Savor, Warm Delicacy Series, Book 1

by Megan Duncan

Chapter 13

  A curious meow startled me as Louie approached and began to rub his head on my leg. I scratched his head lovingly and smiled at how his fur felt so much softer now than it did when I was human. Everything felt softer, like my skin was silk.

  Needing comfort, I pulled Louie into my lap, and surprisingly, he didn’t protest. His rhythmic purrs vibrated loudly and could have almost put me to sleep, if I hadn’t been so emotional.

  “It’s not fair, Louie. This isn’t how tonight was supposed to turn out,” I looked down at him as if he were going to answer me. It was actually rather nice to talk and not have someone replying. “They want to join me in some kind of union. It sounds like an arranged marriage.”

  The word marriage made me want to throw up, and when my stomach growled loudly, it sent Louie grumpily running back into my chambers. As I felt the tears returning, there was a soft knock at my door. I thought for a moment about ignoring it, but it continued as if the knocker knew I was inside. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, but I got the feeling that they wouldn’t go away until I answered.

  I made my way to the door, taking my time. As I threw the pillow back onto the couch, I kicked off my heels dramatically, letting them fly across the room to hit whatever they could.

  I opened the door to find Dmitry standing there, looking much like what I imagined I did. His hair was in complete disarray and not in his usual attractive way, his dress shirt was thoroughly wrinkled and pulled from his pants and his tie hung loosely from around his neck.

  “Can I come in?” he asked. His voice was hoarse and cracked, containing no hint of his previous amused inflection.

  “Of course,” I said. I hated to admit it, but seeing that he was as upset about the night’s events as I made me feel quite a bit better. That definitely made me selfish, but misery loved company.

  “Sorry it took me so long,” Dmitry said while offering me a small goblet. I took it greedily as the hunger inside me took control. I knew I would have to take more responsibility for seeing that I ate regularly, but there seemed to be so much more going on. But obviously, I put eating too far down on my priority list.

  We took a seat on a couch together and as I licked my lips, I placed the goblet on the table and did my best to avoid looking into his eyes. I knew once I did, I would lose control of my emotions again. I didn’t know what this new announcement meant for Dmitry and me, but from his current state, I guessed it couldn’t be very good.

  “What’s going to happen?” I asked him as I fiddled with the locket around my neck as if it were terribly interesting.

  “You’re going to be joined with a Blood Mate,” he sighed. “It’s an incredibly old tradition that hasn’t been practiced in our region in… in a very long time.”

  “So, why are they doing it now?” I asked as I turned to look at him. He pulled me close to him and my body trembled with sadness and happiness at his touch.

  “I suppose they fear for your protection. Especially after tonight. Humans have never gained access to the palace without our admittance, so they have either strengthened their forces or someone helped them.”

  I wanted to ask whom he suspected helped them, but I didn’t want to distract him from the real issue. I needed to know what this union really meant for me. “Protection from what? Humans? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Claire…” Dmitry said my name so softly as he ran his fingers through my hair, holding my head to his chest. “Humans pose a greater threat than you think. It is not their actions, but the actions they can inspire in others. The humans in our region are beginning to show signs of unrest. If other regions hear of this, they may attempt to overthrow Nicolae’s reign.”

  “So he is doing this because he is scared of other regions?” I pushed away from Dmitry in my anger and fought the urge to curse Nicolae at the top of my lungs. “If he is so scared of those regions, why did he invite them tonight? There were dignitaries from all over the world here tonight, weren’t there?”

  “Yes, there were. He wanted them to see firsthand as he announced your coronation as well as your union. Having a Blood Mate, especially for a vampire such as yourself can make our region very powerful.”

  “They really are using me,” I said almost as a whisper as thoughts started to overflow my mind.

  “What?” Dmitry shot up from his seat and held my shoulders firmly. I bit at my nails as I stared into his intent gaze.

  “They are doing exactly what they swore to me they weren’t doing. Don’t you get it, Dmitry? I’m a pawn, I’m just a pawn to them.”

  “Don’t say that, Claire. You are important to this family, you are important to me. They wouldn’t do that to you. I’ve known Nicolae for a very long time and I know he’s not like that.”

  I pushed his hands off my shoulders and turned away from him. He didn’t understand how I was feeling and I didn’t know how to make him comprehend. I wasn’t just losing my freedom, but him as well.

  “What does a Blood Mate do? Do I have to marry him?”

  “Not exactly. Although many vampires do take their mates as…” he swallowed hard, “lovers.” When I remained quiet, he continued, “They are like protectors, bodyguards.”

  “Like Fox?” I turned to Dmitry quickly as my interest piqued at the possibilities. I had always sensed there was something different about him.

  “Yes, Fox is one of the last Blood Mates in our region.” Dmitry nodded and sat back down. I watched him as he rested his elbows on his knees, his fingers laced together into a tight first. It had to be difficult for him to have this conversation with me, but I needed to know and I wouldn’t stop asking questions until I got all the answers I wanted.

  “Whose Blood Mate is he?”

  “The queen’s.”

  My mouth fell open and I rushed to sit beside Dmitry, “She can have a Blood Mate and be married to Nicolae?”

  He refused to look at me as I placed my hand on his arm. I was hopeful again that we might still be able to be together, but Dmitry didn’t seem to feel the same. “A vampire with a Blood Mate is not required to be loyal to them alone. They can have as many lovers as they choose.”

  Dmitry sped out of my hold and toward a nearby armchair. He grasped the back of the chair so hard that the sound of the wood splitting echoed throughout the room. The heat of Dmitry’s rage was building, causing the chamber to grow uncomfortable and I longed to be back on the balcony with the night air blowing against my skin, but I wouldn’t leave him like this. I hated seeing Dmitry hurt, so despite my better judgment, I rose to stand by his side.

  I felt invisible as I walked toward him. His eyes didn’t follow me, and when I touched him, he flinched in surprise. I cupped his handsome face in my hands, feeling the clenching muscles of his jaw and looked him deep in the eyes.

  “Dmitry, I don’t want anyone else.” My words sounded seductive and velvety as they were fueled by the animal inside me. I kissed him deeply as our arms wrapped around each other. The kiss wasn’t as passionate as I thought it would be, but more filled with longing for one another, as if we already missed each other intensely. It felt like we had already been separated by the Blood Mate I had not yet met.

  Robin burst into the room as we held each other and let out a gasp at her surprise. As she backed out of the room to leave, Dmitry stopped her. “No Robin, it’s fine. Stay.” He didn’t look at her as he said it, but held my gaze. Then he raised his strong hands to my face and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. In his usual way, he seemed to disappear with speed, leaving me hanging in the air with the sensation of his kiss still moist on my skin.

  I expected Robin to start an energetic, unending tangent about what she had just caught Dmitry and me doing, but instead, she looked at me solemnly and followed me into my closet. We didn’t say anything as I pulled off my dress and wrapped myself in a plush robe. Doing that much seemed to deplete the remaining reservoir of energy inside me and I sank into the chaise heavily.

  I looked at Robin,
trying to convey an invitation to comfort me that she instinctively understood. She rushed to my side and gave me one of her bear-like hugs. Even though it seemed to crush the life out of me, I didn’t complain. “It’s going to be okay, Claire. Getting a Blood Mate isn’t a death sentence. It might turn out to be a good thing.”

  “You are a lot more optimistic than I could ever be. Robin you’re a history buff, what does this mean for me? Can Dmitry and I ever be together? What exactly is a Blood Mate? Do I have to… mate with him?” I slammed her with questions, and as usual, she answered with a laugh as she put her hand up to stop me.

  “Oh Claire, you’re so funny. I actually don’t know very much about them. I only overheard a conversation between my parents that you may get one. I didn’t know it would really happen. Since the tradition hasn’t been practiced in so long, I didn’t read very much on it, but you could always ask my parents. They know a lot, I’m sure, or you could ask Fox. He’s the queen’s Blood Mate.”

  “I’d rather not ask him,” I said, sounding much like a pouty child. “I’ll go talk to your parents; where are they?”

  Robin shrugged her shoulders while she flicked through clothes hanging in the closet, “It’s almost dawn, Claire. They are, no doubt, getting ready to sleep.”

  “So, what? They can’t stay up a little later and talk to me?” I hadn’t meant for my tone to rise as it did, but my reservoir of patience was completely depleted.

  “No…” Robin sighed as she hung up a sheer blouse she had been eyeing and sat by my side. “Even if they wanted to, Claire, they wouldn’t be able to. I would have thought you noticed by now, but as the sun rises, our bodies go into a sort of sleep coma.” She did her best to lighten the mood by trying to make her body freeze without the slightest hint of movement. “You’ll see the more time that goes by, the harder it will be for you to stay awake. It’s probably why they want you to have a Blood Mate.”

  “To watch over me during the day?”

  “Yeah. It’s actually kind of an honor, if you think about it. You are going to get your own personal bodyguard.” Robin smiled at me and left the closet, but turned back to smile again before she was completely out of sight. “Everything is going to work out, you’ll see. Just have a little faith. We’re not all out to ruin your life or use you in some diabolical scheme.”

  I stared at her blankly with a look of shock on my face. I knew she was right. I nodded my head and before I could apologize, she was gone.

  A shower would have been nice, but I could feel the exhaustion bearing down on me and I dragged myself into bed. Before sleep took over, I wondered if I was really this tired or if it was my new body shutting down like Robin had explained. The thought of falling into a sleep-like coma was a bit frightening and I attempted to fight it as long as I could before losing the battle.

  My mind swirled with peaceful, yet strange, dreams as I wandered in the palace gardens at twilight. Fog lingered in the pathways as I hesitantly searched in the cold darkness for Dmitry. He always remained just out of my reach. When I finally found him, I rushed into his arms. He held me close and I relished his embrace until I looked up at him, only to find it wasn’t Dmitry.

  I was intertwined in the arms of my mystery man, and although I was terrified, I had no desire to leave him. We stared into each other’s eyes, neither of us speaking. Our quiet embrace was short-lived as I became aware of Ana’s cackling. As I turned to look for her, the man disappeared and I was left alone in the garden while it slowly began to grow darker and close in on me.

  Fear took hold of me and I felt afraid that it would swallow me up with the rest of the world until I bolted awake. Hot sweat covered my body and plastered my hair to my face. I tried to catch my breath as I let go of the fear that had such a strong grip over me in my dream. The emotions still lingered, even though I knew none of it had happened; none of it was real.

  I didn’t care what time it was or even if I hadn’t slept through the day. I refused to go back to bed with the chance that I might continue that dream or something worse. After a moment of steadying my nerves, I walked into my bathroom. I flipped the light switch and immediately flicked it back. The fleeting seconds of having the lights on seemed to instantly trigger a migraine and my head began to pound.

  I remembered there were large decorative candles and quickly located some matches to light them. The soft orange glow of the flames was almost relaxing and I smiled at such a simple pleasure. The shower turned hot just in time for me to undress and get in. I tried not to think of anything and just focused on the sound of the water as it flowed against me.

  I opened a small bottle of lavender oil and poured it into my palms. The soft, flowery scent was incredibly relaxing and I greedily poured more, hoping it would completely fill the entirety of the bathroom with its pleasant aroma.

  With the easing of my nerves, came clarity. I knew the more I fought the traditions and decisions of Nicolae, the more unhappy I would be. I chose to join the royal family and in doing so, I chose everything that went with it, whether I knew about it or not. I would never admit it, but I knew I was acting like a spoiled human girl. I hoped I was growing as a person. There was also no way I was going to let Ana win. If I knew anything about myself with complete certainty, it was that I was incredibly stubborn and I wasn’t going to let anyone push me around, especially not her.

  As I did my makeup, I found myself wondering what other evil plots and schemes Ana had up her sleeve, and if I had to worry about Luka and what he may do as well. So far, he hadn’t done anything but act like an arrogant jerk as far as I knew. That was more than enough to make me not like him. Just thinking about the two of them got my emotions boiling and I had to focus twice as hard to stay calm.

  Searching through my huge walk-in closet, I pulled on a pair of frayed jean shorts and a white camisole. I eyed my attire in my full-length mirror and admired my look. I realized how tired I was of dressing different than I normally did before, and it was nice to not look completely put together for once. Sometimes, I thought that I looked prettier this way, like I was more myself.

  I clasped the cold metal of the knob on my bedroom door before taking a deep breath and heading out into the hallway. I had expected it to be bustling with vampires and servants getting ready for yet another event, but they were eerily quiet, which was an odd sight to behold, considering I lived in a vampire palace. Eerie was probably the norm.

  An unexpected twinge of excitement bubbled through me at the thought that I would have time to myself. I was always a bit of a loner at heart and didn’t mind being alone. It gave me time to think and clear my head. Tonight was definitely going to be a night where having a clear head would do me a world of good.

  Along with my old-Claire attire, I felt the urge to live like a normal girl, and not like an heir to a vampire legacy. Encouraging my desire to feed some guilty pleasures, I snuck to the media room and sprawled out on the large sofa before clicking the remote to my favorite channel. I knew old reruns played late at night. When Liz and I had sleepovers, we would stay up all night. We threw caution to the wind and pigged out on pizza and Twinkies, painted our nails, talked about boys and watched really corny sitcoms. I couldn’t imagine a better night than that at this moment; and even though I was homesick for Liz and my old life, it brought some happiness to my otherwise stressful current existence.

  Normally, after a couple shows I would be fighting to stay awake, but now as a vampire, I could have watched the television all night. I knew my pleasant distraction would end soon. Luckily, I didn’t get the rude interruption I had expected.

  The scent of blood immediately perked my body into a sitting position and I turned to find a servant heading toward me with a silver goblet on a similar silver tray. The familiar fragrance was tantalizing and mouthwatering, but I maintained my composure and urge to dive for the cup, allowing the small woman to offer it to me.

  The tiny, gray-haired servant lowered her eyes as I grasped the goblet.
She finished with a small curtsey before exiting the room faster than usual. “Thank you!” I called out to her, trying to be polite and she smiled nervously. “I wonder what has her so jumpy?” I asked myself as I curled back onto the couch and sipped the contents of the cup as if it were warm cocoa. The blood coated my throat and revitalized my body, filling it with energy to begin another night in my new life. I found myself wondering when the ceremony would begin and, as if on cue, Robin strolled casually into the room, goblet in hand.

  She curled into a side lounge chair and finished the contents of her cup, wagging her pinky at me as she did so. She attempted to place it quietly onto the coffee table, but as usual, she inaccurately judged her strength and sent a vibrating echo of metal hitting glass throughout the room. Our heightened senses felt the sensation ten-fold and the hair on our arms stood on end, making us both giggle like little school girls.

  “Whatcha watchin?” Robin asked as she picked up a magazine from the coffee table. I glanced at the cover and waggled my eyebrows at her when I saw that the cover model was the vampire she had danced with at the ball. According to the headline, he was “To Bleed For!”

  “Just some old reruns of Teen Queen. So… are you going to tell me why things are so quiet around here? Or do I have to pull some princess rank on you?” I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

  Robin smiled excitedly as she tore out a centerfold of her dream boy, who was modeling a particularly saggy pair of jeans and opened button-down shirt. She eyed it affectionately, but I could see her peeking at me to see if she was successfully keeping me in suspense and she was.

  “You do know that I won’t tell you any details about what happened with Dmitry last night at the ball if you don’t tell me what’s going on?” I tried bribing her.

  “Oh, I bet I can guess that easy.” Robin smiled at me wildly and made kissy faces as she pretended to make out with an imaginary figure. I grabbed the closest pillow and chucked it her. She caught it before it hit her, then leaped with impeccable speed to the open side of the couch next to me. “You’ll never guess what’s going on!” she squealed in delight at the fact that she knew some gossip that I did not.

  “Go on,” I pulled my feet up under me and waited eagerly for Robin to spill it.

  “Apparently, Ana, her family and Luka are all making a big stink about the fact that you are getting a Blood Mate. They are all locked up in Nicolae’s office, arguing about it right now.” Robin’s tone grew quieter as if someone was listening to us. “My dad told me that they are demanding they all receive Blood Mates. That if they are truly that concerned with your safety to practice such an old custom, then they all deserve the same protection.”

  I simply nodded as she spoke, not sure of how I felt about this news. I didn’t see the harm in letting them have one if they wanted one, but a small part of me just simply didn’t want Ana to get anything she wanted. The fact that she was concerned about her “safety” when I believed she was the one who let the humans in was a little perplexing. “Doesn’t it take a while to find a Blood Mate to match a vampire?”

  “Yes, it could take a long time, but I wouldn’t put it past them to have already secretly matched themselves with someone.” She sunk into the couch as the excitement of revealing her news wore off.

  “I guess if they want one, what harm could it do really?” I paused for a moment and another thought came to mind. “Did your dad tell you if Dmitry was demanding a Blood Mate?” My heart sunk at the very idea.

  Robin eyes looked up as she pondered it for a moment, “No I don’t think he mentioned Dmitry at all. I can’t see him doing that anyway, not after I saw him with you. I’ve known him a long time, Claire, and he’s never cared for anyone the way he cares for you. Girls have always been after him, but he quickly grew bored of them before anything ever even started.”

  She smiled at me reassuringly, her fangs slightly exposed and I nudged her with my shoulder. “Thanks, Robin. I really hope that he and I can work things out. I don’t want this whole Blood Mate thing to come between us. It seems to be okay for Nicolae and Evilyn so I have hope that we can do it. So, do you think the ceremony is still going to happen?”

  Robin grabbed the remote and flipped the channel to VSN: Vampire Society News. The coverage of the ball was playing and my attention drew away from Robin as I saw a statuesque emerald form walk confidently down the grand staircase. “Wow, that doesn’t even look like me,” I said as I watched myself onscreen.

  “Sure it does, silly. You were incredibly beautiful and poised. Everything a Vampire Princess should be. Look,” she said as she pointed to the screen “that’s the curtsey of a natural.”

  “Well, underneath all the natural vampire princess-ness, I was a frizzled ball of nerves, but I’m glad it didn’t show.” We watched the coverage in silence as the pretty young reporter with ruby red lips and incredibly white-blonde hair talked animatedly about the coronation, commenting on who was present and what they were wearing. Then it replayed back to the beginning of the night as it aired the arrival of all the guests being announced like celebrities on a red carpet. “Looks like they’ve been playing this on a loop all day long.”

  “Yeah, they usually do. Didn’t you watch stuff like this all the time before?” Robin asked. Vampire society was almost an obsession for lots of girls at my school, but I always seemed too busy for it. Occasionally, when I would be at the store or waiting in a doctor’s office, I’d grab a magazine and get the recent gossip, but more often than not, it was just made up stories to keep people hooked. It was probably the reason why everything I thought I knew about vampires turned out not to be true. For leaders of our region, they really kept quiet about the true details of their lives. I figured that the writers for the mags didn’t have much of a choice, but to make things up.

  Either way, it was probably for the best. The more I was learning, the more I came to not like vampire ways and I was sure all the humans in our region would feel very much the same. “You didn’t answer my question, ya’ know?” I looked at Robin, whose eyes were still locked onto the television screen. I couldn’t tell if she were truly that interested or if she were trying very hard to not show me her true feelings for this new development.

  “Oh,” she looked at me and smiled, “they are definitely still going to do it. Pretty much unavoidable at this point. You’ll need to get ready soon.”

  A tiny emotion I couldn’t identify trickled from Robin, she had masked it very well, so I decided to ask one of the questions I had been holding back. “Do you want a Blood Mate?”

  Robin’s face took on a look of embarrassment and shame, which I didn’t understand. She avoided my gaze and I quickly responded not wanting her to continue her internal torture. “Robin, I don’t mind if you want one. If you feel you need the added protection, then I fully support it. In fact, I’d be happier about you having one than I am for myself.” I tried smiling at her reassuringly, my fangs sliding lightly against my bottom lip.

  “Thanks, Claire. It’s not that… Well, I just don’t have the guts to ask for something from the king or queen which they did not offer to me. I know I am not important enough to need such added protection.”

  My mouth fell open and my heart ached for my friend. She had been kind to me since I first arrived at the palace and was as dear to me as my old best friend, Liz. “Don’t you ever say that again, you hear me?” I scooted across the couch and pulled her into as tight a hug as she always gave me. “You are very important to me; and I say if you want something, you shall have it.”

  She smiled and giggled slightly at me as she wiped away a single fallen tear. “I suppose we had better get down to business.” Robin sighed and stood from the couch with renewed confidence as her bubbly personality began to return.

  ~