His kingdom?
Oh, right. The man considers himself a ‘Prince’. He’s clearly insane.
I glance around the room. He does live in a palace. Maybe he is a Prince from some faraway country that I’ve never heard of?
“And I have been told by the elders that I have to marry,” he continues, raising those otherworldly eyes back to me. “And it can’t be a vampire. To show that I don’t discriminate against the other races, they told me that my bride needs to be… different.”
My eyes instantly narrow.
Did he just say…?
Blinking slowly, I lick my lips. “Did you just say vampire? Look, I can maybe believe that you’re royalty, or at least you have enough money to make it look like you are, which is cool and all, but I’m not really into the whole blood roleplay thing--”
He flashes a pair of pearly white fangs at me. He probably got those in one of those candy packets, the type kids wear for Halloween. Pushing my chair back with a loud scraping noise, I stand up and walk over to him, leaning down and touching the points, trying to pull them out of his mouth.
They don’t bulge.
“Are you okay there?” he asks me, clearly unhappy with my fingers in his mouth. “They’re real. And what you’re doing right now is rude, so please refrain from doing that to any of the other vampires you meet.”
I sit back down, just next to him this time, my mind racing. “People can get fake fangs put in,” I point out to him.
I saw a documentary about it once. Weird, culty people who wanted to be vampires so badly that they made themselves look like them as much as they could.
“They could, I guess,” he says, shrugging. “But these aren’t fake, Valerie.”
He retracts them in front of my eyes.
And then I remember the little boy, and what I saw before I blacked out.
Fangs.
Blood.
I start to scream.
Chapter 2
I wake to light blue eyes peering down at me.
“What happened?” I ask Luca, as I sit up, rubbing the back of my neck, stretching it from side to side.
“You had what seemed like a panic attack,” he murmurs, sounding… concerned.
Why would he be concerned? He’s the one who kidnapped me and brought me here, not caring how it would affect me.
“How are you feeling now?” He asks, moving closer to me, which makes she shiver a little. I can’t pretend I’m not a little scared of him. Vampires don’t exist, or at least that’s what we’re told. I don’t know how to process this.
“Drained,” I reply in all honesty, studying him closely. I wouldn’t say that I never believed that there weren’t other things out there in the world. I mean I’m not that arrogant to think that humans are it, but never once did I think I’d meet a vampire, or that perhaps they truly existed. I’d never have believed it if I didn’t see his fangs retract. I’m not sure I even believe it now.
Touching the side of my neck, my eyes narrow. “I better not be feeling drained because you did something to me.”
“Like what?” he asks, eyes twinkling.
“Don’t make me say it,” I groan, glancing around to see that I’m back in the bed that I first woke up in.
“I didn’t bite you, no. You freaked out, and then I… helped you get some rest,” he mutters, scanning the bedroom.
“What do you mean, helped me get some rest?” I ask, pursing my lips. I have so many questions, and he’s only giving me the bare minimum of information, half answers and truths.
He brings his eyes back to me. “I have certain… talents.”
“And putting people to sleep is one of them?” I ask, brows rising. “I don’t like that. Don’t do that to me again, please.”
One sharp nod. “Okay, but only if you don’t freak out and scream like that again.”
I swallow, hard. “I’ll try. Can you really blame me, though?”
He reaches out his fingers and cups my cheek. After bracing myself for a cold touch, his warm fingers surprise me. Is everything I know about vampires fictional?
“I guess not.”
“Where’s the little boy?” I ask him softly.
“Oscar?” he asks me, removing his hand. “Why do you ask about him?”
“He’s the reason I’m here. I remember. I tried to help him, and…”
“Oscar is fine, you don’t need to worry about him. You can visit him sometime, if you wish,” he explains, then nods to the plate of food left on the side table. “Now, please eat. You must be hungry, and I assure you there is nothing wrong with the food.”
I turn and take the plate, bringing it to my lap. When he notices I’m still hesitating, he adds, “I give you my word. It’s safe.”
I guess he wouldn’t need to poison me. He has other means that he’s already used on me.
“He didn’t really need any help, did he?” I ask him
I’m starting to piece everything together. Luca must have used Oscar as some kind of bait, pretending he was a beggar child, when it’s clear everyone here is rolling in money. Why though? Why did he want to punish someone who wanted to help the child?
“Not in that way, no,” he replies, hesitating.
“In what way then? Why can’t you give me a straight answer?” I yell, losing my patience with him and this whole fucking situation.
He stands, eyes darkening. “You’ve had enough for today. I will speak to you tomorrow.”
And then he disappears.
Into thin air.
What?
I bend down and touch the floor, checking for a trap door, or some other explanation for what I’ve just seen.
How the fuck did he do that?
I flop back on the bed. This is not how I wanted to spend my Christmas Eve, and I feel like I’m being punished, kept here against my will all because I was the one who tried to help.
I stay awake for hours, trying to find a way out of the room, but when all else fails, instead of crying, I start to get angry.
How dare he do this to me?
I pick up and throw the plate of food, smashing it against the wall.
Fuck him, and fuck this whole place.
I need to get home.
The question is, how?
Waking up on Christmas morning alone, trapped, and still in yesterday’s clothes isn’t how I would have envisioned I’d be spending today, but here I am. On the plus side, I’m still not hurt, and I am still alive, albeit hungry after throwing my dinner at the wall instead of eating it. I’m feeling a little more optimistic than last night. Luca teleporting himself out of here right in front of my eyes is all the proof I’m going to need to know that he is indeed telling the truth about the whole vampire thing, and my head is still spinning because of it. Getting angry, and not eating anything isn’t going to help my situation. If anything, I’m going to need the strength if I’m going to get out of here.
And I will get out of here.
Just because I’m a nice person doesn’t mean I’m not strong, or capable of escaping. His underestimating me is going to be the mistake that sets me free.
I’m sitting with my legs crossed on the bed, deep in thought, when Luca steps into my room.
“Entering through the door instead of just zapping in?” I ask him, arching my brow.
“Trying to be polite,” he replies, a sheepish look on his face. He’s wearing all black, a shirt and slacks, effortless.
“Polite would be not kidnapping me,” I say, my tone dry and sarcastic. “And letting me spend Christmas with my family.”
“You don’t have any family,” he says gently, simply stating a fact, but the words make me wince, because he’s right, I don’t. How does he know this? Especially when he didn’t know who he would be kidnapping yesterday.
“That doesn’t mean that no one will be looking for me,” I tell him, lifting my chin. “My friends are my family.”
The few that I actually have, anyway, but he doesn’t nee
d to know that.
“We don’t celebrate Christmas here, usually,” he says to me, ignoring my comment. “But we thought you might like to do so. So, we prepared a breakfast, and gifts under a tree.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “You think throwing a fake Christmas is going to make up for everything?”
I don’t know whether to laugh or throw something at him. I know he’s trying to be nice, but he’s clearly not a good person.
He nods, then shrugs. “I wanted to try do something nice for you. And for Oscar, apparently.”
“May I have a shower,” I ask him, just wanting a little time to myself and to try and wash the previous day away. “I need some clothes to change into.”
I could have just jumped into the shower, but then I would have been vulnerable, and have had no clean clothes to change into after, so all I did was wash my face and have a drink of water from the tap.
He nods. “Of course. I will ask Gerald to bring in some clothing and toiletries for you. I’m sorry, I should have done that already. Is there anything else I can get for you?” he asks, eying the food and plate on the floor.
I clear my throat. “No, thank you, that’s it.”
He exits through the door, closing it behind him, and it’s not long before Gerald is at the door, with a whole heap of stuff.
He places everything on the bed, while I watch.
“How did he know my size?” I ask, eying the items.
“He got everything last night,” Gerald admits, dusting his suit with his hands, even though there’s nothing on there that I can see.
“Are you a vampire?” I blurt out, narrowing my gaze. “Who are you? Luca’s right hand man? The butler?”
“I’m Prince Luca’s second,” he replies, emphasizing on the ‘prince’ part, like I’m somehow being disrespectful. “I’m here for whatever he needs me to be here for. And yes, I’m a vampire. Everyone here is a vampire.” He pauses, nose wrinkling in disgust, and then adds, “Except for you.”
“Hey, you guys brought me here, not the other way around, so don’t act like I’m some guest that’s overstayed her welcome,” I say, moving to look through the clothes he just laid out for me. “I’ll happily leave this place at any second.”
“You would not get very far,” he replies, the bastard smirking. “And you definitely would not be able to find your way back to the human world without a vampire helping you. And trust me, none of them would go against Prince Luca to help you.”
Jaw tight, I grab a long black dress from the bed, cheeks reddening when I see the underwear he has also brought. Gerald smartly decides to make an exit, while I grab the clothes and step into the bathroom, turning on the shower before undressing. I don’t know if I’m being paranoid or not, but I wonder if anyone can see me right now, or if Luca’s ‘talents’ may include seeing through walls. Still, I enjoy the hot water and vanilla scented soap and take my time getting clean, brushing my teeth and washing my hair. Luca really thought of everything, and I appreciate that, even though it’s his fault I’m stuck here in the first place. When I’m done, and dressed in the perfectly fitted dress, I feel human again. Snickering at that thought, I knock on the door, letting them know that I’m done and ready. Luca opens it moments later, and we come face to face as he takes me in from head to toe.
“You’re good at guessing women’s sizes,” I comment, wrapping my arms around myself. “Another one of your talents?”
Or more likely, he’s just a ladies man, and either buys lots of clothes for women, or sees a lot of them on his bedroom floor. He’s very good looking, which is hard not to notice, so maybe that’s why I’m coming to these conclusions, which may or may not be correct.
He ducks his head, as if shy, which I don’t buy for a second, and walks with me back to the dining room. This time I know what to expect, a seat at the end of a long table, and a lot of food, except this time I have no plans to turn it down. Luca surprises me though and sits next to me instead of at the head of the table which I assume is his usual spot. The spread is amazing, but there is less food this time, which I appreciate. Did he do that because of the comment I made last time?
“It looks amazing,” I say, ending the silence between us.
“Please, eat,” he says, studying me.
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I reach out and start serving myself French toast, bacon, eggs and the whole works. I don’t miss the twitch of his lips, and the amusement he fails to hide, but I ignore him. The last thing I ate was toast the morning before they took me, and I can’t pretend that I’m not hungry anymore.
“At least you’re not throwing it at walls,” he mutters, taking some food for himself.
I open my mouth to apologize about that, but stop myself. I need to remember why I’m here. I don’t owe this man anything, especially not an apology. If anything, he owes me one, along with an explanation, and a trip to drop me back home.
“Oscar is too scared to see you,” he says to me as he eats a sausage. I guess the whole vampires only drink blood to survive thing isn’t true. Or maybe the food is just for taste, not to sustain him.
“Why?” I ask, brow furrowing. “Why would he be scared of me? He’s the vampire.”
“Because he thinks you might hate him after what he did,” he admits, watching me closely.
“You mean because he tricked me into thinking he was a street kid so I’d come closer so he could help you kidnap me?” I iterate.
“He didn’t trick you so you’d come closer,” Luca says to me, not sounding apologetic in the least. “We wanted to see who would actually help someone in need, we wanted someone who was pure and kind at heart. Humans can be soulless, greedy creatures. We wanted a treasure.”
So I was right. I was being punished for trying to be nice to the kid.
“Do you think it’s fair to kidnap and hold someone who is a treasure, as you put it, against their will?” I ask him, hoping to appeal to his kind side. I know he has one. Yes, he brought me here, but he hasn’t hurt me otherwise, and I know he has the power to do so. Against him, his teeth and his extra abilities, there’s nothing I could do. I can feel my heart start to race, panic creeping in. I’m helpless against him. He knows it, I know it. Every damn person knows it. And I have to sit here and play this game, just waiting for an opportunity to be able to escape.
“No, it’s not fair,” he admits to me, putting his fork down and turning to me, holding me in place with the intense look on his handsome face. “There was something I wanted, Valerie, and I took it. You will learn to like it here, I have no doubt. And with you as my wife, the Kingdom will see that I’m not as set in my ways as they think, and they will be open to negotiations.”
I laugh softly, nervously even, but the laughter stops the second I realize that he’s dead fucking serious. He wants me to be his wife, to show people that he’s not some prejudiced bastard, and he’s using me to do it.
I’m just a pawn in his game.
A means to an end.
Just fucking great.
“So, you think because you’re going to marry a human, people are going to start judging you less? Why do they think you’re so prejudiced in the first place?” I ask him, needing more information. I’m not going to marry him, no way in hell, but I need to know why in the world he thinks this is going to work. As far as master plans go, I’m not sure it’s the best one.
He clears his throat, and I know this is going to be good. “There was a time when I banished all non-vampires from my Kingdom,” he admits, eyes on his plate. “And yes, maybe I did want the blood of my kind to remain pure, and untouched. But times are changing, and I need the others on my side.”
I lean closer to him. “And what makes you think I’m going to help you?”
He smiles, flashing his fangs at me.
“What makes you think you’re going to have a choice, Valerie?”
Shit.
Chapter 3
“There’s no way in hell, or wherever I am, that
I’m going to marry you,” I declare, just as Gerald steps into the room.
I point a finger in Gerard’s direction. “You. Can you get me out of here? You’ve got the wrong woman. I’m not wifey material, trust me. I have no patience, my temper is out of control and I’m not good in the kitchen. I can be kind of a bitch, if I’m being honest, and I’m afraid I won’t be the type to dote on your Prince. Don’t you want that for him? The loving, affectionate type? Me, I’m not big on the whole PDA thing. I’m more of a crazy cat lady type.”
Gerard lifts his lip. “It’s not up to me to dictate what the Prince wants.”
“Right.” I rub the back of my neck, deciding to change the subject. When I escape from here none of this bullshit is going to matter anyway. “Didn’t you say something about a Christmas tree?”
We finish up at breakfast, and then Luca leads me through his palace, until we reach another large area, which I think is meant to be the living room. In there is the most magnificent Christmas tree I think I’ve ever seen. It’s huge, and so beautifully decorated, I can’t help but step closer and touch one of the large gold baubles.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, glancing up at it. “And you only did this yesterday?”
“Yes, it was very last minute. I’m happy that you like it, though,” Luca says, stepping closer to me. “We weren’t sure if it was grand enough.”
Grand enough?
There are more presents under the tree than I’ve ever seen. “Who are all of those for?”
“You,” he murmurs, and I can hear the smile in his tone. “And Oscar. No one else really wanted to participate.”
I guess vampires aren’t really feeling the Christmas spirit.
“That’s a lot of presents,” I say to him, turning to face him. “You didn’t have to buy me anything, Luca. It’s not going to change anything.”
“You fighting this isn’t going to change anything either,” he says simply.
I grit my teeth. Sometimes he can be not so bad, and others… well. Let’s not forget how I got here. I move to sit back on the plush red couch, just taking in everything. “Is Oscar going to come and open his presents?”
Such Violent Delights: A Holiday Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 9