited Judy on the king-sized bed. He pressed a towel against her wounds, but the blood there had dried.

  I stayed by the door, too afraid to go in. Too afraid to get close to the girl who was too pale to be alive. “Will she live?”

  The boy lifted his hazel eyes to me. “I’m not sure.” He pulled the light blue covers over her and then walked back to me. “I’m Thomas.”

  “Thea,” I whispered.

  “I don’t know what is going on, but my master said to keep you in here until he got back. Please, don’t cause any trouble for me and do what he asked.” He gestured to the inside of the room. Reluctantly, I stepped inside. “Good. I am going to see if I can find any valerian salve for your friend. I’ll be right back.”

  Thomas walked out of the room and closed the door. The lock clicked in place.

  Panic rushed into my chest and my breathing grew shallow.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Getting involved with Judy, standing up for her, and ending up kidnapped by a vampire was definitely not part of the plan.

  I fell back on one of the four armchairs by the big window and rubbed my eyes with the palms.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  What was I supposed to do now?

  A moan came from the bed and I froze. What was I supposed to do now?

  Slowly, I approached the bed, but Judy was still sleeping. Or whatever she was doing. I placed two fingers on her wrist. It took me a moment, but I found her faint pulse.

  A burning sensation prickled behind my eyes, and I blinked, refusing to cry. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t cry for Judy, I wouldn’t cry for me, I wouldn’t cry for this situation, I wouldn’t cry for my plan getting screwed up.

  I didn’t know how long it had passed, but I jumped two feet back when the lock turned and the door opened.

  Thomas entered the room, a tray in his hands. “Hey. I thought you might be hungry.” He placed the tray filled with food on the small, glass table among the armchairs, then picked a vial from the tray. He approached the bed. “This is for your friend. It’ll help with the pain.”

  “She’s in pain?”

  He leaned over Judy and poured a few drops of the golden liquid into her open mouth. Then, he glanced at me. “I’m not sure. Usually, a vampire’s bite is pleasant, but if the vampire wants, he can inject venom into his victim, causing pain later.”

  I tilted my head at him. “H-how are you here?”

  He offered me a sad smile, which made him look older than he probably was. “You mean, alive and working for Prince Drake?” I nodded. “I had just turned eight when my invitation came. It was for my fam
ily and I. It was one of the happiest days of our lives. Until they locked the ballroom’s doors and attacked us. I don’t really know what happened. The elixir didn’t work for me. I was dizzy, but I was conscious. I knew I was in a bad situation and had to leave.” He clasped his hand in front of him. “Prince Dorian and Prince Albert came for me. They started fighting each other, saying my blood was sweet and they both wanted it. For some reason, Prince Drake stepped in and claimed me before they touched me.”

  He had been only eight years old, so it was before the minimum age was raised to fifteen.

  “So … he just claimed you? A vampire can do that?”

  Thomas nodded. “It’s one of their rules. If a prince wants to claim a human, he can. A prince can have as many humans as he wants and do whatever he wants with them. And the others can’t touch the claimed human. Unfortunately, we’re still called blood slaves, like the others.”

  “And that was …?”

  “Eight and a half years ago.”

  “How many times have you tried to escape?” Because he had to have tried, right?

  “None.” Drake’s rough voice shook the windows as he came inside the room. I flinched and took two big steps back. The prince faced me, his green eyes hard. “Thomas knows his life depends on my generosity, so he follows my rules.” Without averting his eyes from mine, he said, “Thomas, you may leave now.”

  “Yes, my prince.” The boy bowed his head, and then scurried out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  Drake walked to the other side of the bed. His gaze fell on Judy. “Her heartbeat is even weaker now.”

  “Isn’t there anything you can do?”

  “She has lost too much blood,” he said, his voice low. “Not even a transfusion can save her now. Besides, I believe she has venom in her veins.” He raised his head, and his gaze met mine again. But this time, his eyes weren’t hard. They were … sad? “The only way to save her is to turn her, but I’ll argue that’s not actually saving.” He let out a long breath. “I can’t turn her.”

  Couldn’t or wouldn’t? It didn’t matter. If it were me in that bed, I wouldn’t want anyone turning me. I had no idea what Judy wanted, but this wasn’t part of the plan. My caring for a stranger wasn’t part of the plan. She was supposed to have died in the ballroom or be taken with the others—for later.

  “So … I just watch her die?” My voice broke at the last word.

  Drake picked up the vial with golden liquid from the nightstand. “This will take away her pain. Two drops every hour until she’s gone.”

  He set the vial back down, and then went to the door. He twisted the knob.

  He was leaving. He was leaving me here, locked like a helpless princess in a tower. What was I supposed to do? What happened next?

  “What about me?” I hadn’t intended to ask that aloud, but the words flew out of my throat.

  Drake paused and glanced at me over his shoulder. “I … some important things need my attention now. I’ll be back soon and we’ll talk.”

  I gulped. “Talk about what?”

  “About what I expect from you.”

  8

  Drake

  After not sleeping for fourteen days, I slept two days straight.

  And I only woke up because Thomas, who apparently had a death wish trying to rouse a vampire from deep slumber, had told me that Reynard’s celebratory dinner was tonight.

  I groaned as I left my bed. That dinner … that was something I didn’t want to attend, but I had to. We would remember his life, honor his memory, drink and eat in his name, and I had to be there. For the man he had been, for the father he had represented, I had to be there.

  So, I took a long bath, put on my nicest black suit, a dark red shirt, and black tie—DuMoir colors—pinned the brooch with the silver cross on my lapel, and walked out of my bedroom.

  As usual, I found a tall glass and a wine-like bottle on the dining table. A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Thomas knew me well.

  But instead of sitting down, I turned to him. “Please, bring Thea to me.”

  His eyes widened for a moment, but he bowed his head to me. “Yes, my prince.”

  Not a minute later, Thomas reappeared with Thea behind him.

  She stared right at me, again full of false confidence. Other than that, she looked haunted, but well.

  “Thomas, bring some food for Thea, please.”

  “Yes, my prince.” Again, the boy bowed, and then left the room.

  I gestured to the dining table. “Please, sit.” Thea hesitated, but she finally took a chair in the middle of the table. I sat at the head, where my drink awaited me. “I see you found the clothes I asked Thomas to retrieve for you.”

  She looked down at blue and white summer dress, one of the simplest pieces of clothing Thomas had found in the castle for her. “Yes, thank you.” Then, she froze and turned those bright gray eyes to me. “Please, don’t tell me the clothes are from … the dead.”

  I swallowed a chuckle. “No, those clothes were bought for the humans that are still in the castle. If you need, we can buy you more.”

  Her little nose scrunched. “Are there many humans in the castle?”

  “You mean, blood slaves like Thomas and you?”

  “Y-yes.”

  I paused, wondering why she was asking me that. Did it matter? I was certain that she couldn’t escape, and if she tried … well, that would be her bad. “Not many. Two dozen. Maybe a little more.”

  I poured some of the blood into my glass. Her eyes widened, and then she averted her gaze, her hair falling like a curtain, hiding her face from me. For some reason, I didn’t like that.

  After a long moment of silence, she lifted her head and stared out the window, at the setting sun. The orange streaming through the glass gave her fair skin a sun-kissed tone, and her gray eyes turned even brighter, almost transparent. Her full, red lips parted as she inhaled deeply. It was hard not to notice how her delicate features went well together. It was hard not to notice how pretty she was.

  And her scent … I inhaled deeply, savoring her sweet, sweet scent. It was pure temptation.

  “What happened to Judy’s body?” she asked in a whisper.

  Judy had died not long after I had left their room two days ago. Thomas told me Thea had been in complete shock while he picked up the body and took it away.

  “We aren’t animals, you know. Well, for the most part.” I sighed, not in the mood to explain what I meant by that. “There’s a human graveyard a couple of miles behind the castle, at the edge of the forest. Thomas and Lewis buried her there.”

  Thea’s eyes filled with tears, but she wiped at them before they could fall. Then she looked at me again. “Is there where I’ll be buried when you kill me?”

  “I saved you. Why would I kill you now?”

  “You’re a vampire. You’re a monster. That’s what you do.”

  I inhaled sharply. What kind of romance novels was this girl reading? Weren’t authors portraying vampires like some kind of special heroes now?

  “Thomas has been with me for over eight years, and I plan on making sure he has a long life.”

  “While imprisoned in this castle. Do you think that is life?”

  “Better than to be use like a blood bag and be killed, don’t you think?”

  She pressed her lips together, her eyes fuming. “I’m not so sure.”

  This girl … was she this stubborn? This prickly? If she kept that up, I wasn’t sure how long I would endure her. “All right, here’s the deal. You’re mine now, which means no other vampire can touch you unless I agree to that. And I don’t plan on doing that.” Her heartbeat skipped a beat and then accelerated. “And I won’t touch you either. You don’t need to worry about that.” I heard a slight relieved sigh coming from her lips. “You’re free to walk inside my chambers for now. You can go anywhere, but my bedroom. In a week, we’ll reevaluate this. Meaning, if you prove to me that I can trust you, I’ll let you wander
in the castle. But, when and if that happens, I would advise you to ask Thomas to go out with you the first few times. It’s easy to get lost.” I paused for effect. “You know what happened at the feast. Things are crazy here right now, so I also advise you to steer clear of the other princes.”

  “You said they won’t touch me without your consent.”

  “Right. And we wouldn’t kill the man who opened his arms to us and tried to make us all into one big, happy family.” She flinched. Hell, I shouldn’t be scaring her so much. “Anyway, once you earn my trust, I’ll let you go out from my quarters and in the castle. Then maybe, someday, even go outside.”

  Her eyes widened. “Outside?”

  “Outside the castle, still within the estate limits.”

  A knot appeared between her brows. “I’ll never be able to leave again, will I?”

  Why was it so hard to answer her question? “No,” I said, my tone harsher than I intended. “Do you understand the rules?”

  Instead of answering, she asked, “What if I don’t follow them?”

  Hell. “I’ll have to put you with the other humans.”

  Her throat bobbed. “The ones saved for later?”

  I nodded. “Now you see I’m trying to help you?” She didn’t answer. So I asked again, “Do you understand the rules? Will you follow them?”

  A new, watery shine fell over her gray eyes. “Yes.”

  “Good.” I pushed away from the table and stood. “Thomas will be in shortly with your food. Then, he’ll escort you back to your bedroom.”

  Without looking at her again, I went to the door, used the black key to unlock it, and left my chambers. I leaned against the locked doors and finally breathed deeply—the moment she stepped foot out of her bedroom, her sweet scent had been everywhere. Even her friend’s blood, with her open wound, hadn’t called to me the way Thea’s did.

  I swallowed hard.

  What the hell had I been thinking? Inviting this girl to live in my chambers? To be my charge? My blood slave? It was a ticking bomb living across the hall. The only way to contain myself, to contain the hunger, was to keep myself away from her.