by G. Bailey
“My son, Easton, will take you all to your rooms.” Harold waves a hand towards the man who hasn’t said a word. Easton has short, blond hair, slightly shorter than Wyatt and a younger looking face. He seems okay.
“Thank you, Harold,” Wyatt says and Harold bows once more before leaving. I watch him move through the doors, and I see a girl about my age walking down the steps, on the side of the courtyard, from the corner of my eye. She looks like a zombie as she walks into the castle past us all. I was so busy watching her, I don’t notice that Drake has been talking to Wyatt.
“Leigha is staying in the room next to yours, and I will take the other side with Alex,” he says.
“That’s best,” Wyatt says quietly as he watches me. His gaze goes to the girl just before she turns around the corner, and he looks back at me. His expression is neutral, and yet I feel he wants to say something to me. I look away and notice that Leigha is staring at me. She is stunning now that we are closer. Her hair is pitch-black, and it suits her toned, dark-gold skin. She has her hair braided in the top half, and the rest is down. She has the dark vampire eyes, a light row of freckles over her nose, and big, pouty lips. She looks a little like a doll, but her expression tells me she’s not friendly. I can see the similarities to Drake; they both have the dark hair, but Drake has a lighter skin colour.
“Winter, let me show you around my home,” Wyatt says and Harold’s son, Easton, comes running over.
“My prince, I was told to take you to your room first.”
“You don’t need to. You will follow Drake to whatever place he wants and then tell anyone that asks that you did your job. Understood?” Wyatt asks. The power surrounding his words is almost too much for me to bear. I remember feeling the pressure in my head before when he used his powers. It’s just the same now.
I feel like a bug being squashed, and he isn’t even using it on me. I wonder what it’s like for humans to have it used on them. I remember when we first met, he tried to get me to dance with him. If I were human, I would have.
“Yes, my prince,” Easton replies robotically and turns to Drake. It looks like he will wait forever for whatever Drake asks him to do. Wyatt’s power is scary.
“Do you use your power a lot on humans?” I ask him.
“No. Only when I feel they’re scared of me and need to relax. Most humans can sense there’s something dangerous about me.”
“Is that why you tried to get me to dance when we first met?” I ask. Everyone is listening to our conversation other than Drake, who is talking to Easton.
“Yes, you looked like a little mouse about to get eaten. I wanted you to talk to me, and the way you were watching the dancers,” he shrugs as I look at him. “I thought you liked dancing,” he says and kisses my hand.
“I don’t, I have two left feet,” I say, making him smile slightly at me.
“Come with me Winter, time for me to show you my home,” Wyatt says as he holds his hand in front of him, and I walk ahead. Wyatt moves an arm around my waist, and we walk into the vampire castle. The last place I want to be.
Chapter Eight
Winter
The inside of the castle is just what I expected it to be. We first walk into a long corridor with large stairs on each end. The decor looks like something out of the Middle Ages; a long, red, patterned rug stretches down the hallway on wooden floors. There are no photos or paintings on the castle walls. The place just seems empty. The lack of sounds is what is indeed strange, there are no footsteps of people or sounds of conversation in the air.
“This way,” Wyatt whispers to me, and he walks us down the left corridor and up the stairs. I see several doors down the hall, but they’re all closed. There’s also a staircase going down under the stairs that I see.
The room we go into is far bigger. It’s a big library with many bookcases lining the three walls, they have ladders to reach the highest level. The decor is cosy with soft-brown walls and dark, wooden floors. I spot a fireplace in the corner of the room–next to a few cosy chairs. There’s a massive, red and brown rug in the middle of the chamber and seven sofas placed around. There are many chairs dotted around too. The place just seems comfy, and the two huge windows let in enough light without having to use electric lights. There are two large chandeliers above that look electrical, so I can guess the castle is wired up somehow.
“This is the royal library. The history of our race and all the others is in here,” Wyatt tells me and walks to the window of the room. It’s so tall and overlooks a massive garden that must be in the middle of the castle. The garden is bursting with different colours, it’s such a contrast to the grey castle and white snow on the ground.
“The royal gardens,” Wyatt fills in my unasked question.
“Lovely,” I say as I look around. The roses lining the opposite wall are the main attraction, with a water fountain in front of them. There are two people sitting on the edge of the fountain.
“Much like you, Sweetheart,” Wyatt says making my heart tighten as I look over at him. Wyatt watches me carefully, the haunted man I have come to know doesn’t seem so haunted anymore. I wonder how much it will affect to him to know what Demi and Jaxson hid from him. Will he hate me for keeping it secret until I can tell him?
We walk around the rest of the castle. Wyatt shows me the five living areas, a corridor full of rooms which he said houses most of the council and their families. He tells me the rest of the vampires live outside the castle on the other side, that part isn’t attached to the castle. Wyatt takes me to the right aspect of the castle and through a few doors until we get to a row of five rooms. I’d never be able to find my way back here, this place is like a maze.
“This is mine,” Wyatt says as he opens the door in the middle. I walk in as he holds it open, and my jaw drops at the massive room. There are three large windows and one large, glass door that looks like it opens to a balcony that overlooks the forest. The room has a large, four-poster wooden bed with white sheets that look new, and they match the white walls. There are three doors in the chambers and I guess they are for wardrobes and a bathroom. The room is relatively new, it doesn’t fit the old theme of the castle, but I like it.
“I don’t have any clothes,” I mumble as Wyatt shuts the door.
“It’s all taken care of, Winter,” Wyatt says as he looks around the room, his face trying to hide some pain from me. The problem is that I’m starting to know him too well, the way he clenches his fists. The vacant look his eyes have when he’s thinking of something wrong. When he’s thinking of Demi.
“You okay?” I ask him. He doesn’t look at me as he answers.
“I haven’t been back here since I took Demi. Once I realised who she was, I trashed this room. I grew up with her, just thinking she was a normal wolf until my father bragged to everyone at a party that he had the prince of the wolves’ half-sister,” he says and walks over to the window.
“I took her to Jaxson the next day, and my father thought that she had just escaped. I had to leave her there and come back here, I couldn’t go back into this room before today, and someone has replaced everything in it.”
“Wyatt.”
“I stayed next to my father’s side, until I found out, she was dead. I found out when her body was thrown in front of my Dad,” he tells me.
I don’t know how to tell him how sorry I am for his loss. I want to tell him about Freddy, but I can’t find the right words to say. “Who killed her?” I ask instead.
“Talen, he’s one of the council, and you’ve seen him before. He came to get you for my father, the one with the red crown marked on his head,” he tells me, and I suppress a shiver at the memory of the big man with the dead look in his eyes.
“He’s my father’s closest friend and does anything he asks. I want you to stay far away from him. If he speaks to you, tell me.” Wyatt says.
“I will,” I say, and we go silent for a while. “Jaxson will kill him one day,” I say, more of a thought than something
I wanted to say out loud. I remember the promise Jaxson made when I first started to get to know him better. Jaxson wouldn’t hesitate.
“I’ll help. I wanted to kill him so many times, but I couldn’t. Not without leaving Jaxson’s pack alone to find him. It took everything in me not to kill him when he came for you. I cared about saving you more,” he admits and looks back at me.
“You stayed all that time in town to protect Jaxson?” I ask, my voice like a whisper.
“He may hate me, but he needed my help. I didn’t stay for Demi, I stayed for my stubborn brother that wouldn’t speak to me,” Wyatt says, and I stare at him. He loves Jaxson like family, they all do. They might not show it because, well they are guys, but I can see it. I can feel the love through our strange bond when he speaks of Jaxson.
“He should know,” I mumble as I move closer to him. There are a lot of things both these men need to know. I lift my hand and place it on his shoulder.
“We have other things to worry about now. Like making sure no one knows who you are and getting you out of this hell hole alive.” Wyatt says.
“Should we even talk about that in here?” I ask.
“The room is warded. There’s a crystal built into the wall, no one can hear what’s said in here. This is the only place we can discuss private matters,” Wyatt says as he walks up to me. I let him undo my coat, it drops to the floor as he pulls my damp hair off my shoulders. I breathe in his calming scent, which makes me want to rub myself all over him. That’s a bizarre thought, but it’s true. Since I woke up all I’ve wanted is to be close to him. The same feelings I have for all four of them. Wyatt’s blond hair is damp from the snow, and the darkness of his black coat bounces off the great, dark eyes that are currently watching my own. The slight dimples in his cheeks appear as he smirks at me. I’m sure he knows how attracted I am to him at the moment. I want to blame it all on the prophecy, and any other reason other than me, being a normal girl attracted to an insanely hot guy. That’s all it is, the prophecy may have guided them to me but that’s it. The rest is us, how I feel about them all and how much I care. I should tell Wyatt about my odd dreams of the past and how Elissa mentioned a prophecy.
“I have to tell you something,” I start, planning to tell him all about my weird dreams when the door is knocked upon.
The door swings open and Drake’s sister walks in, shutting the door behind her. She’s changed into black leggings and a short black shirt that shows off her flat stomach. There isn’t even one curve, totally unfair. I could never pull that outfit off.
“My prince and his mate, I’m sorry to be rude but I wish to speak to the princess,” she says with a slight Russian accent like Drake’s. I turn to see her watching me and not Wyatt. It’s clear the question was for me, alone.
“Why?” Wyatt asks, and his voice doesn’t sound happy at us being interrupted.
“It’s okay, Wyatt. I’m kind of hungry, could you get us something to eat?” I ask.
“You hurt a hair on her head, and I will take yours off. Drake’s sister or not,” Wyatt warns her. He walks over to me and takes my head in his hands as he gently kisses me.
“Always teasing,” I whisper.
“Could you handle more?” Wyatt whispers against my lips. I can’t reply as he lets go and walks out of the room.
“We haven’t met, I’m Winter.” I hold out a hand to her and she shakes it tightly.
“I’m Leigha. I want to make a deal with you,” she says, getting straight to the point. The girl doesn’t seem like she wastes any time on being nice.
“One Wyatt wouldn't approve of?” I ask with a smile.
“Yes. I will teach you how to fight and how to use your powers.”
“How do you know I have any powers?”
“My gift is to see other gifts, I can tell what they are from one touch,” She touches my shoulder. Her eyes start glowing black like I’ve seen Wyatt’s do before she lets go.
“Well, well Princess, don’t you have a few secrets?” she says without an ounce of a smile.
“If you repeat any,” I warn.
“I wouldn’t. I’m not stupid, and I know who you are,” she tells me.
I wonder who she thinks I am, and if she knows about the prophecy. “What did you sense?” I ask her and cross my arms.
“The power to move things, perfect aim, a weird connection with animals, and something else I can’t get a reading on,” she tells me. She looks as annoyed as me that she can’t tell me what the last one is. I guess she’s right, the aim thing I learnt with Jaxson. I apparently managed to move all the guys and furniture away from me when I got mad yesterday. I’ve always felt close or need to help animals so I guess that can be called a connection.
“You may be right,” I say.
“I will help you to learn how to fight like a vampire, how to protect yourself and you will take me with you when you leave. I don’t want to be sold to a bunch of stupid, old men that I don’t love. I would kill them first,” She tells me plainly as she walks towards the window of the bedroom.
“Why did you come here then? Why not run?” I ask her.
“Drake means everything to me. Our parents passed away last year, and I have no other family. Drake won’t leave Wyatt and his mate. I don’t want to make him, so I don’t have a choice.”
“Why do you think I can take you with me?”
“You’re a mate of the Prince. A princess here, and you’re allowed one person as your defender. If you name me as yours, you can take me with you and demand I don’t marry anyone,” she tells me.
“A defender?” I ask.
“Or protector. Whatever you want to call it, Drake is Wyatt’s,” she tells me, and I sit on the edge of the bed. This is a big decision, but I feel a little sorry for her. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose your parents and then be forced to marry some men you have never met.
“Can you fight?” I ask her.
“I can show you tomorrow,” she offers.
“I’ll think about it. I want to help you, but I can’t agree to something like this so quickly. I don’t know you.”
“I get it. I will help you and protect you. I only ask that you protect me, too. There’s something going on in this castle,” she says.
“Like what?” I ask her.
“Have you heard of mini-demons?” she asks me.
“Yes, well, kind of, once,” I think back to Harris telling me about them. He said that witches have them as familiars, and there were other types.
“Well they are pests, but some of them will talk for some decent alcohol. I’m not joking, they love to get drunk. Anyway, one of the castle towers has a problem with them. There are hundreds up there, and they see everything in the castle,” she says.
“You think we should ask them?” I say as I realise what she’s thinking of.
“Yes, they look a little scary until they show their true form, but they speak some English," she tells me.
“Why do you need me then?” I ask her.
“They are stuck-up, little fuckers,” she says.
“What?” I laugh, not expecting her to say that.
“They won’t speak to me. They like royalty, and I want to know what they know. Will you help?” she asks, and I think of Atti saying the king was up to something, and that’s why he is coming to the court.
“Okay, but we will need a big distraction,” I say, thinking what we could do.
“That’s something we need to think on, and if you have an idea let me know. I'll leave you to your prince.”
“When will we go?” I ask her.
“You are too watched at the moment, but, in a little while, they will get lazy and bored of seeing you,” she replies before she walks past me out the door without a goodbye. I don’t disagree with her.
Wyatt comes back into the room a little later as I stare out the windows. The forest looks so peaceful, like a white wonderland. It reminds me of my dreams of Elissa and how they always have snow aroun
d. I wonder if she’s trying to warn me of something.
I turn as Wyatt puts a hand on my shoulder, and I look up at him.
“I found chocolate cake,” he says, making my dreams come true. Who wouldn’t want a hot guy who brings you a chocolate cake?
“You are amazing,” I mumble as I practically run over to the tray on our bed. There are two bowls of a red-looking soup and two plates of chocolate cake.
“What flavour is the soup?”
“Just tomato. If you want blood, you only need to ask,” Wyatt smirks as I look back at him.
“Where do you keep the blood bags?” I ask him, and he shifts uncomfortably.
“We have human slaves, Winter, but I don’t expect you to feed on them. I don’t either, but if anyone asks you, you feed on them, alright?” I nod and remember the girl I saw.
“Slaves like the zombie girl I saw outside?” I ask him. I lose my appetite for food as I remember her face.
“Yes,” he says only, a clear warning in his eyes. I don’t think he likes me questioning him on this.
“Do they have any choice? Do they enjoy being snacked on all the time and used as a food source?” I asked crossing my arms as my anger rises.
“My kind will feed on them here and in front of you if they want,” he tells me. “I told you once that my kind isn’t right. What did you think you were walking into, Sweetheart?” he asks with a hint of sarcasm.
“I don’t know. How many slaves do you have here? How many humans like me?” I ask him.
“Hundreds live in the basement housing, and you are not human,” he answers, his dark eyes glowing.
I want to scream at him for not feeling anything for those people. “Hundreds,” I echo his words.
“My kind will feed on them in front of you. It’s just their way, and you cannot show them the disgust you are showing me now,” he tells me.
“It’s wrong!” I shout. “How can you think it’s right? They are people, and you keep them here for food. Can your kind not work out a way to feed on blood bags? It’s not right, and you can’t tell me how to react. If I look disgusted it’s because I am, I won’t change who I am to keep some selfish vampires happy,” I say, my mind going fuzzy with anger.