He simply laughed. “Is that supposed to hurt?”
I pressed some more and his neck cracked. “How about now?”
His eyes went wide. A little more and I would break his neck. That wouldn’t kill him, but he would be out for a while.
“What’s going on here?” Dorian’s voice was like a bucket of cold water over my head.
I let go of Alex and stepped back, purposely putting myself in front of a shaking Thea.
“My dear brother Drake was offering me his blood slave,” Alex said with a wide smile. “Such a nice offer from him.”
A growl rumbled in my chest.
Dorian wasn’t fooled, though. He knew how much of an ass Alex could be, and he knew I wouldn’t offer a blood slave to anyone.
Dorian turned to me. “Drake? Anything to add?”
“Alex is to stay away from my blood slaves,” I snapped, making sure he heard the bite in my tone.
“But she just threw herself in my arms,” Alex quipped. “There wasn’t much I could do.”
Fury swept through me and I advanced toward him.
Dorian raised a hand. “If you two insist on fighting, then make it a duel. We all know it was bound to happen one of these centuries. But out of respect, wait until the mourning period is over.”
Alex turned his vicious smile at me. “What do you say, brother? Want to duel?”
I wanted to crush his head between my hands right here, right now. I pressed my mouth tight, making my jaw hurt. “Just … stay away from my blood slave,” I repeated.
Alex tsked. “I would prefer a duel.”
“It is set, then,” Dorian announced as if he would simply write duel on a long to-do list. “You two will duel after the mourning period.”
I grunted in response, not trusting myself to say anything non-threatening if I opened my mouth.
Without taking my eyes from the devil in front of me, I reached for Thea behind my back. I found her shaking hands and tugged her closer. Then, I spun around, taking her under my arm and hurrying her away.
I practically carried her all the way back to my chambers, and once we were behind locked doors, I let go of her. She plopped down on the couch. I paced in front of her, trying to calm down before I growled at her and spewed more threats I didn’t mean.
This woman …
She would be death of me.
“What …?” she whispered. I halted and turned to her, surprised to find she was staring at me with big, vulnerable eyes. Her hands, folded over her legs, still shook and her heart still beat too fast. “What does the duel mean?”
“It means Alex is challenging me for you.”
Her face paled even more. “But … why?”
“Alex likes irking me. He knows stealing you from me will definitely irk me.”
Her delicate brows turned down, as if the explanation didn’t make sense. Besides irritating me, Alex knew Thea was pretty. Beautiful even. He had smelled her blood. He had been close to her—my insides burned at the image of her pressed against him. Alex knew I wouldn’t drink her blood and abuse her, and that was exactly what he planned to do to her.
A new rush of anger coiled around my muscles, and I clenched and unclenched my hands.
She looked down at her lap. “I’m sorry.”
Empathy invaded my chest, and I couldn’t stop myself. I knelt in front of her. “That was why I told you to stay inside my chambers. That was what I was trying to protect you from.” She lifted her gaze to me, locking her pretty eyes on mine, as if searching for the answer to a burning question in them. “He isn’t the only one that would use you to get to me. There are other dangerous and reckless vampires in this castle. They would see you out alone, and they wouldn’t care about my claim on you. They would take you for themselves.” Her shoulders curled and she became smaller and more fragile right in front of me. “You understand now?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice weak.
An invisible hand closed around my dead heart and squeezed. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, no. I’m fine. Shocked, but fine. I think.”
“That’s good.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s just … I never go inside that storage room. The things in there, they are a part of me I don’t like to remember. Old memories bring back too much pain.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
“It’s okay. Just promise me you won’t snoop around anymore, and that you won’t leave my chambers alone again.” She stared at me as if I was asking her to hand me one part of her soul. “Thea, you have to promise.”
She let out a shaky breath. “I promise.”
I sat in an armchair and sighed. Maybe if I gave her some random information, she wouldn’t want to snoop around so much. Was that worth it, though? Why did she have to know more about me? But for some reason, I wanted her to know more about me. I had scared her and now I needed to gain her trust again.
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
Surprise flashed in her eyes. “Hm, I don’t know. How about … how old are?”
One corner of my lips tugged up. “I was twenty-five when I was turned, and I’ve been a vampire for a little over five hundred years.”
Her jaw popped open, but she closed it. “Was it Lord Reynard who turned you?”
A pang ran through my chest at the mention of my father’s name. “Yes, and I’ve been with him ever since.”
“When did you become a prince?”
That was a strange question. She was new here. Unless she had thoroughly questioned Thomas and he had answered her, which I doubted, she couldn’t know much about how things worked here. “What do you know about being a prince?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I just … I’m basing my discoveries on folklore here, but aren’t vampires sterile? So you and the other princes aren’t really Lord Reynard’s sons.”
“Well, not all vampires are sterile. It’s rare, but male vampires can have children with human females.” Sarki was an example of that, though she didn’t know who her parents were. All we knew was that Reynard had found her and brought her to our household. “But you’re right. The other princes and I aren’t Lord Reynard’s sons. We were chosen after proving our worth in his army and in this castle. And to answer your question, I became a prince a few years after being turned.” I paused. “Any more questions?”
She bit her lower lip. Something primal, something hungry twisted in my stomach, and I had to avert my gaze. “Tell me more about vampires. What can you do? Super strength? Super healing? Turn to dust with the sun? Garlic repels you?”
Of course, she would ask those things. “We have superior strength, healing, speed, hearing, and scent among other things. Garlic and holy objects don’t do anything to us.” I gestured to the brooch pinned to the lapel of my shirt. “When Reynard was a young vampire, there was a group of priests hunting vampires, and they used crosses to scare vampires away. It didn’t work, of course, so when Reynard became powerful and created his own coven, he adopted this symbol as a joke.”
“It’s not that funny,” she mumbled, as if she were offended by it.
I suppressed a grin. “What else? We don’t need to eat anything other than blood, though sometimes we do because we miss some things, some tastes. We don’t exactly turn to dust in the sun, but it burns our skins, and if we’re exposed to it for too long, yes, it can kill us. We need sleep, but not as much as humans do. We have hearts, but they do not beat anymore, and we don’t need to breathe, but we do it out of habit.”
“How about compulsion?”
“Yes, we have compulsion.”
“Does it work on other vampires?”
“Yes, if you are stronger than them.”
“And how do you kill a vampire?”
From her tone, I knew her question was innocent, curiosity, but I couldn’t help grin at her. “Trying to plot how to kill me and escape the castle?”
Her face blanched again. “No, no, I would never—”
“I know, don’t worry,” I assured her. “Killing us isn’t easy because of all our abilities, but a stake to the heart or cutting off our heads usually does the trick. Best if you do both.”
She swallowed hard. “That sounds gruesome.”
“When you live for five hundred years and are in charge of a brutal army, gruesome gets a new definition.” I watched her for a minute. Though she was still shaken, she looked better, calmer. “Are you okay now?”
“I … I don’t know.” She frowned. “There’s still too much to process, too much to accept.” She glanced around the living room. “And I have to get used to the idea that I’ll never leave this place again.”
The sadness in her voice …
I let out a long breath. “We can make a deal.”
Thea sat up straighter in anticipation. “Like what?”
I almost smiled at her. “I’ll let you walk around certain parts of the castle and the back garden, but you have to do it during the times I allow you to, and you have to take Thomas with you.” I could make sure Alex and the other malicious vampires in the castle were busy before telling her she was free to go out. As for Thomas, he wouldn’t like the idea, but he was an expert on avoiding the other vampires when needed. “Is that okay? Do we have a deal?”
Her eyes sparked with hope and her lips turned up in a faint smile. I felt a punch in my stomach and the air fled my lungs. She was too beautiful, and when she was somewhat happy? She was stunning.
“We have a deal.”
13
Thea
I looked up from the food splayed in front of me to the man seated at the table’s end.
Vampires were monsters. Abominations of nature. But no one could deny how dazzling they looked. Drake had left it out of his tale last night, but I knew beauty was one of their superpowers. They lured their victims with their beauty. It was harder to escape them that way.
Like how my eyes kept going back to Prince Drake whenever he was in the room. I bet he had been handsome as a human, but as a vampire? He was breathtaking. It was hard to ignore how the white shirt hugged his strong shoulders and chest, outlining enough of the many muscles underneath, how his pants fit around all the right places.
Heat blossomed low in my stomach, and I focused on the fact that he was a vampire. A monster. He wasn’t worth drooling over.
A monster …
A monster who had claimed me and yet treated me with respect. A monster who protected me from other monsters. A monster who sat through breakfast with me and kept me company, even though he didn’t eat.
A monster who had instilled real fear in me the night before. Every time I closed my eyes, two images rushed into my mind: Drake baring his fangs and yelling at me, and then the relief pouring over his muscles when we were safely back inside his quarters.
At first, I thought he would kill me, then he seemed appeased I was safe.
The vampire prince was like a walking contradiction.
“Is everything okay?” Drake asked me, his voice rough and deep.
I suppressed a shiver and offered him a small smile. “Yes, thank you.” I cut a piece of bacon and shoved it in my mouth.
When I was done, Thomas appeared by my side. “Excuse me,” he said, his tone tight. Then, he started cleaning up.
“I can do that,” I said. After all, Thomas was a blood slave like me. I didn’t like the idea of Thomas acting like my servant.
“It’s okay,” Drake said. “Thomas doesn’t mind.”
A vein popped in Thomas’s neck, and I was sure he did mind.
After he took the plates away, I stood. Drake stood too—tall and powerful. I almost stepped back.
“So …” I started, a little tense. “Am I allowed to go out today?”
“Yes.” Drake nodded. “Thomas will return soon, and he’ll show you around the castle.”
It was all I wanted. However, I had no idea what I was going to do with Thomas.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling lighter than I had in days.
“My pleasure.” Drake bowed his head, his black hair falling over his eyes, then he spun on his heels and left through the front door.
Curiosity welled in me, and I wondered where he was going. Which was silly. As a prince of such a big vampire coven, I was sure he had many responsibilities and duties to attend to.
Thomas returned from the door on the other side of the living room. I hadn’t been through there yet, but I could only assume it was some kind of kitchen, or a buffet area with access to the real castle kitchen.
He leveled his unamused eyes at me. “Ready?”
I felt bad for the coldness he threw my way, since it was my fault. “Yes,” I said, trying to sound chipper. Maybe if I were happy, it would rub off on him.
But I wasn’t happy, not really. While I stayed inside this castle, I wouldn’t be happy. I was afraid. I was weary. I was determined.
I was on a mission.
Thomas guided me across two sets of hallways, down a wide staircase—there it was!—to a large archway that opened to a long room.
“The art gallery,” he announced as we walked by many paintings, statues, and art pieces, all of them with special placement and lights.
I didn’t know much about art, but everything looked expensive. “Are they real?”
Thomas cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Like, if I see the Mona Lisa in here, should I assume it’s a copy, or will it be the real thing?” Everyone knew about the rumors that the Mona Lisa at the Louvre wasn’t the original one.
“They are the real thing,” he said, his tone clipped.
After five long rooms filled with art, Thomas guided me to another part of the castle. Like before, an archway opened to a large room, but this time, there was more than paintings here.
“What is this place?” I asked, looking around with wide eyes.
“The museum.”
Of course. A museum inside the vampires’ castle, because why not?
Unbelievable.
But perfect. If I had to bet, the answer to my quest was right here.
I scanned the place with curious eyes. Like the art gallery, each item in here had a special place, a special encasement, a special spot, and special lights. But instead of paintings and busts and art pieces, there was ancient furniture, pieces of gold and silver, jewelry, huge boxes, small boxes, vials and jars of all sizes and shapes and colors, broken pieces of stones, headpieces, weapons, armors … and so much more.
Now that I was here, this was the place I had been searching for. I was sure of it.
But I couldn’t do anything with Thomas by my side. Though, as we walked around, I observed more than the exposed pieces. I took note of where they were placed, on top of pedestals or hung from the ceiling, if they were secured to their spots by nails, hooks, or glue, or simply deposited there, if there seemed to be any hidden compartments under them.
It was too much to see, too much to observe, but my mind and heart raced.
How in the world would I get rid of Thomas to explore this place for real?
The opportunity presented itself when Thomas took me to the back garden and introduced me to the maze. A huge thing with hedges over eight feet tall that extended for miles.
“This is incredible,” I whispered, gawking at it.
Thomas shuddered. “It’s a nightmare.”
“Have you gone through?”
“Through? No. I tried a few times and only got lost.”
“How did you get out of there?”
“Prince Drake noticed I was missing and came after me.”
I stared at him. “How long did you stay in there?”
His cheek reddened. “The longest? Almost six hours.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered, staring at the maze’s entrance.
Six hours without Thomas and without Drake coming after me. I knew it was risky with the other vampires in the
castle, but I couldn’t do much to avoid that. I could only pray I wouldn’t run into anyone.
“Come on.” Thomas jerked his chin to the other side of the garden where lampposts illuminated a large fountain and stones benches.
“No, I want to go into the maze,” I said, aware that I sounded like a five year old who wanted a lollipop before dinner. I stepped through the entrance and turned to him. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
Thomas’s skin blanched. “I don’t want spent another half day in there.”
“Don’t worry. I’m good with directions,” I assured him. “I’ll have us out the other side in no time. I promise.” I hated lying, but it seemed like the only thing I could do in this castle.
I disappeared around the hedge.
“Hey!” Thomas called. “Come back.” He huffed and puffed. Then he groaned. “Wait for me.”
Three seconds later, he was beside me and we started our march through the maze.
Though I pointed where to turn, I kept half a step behind Thomas, and when I was sure he wasn’t paying attention to me, I snapped a little branch off the hedge, right at waist level.
I waited twenty minutes, wandering around the maze as if I was sure how to get us to the other side, when in fact, I went around in circles, aiming for the middle of the maze, trying to make Thomas lost instead.
Then, I fell a step back. Then another. Then another.
Finally, Thomas took a turn several steps before me, and I ran off.
I heard him shouting my name as I sprinted back, following the broken branches until I was out of the maze. I paused at the maze’s entrance and stared at the castle.
I would find it. Wherever it was hiding in there, be it in the museum or Lord Reynard’s quarters, I would find it.
I took a deep, determined breath and made my way back to the museum, always careful to avoid the vampires.
Once I stepped back into the museum, eagerness rushed through my veins. God, it had to here. It had to.
Without wasting time, I started my search. Like I had done in Drake’s quarters, I went item by item, pedestal by pedestal, spot by spot, and looked over everything. I searched the sides of the pedestals, underneath the items, inside boxes … I even looked on the wall, searching for hidden doors like the one in Drake’s bedroom.
The Vampire Heir Page 7
