by G. Bailey
I press closer to Wyatt as we walk, and he squeezes my hand once in support. I glance around the room, seeing all the vampires. They look like they’re waiting for a supermodel contest as not one of them is bad looking. It’s intimidating because they are all stick thin, pale, and mainly blonde. There are a few dark-haired people in the crowd but not many. I catch a glimpse of a little boy in the seats, his white hair standing out compared to the light-blondes in the room. He looks around Freddy’s age, and he smiles at me. I pull my gaze away as we get to the end of the path. The massive gold throne stands on its own at the front of the room, and it’s made of solid gold, by the looks of it. It’s big enough to put the queen of England’s throne to shame. There are four large, glazed-glass windows behind the throne; they have a red tint in them, making the room almost seem like it’s glowing red.
The king stands up, his thick, red crown shining in the light from the large windows. Though the king is difficult to look away from, I feel drawn to look at the crown. The top looks made out of smooth thorns, and has four large, red stones encased inside it. I can sense its power from where I am standing. It’s like my insides are telling me there’s something different about the crown.
"My son has returned and with a human mate," he says, looking happy, but it's clear it's an act. His fake eyes meet mine like he knows what I'm thinking as Wyatt stops before the three steps that separate us from where the king is standing. You wouldn't think he was evil. In fact, he almost looks like an average guy. One you would expect to pass on a street as he goes to his nine-to-five job at an office. Except he is the monster under the bed, instead.
"Father, this is Winter Masters," Wyatt says respectfully and slightly bows his head.
"Winter. Come here," the king holds out his hand. Wyatt’s grip tightens on my hand as I try to let go to move forward, and the king laughs.
"You are not letting me near your new mate. I don't blame you, son. I only wish to greet her." He laughs, and the crowd of vampires laughs with him.
"Fine," Wyatt says and lifts my hand to place a kiss on it before he steps back next to Alex and Drake. Leigha is standing at my side, and she bows before stepping back. I walk toward the king, and he offers me a hand. I place my hand in his, and a wave of sickness fills my body. I quickly pull my hand away, and the feeling goes away.
"Winter. You look so familiar to me," he says, and he moves closer as I take a step back.
"We haven't met," I reply, making him laugh.
"I'm sure we haven't," he replies, staring down at me. He is as tall as Wyatt which makes him far more intimidating as I look up to meet his eyes.
"Oops, wrong timing," Atti’s voice says behind me, and I turn to see him walking down the middle of the throne room. Atti looks every bit the prince he told me he is, wearing a black shirt and black trousers under a long black cloak that hits the floor. A small black crown sits on his head, and his hair has been cut shorter. It now hits his eyebrows and is a lot shorter at the sides. It suits him. I nearly trip when I see the white and black tigers that walk next to him. Atti is extremely tall, and these tigers are half his size. The white one has white and grey striped fur and a tail made of sharp looking spikes mixed in with soft fur. It has two massive teeth that make it seem like a Sabertooth tiger. The black one is a little smaller, with large eyes and bigger ears. A shiny coat covers its whole body, with large black spikes running from its neck to the end of its tail. They both have bright grey eyes, just like Atti’s grey eyes. Atti moves between Drake and Alex as they step aside. He stops next to Wyatt.
"My Queen has sent me, we have things to discuss." Atti bows slightly.
"You are welcome witch prince," the king replies with an amused look in my direction.
“Looking as hot as ever Winter. Seriously, the dirty things I’m thinking of doing to you in that dress,” Atti says in my mind, and I cough to hide my shocked laugh.
I move slightly away as the king moves closer to me and takes my hand again. The sickness is overwhelming, and I can just barely stand up, as he offers my hand to Atti, "May I introduce Winter Masters? My son’s new mate and our new princess."
Atti takes my hand and presses a little kiss on the back of it before he lets go. A look of disgust fills his face for a second as he looks at me. He hides the emotion so quickly that I can't be sure it was there.
"A human mate?" he asks Wyatt, who moves closer to me and pulls me to him.
"Careful, witch," Wyatt spits out. If I didn’t know better, I would be convinced these two hated each other. It’s a little upsetting to see, and weird to watch. I guess they must have had years of perfecting it.
"Boys, now, now. You are starting to sound like his dead father and me," the king points at Atti, and a feral-sounding growl comes from the white tiger as Atti stands straighter than before.
"Be careful. You are not my king, and you will not speak of my father like that," Atti warns. The king just nods, a calculating look on his face as he returns to his throne. I move to stand next to Wyatt, who holds my hand.
"Come here, human," he says, and I think he means me until I see a girl around seventeen running across the room from where she was standing by the wall. Her clothes look worn and stitched in many places. Her hair is pulled up in a tight bun, her skin is pale, but she is still gorgeous, though way too thin. The king pulls her roughly onto his lap the minute she gets near and bites her neck. She moans in pleasure, but her voice withers away as the king feeds from her. I watch in horror as he feeds, my hands crawling into Wyatt’s arm as he holds me to him. No one does anything as he kills the girl, and her body falls to the ground.
"Does your mate need a feed?" the king asks as he steps over the body. I stare at her empty eyes, feeling my anger rising beyond control.
“Winter, I know, Love, I know. Your eyes are changing, and I need you to be strong. The king is a bastard but strong with many secrets. We can’t just kill him; the vampires would avenge him, and they love him.”
Atti must have noticed how upset and angry I am, as he whispers in my head, and I turn to him to see him shaking his head a little, and I close my eyes.
"No. Winter developed a new power, and we will be using the training rooms to work on it," Wyatt replies.
“Ah, what power does our princess have?” the king asks.
“My mate can move things with her mind, a form of telekinesis. Much like my uncle had, if I remember.”
“Yes, a compelling gift indeed,” the king says, but I keep my eyes on the floor.
"You’d best teach our new princess how to fight and use her powers. I expect to see you at the council meetings,” he tells Wyatt.
"Yes, father."
I open my eyes, just to see the king smiling at me. An evil smile.
“Miss Leigha Sokolov, what a beautiful vampire you have turned into. My council will be finding mates for you soon,” he says, and Leigha steps to my side.
“As you wish, my king,” she bows her head and glances at me when she turns around. The panic on her face is enough to let me know she needs this deal as much as I’m going to.
“I always expected Wyatt to take you for a mate, perhaps when he is bored of this one,” the king waves a hand at me.
Wyatt doesn’t say anything but squeezes my hand so tightly I’m scared it’s going to snap off. Leigha’s eyes meet mine, and she looks down.
I quickly put my eyes to the ground as I feel a wave of dizziness.
Wyatt turns with me by his side and walks out the throne room with Alex and Drake following us. Leigha stays near my side, and I look back at the girl’s body on the floor in front of the big, gold throne. Such a waste of a short life, she is so pretty, and the king had no regard for her life. Like she didn’t matter, when she did. I don’t think I'll ever forget her empty, blue eyes.
“Look away, this can’t be changed, Love,” Atti whispers in my mind, and I turn away as Wyatt walks us out the door.
Twenty-Eight
Winter
We
walk straight back to our rooms and get changed into something more comfortable. Wyatt tells me he has to see the council, and that Drake, Alex, and Leigha will take me to training. Wyatt doesn’t bring up what happened in the throne room, and I know it’s because he can’t protect me from his kind and their ways.
I walk next to Alex, and yet, what I'm used to seeing doesn't happen. Every set of eyes we see is staring at me and not Alex or Leigha. I don't get it, they are far prettier than I am.
"Why are they all stopping and staring?" I ask when we walk through an archway into a massive, stone courtyard. The snow has been swept away, and despite the fact it should be freezing in my sweatpants and long-sleeved top, I’m not cold. There are boxes of weapons on one side and around twelve vampires fighting each other. Each one stops when they see me.
It's creepy.
"They’re curious about their new princess. Many have heard about you," Leigha tells me, and Drake nods next to her in agreement.
"Why are they still staring then? It's getting awkward in here," Alex says, and I hear a chuckle from one of the vampires in front of me.
"They want Winter to say hello," Leigha says to us like it should be obvious.
It isn't. "Hello!" I say and try to do a little wave as I step forward. Unfortunately, I'm way too clumsy to be princess and trip on a stone after two steps. I manage to stop myself from falling, but everyone saw.
Alex just bursts into laughter next to me. Leigha even laughs a little.
"Very princess-like, Win," Alex finally says, and every one of the guards bows towards me, with their one hand in a fist on their chest before straightening again. I want to stop them, but I know it’s likely rude.
"Leigha will be training me," I tell Alex and Drake who look at me like I've grown two heads.
"Are you sure? Leigha is–" Drake starts, but his sister interrupts.
"Is happy to help my princess," Leigha says, and Drake narrows his eyes at her. "So, princess, what can you do?" Leigha asks me with a dare in her eyes.
“Not sure, I managed to move things once when I got mad. I’m good with a crossbow and throwing daggers,” I tell her, and she nods.
“Hand to hand combat?”
“I’m alright, I had some training but more at a human level.”
“Come,” she waves a hand, and we walk through the men training, who quickly move out of Leigha's way. I’m glad it’s not just me she scares. She opens a small, wooden door, and I quickly follow her. Inside is a gym, like nothing I’ve seen before. It looks more like an army training camp. There’s a big structure in the middle, it’s made of wood and ropes. There are several large, metal barriers. I watch as someone blows a whistle, and two vampires run down the marked track towards one of the biggest ones. The metal is tall and smooth with nowhere to put your feet to climb. The monsters jump about three feet away, one looks like he’s flying as he jumps over, and the other just gets to the top but manages to pull himself over.
“This is where young vampires are trained. I did a summer here once. Vampires have the speed and strength to be able to do most things, but you need to learn how to use them. Your other powers, we will work on when you find out how to complete this whole course in five minutes. That’s the average time.”
“That tall, metal wall?” I ask.
“Yes, and you will.”
“You will see a Winter-sized shape in the wall.”
“Try not to hit it then,” she says with a smirk. I have a feeling she’ll enjoy seeing me run into that wall. The door opens as Drake and Alex walk in. Alex’s eyes widen as she looks around the army camp. Yes, I’m calling this the army camp room, or torture room. I haven’t decided yet.
“Alex will be doing the same training as you, but not all of it. I will deal with her combat training,” Drake says.
“You have to be joking?” Alex glares up at him.
“No, I am not joking,” he says plainly, and Alex groans.
“You best have a big bath waiting for me at the end of this.”
“I'll even join you,” he replies, and she leans up to kiss his cheek.
I glance back at Leigha who is watching the room. “Where do we start then?” I ask her, thankful for the new trainers I’m wearing.
“Follow me,” she says. Alex comes over and walks next to me as we follow Leigha up to what I’m guessing is the start of the course. The first part looks like a simple, wooden climbing frame, and thankfully, there are steps. I’ve never climbed anything like it in my life, so I don’t know how she expects me to do this part.
“Go,” Leigha waves a hand and checks the watch she’s wearing. Alex and I take off for a run, and I stop when I get to the wall. I manage to pull myself up the first few without too much trouble, but it’s hard. I glance at Alex who’s using her strength to propel herself off each one and to the next. I guess I could try that. I push down and try to jump up to the next holder as Alex did. Except I have no control, and I push down too hard. I fly up with a scream and land on top of the tower with a giant thud.
“Holy crap,” I mumble. I rub my sore shoulder where I landed and crawl to look down the wall at Alex’s shocked face. I wait for her and help her up the last part.
“How did you do that?” she shouts.
“Didn’t mean to,” I reply.
“Less chatting, that took you three minutes, slow coaches,” Leigha shouts from the bottom.
“I dislike the army brat,” Alex says as she pushes a stray red hair out her eyes.
“She’s your sister-in-law,” I reply.
“Still a brat,” Alex laughs, and we both stop when we look over the other side of the tower. There are five nets, I guess you have to jump from one to the other because the wood connecting them is too small to walk on. The distance between them is vast, and the wooden floor underneath is far away. Falling would hurt.
“After you,” I wave a hand, and Alex just looks at me with an “I’m not that stupid” look.
“Fine,” I say and walk to the far side of the tower. I run for it and jump, I fly through the air as everything slows down. I can see myself landing with my right foot on the net. The net bounces my foot back up, and I push harder with the next step on the net. Everything seems easy when it’s so slow, and the next thing I know, I’m at the last net which is attached to another tower. I climb, using the holes until I get to the top.
“Yes!” I say and wave over at Alex on the other side, her jaw is dropped open. I wait for Alex to make it over. She does, but I cringe when she nearly misses the third net. I help her up the last part, and she collapses on the floor.
“Kill me now, I mean it. Find a stake,” she breathes out.
“That was fun,” I say and smile down at her.
“There is something seriously wrong with you. Stop being such a bubbly pain in my ass,” she says as she dramatically sighs.
“Come on before army brat finds us,” I say and offer her a hand. The next part is to the left and looks like a puzzle of small wooden pieces. They look just big enough to walk on.
“There isn’t anything to hold on to,” Alex says.
“I guess balance is a vampire thing.”
“Fuck me,” Alex pants out. She doesn’t like heights. I put a hand on her shoulder before going first. The wooden strips are thick and just big enough to put one foot on. I figure I’m going to have to move quickly, one foot after another. I make the first few steps no problem until I look down. There’s a big pool under the bars that you can’t see until you’re walking across it. One minute I’m walking, and then I’m falling.
“Ahhh,” I scream as I hit the cold, murky water. It’s deep enough that I have to swim up to the top. When I get out, I hear another splash and turn to see Alex’s red hair just before she comes up.
“Ten minutes, and you fell. You two are going to be training for a long, fucking time,” Leigha says as she stands at the edge of the pool. Drake stands next to her with his hands on his hips, both of them looking scary as hell.
“They both seem to like the serious jackass look,” Alex says to me, and I laugh as I nod.
“Apparently you both like the drowned rat look,” Leigha replies and just stares at us. She doesn’t give a crap.
“Did you just call me a rat?” Alex asks.
“Yes, a drowned one,” she replies.
Alex looks at me, apparently agreeing we do look bad, and says, “Fair enough then, army brat.”
Twenty-Nine
Wyatt
“Please, I didn’t kill,” the middle-aged, half-turned woman pleads in front of the council and me. I can’t help her, and I doubt she killed the vampire she is accused of. She’s lucky she’s even in front of the council and wasn’t killed straight away. The only reason she isn’t dead already is that she’s beautiful and half-turned. The sun shines through the red glass and makes the woman seem like she’s glowing red. The whole morning has been filled with petty things like this, I wonder how my father can just sit here and do nothing like I am. The vampires have become selfish and care only about things that don’t matter instead of things that do, like a human’s life. The last vampire in here was accusing her next-door-neighbour of stealing a necklace made of diamonds. I'll have to get Atti to check out Jewel’s hiding places for it before the two vampires try to murder each other.