by Jody Morse
“Vampires used to kill mermaids?” I asked, surprised that I had never heard this before.
“All the time. Mermaid blood is believed to make your kind stronger and more powerful than drinking human blood ever would,” she explained. “But the reason you don’t know this is because Laurel casted a spell to wipe away your memories. The spell was to make vampires forget that mermaids were beneficial to them so that you would no longer be tempted to feed on them.”
I frowned. “I seem to be missing the point. What does any of this have to do with the reason why the sky changed colors?”
“Sebastian, you can be incredibly dense at times.” Zoe shook her head frustratedly. “Part of the protection spell was that if the treaty was ever broken—if a vampire were to ever kill a mermaid again—the barrier would disappear.” She glanced up at me, her eyes filled with worry. “The treaty was broken. I just saw a dead mermaid on the beach. It looks like someone drained her of all her blood and then tried to cover it up by shooting her in the chest. That’s why the sky has changed colors. The barrier is gone.”
“But that can’t be possible,” I insisted. “The barrier is still in effect. It must still be in effect, because the sun isn’t burning my skin right now.”
“It’s nighttime, Sebastian,” she reminded me gently. “Once morning comes, the effects could be devastating. We must warn the others before it’s too late.”
“Great. Add this to my growing list of concerns,” I muttered under my breath. Not only was there a chance that we were about to go to war with Aunt Caroline and my cousin Daniel, let alone Emilio Craven and his coven, but we would be doing it with no protection from the sun.
My life was beginning to feel like a death sentence.
Zoe narrowed her eyes at me. “Why? What else is going on?”
“Just... stuff,” I replied. “Stuff I really need to figure out.”
The witch studied my face for a few long moments. Then, slowly, a realization crossed her face. “It’s you and Lila, isn’t it? You’ve fallen in love... haven’t you?”
Turning away from her, I took a few steps closer to the sea. I stared out at the rough waves that danced across the ocean. I didn’t answer Zoe’s question, but as she came to stand alongside me and we stared out at the Deadwood Sea together in silence, I knew that I didn’t need to.
The answer was already painfully obvious and we both knew exactly what it meant.
To fall in love with Lila, and for her to fall in love with me, wasn’t only just complicated. It was dangerous for everyone. For reasons that I didn’t quite understand, our love had the power to ignite the first vampire world war.
And it looked like that was exactly what was about to happen.
Chapter 3
Alessandra
AS KADE THRUSTED INTO me one last time and then pulled himself out of me, I came down from the high that had just rocked my world. I lay naked on the bed for a few moments as I tried to regain my breath.
Once I stood up, I glanced at myself in the mirror, relieved to see that my hair had managed to hold up through our little rendezvous. I imagined that once I went back downstairs to rejoin our guests, there would be plenty of photos taken and I wanted to look good in them.
Not that my appearance had ever been in question. I was the Allegro princess; I always looked good.
“Sebastian would be so pissed if he knew we did this in his bed, you know,” Kade commented as he began to pull his clothes back on.
A smile touched my lips. “I know. Thrilling, isn’t it?”
“You are one twisted woman. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“Every day, my love.” As I began to pull my gown back on, I peered out the window. I stared down at the courtyard below us, watching as our guests danced and drank to their hearts’ content. Alcohol, mostly, though I did see a few vampires drinking from the necks of their slaves.
As Lorenzo Delrusso drank from the neck of a pretty young brunette in chains, I watched the way the slave tilted her head to the side, giving into his needs fully and completely. From the expression that her face had twisted into, it was safe to say that she was enjoying every second of it.
That was the thing about human slaves. Most of them were unwilling to admit it, but the majority of them actually liked it—craved it, even—just as much as we did.
My stomach growled with my own thirst. I realized that it had been a long time since the last time I’d fed. Well, a long time for me, at least. I had never understood how some vampires could go days between feedings. I needed to feed more often than that—much more often. I could have fed hourly if I let myself, but I knew that I would’ve had no slaves left if I did.
I was trying to decide which of my slaves I was craving the most when Kade spoke again. “Hey, have you taken a look at the sky?”
Glancing up at it, I took it in again. The sky was no longer the same bloody shade of red it usually was. It had been replaced by deep blues, rich purples, and hints of pink.
It reminded me of a human sky.
I’d only ever seen a human sky a few times before, but it was one of the prettiest—and strangest—sights that I had ever laid eyes on.
But we weren’t in the human world, and our sky didn’t look the way the human sky did. So, what had changed?
I turned to Kade, whose gaze was locked on the sky. He was studying it intensely, probably thinking the same thing as me.
“What does it mean when the sky is no longer red?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know for sure, but I’m thinking that it can only mean one thing.”
“And what would that be?” I pressed.
“That the protection spell has been lifted,” he explained as he continued to stare at it for a moment longer. Shaking his head, his blue eyes flicked over to meet mine. “I need to go find someone who knows what the hell is going on.”
Without saying another word, he strode across the room and slipped into the hall, closing the door behind him.
Part of me was annoyed that he thought he could just leave the room so abruptly, without even bidding me a proper farewell. But there was also a part of me that felt relieved, too. I liked to do my drinking in silence, away from everyone else. The last thing I needed was for Kade to be right alongside me while I fed – and feeding was the only thing I wanted to do.
Glancing back down below again, I eyed my slaves for a few moments. I started to question which one of them I wanted to drink from, but who was I kidding? It was Vernelle who I wanted. He was the one who I always wanted.
Perhaps that was why I’d felt so jealous earlier that evening when I’d watched him kissing Julia in the courtyard.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved Kade so much and the logical side of me knew that Vernelle was nothing more than a slave—a human—but... still. Seeing his lips on someone else’s had sent anger racing through my veins.
Vernelle belonged to me. He was mine to kiss, not hers.
Of course, my feelings were entirely without cause. It wasn’t even like it had been a real kiss—the type that was driven by passion or emotions. I had known that all along. I was the one who had told Vernelle to kiss Julia, merely because I’d wanted to prove a point to Sebastian.
I’d wanted him to see that his darling slave wasn’t the perfect little angel he’d seemed to believe she was. I’d wanted him to see that there was another side to that little bitch. I’d wanted him to see her manipulative side.
I knew Sebastian was unable to recognize how manipulative Julia was, but I saw it. I saw how she had somehow managed to convince him that she really was Lila DeHaven. It was quite possibly the most ludicrous lie that I’d ever heard, but he had actually believed it.
But none of that mattered now. My mission had been accomplished. Sebastian had acted on anger. He’d put his feelings for that slave aside just long enough to agree to marry me, and Julia (if that was even her real name) was long gone. She had fled into the woods when our engagement had been announced, and I
knew there was no way any human could have possibly survived the famished vampires who lived in those woods.
It was a pity, really. I had wanted to be the one to kill her, to torture the girl for all of the trouble her very existence in Deadwood had caused me. I may not have gotten that opportunity, but I knew that I couldn’t allow myself to lose sight of what was really important.
Julia was dead, which meant that part of Sebastian’s heart had broken. And that meant I was one step closer to completely destroying him.
Speaking of Sebastian, where was he? He’d gone into the woods to chase after Julia. It was obvious he hadn’t been able to save her in time or else he would have come back by now, but he hadn’t. I figured he was probably wallowing somewhere, trying not to drown in his own tears. The very thought warmed my heart with delight.
At that moment, I heard the sound of the door click open behind me. Assuming that it was Kade who had entered the room, I wondered out loud, “Where is your brother, anyway?”
“Which one?” Sebastian’s familiar voice answered.
I glanced over at him, surprised. Then a smile hit my lips as a realization hit.
If he had entered the room just moments earlier, he would have found me and Kade making love in his bed.
It was such an exhilarating feeling to nearly be caught in the act.
“Kade,” I lied. “I haven’t seen him all night.”
Sebastian shrugged. Without saying a word, he walked across his bedroom and grabbed something from his dresser drawer.
The hint of metal gleamed from across the room.
“What is that?” I motioned to the object that he held in his hand.
He didn’t look at me as he stuffed it in his pocket. “It’s a dagger.”
“Sebastian, why would you possibly need a dagger right now?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. “Is there someone who you’re planning to kill?”
An idea dawned on me. I knew Julia’s death was bound to affect him, but he wouldn’t actually kill himself because she was gone... would he?
“I need to be prepared for anything right now,” he explained as he continued to avoid my gaze. He began to make his way for the door, but I beat him to it.
As I stood in front of the door to block him from leaving, I glanced up into his eyes. “Sebastian, please tell me what’s going on.”
He shook his head. “I can’t tell you. Not right now.”
“But I’m your fiancée,” I reminded him. “Don’t I have the right to know?”
He glanced down at me, a look of hesitancy in his clear blue eyes. “My Aunt Caroline is on her way here right now. She’s claiming that the island and throne belong to her.”
“But how is that even possible?” A knot began to tighten in my stomach. I didn’t like the sounds of this. If what he was saying was true... if his aunt really was fighting for the throne... Well, it would have jeopardized everything Kade and I had been planning. It would have threatened my place as the next Stark Queen.
“I don’t know. She’s on her way here right now, apparently with proof that the throne belongs to her. She plans to give us forty-eight hours to evacuate the palace,” Sebastian replied.
“And if we don’t evacuate?” I questioned.
“If we don’t evacuate, it looks like we’re going to war, which you and I both know my coven isn’t ready for.” He shook his head frustratedly. “Now would you please move out of my way? I need to go warn my brothers of what’s going on. Just to prepare them.”
“Okay, but I do have one question for you before you go,” I told him.
“Can’t this wait? My aunt should be arriving at any moment.”
“No. I’m sorry. It’s just important that I know right now,” I explained.
As he stared into my face, Sebastian sighed. “What is it, Alessandra?”
I met his gaze evenly. “Did Julia die in those woods?”
A dark look clouded his eyes before they darted away from mine. “She’s dead.”
“Good. That means there’s one less thing for us to worry about, then.” Smiling up at him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.
As he kissed me back, his lips were full of reluctance. It felt like he didn’t want to kiss me back at all.
I quickly broke away from him, moving away from the door and allowing him to leave the room.
He didn’t say another word as he moved past me and slipped out into the hallway. I leaned against the door as the anger began to set in.
Sebastian had lied to me.
He had claimed she was dead, but how could that be when he had kissed her? He could have denied it all he wanted, but I knew otherwise.
I could smell her on his skin; I could taste her on his lips.
Did he really think he could keep this a secret from me? And why would he care to protect some girl—some human slave girl—from me?
Because he loved her. That much was clear. I reminded myself, yet again, that he hadn’t found it in him to love me, but somehow his blackened heart had allowed him to fall in love with a manipulative human girl like that one.
Well, that was okay. It had all worked out for the best, really. Now I would get to kill Julia exactly the way I had wanted to all along.
But not until I put her through total Hell first.
Chapter 4
Lila
AS I SAT IN SEBASTIAN’S office, all I could seem to think about was the fact that this was the same chair I’d sat in when the prince had decided to make me his slave. So much had changed since then.
I was no longer the same girl I had been when I’d first set foot in this office. I had changed. Everything about me had changed. And as much as that scared me, it also made my heart pump faster.
I finally felt alive, for the first time in my life.
“So, tell me something, Lila,” Celia said, speaking for the first time since she had learned that Alessandra and Sebastian were engaged. “Why does Sebastian care so much about your well-being? Don’t get me wrong. You seem like a nice enough girl. It’s just unlike my cousin to want to protect humans.”
He cares about me because he’s in love with me, I thought to myself. But I couldn’t tell her that, not without spilling my guts out to her about everything.
So, instead, I gave her the first answer I could come up with. “I think I’m his favorite slave.”
“Hmm.” She studied my face for a moment, almost as though she were trying to decide if she believed me or not. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but the office door flung open before she had a chance to.
An unhappy-looking Sebastian entered the room. “Celia, would you please go to the dining hall? Henry is waiting for you there. I want you to explain everything that’s going on to him. I need to speak to Lila in private and then I will join you.”
“Okay.” She rose to her feet.
“Oh, and Celia?” Sebastian said. “Please don’t mention Lila to anyone. If anyone should ask, you never saw her. You don’t even know she exists.”
“Yes. Yes, of course.” She glanced over at me suspiciously. “It was nice to meet you,” she said before heading out of the room.
Once she’d closed the door behind her, Sebastian locked it and then turned back to me. Without making eye contact, he strode across the room and stood next to his desk, his back turned to me.
“I need to figure out what I want to do with you,” he murmured.
I stared at his back, confused. We had just shared the most breathtaking kiss of my life and he’d professed his love for me and now he needed to figure out what to do with me?
“What do you mean? Are you rethinking your decision to... keep me? Are you planning to kill me instead?” I was almost afraid to hear his answer.
He glanced over his shoulder, looking at me for the first time since he’d entered the room. “Kill you?” He chuckled. “No, Lila. Quite the contrary. I’m trying to figure out how to keep you alive.”
“Well, that should be e
asy enough. I won’t go into the woods by myself again,” I assured him. “I promise. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“It’s not you that I’m worried about.” Turning away from me, he glanced out the window. “I just told Princess Alessandra that you were dead.”
“Why?” What would make him tell the princess—and not just any princess, but the princess who happened to be his fiancée—that I was dead? I spoke the first thought that came to my mind. “Are you trying to keep us a secret?”
“Yes, but not for the reasons you’re probably thinking. This is my best shot at keeping you safe.” He crossed the room and came to sit in an armchair across from me. “She wants you dead, Lila. If she thinks you’re already dead, then she has no reason to try to kill you.”
“I don’t even understand.” I shook my head. “Why would she want me dead? What did I ever do to make her want to kill me?”
“That’s just Alessandra,” he explained. “She views you as a threat that needs to be eliminated.” His eyes met mine evenly. There was a look of sincerity behind his gaze. “I promise you that I won’t let her kill you, Lila. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
I frowned. “And how are you planning to do that?”
“Well, Alessandra can’t be the only one to believe you’re dead,” Sebastian replied. “I need everyone to believe it. Celia is the only one who can know you’re alive and even she can’t know that you’re Lila DeHaven. We’ll have to provide her with a false surname.”
“How are you planning to make everyone think I’m dead? Do you even know how ridiculous this plan sounds? The palace is big, but it isn’t that big. Alessandra and I will end up crossing paths at some point.”
“Not if I can help it. You can’t return to the Slave Chambers,” Sebastian informed me.
“I can’t?” I swallowed hard, not sure how to feel about the idea. Even though I didn’t really consider myself close to the prince’s other slaves, they kept me company. Life at the palace would have been even more boring than it had already been if I had to be by myself.