by LeeSha McCoy
I want them to know that even though I’ve never been seen in this capacity before, just like my parents, I’m not to be fucked with either. It may have taken me a while to get to this level of self-confidence, but still, I like to think I’m on my way to becoming my mother’s daughter.
In my own way.
This whole experience makes it hard not to think about ruling my own part of a kingdom one day. I'm not sure who I'll end up marrying, or whether he’ll be royalty or not, but I hope they're into the same shit as me, at least.
I know I told Heiro that I’d carry out my royal duties alone, but I didn’t mean it. I don’t want to grow a prosperous community on my own. I’d like to find someone to share those responsibilities with, who has the same desire to better people’s lives like I do, and the more time I spend thinking about what I want for my life, the more I believe I can find that someone.
God, I don’t know what I was thinking, saying all that shit.
‘Me either,’ Malika says, piping up.
I roll my eyes internally before spotting the passionfruit tree mom was talking about. ‘Ready to pull some fangs?’
‘I was created ready.’ She prompts me to magic a pair of extraction forceps into my hand. ‘Do it slowly.’
‘I intend to.’ I don’t envy this man for a moment, because losing your fangs isn’t only painful beyond measure, but humiliating. They also can't experience pleasure by feeding, which is probably the hardest part of the entire thing.
That fact alone should be a massive deterrent.
‘Well, it didn't deter this moron, did it?’
No, it didn’t, so let’s make him pay.
‘Let’s.’
I approach the front door, but instead of knocking, I release Malika so she can pull him outside. Her grasp of magic is stronger than mine, and will be until we have use of our advanced abilities and can merge.
A stocky, unkempt, dark-haired man appears, stumbling and resisting our hold a little, but it's pointless and he knows it, so he soon gives up when we put him on his knees as the crowd surrounds us.
I ignore the spectators as they kneel to me, but I hastily tell them they can rise.
Now for the show.
“Jopha?” I ask the man, once Malika hands me back control of my body.
“Yes, Your Highness,” he replies to the ground, meagrely. “That is I.”
I use the tip of my sword to lift his chin. “The Royal Crown of Caro has found you guilty of the most heinous of crimes. Endeavouring to feed from a human…”
There are audible gasps from the bystanders, and comments of disgust. I’m not surprised, however, because my parents and their laws are adored by mostly everyone for the way they’ve created a peace never known in the kratius before their rule.
He swallows. “Forgive me, please. I was—I didn’t—I hadn’t eaten for hours and—”
I press the sword into his neck to end his rambling. “There is no excuse. The kratius has declared your crime to Queen Aurellia-Caro, and as a result, your punishment is to be defanged. Immediately.”
More gasps sound as I step forward and retract my sword, but I keep my attention on the vermin before me. His eyes are bulging as he begs, but I remain unphased, and after holding his mouth open as wide as possible, I slowly snatch each fang in turn, amplifying the sounds of his screams as the roots detach, causing the bystanders to grimace. Some even look away.
‘Good work, Princess,’ Malika says with glee. ‘That will teach him.’
‘So it will…’
I destroy his fangs in the palm of my hand, while he drops to all fours, sobbing loudly while his mouth bleeds profusely. Usually, average vampires heal within a few seconds from wounds that size, but fangs are a different story. He’ll bleed for a few minutes yet. It’s unfortunate for him, as he’ll need to replenish his blood soon or risk becoming delirious, but that’s what he gets.
Everyone knows the humans are off limits, and more to the point, how dare he think he can commit a crime against the kratius without my mother finding out. Nothing gets past her.
I turn to the crowds. “As all should be aware by now, the kratius speaks directly to my mother, so do not think for a moment that any attempted crime can go unheard of. Queen Aurellia-Caro will hear about it, and you will suffer the consequences. The humans must not be touched. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Princess Caro.”
“Good, then you are all dismissed,” I tell them, turning to look up at the passionfruit tree above me. I draw my sword. Now let me collect these fruits so I can head back home.
***
I set the passionfruits down on the table beside my father. He’s sitting opposite mom in the dining hall and smiles up at me.
“You did well, baby girl. How do you feel having completed your first official sanction?” Dad sees things through not only mom, but his own noir magic that is also fuelled by hers.
“Good.” I sit down in the chair beside him. “It was quite thrilling to be honest. I hope you ask me again.”
“We will,” Mom replies, eyeing the fruits. “We’re proud of you.”
“Thank you. Where is everyone?”
“Busy. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
“Spit it out,” Dad says. “We know there’s something.”
“Well…” I look at mom. “The dreams…”
She sighs. “I can’t talk about those yet, sweetheart. As much power as I hold, there are still some things I can’t discuss or reveal.”
So, there is something to it…
Must be Aura or Ariella. Those two are the only ones that govern her in any way.
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon,” she adds.
“Yeah.” I hope so. These dreams are driving me mad. “Have you heard from Mahrosa?”
Dad nods. “He’s visiting next month with Anahita to discuss the binding.”
“Oh, good. I want to speak to her.”
Mom frowns. “Why not visit them?”
“It’s okay, I can wait. I only wanna pick her brains over a few things.” Their reaction tells me they already know what about, so I don’t elaborate. I eye the fruits. “Mind if I grab one of those before I go?”
“You picked them,” Dad says. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” I grab two as I get up to leave. “I’ll leave you two to it. See you for dinner?”
“Alright, sweetheart.”
***
Instead of returning to my room, I wander the gardens while devouring my passionfruits. The sun is beating hot, though, so I magic an umbrella to shade myself, and then Malika and I replay today’s earlier events.
I really enjoyed that shit.
‘Same,’ Malika agrees. ‘I hope it’s not long before we’re asked to carry out another task like that.’
‘Me either. I wouldn’t mind clipping some fangs next time, or using our magic in some way.’
‘Or our sword.’
‘Definitely.’
She particularly likes swordplay, but so do—
“Boo!”
I startle to a halt as Ella appears beside me, and then I glare at her. “Thanks for that little heart attack there.”
Malika isn’t impressed either.
Ariella smiles. “My bad. How are you?”
“Good. Where have you been?” I ask curiously as I begin to walk again. “I haven't seen you for weeks.”
“Busy. You know how it is.”
“Yeah…” I pop the last piece of fruit in my mouth. “So, what do I owe this pleasure? I'm not having a breakdown, and I'm not hurt, not that I know of anyway…”
She rolls her eyes. “I don't just come to see you when your world is falling apart.”
“I know, but still…”
“I thought I'd catch up with you, that's all. Anything you wanna talk about? Anything happening out of the usual you wanna discuss?”
I stop and turn to face her. “Are you talking about my dreams?”
I look to the heavens briefly, and she laughs. “Go on then. What do they mean? And why can't I see his face?”
“Ah, that's the question, isn't it?”
I start walking again. “Not in the mood, Ella. I know you know I just asked mom about them, and the reply she gave.”
The blue in her eyes brightens momentarily. “I did.”
“So…?”
“You’ll soon find out.”
“When—”
Ugh. She's disappeared.
Typical Ariella style...
Eighteen
Amarey
I throw my keys on the side after getting back from visiting the holds. It’s been a long ass day, and I’m stressed. I wasn’t expecting them to have so much shit to talk about or to be there the entire day, and now I’m tired, hungry, and irritable as fuck.
I’m barely fucking sleeping, which doesn’t help.
Apart from starting to think I can sense other peoples’ moods since my first full moon, my head is being consumed with this blurred out girl I keep dreaming about. I’ve tried everything possible to take my mind off her, but I can’t.
Enough is a muthafuckin’ nuff.
“Ells?” I call out.
‘Two minutes.’
“Aight.”
I pull up a seat at my kitchen table. My stomach growls and I know I should cook, but even the effort of doing that is too much, so I grab an apple from the fruit bowl instead to curb the hunger pains. This whole unmotivated shit is getting to me more than I’d like to admit, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t snap myself out of it.
It’s why I’ve got no choice but to approach my sis about this shit.
God knows how it’s gonna go, but I've decided to take my brother’s advice and just ask her.
“Enjoying that?”
I look up at Ells as she takes a seat opposite me and eyes the apple in my hand. “Not really.”
She smiles. “Lucky I'm here then, isn't it?”
A plate of steak, eggs, greens, and potatoes appears in front of me, and I growl from how good it smells. “Thank you.”
“You know I’ve got you. It won’t run out until you’re done.”
“Respect, sis.” I drop the apple and start tearing up my plate. Damn, this steak is good as fuck.
“Nice work at the holds today, Mah. I’ve increased the capacity in one and two, asked Tiny to run some classes for the young ones, and I’ve asked Harmony to begin running some sessions on self-defence and confidence building.”
“Good,” I reply around a mouthful of potatoes. If anyone can teach confidence, it’s her.
“Yep, mom and dad said the same. It’s an important skill for them to have if they ever want to integrate themselves back into the wider community. To be honest, it’s a little unsettling, the way some of them think staying forever in the holds is going to keep them safe. They’re letting their lives pass them by, too. Just existing,” she mutters.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed how many more are choosing to reside in them. What mum and dad do is great, don’t get me wrong, but we need to make sure those holds are more of a pitstop in their lives, rather than somewhere they stay forever. They need to stand on their own two feet. They’re wares now, and they need to deal with it.”
“They’ll get there, but you’re right. Let’s hope these changes make a difference.”
I hope they do.
“So, what do you need me for?”
Like she don’t know. I rest my fork down. “How long you got?”
Her eyes swirl before settling. “As long as you need.”
“Aight… First off, what are these damned dreams about? ‘Cause I swear they're affecting my sex drive now.”
“Mah…” She laughs. “I wondered how long it was gonna take.”
“What? Me not asking for a link?”
“Yeah.” Her smile slips, and then I sense her switch into full elder mode. “Before I answer that question, I need to make sure you understand what can of worms you're opening, because once we have this conversation, there's no going back.”
Damn. I wasn't expecting that response. “Should I be worried?”
“I'm not answering that. You're a grown man, little bro. You have to make your own choices in life. No matter what.”
Well, damn. “Are the nightmares gonna go away?”
She shakes her head.
“Alright, so I suppose I don't have a choice, then.”
“You always—”
“Have a choice. Yeah, so you say, but I can't live my life like this. It's driving me crazy.”
She's quite for a moment, and then she sighs. “I've been waiting for this moment for twenty years, but now it's here, I'm nervous as fuck.”
I lean back. “Oh, hell no. That don't sound good, Ells.”
Her eyes flicker with blue. “Chill out, alright? Do you wanna know or not?”
I think about my situation again. I never question myself like this, and I don’t fucking like it. Do I wanna know? “Yeah, I do.”
“Alright, well—” She suddenly shrieks, and I lean back.
“The fuck is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” She laughs. “Sorry. Ready?”
I eye her suspiciously. “Yeahhh…”
She rests her hands on the table and smiles. “You're right in thinking the dreams are about your mate.”
“So, where is she? What country she in? Does she know about me?”
“Technically, no, she doesn't know about you, and she's not in any country either.”
I groan. “Shit, Ells. She ain't been born yet?” I sigh. “How long do I gotta wait?”
“She has been born. She was born not long after you were.”
I frown. “This shit ain't making no sense…”
“She's not in this world, Mah.”
I freeze. “What?”
“She’s from the kratius, and she's a—”
I almost shift cause I'm so damn shocked, but then the dreams I’ve been having finally make sense. “She’s a vampire, ain’t she?”
“Yes.”
“You have got to be shitting me.”
She shakes her head. “Nope. I swear. I found out not too long after you were born. I always knew, from the moment you took your first breath, that you were unique. Everyone felt it, especially when they would hold you. You're special, Mah. So special, you couldn’t even comprehend the depths of it.”
That would explain the dreams, and why I’ve felt as if I don’t fit in, but… “Damn. What will Mum and Dad say? Mum will go ballistic.”
All the way insane.
She leans forward. “Don't worry about her for now. All that matters is what you think and feel. How do you feel about it?”
“Shit, I dunno. I feel like I've just been hit by a truck, Ells. I mean, I'm wondering how this shit is gonna work, and Mum and Dad. Hell, Mum will lose her shit if she finds out I’m mated to a damn vampire—”
“Calm down. I told you, none of that matters yet. The journey is yours alone and one you and your mate must take together. Even me, Aura, and Vallessa won't get involved until the time is right.”
Fuck, they’re all the big guns…
I rub my head in my hands. “I never expected this, sis. I mean, the dreams kinda made me feel like something was up, but—”
“They are visions.”
I fucking knew it!
“Cool, right?”
I let my hands fall away from my face. “I guess…”
“I know it’s a lot to take right now, but worries aside, how do you feel about your mate being a vampire? Y’know they have two people inside them, right?”
Jesus... I forgot about that.
“And I know how you feel about the biting, Mah.”
I look back up at her. “We really gonna go there?”
“Hell yeah we are. You know there ain’t no secrets when it comes to me and you.”
/>
“You just said there are things you can't tell me yet, so that's a lie.”
She rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. So, tell me how you feel. Brother to sister. Forget I'm an elder for a second.”
I ain't even gonna lie, that shit is exciting. “Will she be able to feed from me?”
“Can't answer that yet either. Sorry. Do you wanna meet her?”
My eyes attempt an escape from my face. “What? Now? You gonna take me to the kratius?”
“Yes or no, Mah? I'll worry about the logistics.”
“Damn right I wanna meet her.”
“Then give me a few days, alright? And in the meantime, let this all sink in. Just don’t become mom and start overthinking everything. Please.”
It’s gonna be hard not to, but… “Aight.”
Nineteen
Karrisee
“Boo.”
I roll my eyes before turning away from my dresser to face Ariella. She's appeared on my bed, looking smug as hell about God knows what. “Malika sensed you this time. Unlucky.”
“Aww, maybe I'm losing my touch… Or maybe not.” Her smirk returns. “How are you?”
“Good... What's that look for?”
“Guess.”
I walk over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I give up.”
She sits up. “You haven't even guessed.”
That makes me snort. “Because knowing you, I never will.”
She laughs. “Don't be like that. Just take a guess.”
“I really don't—”
“What's the one thing you’d wish for more than anything?”
That's easy, but there's no way she'd do that.
Her eyes darken. “Anything, Karrisee. At all.”
That piques my interest, and I give her a sideways glance. “Anything at all?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Alright… If I could wish for anything, it would be to go to the world with you. You already know that, though, don’t you?”
“I do.” She smiles. “So I guess I've just become your Fairy Godmother, ‘cause I’m about to grant that wish.”
‘What?’ Malika shrieks, and I follow it with a, “Huh?”