“Forget them. Do what you want. Or live in regret the rest of your life.”
She looked up at her. “Really? You think I should?”
Cate nodded, feeling sage-like at the moment. “Absolutely. You’re old enough to know your own heart. Don’t let anyone try to control you. You shouldn’t have to ask for permission.”
The woman’s eyes began to clear. She wasn’t even blotchy from the crying. A grin tugged at her perfectly formed mouth. “You really think so?”
“Absolutely.” Cate hopped off the counter. “My parents weren’t allowed to marry. They ran off when they were seventeen and got hitched on a boat to America. They spent the next thirty-five years in absolute bliss together. If I had true love, I wouldn’t let it go. Not for the world.”
The woman nodded her head solemnly and stared at the mirror. Cate glanced at her own blurry reflection, momentarily confused. She could’ve sworn this lady had no reflection of her own. As if the mirror wasn’t even there. Her gaze darted back and forth several times before she determined that she’d definitely had too much to drink on that flight. She was seeing things. No more vodka.
Ever.
After what felt like ages, the woman turned and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Thank you, my friend. Your words have put my heart back together. I know what I should do.” Looking down at her hand, she tugged off the filigree ring and placed it into Cate’s palm. “For you. It will keep you hidden and safe from danger. Take it, with my undying gratitude.”
Cate blinked at her. She hadn’t expected this. Strangers didn’t just hand out jewelry to random people in the airport bathroom. It was so weird. But then again, this was a foreign country. Maybe that was the custom here. And she certainly didn’t want to offend her first friend in this land. So, she slipped the ring on her right index finger. It fit perfectly.
“Beautiful,” the woman said with a smile. “May we meet again.”
Before she could protest, the woman slipped out of the bathroom. Grabbing her luggage, Cate lunged after her and into the busy airport. But anywhere she looked produced zero results. The stunning woman had vanished, along with any chance for Cate to properly thank her.
Clutching the handle of her suitcase, she rolled it along until she reached the exit. The plan was to find a taxi and make her way to the castle, pronto. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Miranda’s face. It was going to be priceless.
Just as she was about to hail a cab, two gigantic men in black suits approached her from either side. They each had an earpiece and thick black sunglasses. Cate peered up at them, suddenly worried for her safety. She’d heard about Americans kidnapped in foreign countries and then ransomed back to their family. But she didn’t have anyone left to pay something like that. No family, no money.
“We’ve been expecting you,” the big one on the right said in a burly voice. There was something strange about his face. As if his skin were tinted green. Cate tried not to stare. He grabbed her luggage handle and began wheeling it away. “Follow me.”
Cate dug her heels into the ground and stared up at his partner. He resembled more the giants of myth than a human man. She wasn’t going to be that easy to kidnap. “Just who do you think you are?”
“Palace guards,” the second answered with a shrug. “We were sent to bring you to the castle. Your room is being prepared.”
Her mouth opened into a small O shape. Miranda must’ve already received her message. Dang, she was good. But then again that’s why they’d hired her all the way from Nebraska. And thanks to her, she was going to get the royal treatment.
“Lead the way,” Cate said with a pleased smile. “I can’t wait to see the castle.”
Great things were coming her way. She could just feel it.
Chapter Three
VIKTOR WAS SIPPING on a blood bag he’d snatched from the supply bank and elbow deep in paperwork when his grandmother strolled into the office. He didn’t notice her cross the room and peck the cheek of her husband, King Borwin. They shared a massive office lined in antique wooden paneling and walls of stuffed bookshelves. King Borwin’s desk had files and paper strewn everywhere, while Viktor’s side was immaculately neat, down to the placement of his spare pen. They’d worked this way for centuries.
“How are you, my dear?” Queen Anna asked her husband. She set a pot of piping hot tea on the desk before him. “Have you taken any breaks?”
“Yes, yes.” He waved her off like a fly. “We broke for lunch not long ago.”
She placed her hands on her hips with a dismayed look on her face. “That was five hours ago.”
King Borwin grunted a reply and shuffled his papers. He had salt and pepper shaggy hair and a thick beard to match. Dark eyes sat below a prominent forehead and bushy eyebrows. Although hunched in his office chair, he still had the lithe body of an athletic man. He wore his customary outfit of gray pants and a white button up shirt. In all of Viktor’s memory, he could hardly recall his grandfather wearing anything else. It was nice to know some things would never change. Just like the smoky cigar scent in the office air that never seemed to go away.
“You really must learn to rest.” Queen Anna turned to Viktor for help. “Your grandfather needs to pace himself, Viky. Please see that he does so.”
Viktor wore a dark expression as he looked up from his reading. All these figures and statistics had already given him a headache. He didn’t need a scolding from his grandmother to add to the pain. With a curt nod, he returned his attention to the leaflet.
“And anyway, it’s time,” she continued with a small clap of her hands. “Let’s go, gentlemen.”
He didn’t look up. “Go where?”
“To the greeting ceremony, of course.”
“Ceremony?” A frown tugged at his lips.
“For the lovely vampiresses, all carefully vetted and selected, I assure you.” She waved her fingers. “Now up, the two of you. I want the whole family present. You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
Viktor groaned when he realized what she was talking about. Of course. Today was the day his suitors were supposed to arrive. Three mysterious women, all with questionable motives. He’d avoided thinking about it until now, although that was almost impossible with Stasia’s network broadcasting teasers about the event every single commercial break during the news hour. Curse the modern advent of digital film. He missed the good old days, when vampires didn’t show up in photographs. Now, they didn’t have the luxury of near invisibility.
He’d started avoiding television and the radio and simply stuck to reading the newspaper. At least there, he could cut out the offending pieces. And his love life was certainly not something he wanted to read about in black and white print.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he told his grandmother. If he quit reading the leaflet now, he’d have to start all over again. And that was just another headache waiting to happen. It wasn’t until he felt her cold, judging stare that he looked up from the papers again. “Did you need something else?”
“Surely, you’re not going to wear that?” She looked him over slowly.
It wasn’t like he’d fallen out of bed and walked straight to the office this morning. He was wearing reasonably nice pants and a light blue button up shirt that had become slightly wrinkled over the day. Still, there was no arguing with the Vampire Queen of Monstrana. Sighing, he pushed himself out of the chair.
“I’ll go change. See you there in ten minutes.”
The halls were empty on the way to the royal chambers. Viktor kept his head down and replayed the recent figures over in his head. His country’s economics were sound, but he’d made some inquiries lately on how to capitalize on some of their other resources. Tourism, for instance. It was tricky territory, especially for a secret supernatural haven, but not one to be ignored. They’d just recently allowed humans onto the island. But they were kept strictly to one side of the island, where they were none the wiser.
Coming aro
und the corner, he collided with someone small and light, bouncing her right off his chest and flat on her back. He looked down at the offender, his lips twisted in a stern frown. “What are you doing here? No one’s allowed in this part of the castle.”
She helped herself up without glancing at him and brushed off her curvy bottom. “If no one’s allowed in this part of the castle, why are you here?”
He huffed at her impertinence and strange accent. An American. It figured. “These are the royal chambers. Maid staff is only allowed in during morning hours.”
“Funny how you just automatically assume a woman is a maid.”
She looked up at him for the first time and he felt his breath catch in his lungs. She had large doe eyes, the color of blue cornflowers in the spring, set in a heart-shaped face framed by long wavy chocolate brown hair. Petite enough to barely reached the height of his chin, she had ample curves in all the right places. Her face was angelic, although the annoyed expression on it warned him appearances could be deceiving. She wore a casual outfit of khaki pants and a pink blouse with the customary magical ring of a vampire on her right index finger. As he breathed in, he caught a slight whiff of vodka.
“I’m not assuming anything.” He felt his cheeks grow warm. It had been a long time since anyone had made him all flustered. He didn’t like the disarming feeling. “But you’re not allowed back here.”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms and popped a hip. Her pink lips formed a maddeningly sexy pout that made him feel woozy all of a sudden. “Can you at least tell me where I can find Miranda Nelssen? I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding here. I need to speak with her.”
“You’ll find the staff quarters down one floor.” He moved to walk past her. This meeting was uncomfortable. Why had this maid made him feel like he was fifteen-years-old again? That had been a very long time ago.
“Thanks,” she shouted behind him, making him wince at her rudeness.
Someone needed to have a talk with her superior.
❖
Cate tried to follow the rude man’s directions, but found herself back at the suite the guards had dropped her off at in the first place. She huffed and did a tight circle, trying to decide what to do. That man had been absolutely no help.
First of all, he’d nearly knocked her out with the rock-like quality of his abs. No one had a right to be that chiseled and sexy. Or pale. People in this country really needed to increase their Vitamin D. Then, he’d practically accused her in his thick Monstrana accent of sneaking onto the royals’ floors.
She clenched her teeth in anger. Why was it that all the drop-dead gorgeous men tended to be such jerks? She’d already learned her lesson with Charlie. No need to go back down that road.
Her quick peruse of the hallway did nothing. No one was coming to help.
Maybe this wasn’t a mistake. Maybe Miranda had set her up in these swanky rooms as a special treat for the weekend. Much better than a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. She wouldn’t put it past her best friend. She’d always wanted to stay the night in a castle and this was finally her chance.
Grabbing the luggage she’d abandoned, she pushed through the solid double doors into the suite that the guards had indicated belonged to her. A gigantic room met her, along with a king-sized four-poster bed with a plush navy comforter that could swallow you up whole. Marble granite surrounded a dark fireplace on the opposite side and two lounging chairs stood in front of it. There were several doors leading off, which she assumed went to a private bath and a closet or two. Treading softly on the thick red carpet, Cate dropped her luggage and simply stared at the grandeur of the room.
“Oh, girl, you’ve spoiled me.” She held out her arms and did a little spin, ending in a free-fall onto the bed. It was as comfy as it looked.
“There you are.” A young woman with crazy curly hair marched through her open doors and planted herself in front of Cate. She wore a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a loose black t-shirt that fell off one shoulder. A similar earpiece as the guards hung from her shirt. “I’m Stasia. And you’re late.”
She looked up at Stasia. The intruder had honey brown eyes lined with thick dark lashes, lovely fair skin with a caramel undertone, and a bossy tone. In all, she instantly liked her.
“Late? I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
“You’ll understand in a minute.” She put the earpiece up to her head. “And now we’re really late. Come on, I’ll get you where you need to be.”
Stasia rushed her through the hall and down the staircase that Cate had been trying so hard to find. They flew down to the first level and into a gigantic stone hallway. With her hand on her back, Stasia almost shoved her through a large ornate door and out onto a balcony. The late setting sun threw intense rays into Cate’s eyes and she strained to see what was going on.
It seemed that a crowd had gathered in the yard below. She blinked a few times and shielded her eyes. As her sight adjusted, she suddenly felt the gaze of a hundred or so pairs of eyes. Her cheeks reddened as she looked down at the crowd below.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s the opening ceremony,” Stasia explained. “Just a few cameras and some fans. Put on a smile. You’ll be meeting the prince and his family in a moment.”
“The prince?” Cate swallowed hard. “Why would he want to meet me?”
A quizzical smile tugged at Stasia’s lips. “You don’t have to play coy with me, Larisa. I’m not the one you need to impress. Viktor isn’t easily moved. He’s a stone wall. Take it from me — you’ll want to save all your energies for him and the competition.”
Her voice caught in her throat. This was a big mistake. She wasn’t Larisa, or whoever Stasia was looking for. She wasn’t here to meet a prince of Monstrana. Especially not on camera. This was all wrong.
Raucous applause broke out from the crowd below and by the time she found her voice again, Stasia had already migrated away and settled behind the line of cameras and lights. Two new women, dressed to the nines in sparkly cocktail dresses and bedazzled hairstyles, slipped in beside her. She couldn’t turn to greet them, as her feet had become effectively cemented to the ground.
“I’m Joy,” whispered the first in a baby pink dress. She smiled and waved a lacy pink glove. “Nice to meet you.”
“Cate,” she managed to eek out.
“Jezebel,” the other said in a droll British accent. She wore a turquoise gown that revealed much of her ample, and most likely fake, assets. Clearing her throat, she bumped Cate rudely with her hip. “Don’t get too comfortable around here. I’m here to win. Prince Viktor is mine.”
“I’m not...I mean, I don’t...” Cate wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. All she could focus on were those camera lenses peering at her with an intensity she couldn’t describe.
And anyway, it was too late to sneak out now. The double doors were opening again and out walked a stream of people so stiffly poised that she was sure their spines had been replaced with steel rods. The first was a regal man in his fifties, followed closely by a similarly aged woman. Both wore simple crowns of gold on their heads. That had to be the King and Queen. Cate nearly fainted.
Following behind them were two young men, both in their early thirties. The first had a boyish look about him, with an easy smile and short cropped blond hair. He waved at the crowd and laughed when a few women broke out into audible sighs. As her eyes fell upon the second man, Cate’s heart stopped.
It was the strange man from the hallway. The man with the abs of steel. He stared ahead with a brooding expression, as if he’d rather be anywhere else. Blessed with a heavy regal brow, strong jawline, and a tall, athletic figure, he certainly wasn’t lacking in the looks department. His wavy, black hair fell just below his ears and looked soft enough to run her fingers through. Thick lashes lined his amber-colored eyes. And of course, there were those perfect lips on his clean-shaven face that made her want to plant one right on him. Cate gulped and
ducked her head, determined to disappear into the stone patio below. Unfortunately, she hadn’t obtained her super powers yet to perform such a feat.
“Welcome to Castle Monstrana, ladies,” the Queen began, stretching out her arms. The people behind the cameras began to move about in a hushed frenzy. “I am Queen Anna Romanov and I’m so glad that you’re here. I’d like to take a moment to introduce my grandsons.”
Cate’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. That woman didn’t look old enough to be a grandmother of two adult men. Good genes ran in the family.
“This is my youngest, Prince Leo.” She placed a hand on the shoulder of the blond man. He smiled and waved at the cameras. “And may I also introduce your suitor, Crown Prince Viktor?”
Prince Viktor grimaced at the cameras and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He didn’t seem to be putting any effort into smiling for the people watching below. Despite the fact that Cate clearly wasn’t supposed to be in this strange competition, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit angry for the ladies beside her. He obviously didn’t care a stitch about them. If she really had been a competitor, she would’ve turned on her heel and marched out, right then and there. That would’ve shown him. He could’ve at least acted polite.
Queen Anna glided down to them and grabbed Joy’s hand first. “Lady Joy, what a lovely little thing you are. I could just eat you up. I’m so glad to make your acquaintance.”
Joy blushed and curtsied. She mumbled a few words and then dropped her hand to her side.
“Queen Anna.” Jezebel pushed forward and grabbed the Queen’s hand. “I am honored to be here. Your home and its people are lovely. I cannot think of any place I’d rather be.”
The Queen smiled, tilting her head in agreement. “Duchess Jezebel. So glad you could come. Your father is most proud of you and your accomplishments. He speaks of nothing else.”
Drop Dead Single: Vampire Romance (A Monstrana Paranormal Romance Book 1) Page 2