“Oh, I’m also sure she’s fine,” Laila said. “Stephenie has never had any problems with taking care of herself. The girl is too independent for her own good. But when she returns, her punishment will be severe.”
Both Lauren and Deidre had their heads bowed during this entire exchange. Like most—well, all—vampires of the Vale, they were scared of Laila.
Laila knew it, and I could tell by the way her lips turned up when she looked at both of them that she liked it.
“I got a look at two of the princesses on my way here.” Alexander smirked and gave me a friendly pat on the back. “Brother, you’re in for a treat.”
His wife, Deidre, glared at him but said nothing. Both of my brothers had chosen such submissive wives. If I’d had it my way and had ended up with Annika, her fire would have put them to shame.
There I went again, thinking about Annika. Could my thoughts of her never stop? My own mind was torturing itself, and every time I tried not to think of her, it only made me think of her more.
Perhaps meeting the princesses would help.
I doubted it, but I had to try.
“I’m impatient to meet them,” I said, meeting Alexander’s smirk with one of my own. If I was going to play this part, I was going to do it well. “So what are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned around and led the way to the throne room.
Jacen
I entered the throne room and looked around, stunned by my surroundings.
Despite having been in the Vale for slightly over a year, I never failed to be amazed by the opulence of the palace… and the throne room took opulence to an entirely new level. The ceilings were high with ornate gold finishing and multiple crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The floor was covered in a massive Turkish rug, and red curtains adorned the floor to ceiling windows that looked out to the town.
Laila sat on the tallest throne, and I took the smaller one by her side—the one intended for her future husband, if she ever chose to marry. She, of course, wore her crown. My siblings stood by our sides.
The room was filled with vampire nobles and soldiers gathered to watch the introductions of the princesses. There was even a camera on sight, filming the entire ordeal. The humans in the village didn’t have access to televisions, but to make the event extra special (and to boost morale), Laila had instructed public viewings of the important parts of my selection in the village squares.
Everyone was watching me today. No matter what, I had to appear cool and confident. I had to radiate the aura of a powerful vampire prince.
Two of my best soldiers—Daniel and Harry—stood in front of the closed double-door entrance, and they waited for my cue.
“Send them in,” I ordered, my voice filling the cavernous room.
The soldiers nodded and opened the doors.
“First, we present Princess Darra and Princess Tari of the Ward,” Daniel said, and the twins entered.
They were beautiful, with ebony skin, high cheekbones, and fierce gazes. They wore tight white dresses embroidered with yellow tribal patterns, thick beaded necklaces across their chests, and held their heads high to balance their ornate golden headpieces. They appeared young—I imagined they hadn’t been older than sixteen when they’d been turned. Given the Ward’s obsession with children, I shouldn’t have been surprised.
They both carried tall, thick tribal sticks, and seemed ready to knock out anyone who looked at them in the wrong way. Yet, despite their sophisticated outfits, they walked slowly, as if uncomfortable in such constrictive material. Which made sense, given what Laila had told me about the Ward—how they were all trained warriors. Despite being princesses, I had no doubt that these two women were also impressive fighters.
If they were behind me on my plan to rebel against the Vale, I had no doubts that we would win.
It would certainly be interesting to get to know each of them better and get a grasp on where their allegiances lie.
I nodded at them, as instructed, and glanced at the soldiers to let in the next two princesses. That was one of the rules I’d learned before going into this—show no emotion while being introduced to the princesses. Now was not a time to demonstrate favor one way or the other. For now, they all must have an equal chance at winning my hand—or at least, they must believe they have an equal chance.
The guard cleared his throat. “Princess Eve and Princess Margaret, of Utopia,” he said.
Two extremely different looking women entered the room—one with tanned skin, a petite frame, and upturned eyes who appeared to have been from the Pacific islands. The other was pale (even for a vampire), with white-blonde hair that fell in waves to her waist.
I knew from the order they were introduced that the islander was Eve, and the pale one was Margaret. They wore simple, patterned dresses—Eve in yellow, and Margaret in blue. Margaret stared at me as if she wanted to eat me alive, but it was Eve who had captured my gaze. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. And the way she watched me, her eyes innocent, yet aware… if she had invited me to her bedroom in that moment, saying no would have been damn near impossible.
However, we were in public, and I moved my gaze away from hers, not wanting to be obvious about the lust raging through my body at the sight of her. I also reminded myself that Laila had told me of Utopia—it was the kingdom that disliked men and killed all male vampires who set foot on their island. She’d warned me not to trust them. I had to take that into consideration. If Laila didn’t feel like they could be trusted in an alliance with the Vale, surely I also shouldn’t trust them to back the rebellion. I could do what I wanted with Eve while she was here—I certainly intended on inviting her to my quarters and, if she was willing, satisfying my craving for her—but I needed to be wary of choosing her as my future bride.
And so, I swallowed down my longing and looked to the guards to continue on to the next two princesses.
“Princess Daniela and Princess Isabella, of the Tower,” the guard announced.
Two women tall enough to be supermodels strutted into the throne room. They wore short, skin-tight dresses, leaving no curve of their bodies to the imagination. Daniela’s dress had horizontal slits all the way up to her waist, and Isabella’s dropped so low that I was surprised her navel wasn’t visible. They both had long, dark hair that had been curled for the occasion.
There was no denying that they were beautiful—I suspected that most men would have thought they were the most beautiful women in the room. But to me, neither of them compared to the innocent beauty of Eve.
I nearly glanced at Eve at the thought of her, but stopped myself at the last moment. I needed to remain impartial. Instead, I turned my gaze back to the guard and nodded for him to continue.
“Princess Karina and Princess Bianca, of the Carpathian Kingdom,” he announced.
I turned my gaze to watch the princesses enter, nearly startling at the sight of Karina. Because with her small frame, pale skin, and dark hair, she looked strikingly similar to Laila. Except for her eyes—Karina’s eyes were a pale blue. Dramatically different from Laila’s chocolate brown. But Karina’s gaze was just as confident as Laila’s, perhaps even more so.
She lowered herself into a curtsy, a small smile on her face, her eyes not leaving mine the entire time. There was something entrancing about her.
She seemed aware and intelligent—there was a depth in her expression that I hadn’t seen in any of the other princesses I’d been introduced to thus far.
She was certainly the opposite of her counterpart, Princess Bianca. Bianca was tall, with short blonde hair that reached her chin. With her high cheekbones and hollowed features, she looked like a high fashion model. But her eyes… they were empty. Devoid of emotion.
She had no reaction as she looked at me—she just stared. I’d heard it said that eyes were the windows to the soul. If Bianca’s eyes were a window to her soul, I couldn’t help but think that her soul wa
s empty.
I jerked my gaze away from hers and glanced straight ahead, above the heads of all the princesses. “I’m pleased to have met you all this morning,” I said, making sure to sound as dignified as possible—like a true prince, despite only just becoming a prince a year ago. “It’s my honor to have you as my guests during your time in the Vale. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you while you’re here.”
Some more than others, of course, although I didn’t say that part out loud.
“Yes.” Laila agreed with a nod, placing her hand gently on mine. “It’s both of our honors to have you as guests. As queen of the Vale, I offer my blessing while you’re here, and the best of luck in capturing Prince Jacen’s attention. He’s the strongest prince I’ve sired yet… and also the most stubborn.” With that, a few nervous chuckles passed through the room, and she smiled at me before looking back out at the crowd. “Which makes him one of the most eligible bachelors in the entire supernatural world—something I’m sure you know, or else you wouldn’t be here today. But anyhow, we have much to get ready for, with the parade this afternoon and the welcome ball tonight. Your assigned guards will escort you to your quarters, where you can get settled in and ready for the festivities.”
She waved her hand and stood, and I followed her lead.
“Wait!” someone called, running through the doors—a vampire I recognized because she worked in the palace library. “There’s someone else here. Someone who claims…”
“Who claims what?” Laila demanded. “Please continue—we don’t have all day.”
“I think it’s best for you to hear from her yourselves.”
The librarian stepped to the side, making way for a striking redheaded vampire to pass through the doors. She was medium height and slender, with petite features that I suspected made her look younger than the age of which she was turned. Here eyes went straight for mine, and she gasped when she saw me, but she got a hold of herself a second later.
Who was this girl? I was certain I’d never seen her before. But the way she was looking at me… it was like she knew me. Like she’d seen me before.
Perhaps she was a sports fan who recognized me from my pre-vampire days? That would make sense. Many in the human world knew about Jacen the upcoming Olympian swimmer.
But the way she tilted her head… there was something familiar about it. Something I couldn’t quite place.
“Who are you?” Laila’s eyes narrowed as she studied the girl. “Why are you barging into our ceremony unannounced?”
“My name is Princess Ana.” She held onto the sides of her dress and lowered herself into a curtsy, although her gaze was on mine as she spoke—not on Laila’s. “I’m from the Seventh Kingdom, and I’m here to compete for Prince Jacen’s hand in marriage.”
Annika
I looked up into Jacen’s eyes, every inch of my body shaking from terror. But I breathed deeply, reminding myself to remain calm.
I couldn’t risk having my cover blown this early. I’d consumed the first vial of vampire blood before sunset, and Geneva had worked hard to style me to appear like a perfect vampire princess. It would all be a waste if they caught onto my lie immediately and killed me on the spot.
And while I was terrified, I’d also already lost everything I’d ever loved. What more did I have to lose?
So I kept my gaze on Jacen’s, finding calmness and confidence in his familiar silver eyes. My gaze traveled down to his lips, and I couldn’t help recalling when he’d kissed me in that alley, and how completely happy I’d felt in that moment. It was the first time I’d been happy since being kidnapped to the Vale.
That happiness had been ripped away when he’d betrayed me. And suddenly, I no longer saw Jacen’s eyes as familiar. He was a liar, just like all of the other vampires in the Vale. He’d used me.
His eyes suddenly seemed as cold as the metal they resembled.
“You lie.” Laila held her head high, and everyone in the audience was silent as they watched us. “There is no Seventh Kingdom.”
I swallowed and touched the side of my hip, feeling the sapphire ring Geneva had instructed me to hide in a sewn pocket of my underwear. It had seemed ridiculous at first, but I’d quickly realized that it was the safest place for the ring—a place where no vampire, or any other creature, could stumble upon it.
Her ring was a reminder at the power I held by owning it, and feeling its presence helped me regain my confidence and concentration.
“There is a Seventh Kingdom,” I said, forcing myself to believe the lie as I spoke it. “I cannot tell you its location, as that is a secret known by only those of us who live there, but I assure you that the kingdom is real. When we got wind of the news that the Vale had invited princesses from each vampire kingdom to compete for Prince Jacen’s hand in marriage, we thought it only fair that we participate as well. So… here I am.” I gave a small, hopefully humble smile, making sure to remain focused on Laila and to avoid Jacen’s gaze.
“You take me for a fool,” Laila said, her eyes hard. “How old are you, child?”
“I’m newly turned,” I said, since pretending like I was from another generation would surely be too difficult of a lie to maintain. “I was turned by the leader of the Seventh Kingdom only two years ago.”
“Your sire is an original vampire?” Laila quirked an eyebrow—I wasn’t sure if she was doubtful or intrigued. I suspected both.
“Of course,” I answered. “How else would I be a vampire princess?”
“There are only six original vampires, including myself,” Laila stated. “I know them all. Tell me who sired you and I will call upon them to confirm so we can put this nonsense about a Seventh Kingdom to rest. That is, assuming you’re even a vampire princess as you claim to be. You haven’t yet demonstrated a mastery of compulsion. It’s safe to assume that you’re not actually a princess until you do so.”
I lifted my chin at the challenge and turned to one of the vampire guards at the entry. I recognized him—not just because he was one of Jacen’s main bodyguards, but because he was one of the vampires who had murdered my family.
I still recalled the way he’d stared at me after dropping my brother’s limp body to the ground… how he’d been about to pounce on me before one of the other guards had stopped him. He hadn’t listened out of the good of his own heart, but because they’d come out on their mission to collect new human blood slaves and I’d been the only one of my family who’d been left alive.
I hated him for killing my brother. I hated all vampires who gave into their bloodlust and murdered innocent humans. It was moments like these—when I was reminded of all the lives lost because of these monstrous creatures—that I questioned my desire to become one of them.
Then I remembered how they’d kidnapped me and trapped me in the Vale as a blood slave. If I hadn’t been brought to the Crystal Cavern by Camelia and found Geneva’s ring, I would have been a slave to the vampires for the rest of my life.
Despite my rage against them, it was better to be powerful than to be a victim. And I hoped that if I were ever turned into a real vampire, I would have the willpower to fight through the bloodlust and kill no one.
A life as a monster was better than a life as a slave. At least as a vampire, I would be free. I would be in control of my own destiny. I could make the choice not to kill. I would make that choice.
But right now, I had one mission—prove to Laila that I was who I claimed to be. To do that, I first needed to prove that I could use compulsion.
I wanted to compel Daniel to take the nearest stake and plunge it through his heart.
But compelling one of Jacen’s guards to take his own life surely wouldn’t be a way to earn favor with Laila and the rest of the Vale.
Still, I deserved a tiny bit of revenge…
“Remove all of your clothing and do a headstand in the middle of the throne room,” I commanded Daniel, throwing magic into my voice in the same way I had while practicing
with Geneva earlier. “Right now. And don’t move from that position until I tell you to.”
Daniel’s eyes widened in shock, and his cheeks turned red. “Please, no,” he begged, although his hands acted against his will. He tossed his jacket to the floor, pulled off his shirt, and moved toward his pants. “She can use compulsion!” he shouted, looking to Queen Laila for help. “I swear it!”
His pants dropped to the ground, and I couldn’t help but smile slightly as he kicked them off along with his shoes. This might not be the revenge I’d wanted, but it was better than nothing.
“You do not need to listen to Princess Ana,” Laila told Daniel, looking steadily at him. “I supersede her incredibly undignified commands. Please, dress yourself. Immediately.”
I pressed my lips together as Daniel re-dressed himself. I knew that an original vampire could override the compulsions of a prince or princess, but I’d hoped Laila would have allowed it to go a bit farther to truly prove that I’d been using compulsion.
Still, I wasn’t surprised. Of course she didn’t want Jacen’s bodyguard embarrassed in front of the entire court.
It didn’t matter. Once I took down the Vale, Daniel was going to be one of the vampires I took down with it. He would eventually have that stake in his heart—I would make sure of it.
“Does this mean that you’ll welcome me to take part in the selection?” I asked Laila, flashing her what I hoped was an innocent smile.
“I’m only halfway convinced that you are who you say you are,” Laila said calmly. “You’re clearly a vampire princess—there’s no other way you could have used compulsion. But the Seventh Kingdom is a myth. I’ll speak to the leaders of the other kingdoms and see which one of them claims you. You can stay in the Vale until then, as I don’t want to step on the peace between the kingdoms. But once I discover your true identity, you’ll be exiled from the Vale and sent back to your continent at once. Your sire will then have to deal with you as he or she sees fit.”
The Vampire Prince (The Vampire Wish Book 2) Page 7