“Yes, ma’am. Have a good day,” Doc said, his eyes greedily studying me before the three of them disappeared out of the room.
When I turned back to Colt, the whole world seemed to close in, leaving just the two of us. The way he was looking at me was scandalous, and the way my body was reacting was equally so. As though time itself had ground to a halt around us, I watched, mesmerized by the man in front of me as he slowly moved closer, evidently having undone his bonds while I was turned away.
His dark eyes had the familiar red tint to the brown that denoted a freshly fed vampire. There was something else in them as well, though, a spark of lust and desire. When he was less than an inch away from my face, he said, “I’m going to kiss you unless you tell me not to.”
It was a peculiar statement. Maybe it was common for men of this time to declare their intentions, or maybe he was worried that I was inexperienced in the ways of love and physical intimacy. Either way, I found it oddly endearing. If those were his concerns, I would explain my childhood to him later, but in that moment, all I cared about was him following through on his declaration.
His lips brushed against mine as we shared the same air for a moment. I felt as though I was being pulled toward him, and when we connected, it was like the world clicked back into place. The funny thing was I was usually the predator, used to being in control of the situation because no one wanted to upset the princess, but not this time.
Colt nudged me, and I lay back on the bed, everything about me tingling in anticipation as he moved up my body, kissing every inch of exposed flesh.
“You’re alive,” he breathed, as though the thought had finally registered with him that the last thing we had talked about was me giving myself to the sun.
“So are you,” I said.
“Thanks to you.”
“I was the one who almost killed you,” I said, frowning at how he was contorting events.
“Only because I let you, because touching you feels like standing in a sunbeam on a summer day, because you smell like the sweetest flower, because you feel like silk against my hands, and because you taste like the nectar of the gods,” he whispered as he continued to kiss his way up my body even over my clothes.
When he got to the crook of my neck, he paused. Biting someone was intimate, and yet he’d let me bite him in the maze garden because he didn’t want me to die. All I wanted in that moment was to give him what he craved. I tilted my head to the side and exposed the long line of my neck to him. The growl that slid between his lips did nothing to scare me; it only heightened my desire for him.
His lips traced a flurry of kisses around the spot where he would sink his fangs, and all I wanted to do was feel him inside me, taking my life force into himself. He teased and licked and nibbled. It was only when I writhed under him and breathed, “Please,” that he bit down.
Fangs punched through my skin and into the vein that pulsed just below the surface. I made the most unladylike noise full of need and lust. Blood rushed out of me and into his mouth.
I half expected him to pull away, my royal blood being too much for him to take, but he just locked his lips onto me even tighter, not letting a single drop escape. When he pulled away a few moments later, I felt light-headed and as though all the walls of propriety that had been built up around me for centuries were crumbling and falling away until there were just the two of us left.
He moved to look me in the eye, blood smeared over his mouth and chin, with his fangs fully distended and scraping against his bottom lip. I leaned forward and licked my blood off his face, tracing his lips with my tongue until all that was left was his fangs. When I licked those, too, a shudder ran through him. He pulled away slightly and leaned down to my neck once more, closing the wound and cleaning up the skin that surrounded it.
“You taste like all of my favorite things combined, like good whiskey,” he growled.
“Colt, that’s just because it’s royal blood.” I wasn’t sure how to explain it without sounding like a stuck-up princess. “If I could have revived you with it, I would have, but royal blood is intense, and I didn’t want you to become an addict with the amount I’d have to give you.”
The reason the royals didn’t let anyone feed off them was because their blood was more potent, richer, than any other vampire’s. We weren’t royal by accident, and we certainly weren’t elected officials. No, we were the strongest and the fastest, the ones with the purest bloodlines that had the most of whatever it was that made vampires what they were in their blood. If given too much, others would crave it and be unable to resist or to leave the alpha vampire’s side. Everyone had an innate ability to put up token resistance to the alpha vampire’s compulsion, but most never stood a chance of succeeding, and if they had royal blood in their system, the chances were even lower. We were the apex predator, even within our own kind.
“I appreciate the gesture, and that may have something to do with it, but it’s also just because it’s you. Do you have any idea how much I had to focus on not getting an erection when you fed off me in front of everyone at court?” He snorted with laughter. “The things I thought to try to prevent it . . . They’ll haunt me for a while.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. I’d never had a man admit such an attraction to me.
“You’re more beautiful than a goddess when you smile. Did you know that?” he asked, as he propped himself up on one arm and reached to stroke my face with his other hand.
“Now that’s the blood talking.”
“Not even a little. I thought it was true the moment you first smiled at me.”
I didn’t know what to say. I had the vaguest sense that this was how men and women sometimes talked to each other, but I had never been in a true relationship before. I’d flirted, had my share of lovers, but never had anything where feelings were involved. That would have sent my parents into a tizzy.
I gave Colt a little push and rolled the two of us so I was on top of him before leaning down to kiss him once more. He was so decadent. All I wanted was to vanish into the world with him, but I couldn’t shirk my responsibilities of keeping the vampires of England in order. Part of me, a part that I didn’t act on often enough, told me that my uncle was a danger not only to myself but to my people as well. I wouldn’t leave them at his mercy just to satisfy my personal desires. That wasn’t how I was raised.
“Tell me about the world. Tell me about our people and what I’ve missed while I was asleep.”
Colt blew out a breath. “I’d be better off showing you,” he said, all happiness gone from his expression.
“Is it that bad?”
“No, it’s just, well . . . There were a lot of dark moments, especially for our people, but there were some bright moments as well.”
“Was my uncle not a just ruler?” I asked, feeling as though I already knew the answer but needing to hear it from someone else.
“King Theodore has specific ways that he likes things done. He didn’t hesitate to make those known to everyone at court by making examples of those who didn’t follow his rules.”
“King Theodore?”
“That’s how we have to address him.”
“He is only a regent. No one should address him as king. That is my father and my future mate’s title once I take the throne.”
“I hate to break this to you, princess, but I don’t think he intends to give up the throne.”
“I had the same feeling when I first saw him sitting there. He looked far too comfortable. I take solace in the fact that he won’t be for long.”
“Blair, I hate to even ask this, but have you considered the fact that the argument between the mage and your uncle may have been an act? A show put on to make you more trusting of him?”
It hadn’t occurred to me, and it should have. Could my uncle really have set the whole thing up with Khidell to leave me unguarded against his urgings? Had I almost given myself to the sun because of his manipulations? The whole idea was too much. I pushed it f
rom my head and refocused on the man in bed with me. All I wanted was to enjoy the moment alone with him.
“My uncle is nothing if not devious,” I said quietly. “I could use someone such as yourself by my side while I retake the throne. I promise you’ll be amply rewarded,” I said as I rolled my hips.
“My lady, I will stand by your side, reward or no,” Colt said solemnly.
“What if I just want to explore this connection between us?” I asked, somewhat disappointed in his answer, even though I knew I shouldn’t be.
“Explore away. I would never deny you anything.”
The words he was saying were all correct, but I felt as though we had slipped back into a queen and her subject territory, and I didn’t want my position over him, no pun intended, to be the reason he was agreeing.
“Tell me what you want, Colt, not as your queen or princess, but as . . . your friend.” I landed on the term eventually, but it left a strange constricting feeling in my chest.
“Blair . . .”
The door flew open, and Kyra strode in as though she didn’t expect anyone to be there. When her eyes landed on me and tracked down to Colt, a blush rose hard and fast on her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Princess. I didn’t expect . . .” As she spoke, the blush turned an almost purple color.
I slowly climbed off Colt. “You didn’t expect what, Kyra?” I flashed over to the bedroom door, moving at my top speed, closing it before she could turn to leave. “Were you about to leave without answering my question?”
“Of course not, Blair,” she said.
I felt the lie run through me like a draft of cold air. Glancing over at Colt, I saw that he sensed the same thing.
“What’s going on, Kyra?” I asked, hoping that she would be honest with me for once.
“N-N-Nothing,” she stammered.
Colt snorted from the bed. “Don’t ever play poker.”
I wasn’t completely sure what his statement meant, but I could infer most of it, and he was right—my cousin was a terrible liar.
Chapter Eight
Blair
“I am asking you to hold true to the pact that we made as children. The one where we promised to be sisters to one another, to never keep secrets. Please, tell me what’s going on,” I said, desperate for any kind of indication as to the next steps I should take.
Kyra stood there, her lips quivering as tears began to trace down her cheeks. She looked like more of a princess than I did at that point, with her perfectly presentable clothes and her hair curled just so.
“Why can’t I feed from you?” I asked without thinking.
“We told you. The mage’s spell failed.”
“But it didn’t. I can, and have, fed from other people.” I watched as her eyes darted to Colt on the bed, the conclusion slowly dawning in them. I didn’t mind her drawing those conclusions. Let her. The only thing I had to be ashamed of was our relation and that my uncle was a rogue. “Colt, would you mind tasting her for me? I want to see if my theory is correct. I promise you can cleanse your palate after,” I said, shooting him a cheeky wink.
“Whatever my princess needs,” he said, rising from the bed and coming to stand next to Kyra, his tall, muscular form making her look frail and weak in comparison.
“Kyra, give him your wrist,” I said, still blocking the door.
“But—”
“Give. Him. Your. Wrist.” I ground the words out.
After a moment’s hesitation, she complied. Colt took her wrist and sniffed before sinking his fangs into her skin. The blood had barely started to flow when he pulled back, spitting the mouthful onto the ground.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You taste like death,” he said as he wiped his mouth.
“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Kyra said, her voice belying how defensive she was feeling.
“Bullshit. You were trying to poison Princess Blair, weren’t you? Make her think that the spell had failed and she’d go mad with hunger, when it hadn’t failed at all.”
“No!”
I wanted to walk away from her, forget that she ever existed, but I couldn’t. I knew if the door was an option, she would be out of it and running to reach her father so she could save her own skin.
“We were sisters,” I whispered.
“It was all my dad. I never wanted to do this to you,” she said, tears now running freely down her face.
“What did you do?”
“Khidell not only spelled you, but he made our blood poisonous. It was all set ahead of time. Father wanted it to look like you’d fallen victim to the mage’s curse, and when we confirmed that nothing could be done to save you, he felt sure that with a little encouragement, you would give yourself to the sun.”
I was stunned. I knew I shouldn’t be, but I was. Not only had my uncle been working against me, but he’d involved mages in our internal politics, something that was most definitely looked down on. Part of me wondered if he’d had something to do with why I couldn’t be woken up.
“What about the length of my black sleep?” I asked, unable to keep my train of thought to myself.
“I-I don’t know anything about that,” Kyra said.
“Are you sure?” Colt asked, pulling himself up to his full height and looking as threatening as possible, which was enough to unnerve even me.
“I swear on our pact that I don’t,” Kyra said.
“What about Khidell? Why did he work with you?” I asked.
“I don’t know. That was between him and the king,” she said as she snaked a hand under her hair and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Where is he?” Colt demanded as he edged closer to Kyra.
“He lives in London, off Kensington by Ladbroke Square Garden, but I don’t know which number house.”
“We can find him,” Colt said.
My heart skipped a beat at the implication. I knew when I had asked him to help me fight for the throne that he would stand by me, but I hadn’t expected him to actually help me track down the mage who did this to me, or to help me with my family. I watched him for a moment while Kyra just quaked in fear in front of us. Colt was strong, handsome, and had an amazing strength of character, which spoke to me on many levels. Plus, he was noble, which my father would love.
“Do not tell your uncle that I know what’s going on. I will have words for him later, but for now, I want to track down Khidell and make him undo whatever it was he did.”
My cousin gasped. “Blair, you can’t! He’ll kill you. You’re still too weak from the reawakening, and you can’t feed properly.”
I ignored her concern for my wellbeing and said, “Go back to your room, and if you have any respect for the bond that once existed between us, you will keep your mouth shut.”
“He’s too powerful, Blair. Please, listen to me.”
I moved to the side and opened the door, waiting in silence until she had exited the room and I had closed the door behind her.
“She’s got a point,” Colt said quietly when just the two of us were in the room.
“I can’t drink any more from you. It’s too dangerous,” I said, walking away from him and opening up the armoire. There had to be something in there that I could wear to track down a mage. As I looked at all the items, I realized how out of date they must appear. There was nothing I could wear except the sweatpants and the top that I had on.
“I have an idea,” Colt said, pausing to see if I wanted him to continue.
I stopped looking for something I wasn’t going to find and turned to face him, his captivating eyes drawing me closer than I had intended. “I’m listening,” I said, but my voice was dripping with the lust welling up within me.
I saw the same desire mirrored in Colt’s eyes for a moment before he said, “My friends might be able to help with the feeding situation. You fed on all of us at the ball yesterday.”
For a moment my mind caught on the word yesterday, but then I realized that I could feel the sun had risen. That mu
st have been why Kyra came waltzing in like no one would be there. She thought by that point I was dead. There wasn’t a hint of sadness on her face either. I should have used compulsion to make sure she couldn’t tell her uncle anything about what we discussed, but the thought hadn’t even occurred to me. If I was going to be queen I needed to be more strategic, more ruthless. The ball had been yesterday evening at this point, and I knew I’d need to wait until later in the day to go after the mage unless I wanted the sun sapping all my strength.
After a moment of my mind spinning I said, “I’m certainly willing to try anything at this point. I don’t know who I can feed from and who I can’t, so it’s worth investigation.”
The more I talked with Colt and Kyra, the more I felt my word choices changing, not because I wanted to fit in better, but because I wanted them to understand what I meant. The boon the mages had given me had to be at work, because I couldn’t think of any other reason I’d be picking up on the way language was used in this new age so quickly.
Colt slipped his mobile from his pocket and tapped away on the screen. I began to pace and returned again to the armoire, hoping to find something that could pass as clothing in today’s society. A knock at the door a moment later had me clasping my hands behind my back to hide my nerves. Colt looked at me, and when I nodded, he opened the door.
Gage strolled in a moment later, surprise registering on his face as he saw me standing to one side. “Princess Blair,” he said as he dropped into a bow.
“Blair, you remember Gage?” Colt said as he started to close the door. A hand smacking on the wood stopped him. “And Drake?” Colt added with a sigh as the third man walked in.
“I do. It’s nice to see you both again,” I said, thinking how unfair it was for the three of them to be friends. They were beyond sexy, and together? Well, women around the world didn’t stand a chance. Drake bowed as he stopped next to Gage.
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