The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

  If he was in there, he wasn't saying anything.

  "Cliff, please. We need to talk. I need to explain this to you. Please," I begged.

  Silence.

  Sighing, I knocked again. Then I tried turning the knob, knowing that it would be locked. I knocked again and then leaned against the door, trying to figure out what to do next. I could always go through the door, but if he didn't want to see me, then I should probably give him space. But what if that was the only way that he would listen to me? What if he wouldn't hear me out otherwise?

  I gave into my desperation and pounded on the door. "Cliff, please listen to me! Are you in there? I need you to hear what I have to say!"

  Hoping that I wouldn't regret it, I slowly went through the door. I looked around his dark room and saw that he'd cleaned up the mess we'd made the other day. We had knocked over shelves and other things, spreading stuff all around the room.

  All of a sudden, I was pinned to the wall.

  "What are you doing in here?" he demanded, his eyes glowing red like I'd never seen before. "If I wanted to see you, I would have opened the door for you. Did you happen to notice that I didn't do that?" His eyes glared at me, full of anger.

  "I need you to hear me out."

  "Why? Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" he demanded, glaring at me. He added pressure to his hold on me.

  "We need to talk about what happened in that meeting."

  "You mean the announcement?" he asked, giving me a look of pure hatred. "You already told me that you knew about the higher prophecy, yet you chose to keep that information from me. You kept a lot from me! You're not only a Fyrsturae, but you're supposed to marry Alrekur Vidarsson! You knew that he was here in the castle all this time and you never bothered to tell me. How long have you known?"

  "Only since my parents brought me to Europe."

  "Oh, only since you were in Europe! You knew the whole time we were together here in the castle. It never once crossed your mind to tell me?"

  "Of course it did! I wanted to tell you the entire time, but I was ordered not to."

  He added pressure to my throat. "We agreed on no more secrets."

  "You're the one who told me that vampire royalty does what their parents say."

  "You still could have given me some kind of warning!"

  He raised his fist at me. With wide eyes, my hand went up to block him before I had even thought about moving.

  "Get out of my sight and don't ever come back here again unless I invite you. Do you understand me? I don't want to look at you. I want nothing to do with you. If that changes, I'll think about possibly letting you be the first to know. Go, before I do something that I might regret later, if I ever forgive you—which isn't going to happen."

  He stepped back, still scowling at me with his red eyes.

  "I wanted to tell you. More than anything."

  "Go!"

  "Cliff, I want to marry you. Even if I have to walk away from the throne. We can find a way."

  He got in my face again, his red eyes narrowed and his face full of bitterness. "I told you to go before I do something I regret."

  I nodded and went through door, just as I had entered. I walked slowly to my room, shaken by Cliff's reaction to me. Why was it that I kept messing things up? I hoped that once he calmed down, he would realize that I had done the best that I could. That I still loved him and wanted to marry him.

  What would I do without Cliff? I was madly in love with him and wanted nothing other than to spend the rest of my days with him. I didn't want to live centuries upon centuries pining away for him. I'd seen what Clara had been through; she had made herself miserable in just two centuries because of her true love, the first William, who had chosen to remain human and have a family. Now she had her new William, and I hoped for her sake that it ended better for her this time. The last thing I wanted was for the two of us to live the rest of our existences longing for loves that we could never have.

  When I got to my room, I reclined on my bed, still in my fancy dress and heels, and went to sleep. I didn't even have it in me to cry, pout, or feel sorry for myself.

  A knock on my door woke me up. I ignored it and after a couple of moments my mother walked in.

  "I hope you've had enough rest," she said. "It's time to head back to the banquet hall for dinner and dancing. Everyone is going to want to talk with you. You look beautiful now, but it would be best if you would put on a new dress and pull your hair up. Now that they all know that your mark is visible, absolutely everyone is going to want to see it."

  I sighed. "Can't I just sit this one out? I'm exhausted."

  "Daughter, I know that Clifford is upset with you. But you're the princess and you need to put your feelings aside and perform your duties. Do you remember the talk that we had about this in Germany?"

  I made a face. "Of course I do."

  She reached into her robe and pulled out a bag of blood. "Drink this. It has a little something special added to help you feel better."

  "What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Don't be so distrusting, child. It's just a little something we use to help us be more chipper when duty calls for it."

  "Okay," I said. What did I have to lose, anyway? I had to go to the dinner and dance whether I wanted to or not, so I may as well take whatever was laced in the blood. It was going to be too difficult to pretend to be happy on my own anyway.

  She handed me the bag. "We'll see you in a half an hour. Remember, a different dress and your hair needs to be up."

  "Yes, Mother," I said, opening the bag.

  She smiled at me and left the room.

  I looked around the room for a glass, but didn't see one. Was I supposed to drink it straight from the bag? I didn't see any other way, so I bit into the top of the bag, held it up to my mouth and poured a little in. It tasted good, like the typical blood that was bagged at the castle, but it had a strange aftertaste. I noticed that I felt a little calmer, so I began to drink the rest of the bag quickly, ignoring the odd taste.

  A foreign feeling ran through me, almost like an extremely over-exaggerated caffeine buzz. What had she put in that blood? And more importantly, why did I care? I had a party to get ready for and I was going to have a blast. I was in a beautiful castle, with gorgeous people, and they all wanted to see me. The world was a wonderful place. What did I possibly have to be upset about?

  With a huge smile on my face, I went to my closet to find a dress that showed the world how happy I was to be the Sonnast. There was only one, and I was her. That was freaking awesome…and so was I.

  I grabbed a beautiful purple dress that sparkled in rainbow colors in the light. It would flow as I spun around, yet it was form fitting enough to be attractive. That was the dress that was going to make the party mind blowing. Everyone would be talking about it for centuries to come.

  Butterflies appeared out of nowhere and began dancing around me. I reached out for them, spinning around. "Are you here for the party, too?" I asked them.

  Giggling, I went to the other side of the closet and grabbed some never before worn jewelry and hair accessories. I put it all on and fixed my hair to show off the Sonnast mark. It appeared to be glowing and had a purple hue to it. Was it going to change colors to go with what I was wearing from now on?

  I touched up my makeup and then looked myself over in the full-length mirror. I was ready to be the center of attention. I left the room smiling and walked through the castle as if I owned the place. Well, I pretty much did, so I may as well embrace it.

  I smiled and waved to everyone along the way. When I arrived back in the hall, everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes were on me. Applause broke out through the room and I gave everyone a picture perfect smile, waving.

  Alrekur appeared at my side in an instant. He was looking at me like a child in a candy store. "You, my Sonnast, are beyond stunning. Will you sit with me for dinner?"

  I curtsied to him with a playful smile. "Of
course," I replied, looking him over. He was, without a doubt, the best looking vampire to walk the earth. He was downright delectable. The stories about him were oh, so true. No other, before or after him, would ever surpass his beauty. I knew that many had fallen irreversibly in love with him after laying eyes on him for only a moment. And here he was, looking at me like I was the only one in the room. What more could I ask for?

  He extended his hand toward me and I took it. A relaxing jolt of electricity ran from my hand, down my arm, and through the rest of my body. I looked at him and could tell that he was experiencing the same mystery.

  "Darling Sonnast, my one true love, you are simply divine."

  "And you are simply yummy."

  He smiled widely.

  My father walked up to us, with a huge smile on his own face. "I'm so glad to see that you two are enjoying each other's company, but I need to ask you two to mingle with the others. Everyone wants to talk with you both and these world leaders are going to go back to their homelands to speak of the events and news."

  I smiled back at my father. "Of course. Let's talk with the others."

  Still holding my hand, Alrekur led me through the crowd and introduced me to some vampires that he'd met earlier while I had been getting ready. We made our way through the maze of guests, talking to everyone in the room. I vaguely recalled that normally I would have been overwhelmed with all of the attention, but now I found it to be invigorating. The more that we talked with people, the more I wanted to keep talking with them.

  After nearly half an hour had passed, the servants began bringing in the food. It smelled divine and everyone was ready to eat, making their way quickly to the tables. My parents, Alrekur, and I had a special table in the front of the room.

  Before I knew it, music began playing. Alrekur took my hand and we entered the dance floor. He started dancing as if he was up on all of the current moves and I followed his lead. I enjoyed the applause and murmurs of conversation. There was no doubt that we were the stars of the show. And I loved every moment of it.

  I thought that others would join us on the dance floor, but it appeared that they were more than happy watching us. I was more than happy to let them. I followed my instincts and danced my heart out, showing off moves that I didn't even know I had.

  Just when I was certain that nobody would join us, after about the fifth song, couples began piling onto the dance floor next to us. Everyone was simply having a good time. It was fun to have a party like this with a room full of beautiful vampires. The party went on for hours and hours, no one tiring out until the sun came up.

  One by one, the couples headed out the doors to get some rest.

  My father told us that we ought to get some rest too because the next day would undoubtedly be filled with questions and discussion. "Tonight's event was all about setting everyone's minds at ease. The questions will surely come tomorrow, so be prepared. Show up early at breakfast and be the last to leave any conversation."

  I nodded.

  "When do we set out to awaken the rest of the Fyrsturae?" Alrekur asked. "I'm eager to move forward. My Sonnast seems especially taken with me and we need to act before that changes."

  My father smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. The leaders will probably stay a few more days, and we're going to need to start making plans as to how we're going to move forward while they're still here. You'll need to tell me where Halldor and Dagur are so that we can plan to search specifically in those areas."

  "I don't know where any of the others were hidden, but between the three of us we might be able to piece together more clues. Not that they'll be any happier to see me than I will be to see them."

  "The sooner that you can put the past behind yourselves, the sooner that you'll be able to marry your Sonnast."

  "I'm fully aware of that, Frey," Alrekur said, calling my father by his ogre name.

  My father nodded. "I'll see you two in the morning."

  Alrekur turned to me. "Will you join me in my wing, my Sonnast? You seem to have forgiven my earlier actions."

  What was it that he had done earlier? It was as if something was blocking me from remembering anything negative. I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure, let's go."

  He extended his arm and I linked mine through his. We walked through the castle arm in arm, smiling and greeting every vampire along the way. I wondered what had happened earlier that I should be upset about, but since I couldn't remember anything, I didn't let myself be concerned with it.

  Alrekur led me to a room full of exotic animal skins, furs, and heads. I thought that something important had happened there in that room, but nothing came to me. He gave me his charming smile. "I promised you that I'd tell you about the time that I killed that polar bear. It was truly one of my most difficult kills, which is funny because he wasn't even a magical creature. The only other creature to this day that was more challenging was that unicorn. Would you like to hear about the tales?"

  "Yes, tell me all about it."

  He took me by the hand, and a comforting feeling of electricity ran through me, beginning at my hand. We walked over to a large polar bear pelt near the fireplace and he began telling me an exciting tale about killing the beast. He showed me around the room, telling me stories of each and every animal. We went from the tale of the werewolf who had set out to rid the world of vampires to the unicorn that he'd killed. He said that unicorns were the most difficult creatures in the world to kill, and if the story that he shared had any truth to it, I believed it.

  It was well into the morning when he finished telling his tales. I could tell that he was excited to be able to share his ancient stories with me. Some of them sounded like they hadn't been all that long ago for him, due to his having been dead for a thousand years.

  "Shall we watch a movie, my Sonnast?" he asked. "I did enjoy watching movies with you before."

  I remembered watching movies together in Germany after I had awakened him. I smiled when I recalled him hiding behind the couch and screaming about the possessed box.

  "Do you want to watch something with some action?" I asked him.

  "I've been watching movies on my own since we arrived at the castle, my love. You haven't been spending much time with me since we arrived."

  I tried to recall what I'd been so busy doing since we got there, but it was futile. "Well, then what do you want to watch?"

  He gave me one of his heart melting smiles. "I want to watch what you choose."

  I smiled. "Have you heard of chick flicks?"

  Alrekur shook his head. "Are those some type of farming movies?"

  "Hand me the remote," I told him, walking toward the couch.

  He gave it to me and we sat down next to each other. I kicked off my heels and rubbed my feet along the soft polar bear's fur. He scooted right up next to me and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me even closer. The comforting current ran through me again as I scrolled through the movies.

  I leaned my head against him as the movie started and enjoyed the swirls of voltage that made their way through me as we sat so close together. It seemed like electrical feelings should be unnatural, but they felt like the most natural thing in the world.

  When the movie was over, he looked at me. "I don't understand why that movie is a 'chick flick,' as there wasn't a single bird in it, but I liked watching it with you. I'm sure I won't watch it with the guys once they've been awakened, but with you it's magical."

  I smiled. "Are there any of the other Fyrsturae that you want to awaken?"

  "Of course. It's only Halldor and Dagur that I wish to leave in the grave. And sure enough, they're the first two that must be brought back."

  "Maybe after all of this time you guys can work past your issues. Is that a possibility?"

  "I can't imagine it, but anything's possible now that you're alive and well. I put Halldor in the grave because he killed my brother, Soren. My brother and his sister, Svana, were madly in love. Svana and I have always been good friends and then one day, t
he two of them just fell in love. Soren had spent a lot of time with me and as result, Svana too. It took them a few centuries to figure out that they were made for each other."

  "Is it true that you were never able to fall in love?"

  His face softened and he brushed his hand down my face and then held my chin. "It's true, my Sonnast. In my language, Sonnast means true love, my true love since the prophecy is about us being together. I searched the earth for you. I poured over those blasted scrolls for clues and asked the prophets thousands of questions. Never did I receive even one clue indicating that you wouldn't be born until this time period. The only thing that I could figure out was that I would know by the mark and the fact that I would finally fall in love."

  "Was it frustrating?"

  He laughed so loud that it startled me. "No language holds a word strong enough to describe the frustration that I felt. I was more than frustrated; I was desperate. I saw the magic of others being in love and I wanted it for myself. I knew that it was out there and that I only had to find it. There was no shortage of people, vampires, and other creatures falling in love with me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't return the feelings for anyone."

  "You did manage to create a first line. Surely you felt something for someone."

  He shook his head. "At one time I wished that I had. Svana mothered most of my line because we were such good friends. I did mate with Asdis and Hella as well, but again it was only to build our species. There were never any romantic feelings, it was all about business," he said and made a funny face. "It's interesting. I never mated with your sister, Ida. Obviously, I never knew that she was the sister of my future Sonnast, but that was a pairing that never happened."

  "What was she like? My sister, I mean. Mattie told me that she had a certain deviousness about her, but that's all that I really know."

  Alrekur laughed. "Mattie is very kind. Ida gave her more trouble than anyone else. Your sister knew exactly what she wanted and she would stop at nothing to get it. She didn't care who she hurt in the process, and believe me, she hurt, and—how do you say it? She pissed off a lot of people. It was no surprise that she was the first Fyrsturae to be killed."