“Yes.” She huffed, as if annoyed that I’d doubted her, and ran a hand through her hair to attempt to straighten it out.
“What does the girl look like?” I brushed a hand against my cheek, still weirded out with the knowledge that once I took the potion, I would no longer look like myself.
As long as I continued taking the potion, I would be considered dead to everyone who knew I’d existed.
“You’ll find out after you take the potion,” she said. “I trust you’ll be happy with my selection. If not, we’ll work it out. But first… we must discuss your story.”
“My story?” I backed away, disappointed. After being trapped in this cave for so long, I was ready to get going. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t walk into the palace of the Vale as a rogue vampire princess and not be ready with a story,” she said. “There are six known vampire kingdoms—five if you don’t count the Vale. You’ll be expected to come from one of them.”
“Right,” I said, although to be honest, I hadn’t given it any thought. I’d been too worried that Geneva would never return to think about what sort of story I would tell the vampires of the Vale. But now that Geneva had brought it up, I saw the problem. Because all vampire princesses were turned by an original vampire—and surely the original vampires would all be aware that they hadn’t turned me. “Will I claim that one of the original vampires turned me without realizing it?” I asked. “And that I’ve been on my own since then?”
“That’ll never work,” Geneva said. “A vampire can’t turn someone into a vampire without realizing it.”
“So then you’ll use your magic to make one of the original vampires think they turned me,” I said quickly. “You can do that, correct?”
“Perhaps, although that has the possibility to get quite messy.” She nodded slowly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “So I had a better idea…”
“Go ahead.” I motioned for her to continue, since I obviously wasn’t going anywhere.
“You’re going to say you’re from the Seventh Kingdom.”
“What?” I did a double take. Geneva had told me details about the other five kingdoms, but she’d never mentioned a Seventh Kingdom. “Where’s the Seventh Kingdom?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “No one knows. No one’s even sure if it exists.”
“So you want me to say I’m from a non-existent kingdom.” I rolled my eyes. “I think I liked my plan better.”
“It’s not non-existent,” she said. “It’s mythical. There’s a difference.”
“Sounds the same to me.”
“Supernaturals around the world have whispered about the existence of the Seventh Kingdom since before I was born,” she said. “No one knows where it’s located, or how to find it, but there’s enough talk about it that it’s believed to truly exist.”
“And does it?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Exist?”
“I cannot say,” she admitted with a shrug. “I’ve never been there or met anyone who has.”
“Sounds like an urban legend to me,” I said, although I couldn’t help but wonder. Because before being kidnapped to the Vale, I’d believed that vampires, shifters, and witches were urban legends as well. Now I knew they were real.
Why couldn’t it be the same with this Seventh Kingdom?
“You look like you’re second guessing that statement,” Geneva observed.
“Perhaps,” I said. “But even if I do say I’m from the Seventh Kingdom, how will I know what to say the Seventh Kingdom is like? Am I supposed to make it up?”
“That’s the beauty of this plan,” Geneva told me. “Because if the Seventh Kingdom exists—which for our sake, let’s say it does—the details about it are extremely secret. Clearly, as a princess from the Seventh Kingdom, you’ll want to keep its secrets.”
“So I’ll say… nothing?” I asked.
“Precisely,” she said. “You also can’t call yourself Annika. The name is too unique. Instead, I was thinking you would go by Princess Ana. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“Princess Ana,” I said, testing saying it out loud. It did sound nice. And claiming that I had to keep everything about the Seventh Kingdom secret would certainly stop me from being caught in the lie.
Except…
“There’s one big problem,” I said.
“What’s that?” Geneva asked.
“Why will anyone believe that I’m a princess at all?” I asked. “Wouldn’t it be more likely that I’m a rogue vampire who’s hungry for the throne? What would stop them from kicking me out… or worse, killing me for trying to trick the crown?”
“They’ll believe you because of this.” Geneva smirked and held the vial of blood higher in the air. “This blood—blood from a vampire princess—will give you the power of compulsion. The only vampires who can use compulsion are the original vampires and the vampires they sire—the vampire princes and princesses. Once you demonstrate your ability to compel, not even Queen Laila herself will be able to claim that you aren’t a princess.”
“And you’ll definitely be able to get me fresh vampire blood each day?” I asked, eyeing up the tube in her hand. I remembered what I’d felt like immediately after drinking Jacen’s blood—strong. Observant. Powerful.
I wanted that feeling again.
I still wanted to be a true vampire. But for now, this would do the trick.
“Of course.” Geneva smiled. “Your wish is my command.”
And so, I took the vial from her, and I drank.
Karina
I was staring at an old, fading photograph of Peter, allowing the tears to fall down my cheeks, when there was a knock on my door.
“One moment.” I managed to sound composed through the tears, and I wiped them off my face, shoving Peter’s photograph back into my desk drawer. The photo was from the week that I’d met him, on a luxury ocean liner in the early 1900s. It pained me to put it back away, but I couldn’t allow anyone to see me moping.
I walked over to the mirror to check my reflection. My eyes were glassy, but other than that, I was reasonably presentable. I ran a brush through my hair—it had always been thick and long, the type of hair others constantly praised me for, but it was often a chore to keep it in check.
“Come in,” I said, once satisfied with my reflection.
My lady’s maid—and closest friend—Elena walked through the door. Like me, she wore a day gown suitable for the formal dress code in the Carpathian Kingdom. Her cheeks were flushed and radiant. I suspected she’d just feasted on one of the humans in the dungeons.
“King Nicolae requests to see you in the throne room,” she said, giving me a small curtsy. “At once.”
I glanced at my watch, my brows furrowing when I saw the time. It was nearly four in the morning—the time for high tea (laced with blood, of course) and caviar. The king normally took care of all administrative tasks upon waking at dusk.
“Did he give any hint as to what this is about?” I asked Elena.
“He did not.” She smiled mischievously, and with that look I was seeing the version of her that was my friend—not my lady’s maid. “Although he was with a witch, and the witch was holding a letter. I could only presume that he wants to discuss the contents of the letter.”
“I should have my hair and makeup done for this meeting,” I determined, heading to my vanity to sit down. Elena could have my hair looking presentable within fifteen minutes, and I could do my makeup in the same. “Come, help me.”
“He insisted that you come immediately.” She remained where she stood. “He appeared quite anxious to speak with you.”
“Fine.” I sighed and set down my concealer. I didn’t like the idea of appearing in front of this witch without being fully presentable, but I knew better than to keep King Nicolae waiting, so I stood up and headed to the door. “Thank you for coming to me. I’ll go to him at once.”
“And you’ll tell me what this is about once it’s fin
ished?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes.” I gave her hand a small squeeze and smiled. “Of course.”
When I walked into the throne room, I found only King Nicolae there. The witch that Elena had mentioned was nowhere in sight.
The king held a letter in his hand, and I could only guess that it was the letter Elena had spoken of. As always, he wore a three-piece suit, as required of vampire nobles of the Carpathian Kingdom during our “daytime” hours. Between high tea and dinner, we would all change into our evening formal wear.
“Karina,” he said my name as I approached. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Of course.” I gave him a curtsy, as befitting his station. “What is this about?”
“I just received the most unusual letter.” He held the piece of parchment slightly higher in the air and gave it a small wave.
“What about?” I did my best to sound nonchalant, despite being full of curiosity. That was the way of our kingdom—show no weakness and conceal all emotions. Except while in private, of course.
The moments I had alone in my room were the only times I was free to feel.
“Queen Laila has sired her strongest prince yet—Prince Jacen,” he began. “The prince is now searching for a bride.”
“That’s interesting,” I said, although I truly didn’t find it that interesting. Much like humans, most vampires wanted to find life partners. This news was hardly unusual. “But what does it have to do with us?”
The only answer I could possibly come up with was that Nicolae worried that this Prince Jacen might be strong enough to be considered a threat. But that hardly made sense, since the Carpathian Kingdom and the Vale were on solid terms. All of the vampire kingdoms were pretty much on the same terms—the terms of each kingdom staying out of the way of the others and stirring up no political trouble. We were all far enough apart that it was easy enough to keep to ourselves. Any issues were resolved internally, without the involvement of any other kingdoms. It was how it had been since the Great War.
“The prince is not seeking a bride from the Vale,” he told me.
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “He’s searching for a strong human to sire, then?”
“No.” Nicolae’s eyes were hard, and I braced myself for what was to come. Because if Prince Jacen wasn’t searching for a human to turn, or for a noble vampire from the Vale, where was he searching?
“You look as surprised as I was upon receiving this letter,” he told me. “I think it’s best if you read it yourself.”
He handed it to me, and I did just that.
Karina
I folded the letter after I finished reading it and handed it back to Nicolae.
“Queen Laila wants to make an alliance,” I said, since that much was obvious. “Do you have any idea why?”
An alliance between two kingdoms hadn’t been made since before the Great War, so it was certainly curious that the Vale was reaching out to all of the kingdoms right now. It was simple to conclude that they must be in need of help. But why they needed help… that was the question.
“I do.” He nodded, rubbing his thumb over his jaw. “But more on that later. Because I brought you here to discuss the most urgent issue from the letter—the princesses who will be sent to the Vale.”
“Which two do you have in mind?” I asked him, running through the possibilities in my mind. Alina seemed the most obvious choice—she was young, kind, and warm hearted. Bianca was another possibility, although sometimes the princess could be so cold that she scared even myself. And there was also Sofia…
“Bianca,” he said, staring me straight in the eyes. “And you.”
“What?” I gasped, my arms falling to my side. Because he knew I couldn’t do that. I wasn’t ready. I would never be ready. Not after losing Peter. I could never love anyone else.
Shouldn’t he send someone who could?
“You heard me.” He was still in his throne, appearing every bit a hard vampire king. “You’re going to be one of the princesses who goes to the Vale to court Prince Jacen.”
“Why me?” I asked, my voice strained. “You know as well as I that Peter and I were soul mates. He was my one true love. Prince Jacen may be the most wonderful man in the universe, but he could never replace Peter. No one ever could.” My voice wavered, and I managed to swallow down the tears forming in my throat. I couldn’t allow myself to cry. I wouldn’t show such weakness.
But the idea of being forced to journey to another continent and pretend like my heart hadn’t been shattered by Peter’s death—to pretend like I was able to love again—I couldn’t do it. And I’d thought Nicolae knew me well enough to know that.
“It must be you,” he insisted, his gaze hard and calculating. “I trust you more than any other princess in the kingdom. You need to be the one to do this.”
“What exactly do you intend for me to do?” I asked suspiciously. “There’s more going on here than you wanting me to steal the prince’s heart, isn’t there?”
“As always, you’re quick to understand the undercurrents of the situation,” he said, tapping his fingers against the armrest. “Which is precisely why I called upon you to complete this task.”
“What task?” I asked, relief coursing through my veins at the realization that he didn’t want me to actually fall in love with Prince Jacen. Because while I wasn’t capable of falling in love again… there was much I was capable of when it came to political tactics. With so many centuries of peace, there hadn’t been many diplomatic issues to deal with as of late. But with the possible alliance looming, I had to admit that I was intrigued. “Tell me what you’re truly requesting of me,” I said. “Then I’ll let you know if I’m the best for the job.”
“The peace between the vampires of the Vale and the wolves outside of their walls is fraying,” he said slowly. “As I always knew it would. That’s why we fight wolves with swords and fangs in the Carpathian Kingdom. Shifters are animals, and animals only cower to one thing—violence.” He sneered as he spoke, his eyes glinting with determination. “The vampires of the Vale have allowed the centuries of peace to allow them to grow weak. They don’t have the military power to defeat the wolves should they attack. And trust me—they’re going to attack, sooner rather than later.”
“How do you know all of this?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“One of our witches is helping the wolves outside of the Vale,” he said simply.
My eyes widened, and I stared at him in shock. “Why?” I asked, trying to remain calm as I spoke. “How? You’re allowing this to continue?”
“The ‘why’ is simple,” he said with a smirk. “Our young witch—Marigold—fancies herself in love with one of the wolves of the Vale. I assume he’s using her for her power, but their drama is none of my concern.” He waved it off, and I knew he spoke the truth. “Because while she doesn’t have the strength to break down the boundary created by the witch of the Vale, she’s been able to create tears in the barrier—small enough tears that allow the wolves to sneak through. Not enough to cause a true threat, but enough to make Queen Laila worried.”
“I fail to see how this is a good thing?” I asked, since the Vale was one of our closest allies, should we ever need them. It made no sense to put them in danger.
“That’s the best part of this plan,” he said with a grin. “Marigold has been happy to act as a messenger between our kingdom and the wolves of the Vale. I want her to continue to do so and to escalate this rebellion the wolves are planning. Because if the Vale falls… Laila will finally be my queen—the queen of the Carpathian Kingdom—like I know she’s someday meant to be.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his final comment. If Nicolae weren’t the king of the Carpathian Kingdom, he would be seen as pathetic for his inability to let go of his unrequited love for the queen of the Vale. As it were, everyone—including myself—had to pretend to respect his feelings. To pretend like we thought Laila might someday return his affec
tions.
We all knew it would never happen.
However, there was a part of me that felt bad for his inability to put his feelings for her to rest. She visited our kingdom often, and while she clearly wasn’t in love with him, she gave him enough hope during each of her visits to make him believe that someday it would be possible. She toyed with him to get what she wanted. It was surely a tactical decision on her part—a way to make sure that whatever may happen in the future, the Carpathian Kingdom would side with the Vale in any potential global conflicts.
But what Nicolae had just said was beyond what even I thought he might ever do to make Laila his.
“You want the Vale to fall?” I asked, making sure I’d heard him correctly.
“I do.” He nodded and licked his lips hungrily. His eyes flared with determination, and I took a step back.
It was moments like this that made me fear him… that made me think he might not be completely sane.
“If the Vale falls, Laila will have nowhere to go,” he continued. “She’ll need help and safety. She’ll need me. She’ll need us—the Carpathian Kingdom. I’ll propose to her, and she’ll finally realize that this is where she’s been meant to be all along. By my side, as my queen.”
“That makes sense.” I kept my tone polite and formal, knowing better than to show that I had any doubt of Laila’s possible affections for him. “But where do I come in with all of this?”
“I am sending you to the Vale not to win Prince Jacen’s heart… but to act as a spy,” he said smugly. “Although of course, in order to succeed as a spy, you’ll need to make the prince like you enough to keep you in the palace as a contender for his hand. But you’re charming enough that I’m sure you can figure out how to do that. You certainly have the looks for it.”
I knew what he was referring to—the fact that my appearance resembled Queen Laila’s. My looks were what had drawn Nicolae to turn me in the first place.
Luckily, it hadn’t taken him long to realize that despite our resemblance, I would never replace the queen who had stolen his heart.
The Vampire Wish: The Complete Series (Dark World) Page 20