Mark of Blood

by Jody Morse

  Marriage and children

  While one is not required to be married prior to becoming ruler of the Stark Coven, it’s important to note that it is necessary for any ruler to take a spouse within one year of their reign. This is because it has long been believed that the most suitable ruler of the Stark Coven is one who has a strong spousal support system.

  In addition, any ruler of the Stark Coven is highly encouraged to carry on the family bloodline by having children. Although it is possible for a female vampire to conceive with the help of magic, it is a well-known fact that these pregnancies tend to be more complicated. Female vampires who fall pregnant will require much more blood in order to survive. They tend to become weaker, making both them and the child less likely to survive the pregnancy.

  For this reason, the Stark Coven encourages male Stark leaders to explore all of their options when it comes time for them to wed. Human women are generally considered the most suitable spouses for male Stark rulers.

  In the event that any Stark ruler chooses to take a human spouse, he or she must be turned into a vampire once they have finished having children. If the human decides they do not wish to become a vampire, they must be publicly killed.

  In the event of death: If the current ruler dies before their child has reached the required age to become ruler, the child’s remaining parent will hold the throne until the child is 18.

  I allowed myself to absorb everything I had just read. The Stark Coven actually encouraged their rulers to take human spouses? It was so different from the Allegro Coven, which absolutely forbade us from marrying humans.

  Of course, I supposed that explained a lot about our covens. While there were four Stark princes, there had only been me and my brother. My mother had been a vampire, and she had died when she’d given birth to me.

  A realization hit me then. Did Sebastian even know the Stark Coven encouraged him to marry a human?

  I had a feeling he didn’t know. If he knew, I was pretty sure he already would have married Julia.

  I had to make sure he wouldn’t find out. I couldn’t risk the possibility that he would choose to marry her instead of me. I couldn’t let Julia become the next Stark Queen.

  Carefully, I tore the page out of the book. I shredded it into tiny pieces and then rose to my feet.

  Entering the bathroom, I allowed the shreds of paper to fall into the toilet, one by one.

  As I flushed the toilet, I made a decision. I wouldn’t even tell Sebastian about Caroline and her treason—not yet, at least. First, I would tell him the doctrine said that Royals who were married were given preference for the throne.

  If I knew Sebastian Stark as well as I thought I did, chances were that he wouldn’t even ask to see any proof. He was so gullible that he would just go along with it without even considering the possibility I could have been lying to him.

  He would have believed he had no choice but to marry me, not if he wanted to maintain his place as ruler over his precious little coven.

  Of course, we would run into problems later on. We would have to actually prove that Caroline wasn’t fit to be Queen, hold an election and make sure Sebastian actually won or, in the worst-case scenario, go to war.

  But I wasn’t concerned about any of that right now. We would worry about crossing that bridge when it was in front of us.

  Right now, I had my eyes on the prize. And the prize wasn’t marrying Sebastian Stark, the man who I had once been so deeply in love with.

  The prize was destroying every ounce of his being. The prize was taking his coven away from him. The prize was ruling the Stark coven with Kade, the guy who I really loved, and destroying what was left of the Allegro Coven’s legacy.

  The prize was becoming Queen Alessandra Allegro Stark.

  Chapter 21

  Lila

  I MUST HAVE FALLEN asleep on the beach blanket, because I was startled awake by the sound of waves breaking. When I opened my eyes, I saw the shiny blue fin before his longish blonde hair and sun-kissed skin came into view.

  Ty.

  As excited as I was to see someone—anyone—here, I couldn’t help but feel confused, too. For some reason, when Sebastian had said that I wouldn’t come across any vampires at the Shore of Tranquility, I had just assumed that also applied to mermaids.

  “Hey, love!” Ty called out to me. Even from where I was sitting, I could see the huge grin that had crossed his face.

  I frowned. I had a hard time trusting him, which sounded completely crazy. He had saved my life from Kara and Rosie when they’d planned to devour me. But there were so many things that didn’t add up, things that I couldn’t just ignore.

  Ty was the one who had sent me, blindly, into the deadly, vampire-infested forest. He was the one who had told me to come to the Stark palace. He had to have known what was waiting for me here... didn’t he?

  Rising to my feet, I crossed the stretch of sand that separated us. “How did you know to find me here?”

  “I didn’t know you were here. I could smell a human on the beach from a mile away, but I had to no idea it would be you until I got here,” he explained. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m hiding from the vampire princess who wants to kill me,” I replied, not even trying to hide the bitterness from my voice.

  “Let me guess. Princess Alessandra?” Ty asked with an eye roll.

  “So, you do know about the vampires, then,” I realized out loud.

  “Of course. Everyone in Deadwood knows about the vampires.”

  “If you knew about them, then why did you send me straight for them?” I shot an accusing glance in his direction.

  He sighed. “It’s a really long story.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “I’ve got all day.”

  “Okay. So, I knew from the first moment I met you who you were,” Ty began.

  “How?” I questioned.

  “I’ve never met someone named Lila before. The fact that you were just lying there in the middle of the ocean, and a Seeker didn’t bring you here... Well, I just knew.” He shrugged. “I know how important you are to this world. I had to keep you protected, but I didn’t have the means to protect you myself. See, I knew that if Rosie and Kara put two and two together about who you were, they wouldn’t have been so easy for me to fight off. I know it may sound completely crazy, but I thought the safest place for you would be with the Stark Coven.”

  “So you sent me through the woods where you had to have known I had a good chance of getting killed,” I said. “That makes perfect sense to me.”

  “Actually, I made sure that you would be okay in the woods. Mermaids are like witches, in some ways. We, too, have magic,” Ty explained. “As I was helping you get to shore, I did a spell that would hide your scent to keep you protected just long enough for you to get through those woods.”

  So, that was why I had actually made it through the woods without any vampires trying to attack me the first time around. It was all beginning to make sense now.

  “Why did you think the Stark Coven would be the safest place for me?” I questioned. “Didn’t you think I would end up getting killed, considering my blood can help someone become the world’s most powerful vampire?”

  “No. I didn’t think that for even a second,” Ty replied, shaking his head. “I do believe that’s what would have happened if you had gone to any other vampire coven, but I knew you would be safe with Sebastian Stark. I know he comes off as a jerk sometimes, but he’s really a softie... especially when it comes to pretty girls, like you.” He smiled up at me, his light eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

  I blushed. I seemed to do a lot of that around Ty.

  “Why did you care to keep me safe?” I asked. “I mean, I understand everything about the prophecy, but... what does any of that have to do with you?”

  Ty stared up at me from his place in the water. “You might want to pull up your blanket, love. This is going to be a longer story than I originally planned for it to be
.”

  Chapter 22

  Sean

  “DUDE, ARE YOU HUNGRY?” Eric, the only one of Alessandra’s slaves who had been awake when I’d arrived, asked as we sat at the kitchen table.

  I shook my head. “No, but I could use a drink.”

  With a nod, he rose to his feet. “We have milk, orange juice, water, and coffee.”

  “No beer?” I joked.

  Eric shot a confused look over his shoulder at me. “Princess Alessandra has us on very strict diets. Beer and other alcoholic beverages affects our ability to produce blood that’s adequate enough for her. You wouldn’t want to consume anything that won’t benefit our mistress.”

  Shit. I knew I hadn’t known this Eric guy back before he’d been held captive, but it sounded like someone had him brainwashed. Was that how I was going to be if I stayed here for too much longer?

  Lila hadn’t been here that long, and she was already acting like that.

  It was just another reminder of why I needed to figure out a plan to get her—and hopefully myself, too—the hell out of here.

  “I’ll have some OJ,” I told Eric.

  He nodded and grabbed the carton from the fridge. He poured some into a tall glass and carried it back over to me.

  As I took a sip, I glanced over at him. “So, what’s it like, anyway?”

  The blank look on his face told me he had no idea what I was talking about.

  “For a vampire to drink from you, I mean,” I explained.

  “Oh. That.” He ruffled his dark brown hair, a serious look on his face. Pausing for a few moments, he looked as though he were trying to figure out a way to put it into words. “It reminds me of getting a massage, but better. There’s nothing quite like it.”

  “Really? It’s not painful at all?” I asked with raised eyebrows. It wasn’t that I was afraid of a vampire drinking from me. I just wanted to know what to expect.

  “It depends on whether Princess Alessandra is in a good mood or a bad mood,” a voice said from behind me.

  I glanced over my shoulder to find a guy with caramel skin leaning against the doorway. The look in his light gray eyes as they locked on mine was anything but friendly. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Sean,” I replied.

  “You a new arrival, Sean?” the guy asked.

  I nodded.

  He took a few steps closer to me. “There are a few things you should know about living around here. For starters, all of the chores of the house are given to the newbie. So, that means... you.” He smirked. “You’ll be responsible for cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry—the works. You’ll be responsible for all of those things until the princess decides to get a new slave. And don’t go complaining to Princess Alessandra that this isn’t fair. I’m her favorite slave, which means I get to call the shots around here. You understand?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I replied with a shrug.

  “Good. My name’s Vernelle, by the way.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I lied. The reality was that I could tell right away that this guy was an asshole.

  “So, tell us your story,” he said. “How did one of the Seekers find you?”

  “Seekers?” I asked.

  “You know. The things that bring us here,” he explained. “Let me guess. You were at a club and some hot chick wanted to dance with you. She slipped something into your drink and you woke up here.”

  “Vernelle, isn’t that how you got here?” Eric asked.

  “Indeed it was, my friend,” Vernelle agreed with a nod. “But right now, my story isn’t relevant. I want to hear Sean’s story.” He turned his attention back to me.

  I hesitated for a few moments. Even though I hadn’t wanted Princess Alessandra to find out the truth, I had to tell someone the truth about how I’d gotten here. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep this bottled up for.

  And maybe I could use their help. Maybe we could all figure out, together, how to get out of this place. It was worth a shot, anyway.

  “Can you guys keep a secret from Princess Alessandra?” I asked.

  “Sure. I love secrets,” Eric agreed.

  Vernelle shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  “No one brought me here. I wasn’t kidnapped or anything like that. I came here willingly.”

  “Wow,” Eric whispered.

  Vernelle studied my face. “Why? What would make you do a stupid thing like that?”

  “Someone I know was brought here. I came here to rescue her. I came here to bring her back home,” I explained.

  “Wow. What a fool you are,” Vernelle murmured.

  “I don’t think it’s foolish to try to save the girl you love.”

  “I should have figured you did this for a girl.” He shook his head. “How do you know if she’s even still alive?”

  “She is alive. I was locked inside the dungeon with her.” She may have disappeared, but I was still convinced she was alive.

  “If she was in the dungeon, that means she must have pissed someone off. She might not be alive for very much longer,” Vernelle replied.

  “Prince Sebastian is the one who’s keeping her hostage. He said putting her in the dungeon was just for her protection. He seems to be very...fond... of her. I don’t think he’s planning to kill her anytime soon,” I replied. As much as I hated how close the two of them had gotten, I supposed it could have been worse. He could have killed her already.

  “If Prince Sebastian is her owner, that means we probably know her,” Eric said. “Her name isn’t Natalie, is it?”

  “No, her name is L—” I caught myself mid-sentence, remembering that no one in this world knew Lila’s true identity. “Julia. Her name is Julia.”

  “Oh, really?” Vernelle asked, his eyes meeting me. “You don’t say.”

  “Yeah, why? Do you know her?” I asked.

  “I’ve only met her twice, but my lips know hers quite well. She kissed me,” he replied with a sly grin.

  “No, she didn’t,” I replied through clenched teeth. Vernelle was trying to piss me off, but I wasn’t sure why. But there was no way Lila would’ve kissed him... was there?

  Then again, I couldn’t ignore the fact that Prince Sebastian had kissed her in the dungeon, right in front of me. Lila hadn’t even flinched or seemed surprised, which made me think it hadn’t been the first time the two of them had kissed.

  But it was different, wasn’t it? Prince Sebastian was a vampire who could kill her at any moment. Vernelle was only human.

  “Ah, I can see that you don’t like hearing about that, now do you?” Vernelle asked, amusement flickering in his eyes.

  “I don’t believe you,” I said firmly.

  “Well, that pretty little thing did kiss me. I dare you to ask her. If she denies it, she’s lying to you, just to spare your feelings.” He shook his head. “I pity you in a way. If she tells you the truth, it’s going to crush you. If she tells you it didn’t happen, that means she’s lying and you’ll have to live with the fact that your girlfriend is a liar. Either way, it sucks to be you.”

  I didn’t say anything for a few moments, allowing his words to sink in. What if he was telling the truth? What if I had come all this way to save Lila when the whole time she’d been kissing another guy?

  “But there’s nothing for you to worry about, Sean. Princess Alessandra has already forbidden me from kissing Julia ever again.”

  “You’re damn right it won’t happen again. If you ever lay hands on my girl again, I’ll kill you,” I growled at him.

  “You’re a comedian, aren’t you?” Vernelle laughed. “We both know who would win that fight. I’m not saying you’re weak, but... I have Princess Alessandra on my side. I’d love to see what happens to you if you kill her favorite slave.” He took a few steps closer to me. “It’d be the biggest mistake of your life. Well, second biggest, really. Your first mistake was coming here to save Julia.”

  “It wasn’t a mistake.” If I had to do it all
over again, I would have come back to Deadwood in a heartbeat, without even a second thought.

  “You say that because you’re blinded by love. Soon you will come to realize that, now, not only will Julia die here, but you will, too,” Vernelle said firmly.

  “You don’t know that for a fact,” I insisted.

  “Oh, but I do. There’s no way Princess Alessandra is ever going to let you go back home.”

  “I figured I could try to escape,” I explained. “If I could just figure a way to sneak out of here, I could help my girlfriend get back to the human world.”

  “Others have tried, but it’s no use. Princess Alessandra will find you,” Vernelle insisted.

  “It’s true,” Eric agreed. “I was playing with a volleyball once in the courtyard. The ball bounced into Princess Alessandra’s personal garden, which we’re forbidden to go in. Within seconds, the princess was there, hovering over me, threatening to kill me if I didn’t get out of her garden.”

  “There has to be some way we can all get out of here,” I insisted.

  “You’d need to figure out how to break the bonds she has on all of the slaves she’s already drank from,” Vernelle replied. “It wouldn’t be easy.”

  “I’m sure it can be done,” I murmured, just as a thought entered my mind. It was a thought I knew I couldn’t share with the others. I didn’t want to risk even the possibility that they might repeat it back to the princess.

  If I wanted to save Lila, if I wanted any chance of getting out of here myself, I knew what I had to do.

  I had to kill Princess Alessandra.

  Chapter 23

  Kade

  THE RAIN CAME AT A perfect time.

  With the sun hidden behind rain clouds, I walked across the stretch of sand that led to the beach when I saw Aunt Caroline’s boat, which was anchored to shore.

  I wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing, to be honest. And yet, I still found myself climbing aboard her ship.

  As I stepped onto the deck, a few men glanced up at me.

  One of the men narrowed his eyes at me. “I’ve never seen you around here before. What’s the secret password?”