Turned
Their Vampire Princess
Harlow Thomas
Anastasia James
Copyright © 2017 by Harlow Thomas
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
19. Sneak Peek
20. Waking the Watcher
Also by Harlow Thomas
More sexy paranormal romance by Harlow Thomas
Also by Anastasia James
About Harlow Thomas
About Anastasia James
Chapter 1
Thomas
Soft scratching along stone steals my attention from the burn of the silver shackles on my wrists. I’m still here. In this tower, isolated, punished, starving. My heart aches for everything I’ve lost. For the woman I loved. But hunger eclipses everything else. I can’t love her. Not anymore. I only love the one thing that keeps me alive.
Blood.
The scraping begins again, jarring my already oversensitive nerves. Everything is louder, sharper, stronger. I can hear the slow pulse of my own heart. My heart—which is now a vampire’s. I am a vampire. Never in my life could I have planned for this.
“So, she turned you. Selfish little bitch just couldn’t let you go.” The woman’s voice floats through the small slit in the door. I know that voice. Diana.
“Unless you’ve brought me something to eat, go away.”
She laughs and the locks on the silver plated door click. When she steps into my cell she smiles and tugs three human women behind her. They’re chained, all wearing collars as though they’re dogs. “I did.”
My fangs burst through my gums, making me grunt as sharp pain rolls through my mouth.
“Hungry, Thomas?”
I am. God, I want them.
“It’s such a shame Felicity did this to you. She knew what she was doing. That she couldn’t keep you once you turned. I guess she really didn’t love you as much as she said.” She sits next to me, running her gloved hands over my arms and down to my shackles. With a quick twist, she breaks each cuff and I’m free. “Lucky for me, I don’t have a problem with taking a prince of my own kind.”
Taking her gloves off with a deliberate slowness, she rakes her gaze over me. All I want is to feed. I don’t care about anything else. Licking my lips, I flick my attention over to the three women. They’re dazed and glassy-eyed. As though they've been drugged or put into a trance.
“Go ahead. Feed,” she says. “I brought them for you. Take your fill and then we’ll be off. You and I have work to do, and I need you fully turned before I can make you mine.”
The monster inside me takes hold, telling me to take them, to sate my hunger and finish the turn. I can’t stop it, even if I want to.
She’s right. We have much to do.
Stretching my limbs as I rise, I make my choice.
Chapter 2
“We’re wasting time. Why are we still here?” I ask, staring at my mother. The woman sits at her desk, her calm demeanor never changing. Garrett stands close by my side as I work hard to control my emotions. “Mother, we have to go get Thomas. He needs to receive his ring. He has to be crowned.”
“He isn’t ready. It takes at least twenty-four hours for the change to be completed without him taking a life. I am not sending you to him until he’s been assessed and fed from our supply.”
The thought of him going through this change alone is like a knife through my chest. “He needs me. I should be with him.”
“No you shouldn’t. You will be queen in a matter of weeks. If he’s feral, as I suspect he is, you won’t be able to see him. He won’t receive his ring because there won’t be anything left of the Thomas you love.”
Tears sting my eyes. “Mother—“
“I know it hurts. I do. It doesn’t change my ruling. You will not risk yourself. For goodness sake, Felicity, you could already be with child. Are you willing to risk your future?”
My stomach rolls at the thought of already being pregnant. It is possible. She had told me I was conceived during her Choosing. My hand drifts to my lower belly. I’m not ready for that. I need years to settle in to my role as queen, and time to enjoy my life with my princes. A baby would change everything. We’ve only had a few weeks together.
“I’m not pregnant, Mother.”
Garrett sucks in a sharp breath but doesn’t say anything, but my nerves cause my stomach to flutter at his reaction.
Training my gaze on my mother’s bright blue irises, I cross my arms over my chest and take a fortifying breath. “As soon as he’s seen by the healer, bring me to him.”
“I assure you, it will be done. In the meantime, daughter, we have to hold the crowning ceremony for your prince. The court is restless and now that one of the four is gone, you can easily claim they have all been…dismissed by crowning Garrett.”
“Now isn’t the time.”
Her eyes go hard. “If you want to protect them you must do this. Obviously Diana knows about your love for them. Why else would she target Thomas? She’ll be after each until there are none left.”
My blood turns to ice. “Do you think she would dare?”
“She already has. I’m afraid she has more courtiers in her pocket than we know. I can send them all away if you make it obvious you’ve chosen. Once they know there’s nothing amiss, they will be appeased until your mating ceremony.”
“Fine. Tonight. Assemble the court and we will have our crowning.”
She nods and when she returns to her chair, I know we’ve been dismissed. Turning on my heels, I let Garrett take my hand and we walk out of her office.
“She’s right,” he says, his focus straight ahead rather than on me.
“About what?”
“Thomas. He might be gone already. What will you do if he doesn’t come back to us?”
My heart aches at the thought. We have to get him back. “I’ll bring him back. He’s mine, just as you and Miller and Sebastian are mine. The crown split for all of you.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help get him back. But I think you need to prepare yourself to let him go.”
Anger blooms in my chest. He has no faith in us. The five of us were destined—pre-ordained. Letting go of his hand, I pick up my pace until I’m a few steps ahead of him.
“Felicity—“ he begins.
“No. The prince should walk a step behind his princess.”
I don’t look back, but I know I’ve hurt him with my harsh tone and angry words. He stays silent all the way to the consort’s wing and when I enter, he follows but continues past me, straight into the kitchen without a glance my way. I’ve earned his silence.
“Uh-oh, trouble in paradise?” Sebastian asks, his teasing tone frustrating me.
“I need to feed,” I say, glancing from
him to Miller. They’re sitting on the large leather couch, each one holding playing cards. “Can you spare some time from your game?”
Miller sets his facedown on the table. “I’m always available for you.” He smiles and my heart warms a little. I know I’m being terse and demanding, but every time I look at them, all I see is Thomas dying on the stairs. That could be their possible futures. My mother is right. This won’t stop with Thomas. Diana will try to take each of them, in an attempt to hurt me and take the throne. And once Garrett is publicly crowned, she’ll set her sights on him. Unless I keep them at a distance.
“Thank you. Let’s take this somewhere more private.”
I offer my hand and Miller twines our fingers before pulling me close. “I know you’re hurting. I can see it in your eyes. Take what you need from me, but don’t forget we are still here. Thomas is gone, but we aren’t.”
My stomach turns. “I didn’t forget.”
We head to my chambers, the large four-poster bed in the center our goal. But I don’t want sex. I need his blood to replenish my stores in case I have to fight my cousin, or Thomas. The idea of him turning against me leaves me vaguely panicked.
“Are you all right?” Miller asks, running his finger over my cheek. “What’s going on?”
“I…I just need…I need you.”
He grins and tugs me to his chest. “You have me. Forever. Now take my blood.”
Laying him back on the bed, I straddle his hips. He’s already hard and I know he’d like nothing more than for me to free his length and sink down on top of him while I feed. But if I’m going to keep them safe, I can’t be with them the way we used to. It breaks my heart, but the more I love them, the more danger they’re in.
I can love him without fucking him. Leaning over his body, I kiss him long and deep, as his hands roam my hips and waist and eventually, up to cup my breasts. I pull back, my breathing fast from the need coursing through me.
“I love you,” I say, staring into his eyes and seeing my own feelings reflected in their depths.
He turns his head, offering me his throat and I take. My fangs descend and I pierce his skin, the rush of his blood like lightning through my veins. His moan spurs me on, making me writhe over his hips as I savor him. I may not want to allow myself an orgasm, but I can still give him pleasure.
A strange feeling of weightlessness takes hold as I feed. It’s an unsettling sensation that sets me on edge. My vision fogs and then clears, almost as though I’m in a dream, I see Thomas in a dank cell, his chains gone and blood covering him from head to toe. Bodies lie around him. Humans. He closes his eyes and shudders before tilting his head and letting out a tortured scream. Then he stands, his eyes glowing with hunger and Diana, my vile cousin, takes his hand, pulling him to her for a kiss. I expect him to push her away, but he doesn’t. The kiss lingers until they finally separate and she leads him out of the tower.
Pulling away, I blink back tears as the world comes back to normal. Miller is pale and his eyes hold panic.
“What was that?” I ask, climbing off of him.
He sits up slowly, holding one hand to his neck. “A vision. I’m sorry. I felt it coming but you’d already bitten me. I couldn’t stop it.”
“Thomas… she took him. He’s with Diana.”
He shakes his head. “I’m so sorry.”
Chapter 3
It is time for the crowning but I can’t get the vision I shared with Miller out of my head. I stand at my mirror staring at myself in my long red gown, my tiara perched on top of my head, and all I see is a vile, selfish woman who ruined Thomas’ life.
Garrett’s reflection appears behind mine, the sight of him dressed in a three piece suit with a matching blood-red tie and pocket square making my heart skip a beat. “It’s time, my love. The court is waiting.”
He offers me his arm and I take it, my hand trembling slightly at the enormity of this moment. I don’t speak as we walk down the hallway, our shoes making the only sound in the corridor. But I can hear the thrum of his pulse. He’s nervous as well.
My mother greets us at the top of the stairs, a smile on her lips but heavy sadness in her eyes. She holds the crown between her hands and nods as she leads us down to the first landing. The court rises and watches. Over one hundred courtiers stare, more than I’ve ever seen amassed in our home. Each of them has either curiosity or animosity in their eyes.
“We are here to witness the crowning of the new prince of the Night Court. Garrett Dominic Huntington, of the village of Westingridge, do you accept this crown and all the duties that come with being the chosen one of our princess?”
Garrett clears his throat and says, “I do.”
“Kneel before your queen and princess. By accepting this honor, you bind yourself to the princess Felicity for all eternity. You agree to provide her with protection and honor above all else—save the current queen until the princess’ ascent to the throne.”
“I do.”
My mother places the crown on his head, and he rises and takes my hands. There’s so much love shining in his eyes but all I can see is Thomas lying on this very staircase. The crowd applauds and we turn away, walking hand in hand like a happily married couple. But before we leave I glance back and lock eyes with Diana. She’s smirking and shaking her head as she offers a slow clap as an insult to me. Then she holds up one finger and mouths, only one?
As soon as we’re away from the eyes of the court I take back my hands and stride ahead of Garrett. He doesn’t let me get away with it this time though. “Stop, Felicity. This is ridiculous.”
“No it isn’t,” I hiss. “Thomas is suffering and we’re here playing the happy couple.”
Hurt crosses his features. “We can still be in love. It’s not an insult to Thomas for us to allow ourselves that.”
“He’s probably being tortured right now. How can you say that?” Tears fill my eyes as the sobs I’ve been holding in for hours since my vision finally escape. “I saw him. He’s gone.”
Garrett unlocks the door and ushers me inside. “What are you talking about? When did you go to him?” Anger is clear in his tone.
“Miller…” I start, but I can’t finish.
“Thomas is gone. He’s a monster.” Garrett says, his arm around me as he guides me to the dining room table.
It’s then I shut down. I can’t hear any more from him. Closing myself off, I stare at the table and hear nothing else.
I won’t believe it. Thomas is not a crazed monster. He’d never go with Diana. But every time I close my eyes I see it. He killed those humans. He bathed in their blood, and he was wild and with her.
I sit at the table, my hands wrapped around a steaming hot mug of tea. As if that will make me feel any better.
“Tell me what happened,” Sebastian says again. He’s brought me tea, sat across from me, taken my hand and pleaded, but I can’t bring myself to admit what I saw.
“She’s in shock.” Garrett’s voice is hard and cold. He’s still angry with me.
“Where the fuck is Miller? What did he do to her?”
Miller comes into the kitchen, a bandage on his neck from where I fed. I should have healed him with a few drops of my blood, but I’d been too shattered from the vision, and too selfish to face him again before the crowning.
“I had a vision while she was feeding. It…transferred to her.”
Sebastian frowns and takes my hands from around the mug. He laces our fingers together and I stare down at his ring. “What does that mean?” he asks.
Before I can answer, Miller speaks up. “We saw Thomas. He’s—“
“No!” I shout, tearing my hands from Sebastian’s grip and standing so quickly my chair crashes to the floor. “No. He’s fine. He’ll be fine. Stop it.”
Tears burn my eyes. I don't want to cry. Not right now. I can’t be weak when Thomas needs me to be strong.
“Felicity,” Garrett says, crossing the room and putting his hands on my shoulders.
&n
bsp; I wrench myself away. None of them have faith in Thomas. I do. I know he will return to me. He has to.
“Let me be. You’ve gotten what you want from me. You’re all princes now. Your villages are safe. Leave me.”
“Never.” Garrett’s tone is fierce. “That will never happen.”
Sebastian stands and walks around the table until he’s at my side. “Same goes for me, princess. As far as I’m concerned, you’re stuck with me.”
I flick my gaze at Miller who stands with his arms crossed. “If you think I’m letting you out of my life now, you’re crazy. You’re mine as much as I’m yours.”
I want to give in and let them banish all the hurt, the guilt, the desperation. I want it so bad my body aches to feel them hold me. But I have to get to Thomas first. He’d come for me.
“If you won’t leave me be, I will leave you.”
I brush past Sebastian, easily shrugging out of his grasp as he tries to stop me. They forget how strong I am because I don’t use my full power around them. I want them to be comfortable with me, feel like we’re on a level playing field. But the truth of the matter is, I have the strength of ten human men.
“Who will feed you?” Garrett calls. “You can’t honestly want to take anyone else’s vein.”
My chest hurts at the disbelief in his voice. “I will do as I wish, prince.” I’m through the door and engaging the locks before they can hear my choked sob.
Instead of heading to my chambers on the other side of this massive estate, I rush down the stairs, past the servants who gawk at me, and out the door. I’ve only been to the tower once before, when I was a child and my mother was teaching me about ways we punish our subjects. It had been terrifying. Now, blurring down the narrow road, anxiety builds in my stomach. The familiar turret comes into view as I climb the hillside. Is he still there? Or was the vision true?
Turned: Their Vampire Princess (A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance): Book 3 Page 1