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

by Stacy Claflin

  I started picking at one of my manicured nails. "I don't think he even knows about Tanner. I never told him, anyway. Cliff hates me because I kept the truth about Alrekur and the real meaning of the mark from him. Now he's off on some two week errand for Francine with someone named Stelena."

  "He's with Stelena?" she asked in surprise.

  "You know who she is?"

  "Yeah, her family is good friends with the Montgomery's. They visit the castle regularly, and…."

  "And what?" I demanded, starting to feel frantic.

  She sighed. "Stelena's one of the girls in the line of Halldor who is…available. Whenever I've seen the two of them together, she's always followed him around like a lovesick puppy. He, of course, never returned her feelings or even seemed to notice how she felt. He was always thinking about getting you back from the humans. But he's the highest ranking bachelor in that line."

  "Well I feel even better about that now," I muttered.

  She looked at me with sad eyes and put her hand on my arm. "I'm sorry, Alexis. But do you think that it would really work out with Cliff now? I've never met Alrekur, obviously, but from everything I've heard about him, he gets what he wants. That's why he killed Tanner. I'm actually surprised that he's let Cliff live this long."

  "At first he thought that I was only putting on an act because my parents told him that I had to keep up the appearance of still being engaged to Cliff. Now that Cliff hates me, he's no threat to Alrekur."

  "The good news is that they'll both be gone for couple of weeks and you'll be able to figure things out. I'm here, so you'll be able to talk to me, and I won't leave you alone to wallow. We're going to get you cleaned up and then we'll get you started with your training."

  "What if I don't want to train?"

  She gave me a look of desperation. "Please, don't do this to me, Alexis. You need to train and you know it. Yes, you have more natural capabilities than any other vampire, but you still need to train. Francine is still planning a war with the werewolves, against you."

  "You don't think that she'll just leave me alone now that Cliff hates me and Stelena's keeping him occupied?" I hoped that she wasn't keeping him too occupied.

  Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you've been telling yourself? Alexis, you are the Sonnast. Francine wants to be the most powerful vampire in the world. She's not going to stop until she's taken you down. This has much more to do with her than it does with your relationship with Cliff."

  I sighed. "This is going to be a lot bigger than the battle with the Moretti's, isn't it?"

  "Most definitely. That's why you need to start training as soon as possible. If you keep going into hibernation every time something doesn't go your way, you're going to fail. The war will be lost and the entire kingdom will fall."

  "But Alrekur is alive now and he's very strong and fast. I've seen him. Right now, they're in the process of finding Halldor."

  She gave me one of her looks of frustration. "Sometimes you're really impossible, Alexis. I know that you grew up with humans. Nobody knows that more than me, your childhood best friend. But now you know the truth and you need to grab hold of it and step into your role. That's something that nobody else can do for you."

  I sighed again. "Who's supposed to train me? Where am I supposed do this training?"

  "Karlie will be on her way soon. She has some things to take care of in Germany first, but she'll be here too. I'm sure that she'll train you, because as one of your parents' personal servants, she's spent a lot of time training herself. All of the personal servants to the king and queen spend a lot of time in instruction so that they'll be ready to go into battle and defend them at a moment's notice. I can also teach you, although I'm not nearly as qualified."

  "Why not?"

  "Karlie's a couple hundred years old and I'm seventeen. She has a lot more experience than I do. Aside from that, I'm at a disadvantage from living amongst humans all those years with you. Yes, I did spend time in training, but it was limited."

  "Is that why Steve was killed?" I asked, feeling guilty. "Because you two didn't have the teaching that you needed? Was that my fault?"

  "No. He actually had a lot more training than I did. Do you remember all of those 'camps' he went to for sports or whatever else the cover was?"

  "That was vampire training?" I asked. "That makes sense. I wish that I could have done something to save him."

  She nodded with tears gleaming in her eyes. "So do I. But I was right there and I couldn't."

  "Isn't there a way to bring him back? He's royalty."

  "He's royalty, but not a Fyrsturae. Only you guys can be brought back once dead as a vampire. We go through one death before we fully transform and then if we die again, that's it."

  "But what about Tanner?" I asked. "He's not a Fyrsturae and Alrekur hid his body as if he could be brought back."

  "You turned him with the blood of the Sonnast. He might not be able to be truly killed because of that."

  I made a face. "Actually, Clara and I think that Samantha turned Tanner before I found him."

  Brooke's eyes widened. "No way," she whispered, and then was silent for a moment. "Tanner would have been turned with royal blood because Samantha is half-royal, but that wouldn't make a difference. I don't know what to think about that. Maybe he wasn't really dead when Alrekur staked him."

  I frowned. "What's going to be involved with my training? I should prepare myself mentally for it."

  She smiled. "That's more like it. You'll need to practice with various weaponry, probably starting with swords and stakes. Since we're looking at a war with the werewolves, then I'm sure you'll focus on silver swords. You'll want to behead as many of them as possible, and as cliché as it sounds, silver truly is our best defense. You'll also spend time honing your gifts and talents. Up to this point, you've really only used them as you've accidentally discovered them, am I correct? Or have you done any training since your parents took you to Europe?"

  I shook my head. "I spent time with Karlie learning about the history of the Fyrsturae. That was their main objective because they wanted me to be as prepared as possible to meet Alrekur."

  "I can't believe that you were speaking ancient Icelandic and Hebrew! I wish I could have been there to hear that."

  "When he returns, just ask him to speak to me in either language. Whatever he speaks to me, I understand and speak back to him in the same language. But it feels like I'm only speaking English, as I can't hear myself speaking another language."

  "Is it true that he's the most handsome vampire ever born?"

  I frowned. "Yes. I hate to admit it, but it's true."

  "Can I see your mark?" she asked, looking giddy. All of this romantic stuff was right up her alley. She loved fashion, romance, and all of that stuff.

  I moved my hair behind my shoulder so that she could see it.

  Her eyes lit up. "It's gorgeous. I heard a rumor that it lights up when Alrekur touches it. Is that true too?"

  I nodded. "Can we talk about something else?"

  "What happens when Cliff touches it?"

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  Her eyes widened. "Tell me!"

  "It doesn't feel good, okay?"

  "That's interesting. Isn't it crazy that our entire lives we've thought that you and Cliff were destined to be together and yet all this time it was really Alrekur? I can't wait to see you two together."

  I folded my arms. "Don't get too excited. He's full of himself." I looked directly into her eyes. I'm going to find a way to stay with Cliff.

  She looked at me in surprise. Are you kidding? Alrekur is the most powerful vampire that ever lived. He's killed other Fyrsturae, he's killed unicorns, he's—

  You don't have to tell me. I've heard all of those stories straight from his mouth.

  Her eyes widened. "I can't wait to hear all of the history from the mouths of the Fyrsturae themselves! Who would ever have thought that was possible? Everyone thought that they were dead
and never coming back. This is so amazing."

  "I'm sure that will be fantastic," I said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "I'm sure that the others have interesting tales to tell, too." But I'm still going to fight for Cliff. He's the one that I love.

  How's that working out for you? He took Stelena on his errand with him, right?

  I glared at her, fuming. How dare you!

  I'm merely pointing out the facts. You can't fight your destiny.

  Watch me!

  A light exploded behind me.

  She raised an eyebrow. "Duly noted."

  There was a knock on the door.

  "Go away!" I shouted.

  Brooke narrowed her eyes at me. "That's not proper behavior for the princess."

  I narrowed my eyes right back at her. "I'd forgotten how much fun you are. I'm not just a princess. I'm the Sonnast. I don't do anything by the book."

  There was another knock.

  I sighed. "Nobody ever listens to me."

  The door slid open and in walked a very beautiful, dark haired and dark eyed vampire that was very familiar to me, but I couldn't place. I looked at her curiously as she closed the door behind herself.

  She smiled at me. "I see that you don't recognize me without fifteen years of dirt caked onto me."

  I jumped up. "Mattie! They released you!" I ran to my childhood watcher and wrapped my arms around her. She returned the embrace and it felt very familiar. Memories rushed into my mind that had long been forgotten.

  "I've been told that you need some assistance."

  "And an attitude adjustment," Brooke muttered.

  "Hey!" I exclaimed.

  Mattie stood back and smiled at me. "You've always had a mind of your own. You'll never quietly do as you're told; it's just not in you. You've never been that way. But now even you know why that is, young Sonnast."

  "It's not only because I'm the Sonnast, but also because I spent most of my life with humans, completely unaware of our world. I can't be expected to act like one who grew up in the castle."

  Mattie shook her head. "That only added fuel to your fire. You haven't changed a bit. You'll amaze everyone. You'll pick up everything quickly and you'll be able to use that to your advantage. It will all work out for the best. You'll see."

  I sighed. "I hope so. It would sure be nice if my life would calm down though. I'm so tired of the surprises. When I was born, my parents knew that I was meant to be married to Alrekur, yet they allowed that charade to go on with Cliff. I adored and loved him as a child, and they gave us that engagement ceremony knowing that it was lie. Then, after I had spent all that time with the humans and had no memories of any of this, they allowed me to believe that I was supposed to be with Cliff—all the time knowing it was Alrekur! Why would they do that to me? Why?" Another light bulb exploded behind me.

  "Politics, my dear," Mattie said, as if that explained everything.

  "Basically I'm just a pawn, then? Do they even care about me? Or is it all about getting their first daughter back?" I demanded.

  "They do care about you," Mattie said. "I know that for a fact. But you can't expect the vampire king and queen to act like the modern day humans that you're used to. That's not going to happen. As you know, your parents are ancient creatures who have lived for thousands of years. They tick very differently from what you would expect having grown up where you did."

  "Which they allowed."

  She nodded. "That they did. It was all very carefully laid out, knowing that I would protect you and send you into hiding with a family who would keep you safe and raise you right."

  "Yet you don't even hold it against them? You were locked in the dungeon all this time because you did exactly what they expected you to do!"

  "That's the way it goes. I'm out now, and as I mentioned to you when you visited me, in the past they've spared me more times than I can count."

  "It's still not right!"

  "They're the king and queen. What they say goes, and truly, they have good intentions."

  "Ha! I don't see it that way," I said, folding my arms. "It looks to me like they just want to find their first daughter, and they'll stop at nothing until they do. They don't care about what they do to anyone else, including you, who has served them faithfully for three thousand years, or me, their daughter!"

  Brooke shot me a look. "You can't talk about—"

  Mattie gave Brooke a stern, but still kind, look before turning back to me. "We have much to focus on. What do you say we start training? I'd love nothing more than to get outside."

  TEN

  Brooke, Mattie, and I had been walking through a part of the property that I didn't even know existed, which of course wasn't surprising since the property was far more vast than the castle itself. I still hadn't even seen most of the castle yet, and I'd been there for weeks.

  We'd walked along several paths, coming across many plants and creatures that I'd never seen before. Or at least that I hadn't seen in recent times, living in the human world. I recognized the faeries, but there were several creatures that were completely unfamiliar.

  Snow started to fall, but melted as soon as touched anything.

  "Does it snow here often?" I asked, watching the flakes float down as though they were dancing.

  "It can," Mattie said. "The weather is similar to what you're used to. It's pretty mild, but we do get severe weather from time to time."

  "Are we close to where I grew up? Is that why?"

  "We're fairly close," Mattie said. "That was part of the reason that you were placed where you were. So that you wouldn't be too far away."

  "But you chose my family," I said. "It wasn't part of my parents' grand plan."

  "Oh, but it was. They knew I wouldn't let you go too far. You wore me out, but they knew that I loved you as my own."

  I sighed and shook my head. "I just can't believe them. That they'd do that to you. Or to me, for that matter. Why didn't they just send us both somewhere to hide? Then I could have still been raised as a vampire and you could've trained me. I wouldn't have forgotten everything."

  "The Moretti's would have found us. Your parents really were right to send you to be with humans. You were kept safe, and nobody suspected that you were alive until you began your transformation."

  I made a face that Mattie didn't see. How could she defend them?

  We walked in silence for a little while as I stewed over all of the wrongs that my parents had inflicted upon me.

  "Brooke," Mattie said, "have you trained recently?"

  "It's been a while. My parents have been in Europe working with the king and queen since…my brother died. I was staying in our house, trying to keep watch for any trouble near Alexis. Not that it worked very well as my visions around her have been unreliable since her transformation began."

  "We might both be rusty then," Mattie said. "I obviously haven't been practicing down in the dungeon. But I've spent thousands of years in strict training before that, so I'm sure that everything will come right back to me."

  "Just like riding a bike," I said.

  "A what?" she asked.

  I sighed. "Never mind. Wait, Brooke, can you call up visions of anyone or is it just me?"

  "I know what you're thinking. No, I'm not going to call up any visions of Cliff. I won't let you torture yourself."

  "Torture myself? What do you think he's doing with Stelena anyway?"

  "I don't think he's pursuing her romantically, if that's what you mean," she said. "He's mad at you because you didn't tell him about the prophecy and he had to hear it along with everyone else. He still loves you and he'll get over it. I'm sure of that. He's loved you his whole life, Alexis. He's not going to forget about that." She looked at me. "What's that look on your face about? Are you keeping something from me?"

  I did not want to tell her about my night in Cliff's room. "How much further until we reach the training area?"

  Brooke gave me a frustrated look. "So typical."

  I remem
bered my parents telling me that I would be better off letting Brooke stick with serving me rather than training me in vampire ways. Service was her role and what she actually preferred. I didn't want to treat her like a servant, but it was pretty clear that we didn't get along when I tried relying on her for anything beyond letting her serve. She was much happier making clothes and showing me new ways to do my hair or makeup.

  In the time before the homecoming dance, we'd gotten along so well. She'd been in her element, blissfully helping me transform from clueless to a beautiful homecoming princess.

  "We're getting close," Mattie said, interrupting my thoughts. "Brooke and I will start warming up and you can watch us. I'll be able to help you, as I've trained other Fyrsturae, your sister in particular. Also, I've been told that one of your parents' European servants will be arriving soon to help you as well. She's supposed to be one of the best, so between all of us, we'll have you fighting as if you'd grown up here in the castle in no time."

  "I wouldn't mind training alongside Alexis," Brooke said. "I haven't had the experience of one who grew up with vampires myself, since I also grew up around humans. Sure, we took vacations here, but it wasn't the same as growing up here. I want to be ready to fight next to her when the war begins."

  I nodded, knowing that I would be a lot better off following my parents' advice about Brooke. I could discuss my concerns and questions with Karlie and Mattie. After spending so much time in the human world, it was going to take a real mind shift to let my childhood best friend take on the role of a servant. It did comfort me to know that servants were actually very highly regarded in the vampire kingdom; only the best were chosen to serve the royalty. I didn't want to treat her as though she were lower than me.

  "We're almost there," Mattie said. "It's just around the bend."

  We walked the rest of the way in silence, watching as the snow fell to the ground and melted. We were going up a hill, and the flakes were getting bigger as we went higher. We rounded a large corner and came to an open area with nothing except packed dirt for ground. There was a brick building about the size of a house off to the side and a little bit of a covered area tucked away behind it.