“Apparently not.” She dragged her gaze away from the destroyed bedroom and fixed her eyes on me instead.
“What do you want?” I asked. She’d left the door open behind her and I was tempted to run for it. I knew I wasn’t faster than her but if I could do something to slow her down, maybe I could get enough of a head start. Perhaps I’d be able to find somewhere to hide and slip away before they discovered me.
“You need to get ready for the wedding,” she said with an encouraging smile. “I had thought we’d do it here but perhaps we should take everything to my room instead.”
“I’m not getting married,” I replied in a low voice, my grip tightening on the wooden stake. Dad had told us the old vampire stories where a stake was the best weapon to use against them. Maybe it was worth a shot.
“I know this must all seem very sudden and confusing. You haven’t had a chance to get to know my brother and now we’re marching you straight down the aisle. But I assure you he’s a good man beneath all of the theatrics. He’ll treat you well-”
“He’s not a man,” I corrected. “He’s a cold, dead, monster and I will die before I’ll marry him.”
“I’m sure it’s difficult to adjust to the idea of this. Normally you’d have a few days to get to know the Counts and it would be easier to-”
“I don’t need to get to know him or hear any fucking songs about how wonderful he is so you can take your platitudes and piss off.”
Clarice’s eyes turned icy. “Look, I really don’t want to have to do this the hard way. But if that’s what it takes then I’m willing to do it.”
“Don’t try to pretend you’re anything other than a self-righteous bitch. The reality is that you’re making me do this against my will either way. So if you’re gonna be the kind of person who kidnaps people then forces them into a marriage just own it.”
Clarice snapped her fingers and six male vampires moved into the room. “Bring her to my chambers,” she commanded. “We’ll have to do this there.”
They advanced on me and I tightened my grip on my concealed weapon as I opened the floodgates on my gifts. I knew my chances of fighting them off were fairly slim but they’d made the mistake of making it clear just how much they wanted me for this marriage. They weren’t going to kill me. But I had no such rules about them.
As the first vampire reached out to grab me, I snatched his hand and yanked him forward as I raised the stake. It slammed into his heart and Clarice screamed in shock and outrage as he fell to dust.
“Damian!” she called as if there might be a chance of him coming back from death for a second time.
I threw myself backwards as the other vampires leapt at me. I tumbled over, coming up in a crouch on the far side of the bed with the stake held ready.
I gritted my teeth as power flooded through my muscles and the vampires raced towards me.
The first to get close caught a kick to the chest and was thrown across the bed to crash down on the floor. I swung my stake at the second, slicing it across his abdomen so that scarlet blood flew, splattering over my white robe as he fell back.
I ducked beneath a set of grasping arms and tried to roll across the bed to gain more space. A hand clamped down on my ankle, violently yanking me backwards.
I flipped over and kicked the vampire who’d caught me squarely in the face. My heel smashed against his teeth and I let out a scream as they pierced the skin and venom poured into the wound. Burning pain flared through my foot and my concentration wavered as I swung the stake again.
One of the vampires struck my arm and the stake was sent clattering to the floor.
I tried to punch and kick my way free but they leapt on me, pinning my limbs in place and finally tying my wrists behind my back.
One of them picked me up and swung me over his shoulder.
He raced out of the room at inhuman speed, turning left and right down lavish corridors before finally arriving at an ornate wooden door with a huge golden knocker hanging from it. I tried to fight against his hold on me but there was nothing I could do. I’d failed again and the knowledge left a weight hanging in my chest.
Clarice appeared beside us in a blur of motion and opened it, indicating for him to bring me inside.
I was flipped right way up again and deposited on a soft cream sofa in the middle of a room which was so large it could have housed forty people.
White furniture stood around the edges of the room, each piece lined with paintings of golden flowers. Everything else was very pink. The walls were a dusty rose colour and the every flat surface was filled with cushions and blankets in colours ranging from fuchsia to baby pink. The four poster bed was absolutely enormous; I was sure it could have slept ten comfortably.
“No wonder they call you the Golden Whore,” I said. “How many men do you bring to that bed at a time?”
The male who’d carried me there slapped me so hard that my head snapped to the side and my ear started ringing. The mixture of pain and humiliation made my eyes prickle but I fought against the urge to curl up into a ball and weep. I couldn’t let these monsters see me fall apart. I’d never let them know how close I felt to breaking point.
Clarice surveyed me through tear-filled eyes as she stood over me. “Damian was a part of my harem for two hundred and seventy years,” she exclaimed and I almost could have bought into her crocodile tears.
“Who?” I asked with a frown as I fought to keep my composure.
“The vampire you just killed!”
“Well it sounds like he got two hundred years longer than he should have,” I replied coldly.
Clarice bit her bottom lip and I eyed her fangs warily.
“You really think we’re all nothing but monsters?” she asked in a voice so low it was nearly a whisper. “You feel no remorse at all for killing him?”
I almost laughed at the question. Why the hell would she expect me to care about killing a bloodsucker? But the look in her eyes told me she really couldn’t understand it. I scowled at her, infuriated by the idea that she couldn’t see what she was.
“Imagine you’d been born into a prison where there was never enough food and you had to watch your family suffer every day. In the winter, you had to worry about freezing to death despite the fact that there were warm clothes and blankets laying unused on the other side of the fence you’re not allowed to cross. And you have to endure all of that and more just so that your blood can sustain the lives of a bunch of parasites who should have died a thousand lifetimes ago. You cling to life long after your time has come and gone, living off of us like a bunch of fleas and then you expect me to feel bad about killing one of you? When have you ever felt bad about killing one of us?” I spat.
“Don’t you understand, the Realms were created so that we wouldn’t kill humans anymore. We don’t feed from you directly so that we don’t risk losing control. It’s to protect you-”
“But we only need protecting because you exist. You’re forgetting that you need humans to survive but we don’t need you,” I growled.
Clarice nodded as if she accepted what I was saying but if she really did then she wouldn’t treat us the way she did. “There are things you don’t understand, Callie. It’s not as though we can just stop being what we are; my brothers and I were cursed a long time ago. And believe it or not we don’t want to be this way. But the only way to change it is to break the curse.”
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked. My foot was still burning painfully from the venom but I gritted my teeth against it, refusing to complain about it to her.
“Possibly everything. The prophecy speaks of twins, we believe you could be a part of the answer we seek.”
“So this prophecy says I have to marry some asshole with pigtails and because I’m a twin you think everything will just go poof and your curse will end?” I asked.
“Not exactly...” Clarice looked away awkwardly.
“Oh right, I forgot the part where you want him to impregnate me
with his twisted demon spawn.”
Her eyes widened and she moved towards me, shaking her head as she dropped down to sit beside me on the couch.
“No, no, the children aren’t twisted,” she said as she reached out as if she might touch me. The look I gave her made her drop her hand before it made contact. “I promise, when you have your babies you will love them unlike anything else in this world...”
“What aren’t you saying?” I asked, sensing she was holding something back.
“You’re strong. The strongest we’ve ever had in fact,” she said reassuringly. “It won’t matter for you.”
“What won’t?” I frowned at her, refusing to let the subject drop.
“Well, it’s just that not all of the wives have survived the births,” she said gently.
I barked a laugh but it held no humour. “Of course they haven’t. And why would you care about that anyway? We’re only humans, just things for you to use one way or another. So long as you get what you want from us.”
“We do care,” she protested. “It’s why we change you as soon as it’s over. A vampire can heal, those who are strong enough to hold on while the change takes place live a wonderful life here-”
“Oh yeah it sounds great. You rip us away from our families, rape us and murder us all before bringing us back from the dead and saying you care.” I kept up my aggressive tone but my heart was racing. This was the fate they had in store for Montana. This was what I’d come so far to stop and yet I’d ended up in the same damn net as her. There had to be a way out of this for both of us. The wedding was today; tonight they’d expect to consummate it and seal our fates. There was no way I’d let that happen.
“I can see we aren’t getting anywhere with this,” Clarice said coolly. “So I may as well spell it out for you. You are getting married today. And one way or another I will get you in that dress and have your hair and makeup styled to perfection. If it comes to it, I will shackle and gag you then drag you down the aisle myself. Or you can be a good little girl and do as you’re told. Either way this is happening because it could end the curse. Then we’ll all be free. Surely you want that too? So what’s it to be?”
I glared at her as I turned over everything she’d said. It didn’t seem like I had much chance of getting out of this while I was still cooped up in this place but if I went along with what she was saying then at least I’d be left free. If they shackled me then it would only make escaping more difficult. I needed to be free to run. And I’d need to run before this day was up. There was no way I was marrying a Belvedere. And I wouldn’t let that fate fall on my sister either.
“When is Montana getting married?” I asked, knowing that I had to get her out of this place. If her wedding was due to go ahead before mine then I had to make some bargain to change it.
“It’s a joint ceremony,” Clarice replied. “You’ll see her at the altar.”
My mind span with that knowledge. We’d be together, waiting for the brothers to arrive and claim us. But there were things Clarice didn’t know about the wedding. Like the poisoned blood which would be served to their guests. It might just cause enough of a distraction for me to get Monty away from them once and for all.
“Fine,” I replied bitterly, making sure I didn’t show any of the excitement which was building in my chest. “I’ll wear the stupid dress.”
She beamed and she took my elbow as she guided me through her room towards the ensuite at the far end. I left a bloody footprint every time I stepped on my right foot and Clarice jerked me to a halt as she noticed.
“What happened to your foot?” she asked.
“I kicked one of your friends in the mouth.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t know, you all look the same to me,” I replied dismissively.
She glared back at the five male vampires and one of them raised his hand sheepishly. “Craig? Did you taste her blood?”
“It was an accident master, I swear it wasn’t intentional-”
“Don’t you know the punishment for biting a Courtier?” She stared at him incredulously and he hung his head in shame. “Get out of my sight! All of you! Just go!”
They fled from the room and I was left alone with her. Somehow that didn’t make me feel any safer.
“I can’t apologise enough. The water will clear the venom from your system and you’ll feel much better,” she said, patting my arm.
I pulled away from her, not wanting her false apology. We continued into the ensuite and I eyed the lavish decoration uneasily.
A huge roll top bath with clawed feet sat in the centre of it and Clarice moved around me to set the water running. I watched as she poured a pink liquid into the water and bubbles began to foam on its surface.
“We’ll have you fit for a Count in no time,” she promised as she removed the rope which bound my arms. “In you get.”
I rubbed at the chafed skin on my wrists and hesitated before dropping the robe and revealing my body. Clarice gave me an encouraging smile and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes as I climbed into the water. My foot instantly began to feel better as the venom was washed away.
“Do you want to explain who decided to shave me while I was unconscious?” I asked as I sank into the bath and fought the urge to moan in pleasure. I’d never felt anything as good as the hot water which lapped around my skin.
Clarice laughed. “Did you think someone set themselves up with a razor and got to work shaving your legs? It was just a machine; laser hair removal. You’ll never have to worry about it growing back.”
“Why the hell would I be worried about that? What’s the point of removing it?” I asked incredulously.
“Oh, well...” She looked away awkwardly and I scowled at her, demanding an answer. “It’s just that men tend to prefer that, you know... when you’re naked.”
My imagination went to Magnar and heat clawed at my cheeks as I wondered whether he would care about such a thing. Then I realised she’d meant Fabian and the memory of his body pressing me down on the bed sent a shudder through me. I would never give myself to him like that.
“That’s really fucking stupid,” I commented.
“You know, swearing isn’t particularly becoming for a Countess-”
I glared at her and she shrugged one shoulder as she let it drop. I ducked below the surface of the water and scrubbed at my hair. It was so peaceful beneath the surface that I was tempted to stay there with nothing for company but my own thoughts.
But unlike my undead fiancée, I had to breathe and as my lungs began to burn, I pushed myself upright.
I pulled down a deep breath as I surfaced and swept my hair back off of my face.
Clarice reached out and started rubbing something into my hair but I jerked away from her.
“I’m not a doll,” I said as I snatched the bottle of shampoo from her and did it myself. I wondered why the hell she was trying to help me anyway. She was one of the most powerful people in the country; didn’t she have better things to do than babysit me? I could only imagine that she really thought I was important. Perhaps she truly thought I could play some part in ending their curse. But if that was the case then why not just ask for my help? Why force me into this ridiculous arrangement?
Once I was clean, I stood up and exited the water. Clarice handed me a towel and and I dried myself quickly, refusing to enjoy the sensation of the fluffy material against my skin. In the Realm the towels were rough and scratchy but of course the vampires kept the best for themselves.
I tossed the towel at her feet when I was done, refusing to be intimidated by the fact that they’d taken my clothes from me.
Clarice approached me with a thick robe which fell past my knees when I shrugged it on. I guessed the ridiculously short one I’d woken up in hadn’t been her idea. Besides, it was covered in blood now so I guessed wearing it again would have undone the work of the bath.
“What now?” I asked.
“Now I’m going to tran
sform you into a Countess.” She beamed at me and I scowled in return.
She led me back out into her room and directed me to sit on a stool before a huge dressing table. A big mirror sat above it and I looked at myself for a moment before turning away.
There was a knock at the door and Clarice moved away from me to open it. Three vampires filed into the room and my gut prickled uncomfortably as I was surrounded by my enemies once more.
The male vampire reached out and lifted a lock of my long hair into his grasp. I flinched away from him, smacking his hand so that he released it again and he frowned at Clarice in confusion.
“Calm down, Callie. These are my personal stylists; they’re here to do our hair and makeup.”
“What do you mean do my hair?” I asked with a frown as the vampire reached for me again.
“I’m Jacob,” he said slowly, like he thought I might have trouble understanding plain English. “I’ll have this fixed before you know it.”
“I was wondering, what you think of a bob?” Clarice said to him. “She has such strong cheekbones, I think she could really pull it off-”
“Who’s Bob?” I asked, interrupting them. I wasn’t going to sit by and let them talk about me as if I wasn’t there.
“It’s a hairstyle,” Clarice explained patiently. “It’s quite short but I think you could really-”
“You’re not cutting my hair,” I exclaimed, jumping to my feet and pressing my back to the dressing table.
“Oh but I really think you could pull it off and there’s nothing like a makeover to help you feel like a new woman.” Clarice pouted and I got the impression she was about to force this decision on me.
“No!” I snapped. My heart pounded in panic at the thought of them taking something so personal from me. It was bad enough that they were making me do everything they commanded but cutting my hair would feel like losing the last thing which bound me to my missing family. “My hair is the only thing I have to remind me of my mother. I can’t remember anything else about the way she looked; you’re not taking it from me. And if you’re stupid enough to bring a pair of scissors close to me then I’ll use them to kill all of you.”
Age of Vampires- The Complete Series Page 72