Dark Prince: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 1)
Page 24
I park my car in the back, not surprised to see Solomon waiting for us in front of the secondary entrance.
When we’re out of the car, Vaughn moves closer to Vivi and asks in a low tone, “Who is that funny-looking dude? Is he a vampire too?”
“He’s the headmaster, and shh. He can hear you even if you whisper,” she replies.
It’s gratifying to see the look of consternation on the male’s face. Without an ounce of guilt, I wrap my arm over Vivienne’s shoulders and head inside, leaving Mr. Chatterbox alone with Solomon.
“Maybe we should have waited for Vaughn,” she says when we’re inside.
“Fuck no. I’ve suffered the male enough for one evening.”
I take the alternative route to her apartment, avoiding going through the main area of the institute. I want to keep Vivienne all to myself before we have to return to our charade. We haven’t really left her room much in three days, but our time is up. Tomorrow evening, we must return to the regular schedule.
Manu is home, but taking into consideration her outfit, I can guess she’s on her way out somewhere.
“Oh, back so soon?” she asks.
“Yeah. King Raphael is not one to hold long meetings.”
“He also doesn’t like to talk much,” Vivienne adds.
“Unlike your friend,” I groan.
“Well, I’m going to Havoc,” Manu announces. “Fancy joining me?”
That’s an easy question to answer. “Nope. I have everything I need right here.” I pull Vivi closer and kiss her on the cheek.
Manu makes a gagging sound. “Ugh. I think you should get your own apartment. I can’t deal with all that sugary stuff.”
That’s not a bad idea.
“Maybe we will,” I say.
“Whatever. I’m out of here. Have fun, kiddos.”
She walks out the door with a bounce to her step. I haven’t seen her in a good mood in, like, forever.
I turn Vivienne in my arms. “Alone at last.”
“Did you really mean it?”
“Did I really mean what?” I kiss her neck, loving how her pulse quickens in response.
“Living together.”
I pull back, so I can look in her eyes. “Yeah, I mean it. I can’t stand the thought of not sleeping and waking up with you by my side every night.” Her eyebrows furrow, which is definitely not a reaction I was expecting. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been in love with you for generations, but you’ve just met me. What if this is only a phase for you? What if—”
“Shh.” I cover her lips with my finger. “This is not a phase, Vivi. I love you, and this feeling won’t go away.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You reanimated my dead heart. That’s how I know. Life had no meaning to me, even before the curse. But you’ve changed that. I loved you even when I thought I hated you. Even before I knew who you were and what you had sacrificed for me.”
Her eyes become brighter, and when one rogue tear rolls down her cheek, I wipe it off with my thumb.
“There’s no need to cry, darling.”
“These are happy tears.” She laughs.
“So, does that mean you’re on board with me moving in?”
Her eyebrows arch slowly. “What about Manu?”
I shrug. “I’m her older brother. It’s my birthright to piss her off. She can find another apartment. Maybe Vaughn can be her new roommate.” I reward her with a wolfish grin.
Vivienne laughs, and it makes my heart sing.
“You’re the worst. Poor Vaughn.”
Wrapping my arms around her small waist, I pull her flush against me. “Enough about them. We’re moving in together. That calls for a celebration.”
“What kind of celebration?”
I lean down to whisper in her ear, “The kind where our clothes are off and any surface or room is fair game.”
Her eyes shine with mischief, sending a zing of pleasure down my cock. “You’re on, my prince.”
43
Aurora
My mother told me to stay away from the catacombs, and what she says must be obeyed without question. Once upon a time, she used to be kinder, but that was before my father passed away. Then, I think the demands of her job stripped away any softness from her. And since I’m her oldest child and destined to take her place as the High Witch, I get her worst.
But I’ve never been one to follow orders, and tonight, I’m sticking to my rebellious side. I want to know what the hell she and Solomon are hiding under the institute. I overheard the conversation between them after she came back from a meeting with King Raphael. They’re going to attempt to trap the deadly ghost again during the day, and I’m not going to miss it.
That wraith was a vampire once, and my guess is she was a Blueblood, maybe even first-generation. She felt powerful but also malicious, evil. More so than Boone, and that’s saying a lot.
But I can’t simply follow my mother at a distance and hope she won’t notice me. I’m taking precautions—and by precautions, I mean I’m using a concealment spell strong enough to fool even the High Witch. She would never approve of it. I acquired the potion from a member of the rogue mage guild after all.
It would have been impossible for me to find them if the idiot who had created the poisonous fog on the day of Boone’s attack hadn’t left behind a piece of his clothing. It was easy to cast a tracking spell with it. A bit harder to convince the guild to assist the daughter of the High Witch. Rogue mages can be hired, and some of them are powerful, but they’re all cowards. I had to resort to blackmailing to get what I needed. They’d had no idea their fog job would assist in Lucca’s murder attempt by Boone. I promised them I wouldn’t rat them out to King Raphael if they cooperated.
Maybe it was stupid of me to waste such a trump card to get a concealment spell, but I’m desperate to know my mother’s secret. I’m prone to making impulsive decisions. I hope this one doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass like my previous one. I do have the guild by the balls, but I can’t keep blackmailing them. It’s amoral and also dangerous.
I drink the bitter potion and then head for the catacombs. Everything is eerily quiet, and the small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Shit. Could the ghost have overpowered my mother and Solomon? I stick my hand inside my bag and pull out an enchanted crystal. It’s used to ward off vengeful ghosts, but it will only keep a vampire ghost at bay for a limited amount of time.
My heart is thumping hard and slow against my rib cage. It’s impossible not to feel the weight of fear when I know what’s on the loose down here. The silence is broken suddenly by a terrifying shriek that sends my heart spiraling up to my throat. Fuck. That’s the ghost. I freeze for a second, but then I hear my mother’s voice. She’s reciting a spell.
I walk faster, still mindful of being stealthy. Just before I reach the spot where my mother is, I flatten my back against the wall and stick my head out. My mother and Solomon have the vampire wraith trapped in an orb of green light. She’s as freaky as I remember. I never knew vampires could turn into ghosts.
“You can’t keep us trapped forever,” the ghost wails. “The Nightingales have returned. We will get our revenge.”
Shit. The ghost is talking about Vivienne.
“You will return to your prison, Madeleine.”
“Madeleine?” The ghost laughs. “Madeleine has ceased to exist. Lost in her madness, she made a deal with me. I control her body and her soul.”
Solomon trades a glance with my mother. She nods, and together, they send the ghost back to the secret chamber. Her prison.
That’s it?
I’m pissed. Not only didn’t I get any intel, but I also wasted my leverage with the rogue mage guild in the process.
I quickly retrace my steps before my mother finds me. That would be the cherry on top.
When I get back to my apartment, I make sure all the lights are on. I hate that I can’t open the shutters and let sunlight in.
They close automatically and won’t roll up again until nightfall. I sit on a high stool, leaning my elbows on the counter.
I’m not sure what I was hoping to achieve by spying on my mother. To gain a sense of control maybe, something that’s clearly absent in my life. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t be at Bloodstone, I wouldn’t be studying to take my mother’s place, and most importantly, I wouldn’t be promised to a douche canoe from an important magical family.
Running my hands through my hair, I yank it back at the strands. “Fuck.”
The sudden knock on my door makes me jerk on my seat. What now?
“Who is it?”
“Aurora, it’s me, Saxon.”
A string of curses runs through my head. I don’t want to deal with him, but at the same time, I could use a punching bag.
I cross the room with long strides and then open the door with a brusque movement. “What do you want?”
His hand is braced against the wall, and he looks positively ill. With a grimace, he replies, “The potion you gave me didn’t work.”
“Impossible. That should have worked.”
“Well, it didn’t.” He stands straighter, imposing, feral. “You’re still my damn mate, and if you don’t fix this, you’re going to be a widow before you exchange vows with your betrothed.”
To be continued …
PRE-ORDER WILD THING
Aurora and Saxon’s story
Also by Michelle Hercules
Paranormal Romance:
Dark Prince (Blueblood Vampires #1)
Wild Thing (Blueblood Vampires #2)
Reckless Times (Paragon Society #1)
Savage Games (Paragon Society #2)
Contemporary Romance:
Wonderwall (Love Me, I’m Famous #1)
Reverse Harem Romance:
Wicked Gods (Gifted Academy #1)
Ruthless Idols (Gifted Academy #2)
Hateful Heroes (Gifted Academy #3)
Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4)
Lost Horizon (Oz in Space #1)
Magic Void (Oz in Space #2)
Red’s Alphas (Wolves of Crimson Hollow #1)
Wolf’s Calling (Wolves of Crimson Hollow #2)
Pack’s Queen (Wolves of Crimson Hollow #3)
Mother of Wolves (Wolves of Crimson Hollow #4)
A Touch of Hades (Gods After Dark: Mortal Games #1)
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Michelle Hercules always knew creative arts were her calling but not in a million years did she think she would become an author. With a background in fashion design she thought she would follow that path. But one day, out of the blue, she had an idea for a book. One page turned into ten pages, ten pages turned into a hundred, and before she knew, her first novel, The Prophecy of Arcadia, was born.
Michelle Hercules resides in The Netherlands with her husband and daughter. She is currently working on the Crimson Hollow series and the Oz in Space series.
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