The Vampire Wish

by Michelle Madow

“What?” She backed away, her forehead creased with hurt, her fists clenched by her sides. “Why do you want me to pretend we never met?”

  Annika

  “It’s for the best,” Jake said, his intense gaze not leaving mine. “You’re going to erase me from your memory completely.”

  I took the book and tossed it onto the blankets. “I don’t understand,” I said, wanting—no, needing—to get to the bottom of this. “Is this connected to why you ran away from the vampire guards?”

  “Yes.” The intensity left his gaze, and it turned into something else. Confusion.

  I thought back on the entire night—dancing with him, the guards showing up, and bringing him here. I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. He just stood there, watching me.

  Something wasn’t adding up. And there was no way I was going to forget we ever met. I couldn’t forget him, not even if I wanted to.

  “I put myself at risk bringing you here tonight.” I crossed my arms, irritated now. “The least you can do is give me some answers.”

  “I can’t.” His eyes darted around the attic, as if searching for a way out. “I have to go.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “Home,” he replied. “And if you’re thinking about trying to follow me—don’t.”

  I took a step back, rejection and hurt swirling through my chest. I didn’t get it. As silly as it sounded, I’d felt a connection with Jake while we were dancing. I wouldn’t have taken him here if I hadn’t. I’d thought he felt it, too. After all, he was the one who’d asked me to dance. He was the one who’d agreed to come with me, and who seemed to be enjoying spending time with me. Now he wanted me to forget him?

  What could he possibly be involved with that would make him scared of the vampires?

  Unless we broke one of their rules, the vampires protected the humans in the village. They needed to, since we were their food.

  The only reason to be scared of them was if you’d broken one of their laws and feared being taken to the dungeon.

  “Are they trying to arrest you?” I asked. “Is that why you needed to run?”

  “No,” he said curtly.

  “Then why did you need to hide from them?”

  “I can’t tell you that.” He looked away from me, his expression hard.

  “I’ll keep your secret.” I stepped closer and took his hand in mine, hoping it would convince him to open up to me and stay. “I promise.”

  He hesitated, and for a moment I thought I’d convinced him—that he was going to tell me what he was hiding.

  “I can’t.” He pulled his hand out of mine, and my heart fell at his rejection. “But I do have a question for you.”

  “Okay.” I straightened, hoping that this question would get me closer to figuring out some answers.

  “Do you—or the others at the Tavern—have access to wormwood?” he asked.

  “No,” I said instantly. “We’re not allowed to have wormwood. You know that. If it’s in our system, our blood tastes bad to the vampires.”

  “I wasn’t asking if you ingested wormwood,” he said. “I was asking if you have access to it. Or if you’re wearing it right now.”

  “No,” I repeated, and I took a step back, unsure what was going on. We truly didn’t have any wormwood here—if we were found with it, it was grounds for being taken to the dungeons.

  Was he working undercover for the vampires? Did they suspect that the Tavern was growing wormwood and were sending him to investigate?

  I didn’t know why they would do that instead of simply storming the Tavern themselves.

  Unless he was trying to get wormwood himself? Maybe he was trying to rebel against the vampires?

  Maybe he wanted to attempt escape?

  “Why are you asking?” I spoke slowly and softly, hoping it would help him open up to me. “Whatever it is, you can trust me. I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

  “I know I can trust you,” he said.

  “Then tell me what’s going on,” I begged. “So I can help you.”

  “You’ve already done more than enough,” he said. “My problems are my own, and I can handle them from here.”

  “So you’re leaving?” I asked. “Just like that?”

  “I have to.”

  Clearly I wasn’t going to get any more information out of him tonight. But at the same time, for reasons I didn’t understand, I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing him again. If we never saw each other again, I would fear the worst—that he’d been imprisoned, or that he’d tried to escape and had been killed by the wolves. I would always blame myself for not trying harder to help him right now.

  “I know you asked me to forget you, but I can’t do that,” I said, forcing myself to stay strong. “So before you go, can you answer one more question?”

  “Depends on what that question is.” He smirked.

  It took everything in me not to chuckle—his comment was exactly what I would have said in response to that question—but I remained serious. “Will I ever see you again?” I asked.

  He studied me, and I could tell he was thinking carefully about his response. “Yes,” he finally said. “You can count on it.”

  Then he hurried across the room and thrust himself out of the window, moving so fast that I didn’t have time to tell him to be careful.

  By the time I looked out to make sure he’d gotten down safely, he was gone.

  Jacen

  I sped through the outskirts of the village, as far as I could go without crossing the boundary of the Vale. It had been so long since I’d run free like this, and it felt good.

  It allowed me to think. Mainly about Annika.

  Why hadn’t my compulsion worked on her?

  Perhaps I was so spellbound in her presence that I hadn’t been able to focus enough while compelling her? I supposed that would make sense… except that I’d felt the magic rushing through my system as I’d spoken. The compulsion should have worked. I may not have been a vampire for long, but I knew that.

  I also knew that she couldn’t be immune to compulsion. The only creatures on Earth who were immune were the original vampires and the vampires they’d sired. And I was positive that Annika wasn’t either of those.

  She must have been lying about the wormwood.

  That was why I’d promised we would see each other again—because I planned on figuring out a way to get her to remove whatever wormwood talisman she wore, and then I would successfully compel her to forget me.

  Otherwise, she would eventually find out who I was. After all, Laila wasn’t going to keep me locked in the palace forever. And if she was serious about finding me a bride and making a giant spectacle of it, all of the humans in the village would soon see the face of their new vampire prince. Including Annika.

  I didn’t want her to know I’d lied to her. But more importantly, I didn’t want her to try convincing me to turn her. Because after hearing her speak with such conviction about how much she wished to be a vampire, I had a feeling that nothing short of death would stop her from trying to get what she wanted.

  Also, I wanted to see Annika again. She made me feel more alive than I’d felt since being turned into a vampire, and I didn’t want to lose that feeling.

  “Jacen?” someone called from nearby, stopping me in my tracks.

  I turned around and saw Daniel, my main guard. He was joined by Zachary and Elijah—they’d been three of the guards who had appeared at the Christmas Eve celebration at the village.

  They surrounded me, waiting for an explanation.

  “The three of you never saw me here,” I told them, feeling the magic of compulsion flow through my body and out of my voice. “Now, run back to the palace and let me be on my way.”

  “Not going to work this time.” Daniel pulled a chain necklace out from under his shirt—dangling from it was a clear gem with a green plant sealed inside. Wormwood.

  The other two pulled out necklaces of their own, revealing ma
tching talismans.

  “Queen Laila’s not going to be happy when she finds out you’re wearing those,” I said.

  “Doubtful.” Daniel smirked. “Seeing that she gave them to us and ordered us to find you.”

  “So she knows I’m gone?” I asked, although the better question was if she knew how many people I’d compelled on my way out.

  “She does,” Daniel said, and the three of them stepped closer, the threat clear. Do what they asked, or fight. “And she’s waiting in the palace to see you.”

  Jacen

  Sure enough, Laila was sitting in her office, typing so fast on her laptop that the clicking of the keys whizzed together.

  “Jacen.” She lowered the screen and smiled at me. “I heard you had a little adventure tonight.” Then she looked at the guards, holding out a hand to them. “But before we hear about it—the stones.”

  They removed the necklaces and handed them to her.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Now, where were we? Oh yes—Jacen’s adventure. Please, tell me what happened.” She dropped the necklaces onto her desk and leaned back in her chair, making herself comfortable. “I do love a good story.”

  And so, I told her everything.

  Except for meeting Annika and escaping with her from the square to hide in the attic of the Tavern.

  According to my story, I’d hung out at the square, observing the humans there, and left after spotting the guards. I’d made my way to the edge of the village and spent some time in the forest near the boundary of the Vale before returning to the palace, which was where the guards had found me.

  Laila’s eyes twinkled as she listened. “Very interesting,” she said once I was done. “Guards—you can leave now. Thank you for doing your duty and bringing Prince Jacen back home.”

  They nodded and left the room.

  Once they were gone, she stared at me for a few seconds, saying nothing.

  It took all my willpower to stop myself from fidgeting under her gaze, but I stayed strong. She might be a centuries year old vampire queen, but I would not let her intimidate me.

  The only thing Laila hated more than disobedience was weakness.

  “Impressive,” she finally said, and I blinked, unsure if I’d heard correctly.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “You heard me,” she said. “I was wondering how much longer you were going to accept being kept inside the palace walls. If you’d waited a few weeks longer to attempt escape, I would have started to question my decision to turn you into a vampire prince. After all, a complacent prince is a boring prince, don’t you think?”

  “Seriously?” I said, my tone laced with anger. “This was all some kind of twisted test?”

  “Of course.” She smiled. “And you passed. With flying colors, I might add, since as far as I’m aware, no humans were harmed during your adventure. Congratulations.”

  I assumed she wanted me to thank her, but I refused to give her the pleasure. “Will I now be allowed to roam the Vale as I please?” I asked instead.

  “Soon,” she said, tapping her fingers on the desk. “But first, we need to present you to the kingdom.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, although I was secretly glad she hadn’t brought up the topic of wanting me to find a bride again.

  “You’re hardly the first potential vampire prince that I’ve turned,” she said with a musical laugh. “Throughout the centuries, I’ve identified many human specimens who had potential to become princes of the Vale.”

  “Such as Scott and Alexander,” I said, naming the “brothers” who I’d barely spoken to during my time in the palace.

  “Of course,” she said. “Haven’t you wondered why they haven’t made much of an effort to get to know you? You are brothers after all.”

  “They worried I would take my own life because I couldn’t handle the transition,” I said curtly. “Like many others have before me.”

  “You’re only partially correct.” She brought her hair over her shoulders and smiled, as if preparing for another revelation. “It’s true that many humans I’ve turned have taken their own lives. But there are other ways they’ve been eliminated.”

  “What sort of ways?” I asked, since that was the only one I’d heard of thus far.

  “Only the strongest humans come close to qualifying to being turned into a vampire prince,” she said. “And, as you also know—from your own experience—the stronger a vampire is, the harder it is to control the bloodlust.”

  “And?” I asked, since she wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.

  “We cannot have a prince of the Vale who’s unable to control his bloodlust.”

  “So what?” I asked, but then I paused, realization dawning on me. “If I hadn’t gotten control of my bloodlust, you were going to kill me,” I said, having a dreadful feeling that I was correct.

  Her pause confirmed my suspicion.

  The only thing keeping me from attempting to strangle her right there was knowing that she was one of the strongest vampires in the world, with centuries of fighting experience, and that if I tried anything her guards would be here in a second.

  “Like I said, it would be unacceptable to have a prince of the Vale who was unable to control his bloodlust,” she repeated. “I nearly ended you after your attack on the village. But it was the first time one of my princes made it past the guards and to the village, and it was so soon after your transition. You held so much promise that I simply couldn’t allow it. No—I had to see if you lived up to your potential. Even if just to satiate my own curiosity.”

  “How many others have there been?” I asked, refusing to give into her obvious attempt at goading me to thank her for letting me live.

  “Between you and Alexander?” she asked, since he was the youngest of my two “brothers.” “A few. They all went mad from the bloodlust. Once they reached the point of no return, if they didn’t kill themselves I had the guards take care of it for them. Or, if they were taking so long to adjust to the bloodlust that it was clear they would never get control over themselves, I had them taken care of as well. But this past week—by proving you’re able to control yourself while feeding on humans, by mastering compulsion to escape the palace, and by not murdering any humans while you were out in the village—you’ve proven yourself a worthy prince. Finally.”

  “So you’re not going to kill me,” I said, my voice hollow.

  “Not anytime soon.” She chuckled.

  I stood completely still, more on guard than ever. If I didn’t realize it earlier, I now had no doubt—Laila had no humanity left in her.

  If she ever had any at all.

  “Relax,” she said, and she stood up, walking around her desk to face me. “You’re about to become an official prince of the Vale. I expected you to be happy to hear the news.”

  “I would be,” I said through gritted teeth. “But you still haven’t brought up your previous request for me to find a bride, and I know it isn’t because you’ve forgotten. And as an official prince, I would like to have more say in who I marry and when.”

  “Oh, you will definitely still be choosing a bride, and soon.” She narrowed her eyes, as if daring me to challenge her. When I didn’t give into the bait, she continued, “But first things first. Because in one week, we’ll throw a party to officially present you to kingdom. Afterward, you’ll be able to roam the Vale as you please.”

  I should have been rejoicing. After all, she was giving me what I’d wanted—freedom from the palace walls.

  But all I could do was wonder what Annika’s reaction would be when she realized who I truly was. Which only gave me more incentive to get her to admit to having wormwood, and having her remove it so I could compel her to forget me.

  And now I only had one week to get it done.

  Camelia

  I sat on my bed in my room, hunched over the seeing crystal that the human boy had snatched in his failed mission to the Crystal Cavern. Each day the visions I
saw in the crystal were becoming more and more clear.

  I knew by now that the person who could successfully free Geneva was a girl. The crystal had shown her to me from a distance, or from behind, or as blurred image—but I still hadn’t gotten a clear view of her face. All I knew was that she was pale, short, and slender, with dark brown hair… and that she lived in the human village. But I couldn’t exactly order every human who lived there to attempt to enter the Crystal Cavern. No—I needed to know precisely who I was searching for.

  I also knew that whoever she was, she stole food from vampires. I’d seen it in the crystal. It appalled me that a thief was destined to obtain Geneva’s sapphire ring, but what would be would be. And I supposed it was a good thing, in the long run. Her criminal activities would provide the perfect reason to capture her and get her to do my bidding.

  But first, I needed to see exactly who she was.

  I’d been resting my magic as much as possible for the past few days—as much as I could, given that it was my responsibility to keep the boundary around the Vale. But I had been lessening the magic I’d been using on temperature control. A few older humans hadn’t survived because of it, but oh well—the sacrifices were worth it for the possibility of freeing Geneva.

  Especially because the rest made it so my magic felt stronger today than it had been in a long time.

  And so, I gazed into the crystal and said, “Show me the face of the one who can enter the Crystal Cavern and free Geneva.”

  An image started to form in the crystal, blurry at first, but soon it sharpened around the edges. I saw a room—no, a crawlspace—with bookshelves and blankets and a tiny window. Below the window was a blurry form of the girl.

  I dug deep into my magic, forcing it to rise within me and throwing all of it at the crystal. As I did, the scene sharpened from the outward in, and the shape of the girl finally became clear.

  I gasped upon seeing her face. Because she was the girl who’d been with the boy the night he’d killed the wolf in the village.