“Maybe,” she breathed.
“We can’t do that if you lie to me, though,” he said.
In that moment, under his spell, as she was, she almost spilled her most precious secret. She almost told him who she really was. What freedom that would be! He was right, and that was enough to snap her out of the power of his lust, and her own lust, for that matter. She needed to leave before she relaxed too much around these princes.
“Well, since I’m a chronic liar, I guess I’d better go so you can make your moves on someone you actually stand a chance with.” Her voice came out harsher than she’d intended, but it was the truth. The three of them should be focused on finding their mate, not playing with a maid.
“I am sure that you have a good reason to lie to the vampire princes of North America. I’d love to hear about it next week, please say you’ll come.”
Charlotte shook her head and said, “Sorry, I can’t.” While they’d been talking, she’d edged to the door, and as soon as the words had left her mouth, she pushed through, feeling like Cinderella rushing to her carriage when the clock chimed midnight.
Chapter 5
The next morning, Charlotte had her amulet back in place, hiding her appearance once more. Her flame-red hair was now too dark to be blonde and too light to be brown, about as nondescript as it got. She had eyes the color of mud and a sallow complexion. No one wanted to look at her for long, which was the point, but after the attentions she received last night, going back to being invisible was hard.
"Take this up to the princes’ living area," Chef said.
"Yes, sir." She hurried through the kitchen toward the tray laden with all different kinds of breakfast foods, everything from bacon and eggs to waffles, and of course, a few pints of blood. It was rare that she was allowed above stairs, being that the family thought her some kind of weird vampire groupie or just a plain human who'd stumbled into the vampire world somehow.
The princes had a suite within the house proper that allowed them to have breakfast and generally hang out without having to be around their parents or guests if they didn't want to be. From her understanding, there had been a period of time a few years ago, before they had the suite, when they had made it almost impossible for their parents to have guests. Since they were the king and queen of North America, it didn't exactly go well. The house had been remodeled to include the suite not long after.
Charlotte hurried up the stairs and knocked briefly before opening the door. She wanted to be in and out of there before the princes woke up. If she had been paying closer attention, she might have heard the argument and waited before she’d entered the room, even if it meant the food getting cold. She had been too focused on getting in and out, though when she walked in and set down the food and heard her real name, she froze.
"Charlotte was the one bright spot of the evening. I can't believe you scared her off like that, either of you!" Silas ground out.
Charlotte could see Silas standing with his back to her in a doorway, along with the mussed bedhead who could only be Julian. Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought of him being as intrigued by her as she was by him.
"There was something off about her," Julian said calmly. "She was hiding something."
"So what if she was?" This came from Owen, which surprised her. Usually the middle brother slept late, barely getting up before the sun set once more. The myths about vampires not being able to withstand sunlight were more than a little exaggerated. It was like an allergy that anyone had, along with all its varying degrees. Owen wasn't going to burn to a crisp if sunlight touched him, but he wouldn't voluntarily be out in it, either. "We only just met her! It's not like the woman is going to spill her deepest, darkest secrets within five minutes."
"It was something to do with her being there, though, I just know it," Julian grumbled.
Chills ran down her skin and she backed out of the room.
"Do you smell that?" I heard Silas say.
She was able to be out of the line of sight before they emerged into the living area.
"What? Breakfast?" Owen asked as she heard him take the silver domes off a couple dishes, the metal clanging slightly in the process, releasing the salty smell of bacon and the sweet scent of waffles into the air. Her stomach almost growled as she stood pressed against the wall just next to the door to the suite.
"I swear, I could smell her for a moment. If you'd have waited to open the damn things, I could have followed it, but now all I can smell is bacon."
"Come get something to eat, Brother. If Charlotte makes an appearance at the ball next week, you can test your theory then, and I'll even let you make out with her to your heart’s content. There's no use worrying about it right now," Julian said.
"I'm not the one worrying about anything. I just wanted to get to know her better, and gods, that kiss . . ." Silas made a pained sound, and Charlotte wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
"We can get to know her better next week. I asked her to come," Julian said. A shiver ran through Charlotte at the memory of the way he was looking at her when he had posed that question.
"Did she say she would?" Silas asked.
"No, but she knows that we all want her there. I made that pretty clear."
A grunted response came, and the three of them fell quiet while they began to eat. On silent feet, Charlotte made her way down the hall and through to the servants’ stairs, her mind racing with everything she'd overheard as she worried at her bottom lip until it was raw.
A week later.
The house bustled with energy once more. Tonight was Owen's ball, and Charlotte still hadn't made up her mind about going. She knew she shouldn't, but would it really be that bad if she did? It wasn't like the three of them knew anything about her. Maybe she could just avoid Julian? He seemed to be the most suspicious, not that she could blame him for it.
The decorations for the night’s events had been trooped in front of her, and she was beyond curious to see how it all fit together. There were gold candelabras and great swaths of white satin and silk being carried in when she ran into Chef again.
"Would you watch where you're going?" he spat at her.
"Sorry, Chef," she whispered.
"There are plenty of pots and pans that need your attention instead of you meandering around the kitchen and getting in my way. Don't leave them till the morning. I can always tell when you do." He scowled as though she were the problem in the kitchen, when really, it was him. None of the staff liked him because of the way he treated them, and it was only a matter of time until most of them quit. She didn't have that option, though. Who would take her on and give her a place to live at the same time?
“Of course, Chef," she muttered.
She supposed dishes would give her plenty of time to talk herself out of going to the ball tonight, or at least tire her out enough that she'd probably just want to sleep. As she scrubbed, her mind kept drifting to the brothers, wondering what they were doing, if they were excited about the event tonight, anything and everything she could think of. It was that simple fact that had her deciding to go to the ball.
Three nights. That was all she got to spend with them before she had to retreat into her disguise for the rest of her life. Who knew what would happen? But she knew if she didn't go, she'd regret it.
Once the dishes were done, it was past midnight, and she was exhausted. Part of her wanted to crawl into bed and block everything out, but that wasn't a rational way of dealing with things. What she wanted to hide away from would still be there in the morning, and she would have missed out on being able to interact with the brothers. So instead, she dragged her poor body to the shower and let the hot water wash her worries away.
The grime and dirt were gone. The only thing left of her life during the day was the necklace. The thought stilled her. What if this was a mistake? Even allowing herself a little time outside of her disguise was dangerous, not only because someone might see and recognize her, but because she relished
the ability to be in her own skin once more, to be the confident princess of the Bloodmoon clan.
There was a lot that she was unsure of, but her outfit for the night was not one of those things. She supposed that it was easy for her to pick out an outfit when she only had a few pieces of clothing to choose from.
Whenever she released herself from the disguise it was like taking a breath of fresh air for the first time in ages. Unclasping the necklace, Charlotte let it slide down her chest into the palm of her waiting hand. The silver chain puddled in her hand around the amulet. She rubbed her thumb over the large piece of labradorite—it was warm under her touch. Pewter metalwork was wrapped around the stone and almost made it look like a tree was holding the stone within its branches. She sat for a minute and sent a wave of silent thanks to her past self who had been so obsessed with learning everything she could about mage work that she was able to make this amulet.
A gust of air came through the crack under the door, making her shiver. As she looked at the necklace, she realized that she felt even more than naked without the weight of it around her neck. She felt exposed and vulnerable.
A member of the Bloodmoon clan was never vulnerable. They were strong, defiant, and fierce. That was everything she had been until she'd left. As soon as she had abandoned that title, she'd felt as defenseless as the day she was born, and she was scared that she'd never feel that strength and surety again.
Carefully, she tucked the amulet away, the blue-and-brown stone momentarily winking at her in the dim light before she slipped it out of sight. The dress she had selected for the evening's festivities, if she could still call it evening when it was almost the early hours of the morning, was as silver as moonlight. The slinky satin material slid out from the chest like a droplet of water sliding down the side of a tub to join its brethren. She laid it out over the bed. The neckline was high and glittery, the glitter narrowed, though, until it was just a panel that went down the center of the dress. The rest was made up of silvery satin. The two parts blended together so well color-wise that it almost gave away that they were enchanted. If there was one thing she missed about being a mage, other than having a family, it was the clothes. She loved them, and nothing topped an enchanted formal dress.
Charlotte wriggled into the dress and was almost thankful for the few pounds she had lost since she’d run away from home, because the dress fit her like a glove, barely leaving anything to the imagination even though it was floor length and had a high neckline. The one part she had forgotten was that it was backless. Skinny silver ribbons held the material together over her exposed back, and the mermaid cut of the dress meant that it was tight all the way down her thighs. She certainly wouldn’t be able to run from anything in it, but what did she have to run from in this house? Vampires of this rank didn’t feed on people randomly, and not without an agreement that was more convoluted than a celebrity prenup.
She slipped on the ring and pressed the side, pricking her finger and spreading the blood over her lips once more. It wasn’t that she needed to do that per se, but it helped put some extra oomph into her incantations, which, after not practicing her skills for so long, was sorely needed. The added power from her blood made sure that everything worked as it was supposed to. Her hair wrapped into a loose braid on one side, with curls coming down around her face, and her makeup was subtle but made her look glamorous. She breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the magic wash over her, doing the work she wanted.
Chapter 6
The ballroom doors sat in front of Charlotte once more, but this time, she debated longer before going in. If she hadn’t gotten herself this far, she would have probably just gone to sleep, but instead, she was here. She’d even used blood magic to make herself presentable, which was a risk she was willing to take, but not one she was willing to waste.
As she moved forward, the doors swung open as though there was some invisible force that sensed her presence. The gold-and-white theme had been minimal in the hall, but the ballroom was another matter entirely. The walls were cast in a warm glow, and all the light fixtures had been changed out to be gold, while great swaths of white satin hung down the walls at even intervals, along with covering each table. It was hinting at the upcoming holiday without being overt. Very much vampire style. A DJ was playing somewhat boring classical music in the corner.
She maneuvered down the steps and found the crowd hushing themselves once more as she entered. She hadn’t even had a chance to find the brothers when Owen appeared at her side.
“I thought you weren’t going to come,” he said as he offered her his arm.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” she said. It was the truth, and now that she knew the brothers could sense when she was lying, she was going to have to be more careful around them.
“What changed your mind?”
“I wanted to spend time with you before you found your mate and disappeared into the world of royal vampires.” Her heart beat heavily in her chest at the words, but it was the truth. She just wasn’t used to being completely honest with anyone anymore.
“What if you’re my mate?”
“Then I feel sorry for you.” She laughed. Inside was a different story, though. Being the mate of a royal vampire was not part of the plan, and she needed him to pick someone else. She stopped them on their walk across the dance floor, which was mostly empty, and said, “I’m no catch. You don’t want me. Not really.”
“Dance with me?” His dark eyes bored into her heart and wouldn’t let her go.
For the first time Charlotte realized that people all around the room were staring at her. The first thought she had was to run, but that would only make everything more suspicious, and that was the last thing she wanted. Instead of following her instincts, she slipped her hand into his and stepped closer to him. When he began pulling and pushing her this way and that, she started to relax and actually enjoy herself.
The three of them must have had more than just a few dance lessons as children to be able to move so effortlessly. Unless they were old enough to have learned the dances when they were new? They were vampires after all.
“How old are you?” she blurted without thinking.
Owen chuckled and smiled slowly. “How old do you think I am?”
“Thirty?”
“Not quite. Three hundred would be closer.”
“There’s so much I don’t know about vampires. There aren’t enough books about you in the library that aren’t total fiction.”
“I’m glad to answer any questions you have if you answer mine. Quid pro quo, Charlotte,” he said, before making a weird sucking noise. She recognized it immediately from a human movie.
Charlotte couldn’t keep the laugh from bubbling out of her. The sound of it startled her. It had been so long since anyone had made her laugh.
“Why did that make you sad?” Owen asked quietly as he gazed down at her.
“I don’t have many reasons to laugh these days, so thank you for that.”
“Why not?”
She thought for a moment as he moved them around the floor. “That’s not something I can tell you. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. We barely know each other. As Silas pointed out this morning, you’re entitled to your secrets until we earn your trust.”
She looked up at him through her lashes, trying to decide why he was telling her that, but the more she got to know Owen, the more she felt that he was guileless. It was almost like once he decided he trusted someone, he didn’t see any reason to keep anything from them.
“You guys were talking about me?” she asked. Her curiosity was piqued, and she wondered if there was more to it than what she had overheard.
“Yes, you were quite the topic this morning, especially given how you fled last night. You made Julian quite suspicious, but Silas and I both think that whatever it is you’re hiding, it’s just something you can’t trust us with yet.” He shrugged one shoulder and then, without warning, spun her out and away from h
im, only to spin her back in and closer than before.
Charlotte giggled. Even though she’d danced with Silas the night before, this was more fun. Silas always seemed like he had something to prove as the youngest of the triplets by a few minutes, or at least, that was what she was told, but then again, they thought she was human too. It was something that she saw mirrored in herself. Victor was the golden child, whereas she had always just been a political pawn. She wrenched her mind away from the past and looked up into Owen’s dark eyes.
Mischief gleamed in their depths, and she knew that this wasn’t the kind of dancing he enjoyed. A good salsa or merengue would liven things up.
“Wait here a moment?” she asked.
His brow wrinkled in confusion as Charlotte darted away, moving as quickly as she could in her dress, given how tight it was around her thighs. Once she got to the DJ booth and had a short, direct conversation with the man in charge of the music, she knew they were going in the direction she wanted. The only problem was her dress. She could hardly walk in it, let alone dance.
She could take a risk and use magic without her blood to bolster it, which could make it a little uncertain, or she could prick her finger in a room full of vampires and get what she wanted in one go. Either way, the people around her would be aware of the power being used, and it could put her at risk of being exposed.
When she glanced back across the crowd and locked eyes with Owen, she knew it didn’t matter. He would keep her safe. Some gut instinct told her that, along with the fact that she wanted to jump his bones. Not that she’d ever get the chance, but it was a nice daydream.
Charlotte pressed the side of her ring and pricked her finger, quickly smearing the blood on the inside of her mouth. She ran her hand down the side of the skirt material, and it split under her fingers like butter under a knife. As she turned and walked back to Owen, the freedom of movement that her little stunt gave her was enough that she knew she’d be able to dance, and they could have some fun.
Holidays Bite: A Limited Edition Collection of Holiday Vampire Tales Page 48