Taking my wrist, he pulled me in front of the door, rapped his knuckles on it then disappeared in a flash of movement. I glanced around, shell-shocked at his abrupt departure which had left my skirt fluttering around my legs.
The door opened and I came face to face with Fabian. He was dressed in a blood-red uniform, looking godly with his dark locks pulled up into a neat bun atop his head. His eyes were two dusky coins, gleaming with interest. “Hey gorgeous, I was about to come and fetch you.”
“I guess I found you first.” I tried out a smile and it wasn't too hard. Despite what I knew about Fabian, his aura wasn't nearly as oppressive as Erik's.
“Clearly.” He grinned, stepping into the corridor and offering me his arm.
I took it and we began walking through parts of the castle I'd not seen. I battled to keep my hatred for Fabian at bay as we moved through a lavish music room and a hall of tapestries before heading into a conservatory that overlooked the huge garden. I desperately needed to keep a handle on my hot-head around him. I could never let on what I knew.
Breakfast was laid out before one of the windows and Fabian guided me toward it, pulling out a chair at the table and gesturing for me to sit.
Thanking him, I dropped into it and eyed the selection of food. Crescent-shaped breads sat beside pots of coloured jellies and a slab of butter.
“Croissants,” Fabian announced, sitting opposite me. “A food humans like apparently.”
Why not send some to Realm G then, Fabian? Or are they all saved up for Realm A to enforce your lies?
Keeping my expression neutral, I breathed in the doughy scent and my stomach growled in response. They smelled like heaven and I simply knew they’d be delicious.
I prised apart one of the croissants before spreading a red jelly on it. When it entered my mouth, my taste-buds went crazy. It. Was. Incredible. Sweet, flaky, utterly mouthwatering.
I audibly sighed, taking bite after bite and soon devouring two of them in rapid succession. Fabian watched me in fascination before picking up a black and white paper which had been left on the table. The Royal Times was printed across the top of it and I realised this was the newspaper he'd mentioned when I’d bumped into him yesterday.
“No story about Erik's undone fly, I'm afraid, but apparently a flock of pigeons caused a mess on an Elite.”
A laugh broke from my throat as Fabian lowered the paper with a grin. “Kidding.”
“I'd love to see that,” I said then bit down on my lip, unsure if I should have admitted it.
His grin grew and I noticed a small dimple in his right cheek. “Oh me too, believe me. Some of the Elite piss me off to no end.”
I relaxed a little, eyeing another croissant and hesitating to eat it. I'd never indulged like this before, but the pastry was so delicious I longed for more.
“Go on...treat yourself,” Fabian said with a mischievous wink.
Figuring I might as well get through this on a full stomach, I snatched up another and started buttering it.
With my belly satisfied, I felt bounds better, ready to take on the world.
Now I just have to pull off being a spy.
My gaze was drawn to the peaceful woodland beyond the conservatory and I itched to explore it. To immerse myself in the seemingly endless stretch of trees. What I’d give to just have a day to myself in this place...
“It's called Central Park,” Fabian said, jolting me back to the room. “Or it was, before the Final War. Now it's just the castle grounds.”
“Humans used to live here?” I asked. Despite having known the fact, it was hard to imagine them walking freely amongst those trees and lounging on the grass.
“Yeah,” he replied. “The park was a tourist attraction.”
“What does that mean?” I leant my elbows on the table, drinking in the information like water. He might have been an asshole, but I could at least glean some information from him.
His eyes twinkled with delight as he started telling me about the old city, how people would travel from all across the world to visit it. Families would play in the fields and frolic in the woods. It was captivating. He built up such a picture in my mind that I could practically see them out there now, living that peaceful life.
My heart sank as I slowly came back to reality and my expression fell. Fabian was responsible for taking away our freedom. He was one of the reasons we couldn’t live that way anymore. And the more that settled on me, the more I despised his angelic face and charming tone.
Fabian gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you.”
“No, I'm glad you told me...” My eyes were drawn to the woods again and Fabian rose to his feet.
“Would you like to go for a walk?”
I nodded quickly and stood, anxious to get outside and breathe the fresh air.
We took a set of winding stairs down to a door and Fabian opened it, leading me out into a little walled garden. I shivered in the chilly wind and Fabian shed his jacket, sliding it around my shoulders.
I was swamped in the large thing, but was immediately warmer.
“Thank you,” I said with a smile.
“No problem. It's a shame to cover that gorgeous dress up though, did you wear it just for me?” He grinned then took my hand, winding his fingers around mine.
My throat grew dry at his sudden closeness, but I played along, squeezing his hand in response. “Well I would have looked a little silly showing up without it,” I teased and his smile grew wider.
“There's not a chance in hell I'd have thought that was silly.” He winked and my insides shrivelled up.
The leaves crunched under my feet as we walked, but Fabian barely seemed to disturb those beneath him. I gazed up at the tall trees, eyeing the little birds hopping between the branches. I recalled watching the birds flitting back and forth above the Realm, going wherever they pleased. More than once, Callie and I had pretended to have wings, flapping around our tiny kitchen while Dad laughed. I’d dreamed of what it would have been like to just fly out of that place and go wherever I wanted. Now I was far from home in the most luxurious place I could have imagined and I felt more like a prisoner than ever.
Fabian told me about the trees as we walked, naming every one of them. Then he spoke of the stream and the birdlife, seeming impassioned by nature. I happily drank in the information, stashing away the knowledge of things I could rarely have imagined learning about once.
As we headed through a cluster of oaks, I shifted closer to him, feigning a shiver. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders as I'd hoped and the mellow scent of him sailed under my nose.
“So how are you feeling about us vampires now you've had a couple of days to settle in?” Fabian asked, his grip on me tightening.
“I suppose you're not all bad,” I said airily. Well, at least one of you isn’t. And it isn’t you.
“We're not all good either.” He gave me that mischievous smile again and I knew my attempt at flirting was working.
I glanced up at him and my legs trembled as I met his hungry gaze. Shit, what would he do if he knew what I was planning?
“Would you like to see something?” Fabian asked and my brows lifted with curiosity.
“Sure.” I shrugged and he gestured for me to take a seat on a fallen tree.
I rested against the log, running my hands over the gnarled bark, wondering if other humans had sat here before the Final War. If children had played on it and their laughter had joined the birds’ chorus in the trees.
Fabian gazed up at the canopy, seeming to search for something. He shut his eyes for a moment then a rush of wings announced the arrival of a huge bird.
I gasped as a brown owl dropped onto the log a few feet from me. It was huge, with mottled colouring and huge white tufts over its sharp talons.
“He's tame,” Fabian promised, moving closer. “You can stroke him if you like.”
I tentatively reached out, running my palm over the owl's silky feathers. “Wow,” I wh
ispered, glancing up at Fabian. “Did you train him?”
“Not exactly.” He dropped down beside the bird, raising an arm and the owl hopped onto it. Fabian stroked him as he explained, “I can control him. Any animal I bond with will be eternally linked to me. I can see through their eyes, guide them wherever I like...”
My mouth parted in shock. “Like a spy?”
He grinned darkly. “We call them Familiars.”
“Can all vampires do that?” I asked as a cold realisation hit me. The vampires had always known everything in the Realm. Was this how they'd been able to keep an eye on us?
“Yes, but some are particularly good at it. Like myself.” Fabian lifted his arm and the bird took flight, hooting as it rose into the trees. “I have a natural affinity with animals. Sometimes I prefer them to people.” He chuckled lightly.
My gut churned. No wonder the vampires always had the upper hand with us...
“Can I be honest with you, Montana?”
My own name sent a jolt through me. Erik insisted on calling me Rebel no matter how much I told him not to. Hearing my name from Fabian's mouth almost made me feel like an equal. But that was the last thing I was when it came to him. I may have been playing games with this vampire, but he was playing his own. There wasn’t a crack in his facade. I almost could have believed he liked me. But how could he when he did such despicable things to my kind?
“Okay,” I replied.
“The day you walked into the courtyard, I thought you were trouble. But that's not what I see here sitting beside me.”
My throat tightened at his words. “Trouble?” I whispered, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
Please don’t see through me.
“Yes, but maybe I misread your fear as rebelliousness?”
I nodded quickly, despite it being a lie. “Yes, I was angry and afraid. I didn't want to put a dress on. I'd been kidnapped, Fabian, and I thought...”
He reached up to tuck the lock of hair behind my ear as it came loose again. His hand on my skin made me stiffen, but I forced myself to lean into his touch instead of recoiling.
“That's fair,” he remarked. “I'm sure this is all very confusing for you.”
I nodded again, giving him a shy smile rather than the slap I wanted to offer for his patronising tone.
“I just...don't understand what you want with us,” I said, wondering if I might get more of an answer from him than I had from Erik. Why did they want us to pick them? Surely not just for the sake of turning us into vampires or they would have done so already...
“Yes, well, be patient and all will be revealed.” He gave me a boyish grin which almost deceived me. “Come on, you'll get cold if we stay still too long.”
I nodded and he drew me to my feet and tugged me right into his chest. “Of course, there are other ways to warm you up.”
My heart pounded frantically as he took my chin in his hand.
Oh hell no, is he going to kiss me?
The glimmer in his eyes said he was. And as he leant in, I recalled the female vampire from the bar Erik had taken me to and at the last second I offered him my cheek.
His mouth met my skin and a devilish laugh rolled up from his chest. “You're playing cat and mouse with me.”
“Am I?” I asked in an innocent tone, but my heart crashed against my ribcage with the need to get away from him.
He held me a moment longer, biting into his lip. “One kiss from me and you'll forget all about Erik.”
Play the game, Montana. Don’t let him see the truth!
“Erik who?” I whispered and he moved to kiss me again.
I ducked out of his arms, dancing away, my chest tight as I escaped. My heart rate settled a little as I put some more distance between us, but he hounded after me with a hungry look.
“You'll have to earn that kiss,” I insisted, turning away and taking a deep breath when he wasn't looking.
How long can I keep this up? What if he demands it of me?
“I intend to,” he chuckled, sliding an arm around my waist as we headed further into the woods. I hesitated before slipping my own arm around his waist too, clinging to his shirt and feeling hard muscles beneath my palm. He was a feral animal dressed up as a tame pet. And those muscles told me all I needed to know about my chances against him if he ever decided to hurt me.
“So how are you getting along with Erik?” Fabian asked, gripping me tighter.
“Not great,” I said - which was sort of true. Except after last night I saw Erik in an entirely different light. But if Fabian didn’t like him, it was better to play up to that. “He's not very nice to me. He’s always so rude.”
“That sounds like Erik,” Fabian remarked. “He's a shit to his own kind, let alone humans.”
I nodded, but my heart rate spiked with anger.
And you’re nice to humans are you, Fabian?
I longed to speak my mind, to demand an answer for why he treated us so badly but I simply couldn’t.
“I just wish Erik would leave me alone,” I continued, sensing this was a good way to bond with Fabian. A trickle of guilt ran through me. For some reason, I felt like I was betraying Erik by bad-mouthing him to his brother.
“He will if you pick someone else at the ceremony.” Fabian nudged me and I grinned up at him.
“Well it's you or Miles. What's your other brother like?”
“Emotionally unavailable,” he remarked and my eyes narrowed.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“His bodyguard is his consort. It will probably become apparent when you spend time with him tomorrow.”
“What does he want a wife for then?” I demanded, a little sharper than I'd intended.
Fabian didn't seem to notice. “It's our duty, that's all.”
I bit back a retort. Duty? What did that even mean? Why take wives if they didn’t really want them? My mind swam with a hundred questions and I decided to air one of them as calmly as I could. “How many wives do you have?”
Fabian eyed me, seeming unsure whether to answer. “I have seven.”
I sucked in a breath, trying to get my head around that. “What about Miles?”
“Three,” he revealed. “And Clarice has many consorts in her harem, although none of them are officially married to her. She wishes to marry for love.” He snorted as if that idea amused him.
“What's so wrong with that?” I asked. Surely of all the things these royal vampires could afford, love was one of them. I’d never had that luxury in the Realm, too afraid of losing anyone I got close to. It was insulting to learn someone as privileged as Fabian could scoff at the idea of it.
Fabian’s gaze burned into me. “Nothing, I suppose. I'm not saying it isn't possible...” His hand trailed up my arm and I gave him a hopeful expression as if I actually wanted that from him.
I bit my lip as I prepared to ask about the final Count. The one who made my heart beat in a way it never should for a vampire. “And Erik?”
Fabian’s eyes grew colder. “He has none. He’s refused his duty to marry humans.”
The way he specifically mentioned humans made me desperately curious. “What about vampires?” My throat was overly tight as it released the words.
Fabian’s face flashed with irritation. “He has lovers occasionally.” He shrugged. “Let’s not talk about my brother.”
My heart sank, but I knew I couldn’t push the issue. If Erik was romantically involved with a vampire, that was not my concern.
Then why does it bother you so much?
The sound of voices rose in my ears and I turned. My mouth dried up as I spotted Erik strolling through the woods with Paige locked under his arm a hundred yards away. His eyes wheeled our way and he nodded stiffly before marching on.
Paige threw me a small wave and I returned it, eyeing her beautiful peony gown and flowing blonde hair. A strange feeling writhed in my belly at seeing him with her. Why was he spending time with her anyway, I thought he didn't want an
y of the girls to choose him?
“Has he spoken to you about his preferences between the girls?” Fabian asked and I jolted back to reality, unsure how I should answer.
“Um...no,” I said and Fabian’s eyes narrowed.
“But he kissed you, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” I said, my stomach swirling. I’d almost forgotten Erik had told Fabian about the kiss we’d shared at Valentina’s apartment. But that wasn’t the memory I focused on now.
“And yet you deny me the chance to make you forget about that kiss.” He grinned wolfishly, stepping closer and my veins hummed with revulsion.
Before he got too close, Fabian's head snapped up and he turned toward a sound I couldn't hear. An Elite sprinted through the trees, her eyes piercingly blue and her hair a deep copper.
As she arrived, she bowed low to Fabian, throwing me an inquisitive glance. “Forgive me for the intrusion, your highness. I have unfortunate news.” She gave me another look, seeming uncertain if she should continue.
“Speak freely,” Fabian encouraged and the woman bowed her head.
“Chancellor Torin was found dead this morning. His remains were gathered from his apartment, but we're unsure of the cause. Although...” She eyed Fabian and he nodded. “There were signs of forced entry.”
My gut writhed as my thoughts wheeled to the murder I’d witnessed just last night. Was this related? Was the violent monster who killed one of the guards involved in this death? I didn’t know if I could voice my thoughts on the matter. Not to Fabian anyway.
“I see,” Fabian said tersely. “Thank you for informing me, Constable Mirell.”
She bowed once more before hurrying back in the direction she'd come.
I gazed up at Fabian's taut expression. He sighed, turning to me. “Sorry, Montana. I have to take a trip into the city. Can we meet later for dinner? I'd like to continue trying to earn that kiss.”
My stomach squirmed at his seductive tone. “Oh, yeah sure,” I said quickly.
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 26
