by Ariel Marie
“I don’t know Mrs. Olaru,” Anika began again, realizing she never finished what she was saying as she drooled a little over the dress. “It’s really expensive, all of this,” she paused, waving her hands around in the air. “This is just too much and I’ll never be able to repay you.”
She gazed longingly again at herself in the mirror, dreading going back into the changing room to take it off.
De Matteis was an exclusive clothing store, located in the heart of downtown that catered to the extremely wealthy. It actually required an invitation to get into the store. Anika’s mouth had almost hit the ground as she watched the queen announce herself to the door attendant who then checked for Mrs. Olaru’s name on the exclusive list before they were allowed into the store.
“Nonsense my dear,” Mrs. Olaru waved her hand, dismissing Anika’s concern. “I insist. You are like the other daughter I never had. It is the least I could do with everything that is going on.” She came over to stand behind Anika smiling. “You know, with some soft curls and pulling your hair off to the side, that will make the back of this dress stand out,” the queen said, pulling Anika’s hair out of the way.
“You’re right, Mrs. Olaru—”
“Please Anika, call me Alin,” Alin insisted.
“Ok, Alin, if you insist, then this is the one I will take and wear to the ball,” Anika said smiling to herself in the mirror. Who was she to deny the queen a request? She couldn’t wait for Toma to see her dress. Even though they barely spoke to each other in public, once he took one look at her, he wouldn’y be able to stay away for long.
One hour later, the dress, undergarments and shoes that Alin insisted she buy were packaged up and loaded into the trunk.
“You didn’t get anything?” Anika asked as one of the two bodyguards for the queen, opened her door.
“I already have a dress picked out,” Alin laughed as they got into the back seats. “My trip to Paris was amazing. I picked up a dress there not knowing where I was going to wear it to, but now I have the perfect excuse.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Anika changed the subject. Ever since they left out of Nicu’s office, she had been dying to ask this question. “What did you mean that the guys would be expected to find a mate and that the family line depended on it?”
Alin explained to Anika about the royal lines and as the ruling vampire family, it was their duty to mate and produce strong offspring in order to continue to have an Olaru on the throne.
She went on to tell Anika how when she and her husband were in Europe meeting with the European Vampire Lords Council, it was demanded that the Olaru’s began securing the future.
“How can they demand the family just start producing offspring. I thought that mates were hard to come by?” Anika asked remembering what Nadira had taught her.
“Finding your one true mate is extremely difficult. Vlad and I were lucky to find each other. But I’m not sure it will be easy for the boys.” The queen gazed out of her window, deep in thought. “Occasionally, vampires will just have to marry as the humans do. You don’t have to be mates to produce offspring. The Council will be ensuring that all of the most eligible vampirian women who would be suitable for royal mates will be here for the ball.”
Anika swallowed hard at that, fear setting in, as she realized that her time with Toma may be drawing to an end. She fought back tears, knowing that she would never be the mate for him. He would find some beautiful female vampire to spend the rest of his life with as his duty to his family name demanded.
Her chest became heavy as she realized that it might be best to end their dysfunctional relationship now before her heart was broken even more. She refused to sit back and watch him fall in love with his true mate. That she didn’t need to witness!
She stared out her window at the scenery flying past as she began to think of how she was going to break up with the love of her life.
10
~Toma~
Toma stood outside Anika’s door in disbelief. The door was locked. She had never locked her door before. He knocked softly on it, anticipation building for what he knew would happen once he entered the room.
She had been on his mind, as usual, all fucking day and he couldn’t wait to dive in between her legs. He needed to be inside of her. He couldn’t get home fast enough tonight so that he could be with her. He heard the soft patter of feet before hearing the door unlock and it pulled open slightly.
Anika’s big beautiful mocha eyes peered through the crack wearily.
“Are you going to let me in?” he asked softly, waiting for her to open the door all the way. She stared at him for a moment before opening the door all the way, waving him in. “How was your shopping trip with my mother?”
“Good,” she said, refusing to meet his eyes. He instantly went on alert. Something was wrong.
“What’s wrong?” he asked moving closer to her. He growled as she flinched when he tried to reach for her.
She walked away from him, stopping to gaze out of her bedroom window. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for her to respond.
“We need to talk,” she said, folding her arms in front of her. “What is this between us?”
“What do you mean?” He rubbed his hand across his face before focusing on her again. She turned to him, with sadness in her eyes as she leaned against the wall.
“Me and you. What is this? Do you even care for me or am I just a body to warm your bed at night?”
He closed his eyes briefly before looking at her. She was his mate. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her knowing that he wouldn’t be able to claim her.
“I care for you,” he started, feeling panic starting to set in.
“Do you?” He could clearly see the doubt beginning to line her face.
“You know that I do,” he quickly responded, crossing the room and stopping in front of her.
“How do I?” she snapped, fire burning in her eyes. “You come in here every night, making love to me all through the night and then during the day you act like you don’t even know me. How the hell does that show that you care for me?” Her voice cracked as he witnessed her eyes water before a big fat single tear slid out of her right eye.
He tried to gather her in his arms but she pushed him away. “Just let me explain—”
“Explain what? That I’m only good enough to fuck and that’s it?” she whispered softly as more tears fell from her eyes. He shook his head no, unable to speak. “I think we need to stop. I can’t do this any more.” She was openly crying now.
“No, Anika, please don’t do this. I need you,” he begged, this time grabbing her and pulling her close, nuzzling her neck while he rubbed her back as she sobbed. “Please,” he mumbled against her skin.
He had never begged for anything in his life but he wouldn’t be able to deal with himself if he lost her. He knew it was hard on her, with the way he acted during the day. Even he was frustrated with it. There were so many times he wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless in front of his family.
He loved watching her with his sister as they joked around or the times he caught her in the kitchen trying to learn to cook from Tabitha and failing miserably. He tried to make up for it at night, letting every orgasm that he wrung out of her represent an apology. He thought that she understood why he did what he did.
“Why?” she asked as her sobs finally quieted. She looked up at him with wide eyes. He found himself mesmerized by her beautiful mocha eyes.
“Because you’re mine,” he answered, grabbing her face in his hands, rubbing his finger against her bottom lip.
“But you could never be mine,” she answered softly pulling away from him.
He instantly missed her warmth. He watched as she turned back to the window. His fingers itched to grab her again and this time never let go.
“Your mother explained to me about the party that your family will be hosting. She told me that as the vampire princes, you and your brothers are ob
ligated to mate with a female vampire to secure your family line to ensure that there will always be an Olaru on the throne.
“How can I compete with that? I refuse to continue to sleep with you every night, losing pieces of my heart to you, knowing that you could never be mine. I don’t know if I could deal with the fact that you would find a beautiful vampire woman to fall in love with and to share an eternity with, while I’m left behind, forgotten. I’d rather just end it now, while I can still hold on to some of my dignity.”
He could tell she was crying again. He instantly wrapped his arms around her squeezing her tight. Rubbing his nose on the hollow of her neck, breathing in her scent.
“I can’t let you go. You belong to me.” It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that she was his mate and damn his family.
“Toma, go,” she whispered.
His heart stopped beating while his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t have heard what he thought she said but his heart cracked as she repeated the request.
“Go.” Her voice came out stronger this time.
He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his heart crumble as what she was requesting set in. He held her tight for a second before backing away from her.
Her shoulders shook with sobs as he continued to make his way toward the door without taking his eyes off of her. The image of her leaning against the windowsill sobbing over what he could never give her would forever be burned in his memory.
He turned immediately leaving her room and stalked to his. His eyes burned as the full crimson haze overtook his vision.
His fangs descended as he quickly lost control and a fury like he had never experienced before, was begging to be let out. He would let it out tonight. Toma was going hunting for rogues, versi or necros. It didn’t matter what crossed his path, if it were one of the three on his small list he would be killing it tonight.
He changed his clothes swiftly, throwing on his black leather pants and sleeveless leather tunic that he usually wore when patrolling with his Dark Shadows unit. He grabbed his sword and blades.
Five minutes later, the sound of his truck’s wheels screeching pierced the night silence, as he flew down the long driveway disappearing into the night.
11
~Anika~
“So when are you coming home?” Anika’s older sister, Selena asked over the phone.
“Probably this weekend,” she answered, sitting outside on the Olaru’s veranda overlooking the beautifully landscaped backyard.
She missed her family terribly and after breaking it off with Toma two nights ago, she had realized that she could no longer stay at the Olaru mansion. She was waiting for the king to meet with her. She had Nadira arrange this meeting between herself and the king.
“I just hate that we weren’t here when you were attacked,” Selena said, her voice breaking through Anika’s thoughts.
“It’s okay, believe me, if I would have been able to predict that I was going to get attacked that night, I would have just gone to mom and dad’s house.” Anika tried to joke but failed horribly. Her sister’s sigh could be be heard coming through the phone loud and clear.
“You should have come with us on the cruise,” her sister said wistfully. “You could have joined me on the warm Mediterranean sandy beaches, with a nice drink in your hand as we soaked up sun. You could have even found a hot cabana boy to have a fling with,” Selena joked.
“Well next time you three book a vacation, I am there! I will not be left behind next time,” Anika vowed.
The sounds of the sliding glass door opening behind her caused Anika to turn to see who was exiting the house. Vladimir Olaru stepped out onto the veranda, with a small smile in place.
“Hey sis, let me go,” she said quickly ending her phone call with her sister. She went to stand as the king came closer.
“Please, Anika,” he said waving her back to her seat. “You do not have to stand for me,” he said taking a seat in the comfortable lounge chair next to hers. “This meeting is not formal.”
“Thank you for meeting with me,” she said, nervously. “Do you want to go inside away from the sunlight?” She knew that vampires could tolerate the sun with it only draining their strength, making them almost human. The king shook his head with a small smile.
“I’m a very old vampire, Anika. The sunlight doesn’t drain me as it does the younger vampires.”
She wasn’t sure if the king would go along with her plan. She knew that he could be stubborn. The past few weeks had been an eye opener for Anika regarding the Olaru’s as she watched the queen run circles around the king. He would try to act regal and as if he was in charge of the household but it was truly the queen.
“So what has you sitting here all nervous Anika?” he asked gently.
She turned to him, amazed at how much Toma resembled his father. The only difference was the eye color, where Toma’s was almost a clear blue the king’s were a dark mocha, almost black.
“I think it’s time I moved out,” she started, growing more confident as the king waited for her to continue. “I am grateful for your hospitality but I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I can go stay with my sister —”
“It’s not safe, my dear. The versi have been spotted frequently. Nicu and his team have had their hands full. They are close to narrowing down where Xalak is hiding.”
“I’ve talked it over with my sister,” she said, ignoring him. “She has an extra room and I can stay there.”
“Anika, does Nadira know that you are thinking of moving out?” he asked quietly.
Anika shot him a guilty look, knowing that she had kept this from her best friend. She knew that Nadira would have a fit if she knew that she wanted to leave the safety of the Olaru mansion.
“No, I haven’t spoken with her yet. But this is something that I need to do,” she said adamantly. “I need to get back into the swing of things. I can’t live in fear forever.”
“Well,” he sighed. “If I can’t change your mind then I will have to let you go. You are not a prisoner here in our household. I will provide around the clock protection, though,” he said firmly. “I will not argue with you on that.”
She nodded her head sadly. It just about broke her to distance herself from Toma. But she could not continue to stay in the same house as him. Her room was filled with memories of him and if she wanted to start the long journey of getting over him and mending her heart, she needed to leave.
She knew that she had lost her heart to him and would always love him, but she also knew there would be no future between them.
12
~Toma~
“This is fucking ridiculous,” Toma muttered walking through the Olaru mansion. The house was buzzing with excitement, as the royal family hosted the Vampire Fall Extravaganza. Vampires from all over the world had begun to arrive throughout the week. He did have to give his mother credit for pulling together a massive ball in such little time.
He had hoped to skip the party and go on another assignment. He’d rather battle a rogue vampire then be dressed up in a tuxedo. It had been a week and a half since the night Anika refused to continue their relationship and he had been in one hell of a mood. No one wanted to speak to him, which was fine by him. He was too torn up from not being able to be near Anika.
He could feel himself filling up with darkness that even he couldn’t stand himself so he had taken every mission that Nicu threw at him, no matter how dangerous it was, alone. He didn’t want a partner or a team because he knew that he was close to losing it and if he was killed then he didn’t want to take any of his team members with him.
He stalked his way to the ballroom of the mansion and the sounds of the small orchestra his mother had commissioned to play at the party grew louder.
He scowled at the mask he was forced to wear. It caused his face to itch, but even in his bad mood, he wouldn’t dare cross his mother and not wear the damn thing. He adjusted the mask as he walked down the long hallway that was fill
ed with partygoers and past a few females dressed in floor length gowns with masks on their faces. They all tried to gain his attention but he wasn’t interested in another female. He ignored them and kept walking.
There had only been one female on his mind and he was anxious to see her tonight. Even if it was from afar, he had to see her. He would go to the ball as directed by his parents, stay for what would be deemed acceptable then leave. But before he left, he had to get a glimpse of Anika. He knew she was coming to the ball, from listening to his mother and sister chatting one night about the shopping trip his mother took with Anika.
He entered the room finding it decorated with the finest that money could buy. His mother did not spare any expense, from the diamond-encrusted chandeliers to the servants walking around with what he was sure was the finest champagne.
Alin Olaru sure knew how to throw a party. The room was filled with vampires from all over the world. He spotted Nicu and Adrian standing off to the side by double doors that led outside to the veranda. He would recognize his brothers from anywhere even with their suits and masks on.
“You actually showed up,” Adrian said, his voice filled with awe as Toma came to stand next to him.
“I didn’t really have a choice,” he replied sourly. His eyes roamed the room looking for her.
“Well, if it makes you happy, none of us had a choice either,” Adrian said.
Toma grunted in response. His mind was focused on finding Anika. He could care less that his brothers were just as miserable as he was. Nicu hadn’t said a word since he joined them. He turned to find Nicu’s eyes on him.
“What?” he asked irritated that Nicu’s attention seemed to be on him more lately.
“Who are you looking for?” Nicu probed with a raised eyebrow.