by Megan Duncan
Chapter 9
My interest perked up as Robin started to whisper as though someone were listening in on our conversation. We exited my closet and sat atop my bed with Louie curled up nearby. “What sort of customs?” I asked.
“Blood Mates,” Robin said mechanically.
“What are Blood Mates?” I had never heard of such a thing and wasn’t quite sure I liked the sound of it.
“It is a highly secretive practice followed by very old or very important vampires. I honestly think many only do it as a tradition to gain status, but obviously, my opinion doesn’t matter.”
“Robin, what is it?” I could feel myself thirsting for the information as if knowledge of vampire secrets were as delicious as warm blood trickling down my throat.
At the thought of blood, I could feel my mouth watering and I slid my tongue across my fangs and then over my lips. Robin paused and stared at my fangs in almost perfectly frozen shock. “I still can’t believe how long your fangs are, Claire.”
“Please don’t look at me like I’m some kind of science experiment. It’s probably just because… Well, I don’t know why it is, but is it really that big of a deal?”
Robin shook her head and I felt a little guilty for snapping at her. I realized that I probably sounded a lot like Ana. So, I quickly changed the subject to the most prominent thought in my mind. “Are you hungry?”
“A little,” Robin admitted, her smile returning. “I know you must be. I was hungry all the time when I first turned.”
“Great. So, how do we get something to eat around here? Just go to the kitchen and ask Bruno to whip us up a couple blood smoothies, O Negative style?” I joked with her to lighten the mood again.
“I see you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” Dmitry said from the doorway to my room. He was leaning against the frame and looking as swoon-worthy as I could have ever imagined, but that wasn’t what took my breath away.
It was the sight of Luka standing beside him. He had the same irritated look permanently frozen onto his face. It was the only expression I had ever seen him wear and he looked at Robin and me like we were insects.
I imagined we both looked quite casual, each of us dressed in sweat pants and tank tops, but I always thought guys were attracted to non-high maintenance types. However, when it came to Luka, I was obviously wrong! Especially when I considered Ana. She had probably never even held a pair of sweat pants or a t-shirt, for that matter.
“I see you haven’t stopped your habit of sneaking up on people?” I replied to Dmitry and he smiled as he strolled into the room.
“Like I told you before, Claire, I don’t sneak. Luka and I just heard the news that you had quite an interesting transformation and we wanted to see it for ourselves.”
“Oh great! Show and tell,” I complained, but Dmitry ignored it as he always did and walked toward me with unwavering confidence. Luka followed, but kept his distance, like someone who was trying to avoid catching the flu from a sick person.
I watched as Dmitry scrutinized me with expert precision. Normally, having a person study my body would have made me feel self-conscious, but when Dmitry did it, I felt important. Like every inch of me was fascinating to him.
“My, my,” Dmitry’s breath brushed across my skin as he leaned in closer to inspect my new fangs. His finger delicately lifted my upper lip and when his silky skin touched the sensitive part of my mouth, it made my body tingle. I used every ounce of self-control to keep from kissing him at that very moment.
I could feel the heat building between us as Dmitry released my lip and we locked eyes for the briefest of moments; although in intensity, it felt like it lasted an eternity.
“I guess it’s true then. What do you think, Luka?” Dmitry asked as he turned toward his brother and broke our connection.
Luka heaved a heavy sigh and stared at me for moment. His power was equal to that of Dmitry, but the feeling it evoked was quite the opposite - hatred and anger. The emotions were so strong, that I was starting to feel them myself. Without even realizing it, I was tapping into Luka’s feelings and when he sensed the connection, his eyes widened in shock.
“Like to snoop around, don’t ya, you little minx? You think you can just stroll into the palace and take control of everything like you’re worthy of it?”
“Excuse me?” I was a little shocked by Luka’s reaction. I knew he didn’t like me, but the venom lacing his voice was brutal.
“Stay the hell out of my head, you little bitch,” Luka spat back at me as Ana sped into the room and flashed to his side. An evil grin was plastered onto her perfectly painted face. Her long, blonde hair, twisted in loose curls still bounced around from the drama of her entrance.
Luka looked down at her and his face completely changed. It was total love and adoration as they gazed at each other, but when they looked back at me, their scathing abhorrence returned.
“I told you, didn’t I, Luka?” Ana asked as she sneered at me.
“She seems to think she is going to be top vampire around here,” Luka said with a snobbish tone that marred his beautiful face, suddenly making it appear incredibly ugly.
“I am going to be top vampire around here!” I announced as I stood up and bared my fangs. It felt completely natural to do it and I couldn’t recall consciously thinking about it; my body did it instinctively.
“Everyone, calm down,” Dmitry said as he jumped in front of me.
I didn’t want to calm down, but when his hand grabbed mine it was impossible not to feel my anger slowly melting away.
“What the hell are you doing, Dmitry? You are really going to take her side? This pathetic little excuse for a vampire? They just found her on the streets like a stray dog!” Ana shouted.
“Someday, she will be queen, Ana, and she will be queen for a very long time. Do you really want her to remember you having said that?” Dmitry replied.
“Oh yes, queen indeed. Such a powerful queen that she must hide behind you?” Luka snarled as he eyed Dmitry and Robin who were now standing protectively at my side. Her arm was wrapped around my waist and I realized it wasn’t for comfort, but poised to yank me out of the situation if circumstances demanded it.
Robin looked angelic and sweet, but she was a vampire and had been for far longer than I. I saw then how very deadly Robin could be even when up against the two vampires she was most afraid of.
“I am not hiding, and they are not my puppets! They are my friends or have you never heard of such a thing before?”
Ana giggled softly and turned toward Luka. She rested her hand on his chest and he looked down at her, both of them smiling with sinister glee. “They’re friends, Luka. Isn’t that precious?” Ana turned and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. Her dark eyes looked abnormally large she outlined them in thick, dark makeup. “Your own brother is going to make friends with the very stray that stole the throne out from under us. What a shame.”
“Ana, you’re being ridiculous!” Dmitry replied, his tone sounding more like pleading than the defensive edge it had before.
“Am I? Luka, do you think I’m being ridiculous?”
“No,” Luka replied and he shifted his deadly stare from me to Dmitry, which only infuriated me further. A strong desire to protect Dmitry boiled inside me and a growl started to rumble in my chest. It was initially an alien sensation, yet it felt completely natural and I reveled in it. I whipped my hand around the front of Dmitry and pushed him behind me.
Surprisingly, he moved quite easily and I wasn’t sure if it was because of my strength or because he was letting me take control, which I very much doubted. “She is the rightful heir, Luka, and you know it. Nicolae chose her and we must obey his wishes.”
“Poor Dmitry, always the loyal slave.” Ana smiled and widened her blood-red lips to reveal her fangs. She kissed Luka then and they embraced in an almost erotic way as they held each other intimately.
“Get a room!” Robin shouted from behind me, nearly startling me. Ana and Luka la
ughed aloud and then sped out of the room, slamming the door behind them with a thunderous sound, sending numerous framed wall pictures tumbling to the floor in their wake.
I fell into the nearest seat and couldn’t even comprehend what had just happened. Their vitriol at my being princess was far greater than I had previously thought. I had the impression that they were simply jealous, but now it seemed that they had a vendetta against me.
“Are you okay?” Dmitry asked as he dropped to one knee at my side, like a gallant knight. His abysmal eyes searched my face for an answer.
“We need to keep an eye on them tomorrow night,” Robin said as she hung the pictures back onto the wall.
“They aren’t going to do anything. They are just trying to rattle her up, so she messes up at the coronation,” Dmitry stated.
“Are you kidding?” Robin said, looking exasperated. “Did you see the look on Ana’s face? She has it in for Claire.” Robin pointed at me and I just shook my head.
“Dmitry’s right. They won’t touch me and even if they did, imagine the hell that would rain down on them.” I wasn’t quite sure if hell would really rain down on them, but I certainly hoped it would. I was a princess now; that had to come with some kind of protection.
“Claire’s right. Luka has been my brother for a very long time. I know he won’t hurt her,” Dmitry said. He started to appear more relaxed as he took a seat on the sofa.
“You two are delusional. Luka might not hurt her, but he’ll do anything that bitch, Ana says, and you know it,” Robin complained as she folded her arms in a childish fashion. A painful expression accompanied her words and I wondered if something had happened to her in the past.
“What would you have her do?” Dmitry asked, sounding annoyed as he clenched his hands and started cracking his knuckles.
“Tell the king. He will make sure they never bother Claire again.” Robin rushed to my side and grabbed my hand in a pleading manner. “He will always protect you. Tell him what happened.”
I slowly pulled my hand away as my mouth fell open in shock at Robin’s words. I knew she didn’t like Luka and Ana, and I knew that she was afraid of them as well, but I wasn’t going to be a nark. “Robin, that will only make matters worse. The best way to handle a situation like this is to deal with it one-on-one.”
Robin pulled away and moved deeper into the sofa, looking thoroughly disappointed. “You haven’t seen what they are capable of.”
“What exactly are they capable of, Robin?” Dmitry asked as he rose out of his seat in a sudden flourish of anger.
Robin obviously had no hesitation in standing up against Dmitry and rose up to meet his steady gaze with her own. “You’re sight is clouded by your love for your brother.”
As Robin and Dmitry stood staring into each other’s eyes, I watched the muscles clench in Dmitry’s jaw. I grew focused on him, and I could feel my body connecting to his. The emotions he was feeling were swirling around me like a warm summer breeze. Her words wounded him and he was not only greatly insulted, but incredibly angry. Judging by Robin’s smug expression, I could tell she knew it.
I knew I had to do something to stop this before it got any worse. It was more than enough to handle Luka and Ana biting at my heels; I didn’t need my only friends to be at war as well.
Doing the only thing that I was certain would break the battle of psyches between them, I jumped to Dmitry’s side and wrapped my fingers in his and squeezed. His jaw instantly relaxed and he broke his stare with Robin and looked at me. I saw the muscles in his face relax and felt the warmth of his anger dissipate from around us as another feeling tickled my flesh, and hugging our bodies as we stared into each other eyes.
It was an incredible feeling to lock eyes with a vampire in such a way. It was a strong feeling of intimacy that coursed through my body, like warm electricity that set every nerve and sensation afire with desire although the only parts of us that were touching were our hands. I had never been with a guy before, but if it felt anything like this, waiting until I was married was going to be a much greater struggle than I could ever imagine.
The sound of Robin groaning with annoyance broke the spell between Dmitry and me. Our hands released, but the connective spark between us still lingered and very slowly drifted away, like the fleeting fragrance of a beautiful bouquet.
“I should get going. There are a lot of things that still need to be done,” Dmitry looked at me again, but the connection was no longer there. I gave him a weak smile and then he retreated from the room with a dramatic exit.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Robin open her mouth. I was certain she was going to either continue her tirade about Ana and Luka or make some comment about Dmitry and me, but I didn’t want to hear it. As much as I liked Robin, I had already had my fill of drama for the night. “Whatever you’re going to say Robin, please don’t. I’m not sure how much more I can take tonight and I am still starving.”
“I’ll ring the servants to bring us something,” Robin said as she walked woodenly to a nearby phone. I watched her as she spoke on the phone. Her body was very stiff and she was wrapping the phone cord around her finger so tightly, her finger was turning white.
I’d never seen her so worked up about something before, and perhaps she did have a point, but what could be done? The coronation ball was tomorrow and I wasn’t even prepared. All I had was a dress picked out and a vague idea of what I should expect.
“They will bring us something up very soon,” Robin said as she walked across the room to look out the window of my small balcony.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should follow her when an idea started to infiltrate my thoughts. As I pushed apart the sheer fabrics that separated my sitting room from the sparkling night sky, I found Robin looking sullen on the railing of the stone balcony. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she was resting her chin on them as she stared blankly into the empty countryside.
“Would it make you feel better if I promised to talk to Nicolae after the coronation ball?” I asked as I took a seat on the railing across from her, resting my back against a pillar that was shaped like a lion’s head.
“It’s not about making me feel better, Claire. It’s about your safety.” Robin didn’t look at me as she spoke, but kept her eyes fixed on an invisible point of interest in the distance.
I closed my eyes and let my newly developed senses take in the magic of the night. The cold night breeze wrapped around my arms and danced with my hair. I took a deep breath and smelled faint hints that reminded me of the palace’s garden and how I longed to go back there.
“Why are you so concerned for my safety? You’re acting as if you know something bad is going to happen.” I was surprised when the words left my lips since I couldn’t remember thinking them. Was this my newly developed intuition or connection with emotions? I tried to tether my psyche to Robin as I did Dmitry, but it didn’t seem to work.
“Our world is just in a very delicate state right now, Claire. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but my parents and I have read the histories of our world and we know how things can take the wrong path. The world may be different than what it used to be, but the actions that people take always lead to the same outcomes.”
We both sat in silence for a while and I considered what she said. I was grateful that Robin didn’t always have to talk and was comfortable to sit in silence with me at times, just enjoying the peace and quiet. It made me think of Liz and my former feelings of homesickness returned.
As I sat wondering what Liz was doing, as well as my real mom, a servant arrived with two small silver goblets of blood. I took the glass from the small silver platter and stared into the cup. I took another deep breath as I realized that I might not be able to keep the promise that I made to Liz. I was discovering things that told me my new life could not coexist with my old one, and it was a sad realization.
“I’ll see you dark and early tomorrow night, okay?” Robin asked as she left her perch on t
he railing. I saw the hint of a smile on her face. Her usual chipper personality was slowly returning and it was a pleasant sight. Her friendliness was one of the reasons I chose to accept the king’s proposal since it made it that much easier.
“You got it.” I mustered a confident smile for her before she retreated.
Alone on the balcony, I finished the sticky contents in my goblet and stared into the night sky. Without even realizing it, I sensed that I was searching for the connection I found the night of my transformation. Searching for the goddess, of whom Mara had spoken. I longed for Nyx, the goddess, seeking the comfort she offered during my greatest time of misery. Maybe she could help ease my worries and guide me to the right decision I needed to make.
A shiver rolled up my spine like a drop of ice water sliding across the skin. I thought for a fleeting moment that I found the connection I was searching for, but quickly realized it was something else, someone else. My eyes frantically sought the familiar, yet mysterious, figure that I knew was somewhere watching me; and I found him in the same place as I had before. He was standing in the distance.
A warm ribbon of air wrapped around me, as it had when I touched Dmitry. I could feel my heart longing for this mysterious man. I wanted to leap from the balcony just to be near him and my breath caught in my throat as he walked closer to the palace. He was almost close enough for his face to be revealed by the palace glow, but he stopped short.
“Who are you?” I meant to shout aloud, but it came out as a whisper, sneaking sway from my lips like a secret. My words whipped around me and I sensed that they would be carried on the ribbon that invisibly connected us.
I clenched the edge of the stone railing and felt my palms growing sweaty as my stomach lurched and knotted. I felt like a school girl waiting for her crush to reply to a love note, a feeling I both despised and relished.
Suddenly, a tantalizing sensation whirled around me and tickled the sensitive skin around my neck. It carried one word to my ears with the most enticing voice I had ever heard.
His voice was deep and soulful, oozing emotion and certainty. He answered my question, and as soon as the word reached me, he was gone.
“Yours.”
I don’t know how long I remained on the balcony after that, staring at the empty place where he was standing. A dozen questions danced in my thoughts and I was both intrigued and vexed by my mystery man’s answer. I cursed myself for not asking his name, so I could question Robin about who he was. I wondered if he would be at my coronation ball; and if I would ever really get to see him. What exactly did he mean by saying he was mine?
~