Her cheeks burned under her masked hood and she fumbled to pull it off. “You’re not my teacher anymore.” She slammed her hood to the floor. “I have more experience defending myself against vampires than you do. And how can you be so cold about it? That vampire might have been insane, but he was a living, breathing, thinking creature, just like you and me.”
Tristan’s expression hardened. “Your dad’s safe, by the way. I killed my vampire, too. No thanks necessary.”
She glared at him. “We don’t have to kill them! Not unless there’s no other way.”
“Was that your idea or Alex’s? Ever think he might have been protecting them?”
“Alex had good reasons for not wanting them dead. I already told you that.”
Tristan shook his head. “Oh, please. Alex’s theory is pretty farfetched, don’t you think? The queen paying vampires to cross the border, knowing some will be slayed, then using the dead vampire bodies as evidence of human cruelty to incite hatred and gain support for her evil cause? You really believe that?”
“Yes, I do. His mother’s crazy. She’s been trying to get us into a war with Sanguinia ever since I was born.”
Tristan put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.
“Lucette,” he said, “I don’t know why she cursed you, but don’t you think it’s a pretty strange way to start a war? Why would she go after a baby?”
Lucette took a few long breaths before responding. She had to admit, there were still holes in her understanding of the vampire queen’s motives. It didn’t seem like one nation going after another. It seemed personal.
But what possible reasons could the vampire queen have for a personal vendetta? She turned to Tristan.“No matter what her motives are, unnecessary killing is not okay. Until tonight, nearly every vampire I’ve found gave up the second he was wounded. Some, even as soon as they saw me coming. We do not have to kill them!”
“Fine, fine.” Tristan held up his hands. “We’ll do it your way. Here’s hoping we don’t die for your ethics.”
He looked away and sighed. After a moment, his expression softened. “I’m disappointed that our date got interrupted.”
Lucette relaxed as he approached, but then she trembled as the full realization of what had happened sank in. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. “Hey, it’s okay. You did what you had to do.”
She looked into his eyes, grateful that he understood why she was upset. He pressed a kiss onto her forehead and ran a hand over her hair.
“Lucette,” he said, “why don’t your parents sleep in the same bedchamber? It would be so much easier to protect them if they were in the same place.”
At that, tears filled her eyes, and she blinked rapidly, trying to push them back in. All the emotion and adrenaline that had built during the battle peaked into a rush of grief. A tear dribbled down each cheek and she lifted her hand to brush them away, but Tristan beat her to it, sweeping away her tears.
The tenderness and intimacy of his gesture washed away her thoughts of the battle. His hands on her face were so gentle. She felt at home and safe, as if she’d spent her entire life in his strong arms.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get away from this carnage so we can talk.”
She nodded. For the first time in her life, she had someone to confide in. He’d understand about her parents. She just knew he would.
Sitting outside the king’s office, Tristan pulled Lucette into his arms and pressed his lips into her hair. “It’s not your fault,” he said. “When parents divorce, it’s never because of the children, even if that’s how it feels.” They’d finished their meal and were back up on the balcony above the foyer, keeping watch.
“But in my case, it is,” Lucette said. “My parents’ fights have always been about me. Whether I should be allowed to play with other kids, whether I should be allowed to touch anything without gloves on—heck, even with gloves on—whether I should go to school outside the palace, whether I should start dating boys . . .”
“But it’s not your fault that they couldn’t agree on these things, or that they let their differing opinions turn into fights instead of working it out. That part’s on them.”
“But if I hadn’t been cursed, none of this would have happened.”
He took her by the shoulders and moved her back a few inches so he could look into her eyes. “Lucette, you were a baby when you were cursed, a few weeks old. How in the world can you blame yourself? You couldn’t possibly have done anything to make it happen or to change it once it did.”
“I know.” She took comfort from his eyes, so full of compassion. “But I can’t help wondering why Queen Natasha hates me so much that she’d do this.”
“It doesn’t matter why. All you need to believe is that you couldn’t possibly have done anything to stop it.”
Conceding his point, she closed her eyes and felt his breath warm her face. She remained still, her eyes closed, and gave in to the moment. Feeling so close to someone was exciting and new, like something wonderful might happen. Tristan no longer considered her a little girl, she knew that.
The warmth from his breath caressed her lips, and although her eyes remained closed, she could sense how close he was. She wanted him to kiss her, but the wait was delicious, and finally, his lips gently pressed against hers and lingered for a moment. Her first kiss, and she felt it right down to her toes.
Lucette had been waiting for this moment for more than three years, and now that it had arrived, she never wanted it to end. She wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded a hand into his hair to keep his face near. Lucette felt sure, more sure than she’d ever felt about anything in her entire life—she loved Tristan—really loved him. And surely this passionate kiss would prove her love was true. What better proof could the fairies’ magic expect? Surely any moment she’d hear the sounds of her parents and members of the palace staff waking up.
He pulled back, and she sighed, reaching up to pull his lips down to hers again. “Tristan, kiss me again. Please.”
He smiled softly and kissed her nose.“Come away with me, Lucette. We should leave Xandra tonight and go to Judra. The curse might break if you leave Xandran soil. Perhaps you’ll be able to stay awake during the day, and we can be together without constant fear. I know you’ll love Judra.”
Longing flooded her heart. “What about my parents, my country, everyone here?”
“What about you?” Tristan kissed her hand. “All I want is to keep you safe.”
The picture he painted was lovely, but for Lucette, it was tinged with despair. “Tristan, I can’t,” she said. “If I leave Xandra, I can lead a normal life, but everyone else will still have to endure this curse. No citizen of Xandra, or their descendants, will ever be able to stay awake at night on Xandran soil. Not only will the vampire queen rule over the land, she’ll be able to use the remaining citizens as food for her people.”
She shuddered, thinking of Alex’s stories of blood ranches and imagined rows of humans, lined up on beds, tubes in their necks from which they’d be bled each night to satisfy the vampire invaders. Or worse, if the queen were as cruel as she seemed, maybe she’d let the vampires feed on the humans directly, biting them until they died.
Lucette could not sacrifice her entire country and her people just for her own happiness.
“No, Tristan, I’m sorry, I can’t go.”
He pulled her into his arms. Warm in his embrace, she felt so in love. But how was she supposed to prove it?
Queen Natasha ran her fingers down her throat until they came to rest on the hard, cold weight of the Stone of Supremacy resting above the bodice of her red dress. With this stone, she was the most powerful vampire in Sanguinia, but even though she could change the weather, leap to the top of tall buildings, and crush bodies, it didn’t give her the power to attain the one thing she most wanted—adoration. Adoration from all except Catia and Stefan. From them, fear would be enough. She couldn’t
wait until they groveled before her, begging for their lives—a request she’d be happy to deny.
With each new slayed vampire body crudely dumped over the border, public opinion grew in her favor. Soon all her subjects would rally behind her and willingly pour over into Xandra to feast on humans. Once she controlled Xandra, she could conquer the rest of the world. The thought of every creature bowing before her sent delicious shivers running over her skin.
Impatience growing, she’d now instructed her minions entering Xandra to kill anyone they found—except for Stefan and Catia. She wanted to see their faces before they died.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Enter.”
Her son, Alexander, strode into the room, his once-gangly body now that of a fully grown vampire. After spending so much time in Xandra supervising and reporting back on her operations, he’d been around more often these past nights. “Come,” she said, gesturing, “tell me everything.”
He approached, a cautious smile teasing his lips, and she wondered yet again whether she could trust him. She wanted to, but at the first sign of deceit she’d drive a stake through her son’s heart. She’d blame the slayers and use his death to build support. Her son’s murder would surely win over all the parents in her kingdom and convince them that the humans of Xandra needed to be punished.
Alexander noticed his mother’s distant expression, and embraced her. “Are you okay?”
She forced a smile onto her face. “I’ll be better if you have news that the king and queen of Xandra have conceded defeat.”
“Defeat?” He raised one eyebrow. “You haven’t declared war, but you expect an official surrender?”
“Semantics, dear. Semantics.” She turned away. Her skirt rushed around her legs as she walked to the stone balcony to survey the moonlit courtyard. Her back to him, Natasha lifted her hand and beckoned him forward. “What do you have to report?”
Her son grabbed the railing beside her and inhaled deeply. “I do miss the night air of Sanguinia. Xandra smells different.”
“Like death?” she asked, hopefully.
He turned to her and smirked. “More like fear.”
That would do. “Speaking of fear, tell me, how fares our young princess? She must be living in terror.” In truth, she’d expected the girl to have begged her father to surrender the first night the curse fell. The young princess had proven to be of sturdier stock than Natasha could have imagined.
Alex shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. She’s hidden, locked away.”
Natasha snapped her head toward him. “Still? Others say they’ve seen her, even fought her.”
“No way. Your band of minions will tell you anything as long as they get paid. How could they know she’s the one they’ve battled, anyway? The slayers wear hooded masks.”
“Who else could it be ?” she asked.“The slayers—like all Xandrans—sleep at night.”
“Mercenaries have arrived from other kingdoms.” Then he added quickly, “They’re acting alone. Not under orders of their monarchs.”
She tightened her lips. “Is that the only information you have? You must have something more useful. Why else did you come to me tonight?”
“I need to bring information to speak to my own mother?” He looked hurt, but she knew he was insincere.
She’d never coddled the boy and knew he didn’t expect it. Still, his devotion was like fuel, enflaming her ambitions. If she had to stake the boy to get ahead, it would be all the more exhilarating knowing she had his adoration. She’d learned that when she killed his father.
She reached out to touch his arm. “Of course not.”
“Then tell me something.” He leaned back on the railing, his legs crossed in front of him. The casual stance put her at ease. “Why did you lay the curse in the first place? Surely there are easier, more direct ways to invade a country.”
Natasha narrowed her eyes. “Why do you ask?”
Alexander shrugged.“If I’m to rule someday, I need to learn strategy. Eventually, you’ll be taken from me, and I want to learn as much as I can before that sad fate is thrust upon me.”
Pride filled her chest. Perhaps she wouldn’t kill him after all. Her son rarely discussed his future role and responsibilities as king of Sanguinia. It was a good sign.
“I did it to punish them,” she said.
His head snapped toward her. “Punish Xandra? Why?”
“It wasn’t Xandra I wanted to punish at first,” she continued, “only Stefan and Catia.”
“What did they do to you?” His voice remained cool and even.
“They humiliated me. And Catia took what was mine.” Hurt and rage boiled just below the surface. Even after nearly eighteen years, the treachery and her humiliation stung like fresh wounds. Natasha traced the tip of her tongue over her fangs. “I was meant to sit on the throne of Xandra, I’d dreamed of it since I was a little girl. King Stefan was meant to be mine, and he courted me for three years, led me to believe I would be his queen. But my deceitful, traitorous little sister Catia went behind my back and seduced him. Tricked him into marrying her instead.”
Alexander kept his eyes on the courtyard, but his back stiffened at her words. He felt her pain and understood, she felt certain.
“But why go after the baby?” he asked. “Why not the couple directly?”
Natasha put a hand on his shoulder. Her long, black fingernails curled over his jacket. “When you’re a parent, you’ll understand. By threatening their daughter, I wounded them more deeply than I ever could have by attacking them directly.”
He nodded slowly, so she continued. “Plus, Catia insulted me. She didn’t invite me to her baby’s naming ceremony. First, I’m her sister, and second, while I might not sit on the throne of Xandra, I am queen of Sanguinia and deserve their respect.” Her teeth pressed together so tightly, she felt pressure at her temples and her fangs dug into her gums. “A simple death will be too easy for those two. They deserve to suffer.”
Alex remained quiet a few moments, his gaze forward, his body language impossible to read. “So,” he said softly, “Princess Lucette, the sleeping beauty in the glass case, is my cousin. Is that what you’re telling me?”
She waved a hand. “Don’t let that insignificant connection cloud your judgment. We must control Xandra, and her parents must be punished. If she ends up as collateral damage, so be it.” Natasha leaned closer to her son. “But I have another idea.” A thrilling trace of anticipation shot through her. “As a final torture for Catia, I’ll convert the girl. Make her a vampire. Catia will hate that. Then, if you like, she can be your mate.”
He pushed off the railing.“Mother, she’s my cousin. My first cousin.” His face was paler than usual.
Natasha waved him off. “In royal circles, such marriages occur all the time. Especially to forge alliances between kingdoms.” She cupped his smooth cheek. “I’ve heard she is quite a beauty, that she takes after her handsome father and not my insipid little sister.”
Her son nodded, but a tendon at his jaw twitched.
Natasha narrowed her eyes. Perhaps she’d stake her son after all.
Lucette woke feeling warm, safe, and happy, but realizing something was very different. She snapped her eyes open to discover that she was lying on a long settee in the tower room, outside the glass wall. Tristan lay beside her, his arm over her waist.
He was asleep and she snuggled against the warm protection of his strong body. How long had they been lying here together? How had he gotten her out? Had he convinced her father to give him the key?
The door at the top of the tower stairs opened, and Lucette lifted her head. Had the curse ended?
“Well, isn’t this cozy.” Alex strode into the room, a scowl on his face, and at the sound of Alex’s voice, Tristan opened his eyes.
“Alex, it’s great to see you.” Lucette smiled, hopeful. “Has the curse lifted?”
He shook his head, and her heart dropped.
She turned to Trista
n. “Does my dad know I’m out of the cell?”
Tristan sat up and grinned. “I convinced him I could keep you safe, and that we’d have a better chance of breaking the curse if there wasn’t a glass wall between us. Not that there has been, but he doesn’t know that.”
Alex’s eyes drifted from her to Tristan, then back again. “Lucette, I need to talk to you.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“In private.”
Lucette sat up. “Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of Tristan.”
“No.” Alex stood his ground. “I can’t.”
“Alex,” she began gently, “I love Tristan. That’s not going to change.”
“You love me?” Tristan grinned ear to ear. “I love you, too!” He quickly leaned over and enveloped her in his arms.
“Excuse me! I’m right here,” Alex said. His expression conveyed his annoyance.
Seeing her in Tristan’s arms likely hurt Alex, and Lucette hated that. But she couldn’t give Tristan the cold shoulder just because Alex was back. Proving she’d found true love was too important.
Alex groaned. “This is all really sweet and everything, but since your love declarations haven’t lifted the curse, can we move on?” Alex drummed the back of one of the viewing gallery chairs and added, “I’m not going to try to get you to love me again, Lucette—believe me—but I do need to talk to you. It’s important.”
“Then talk,” she said. “I’ll tell Tristan whatever you say, anyway.”
“You might not want to tell him this.” Alex turned and started to pace around the room.
“Alex, stop wasting time. My parents’ rooms are unguarded, and other vampires might show up soon.” She was starting to worry about what Alex might say, but the situation was already so bleak that she found it hard to imagine anything worse. Still, a chill rushed through her. What if the fairy queen’s alterations hadn’t worked or had been changed? What if the curse would never lift? Maybe true love wouldn’t work.
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer Page 22