I want to see the boy who drew me in, and I don’t want him to be scared of me. At the end of the day, he’s just a child, and the fact that he cares what I think of him speaks enough to me about his character.
“Can you go and get Oscar?” Luca asks Gerald, leaving the two of us alone in the room.
“Are you going to let me out of these walls?” I ask him, still staring at the tree. “I want to see what’s outside, and where I am. Get some fresh air. See this Kingdom you keep speaking about.”
And plan my escape plan accordingly.
“When I’m sure you aren’t going to try and escape,” is his reply. Damn it.
I’m never going to not try and escape, but of course I’m not going to tell him that. Maybe I should pretend that I’m happy to be here or let him think that I’ve accepted my fate. Lure him into a false sense of trust, so he gives me a little more freedom.
“It’s not like I have anywhere to go,” I reply, ducking my head. “Besides, I want to see how you live, and how different it is from back home. I’m curious, can you blame me?”
That part is actually true. I don’t know how much I should believe about this whole situation, but with what I’ve seen it’s hard not to. I can’t escape the facts. Luca definitely isn’t human. I don’t know how to explain what I saw, I don’t know where the hell I really am, and if anything he is saying is true. But I can’t pretend that I haven’t seen what I have. I like to think that I’m a reasonable person, and a realistic one, and my mind is struggling to comprehend the situation I’ve found myself in. Kicking and screaming isn’t going to save me from this. Using my mind, being strategic and calm is.
He nods. “I know you must have a lot of questions about our world.”
“So you’re saying we’re in a different world. That we’re not on Earth anymore?” I pry, not believing him for one second. Maybe we’re in some town in the middle of nowhere, where paranormal creatures live, or something like that.
He tilts his head to the side, a contemplative look on his face. “We teleported to my Kingdom through a portal. I guess it technically might not be a different world, but we’re somewhere no human can reach without help of a vampire.”
“Only vampires can teleport, then?” I ask him, intrigued.
He nods. “Yes, which is why we hold much power. We are the only ones that can make it through the portal, so without us, no one can enter or leave.”
“So why do you need their approval then?” I ask him, wondering what I’m missing here. “Why are you trying to appease them by marrying if it’s you that holds all the power?”
He goes stiff, jaw tightening. “They have something I want,” is all he says.
So they have something over him.
What, though?
It must infuriate a man like him, and I have no doubt he would do anything to be back on top.
Anything, including kidnapping.
A familiar little face appears, as he stands shyly at the door. He’s a beautiful kid, and I offer him a small smile to show him that I don’t blame him for anything that happened here. The only person to blame is the other person in the room right now.
“Hello,” I say, nodding towards the presents under the tree. “Apparently you’ve been just as spoilt as I this morning.”
He eyes the presents, grinning from ear to ear. “Maybe we should celebrate this Christmas thing every year.”
I laugh softly, and then he brings his eyes to me, sobering. “You’re not angry at me? That I brought you here?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m not.”
He looks at me then, and it’s almost as if he can see right into my soul. “I was there for three hours, and you were the only one who stopped to help me,” he ducks his head. “Even if it was for pretend. You are kind,” he pauses, and lifts his head back up as he adds, “And pretty.”
“And you are very kind also, and charming,” I tell him, lip twitching. I don’t know why I feel a weird connection to this child, but I feel oddly compelled by him. Maybe because I still see him as that little boy who needed help, sitting on the side of the road, even if I know now that that was all pretend. Or maybe it’s because I feel like he might be my only way out. He’s obviously not a bad kid, and he feels guilty for helping to bring me here. If I can get him to help me to make up for that fact…
He steps further into the room, maybe feeling a little more comfortable after my reassurance. Looking back at Luca, I find his eyes already on me, watching closely. He’s always observing. Studying. Scheming. I wonder if his mind ever shuts off. I wonder if I can trust anything he says. I don’t know how I’m sitting here calmly, having a conversation with a vampire child, instead of screaming, crying and panicking. Maybe he can control my mind, or my actions, or maybe I’m just losing myself in this madness. Oscar kneels before the tree, and hands me a few of my presents before starting to tear into his own, excitement written all over those pale eyes of his.
And when he waits expectantly for me to open mine, I do so, sharing his excitement.
I was kidnapped.
And now I’m sitting here opening fucking presents on Christmas morning, pretending like everything is okay.
When I find things I actually love wrapped in each gift, such as newly released books, a cashmere scarf, a journal, pens and a beautiful gold diamond necklace, I wonder where the fuck this guy came from, because I’m actually impressed.
Oh, right.
He’s not human.
And it’s just another sign that he knows women a little too well.
Still, I thank him, my manners and upbringing winning out over my dislike for him.
“You’re welcome, Valerie,” he replies, satisfaction coming off him in waves.
Fuck.
This whole playing house thing ends right now.
I need to find a way to get myself back home, and I need to find it now.
Chapter 4
Over the next few days, acting calm and collected obviously pays off, because Luca gives me free roam of the palace.
“Does this mean you’re not going to lock me in at night?” I ask him, looking through the window in the kitchen, wondering if there’s any way I could scale the wall I see outside. Probably not, considering I haven’t done much physical activity since high school physical education, but I’m not completely unfit. I’ve watched a few yoga DVD’s in my time. I even attempted a few of them. That has to count for something, right?
“Why, want to creep around the house at night, snoop a little?” he asks me, brushing his shoulder with my own, making me shiver a little.
“Are you awake at night?” I ask him as we head back into the living area, wondering how stupid my questions may seem to him, stereotypical even, but I have so many things I want to ask him, and he’s so infuriatingly tight lipped about practically everything. “I mean, I know you’re awake during the day, but are you usually, even when I’m not here? Do you even need sleep?”
“I’ll tell you what,” he says, sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to him. “I’ll let you ask a question, but then I get to ask one, too.”
“Is nothing ever given freely?” I grumble, but sit down, making sure there’s ample space between us.
Luca chuckles under his breath, and boldly moves closer to me. “Some things are, but information? Knowledge is power.”
“Is that why you’re so tight lipped?” I ask him, crossing my legs underneath me. “So you hold all the power here?”
“I hold all the power in every way, Valerie,” he states simply. “I’m a vampire. There’s no human that could be my equal.”
“So you expect me to marry someone who thinks he’s better than me?” I ask, voice rising. “I don’t know what vampire women are like, but us human women, well, we are far from weak. I might not be able to teleport or do some of the other fancy shit you can do, but I’m strong, and I’m resilient.”
He waves his hand dismissively. “You’re a human. I’m faster, str
onger and--”
“And more of a dickhead,” I finish for him, shaking my head. “Your ego is probably the reason you’re still single and have to kidnap someone to marry you. Humble is in right now, didn’t you get the memo?”
“You cut me off,” he says to me, looking confused. It hits me then, that this man, or vampire or whatever, creature, has been put on a pedestal his whole life. I’ve met some men in my time who think they are the shit, God’s gift to women, but this is next level.
“Yes, I did,” I reply, looking him in the eye. “You may be stronger, and have super powers and are royalty here, but you aren’t better than me. I treat all people the same, it doesn’t matter who they are. I’ll be as nice to you, a Prince, as I am to the people who work in this house. And I expect the same from you. So treat me how you want to be treated, because I’m not going to be disrespected by someone who clearly has no morals, is okay with kidnapping, using children to help their evil plots and thinks the sun shines out of his ass. You obviously can go in the sun, right? Considering you stole me in daylight.”
“We can go in sunlight yes, but not for too long. Our skin is sensitive and burns very fast,” he says to me, studying me closely. “No one has ever spoken to me like that before.” He pauses, and adds, “You were meant to be kind of heart, not sharp of tongue.”
“I’m both,” I say, flashing my teeth at him. “Kind at heart doesn’t mean weak willed, Luca. And I’m not a pushover. Maybe you should have done a little more research on who you kidnapped, hey?”
Soft, full lips tighten. “Are all human women like this?”
I tilt my head to the side considering. “Most, I’d say so, yes. Should have chosen another species.”
He expels a soft sigh, and stays quiet for a few moments before saying, “I don’t sleep. Ever. I mean, I can if I want to, but my body doesn’t need it. Same with food, I can go with or without, it doesn’t matter. I like food, though. It makes me happy.”
Something we actually have in common.
“What would you like to ask me?” I say, since he’s suddenly playing nice. He must have a good control on his temper, because surely my little speech angered him. He’s so emotionally dead, it’s so hard to get anything out of him.
Ha.
Pretty sure he’s physically dead too.
I reach out and put my hand over his heart, and feel what I guessed I would, which is nothing. No heartbeat, nothing. His skin doesn’t feel cold through the material of his shirt. How the hell is he alive in the first place?
He places his hand over mine, and the two of us glance up at each other. “That’s the first time you’ve touched me.”
“I just wanted to see--”
“I have no heartbeat,” he says, cutting me off. “You’re a curious little thing, aren’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you be?” I fire back, retracting my hand. “How many humans have you met in your time?”
“A few,” he admits, glancing away from me. Something about his reaction has me on edge.
My eyes narrow as I ask him, “Tell me about them.”
“I told you, we haven’t always been kind to different species,” he admits, letting the words hanging in the air. He tilts his head as the roaring of motorcycles interrupts the silence.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“Let me show you,” he says, taking my hand and leading me back to the kitchen, back to the large window I was looking out of. I watch as the gates open, and a horde of motorcycles drives in.
“You have biker gangs here?” I ask, confused. I take note on how long the gates stay open, and how there is a man at a post who seems to be the one controlling when it gets opened.
“The bikers work for me,” Luca explains, lip twitching. “Eternal Darkness MC they call themselves. You’ll find them all over the kingdom.”
“They work for you doing what?” I ask him, wondering how the fuck I’m going to escape this place when he has a whole MC doing his dirty work.
“We don’t have police here. The MC help to police the kingdom, to protect us, and to watch over the palace. Anything I want them to do, really,” he says with a casual shrug. “They are good men.”
“Vampires?” I ask him.
He nods. “Yes, they are all vampires. I wouldn’t trust anyone else at my back.”
Probably should have chosen a vampire bride, then.
“Can we go outside and greet them?” I ask, simply wanting to get the fuck out of here and get some fresh air. Even though the palace is huge, I’m used to being outside a lot, and I’m feeling a little antsy.
“Why do you want to greet them?” he asks me, eyes and tone turning dark. “Have a thing for bikers, do you?”
I roll my eyes. Is he jealous right now? His tone makes it sound that way, but that can’t be. He kidnapped me, has me locked up here in some rich ass prison and thinks I’m on the prowl? His priorities are seriously fucked up.
“I don’t have a thing for anyone.”
Even him.
Especially him.
“I’ll grow on you,” he says with a grin, fangs showing, as he nods towards the door. “Come on, I’ll take you outside.”
I try and hide my happiness at that notion, following next to him as he takes me through hallway after hallway. Just how big is this place?
I didn’t realize I asked that out loud until he replies, “There’s fifty rooms. It’s the biggest mansion in the kingdom. It belonged to my late father, and he left everything he owned, including his title, to me.”
“Are you his only child?” I ask, guessing that’s why he inherited it all.
“No, I have a brother,” he replies, but doesn’t offer any further explanation. He never does. I feel like I have to choose my battles with Luca, and only ask the questions I really want to know. As he takes me to the front door for the first time, I’m taking everything in, and I smile when it opens, the crisp, fresh air hitting my face.
“It’s overcast today, does that mean you can stay out all day if you wanted to?” I ask him as I’m about to step outside.
He puts his arm out, blocking me.
“If you run, or try to escape, you’re going to be back in your room, with the door locked,” he warns me, a dark glint in his eyes. “I’m trusting you, Valerie. Don’t disappoint me.”
I gulp, and force a nod.
If I make an escape, it has to be successful.
I don’t want to think about my life if it’s not.
Chapter 5
“This is Josip, leader of the Eternal Darkness,” he introduces to a man who has the same dark hair, although much, much shorter and light eyes as him. He’s missing the dimple in his chin, but I have no doubt this Josip is a relation of his because of their similar features, and even the way they stand seems alike. They are both broad shouldered, and although Josip is dressed differently there’s no mistaking the similarities.
“Nice to meet you,” I say politely, glancing between him and Luca. “Is this your brother?”
“That obvious?” Luca mutters, lip twitching. “Yes, Josip is my younger brother.”
I look out at all the motorcycles, and all of the men silently watching me. “Well, this isn’t intimidating at all.”
Josip laughs under his breath. “You don’t look afraid at all, little human.”
“Well, I don’t think the Prince here will let anything happen to me, because then he’d have to kidnap someone else, and she might not react as calmly as I have,” I say, batting my eyelashes.
He laughs again, harder this time. “Good with her, brother. It looks like you have your hands full.”
I immediately like this big, bad vampire biker, who somehow has a warmth about him.
“It looks that way indeed,” Luca grumbles, flashing me an exasperated look before turning back to his brother. “You are well?”
Josip nods. “Yes, we are all well. And our mission has been completed.”
Mission? I wonder what their mission was. No one go
t hurt, so maybe it wasn’t as nefarious as I’m thinking right now.
“Good. Bring all of your men inside, whatever you need is yours, as always,” Luca says, acknowledging the other men. “Valerie and I are going to take a walk around the palace.”
“We are?” I ask, excitedly.
Fuck.
Do I have Stockholm syndrome?
The thought plays on my mind as we head towards some lavish gardens, the gardens of people with a shitload of money so they don’t have to ever maintain said gardens themselves.
“You’re not going to ask me what mission I sent them on?” he asks as I lift my face to the sky, enjoying the freedom with my eyes closed shut.
“What’s the point?” I reply, opening my eyes and turning to him. “You’re just going to give me a half answer or change the subject on me.”
Besides, I’m not really concerned with what the MC are into, I’d rather use my questions on things that concern me, or anything that benefits my escape out of here.
“Think you have me figured out already, do you?” he mutters, pointing out over the gardens. “There’s a stable back there, if you like riding horses.”
“Vampires ride horses?” I ask, wrinkling my nose. “And motorbikes. This is unlike any story I’ve heard before.”
“This isn’t a story,” he reminds me, smirking. “Humans hear bits and pieces, or the rare few will see it with their own eyes, and try and share what they saw, but no one believes them. Or it becomes like Chinese whispers, and the truth gets overextended, or passed on as myth. I can only imagine what you’ve heard. We are like any other people, just more powerful.”
“I don’t think you’re like any other people at all,” I reply, searching the horizon. “It’s like a parallel universe, the same but different.”
And I’m not going to lie, part of me wants to see it all.
How many people get this chance?
How many lived to tell the tale?
And Luca hasn’t been too bad, I guess. Who knows if… when that will change, though, and he’s right, it’s him who has the power here, not me. I know this, and I don’t like it. Men and women aren’t always on an even playing field, but this is next level, and it’s not just a matter of him being physically bigger and stronger than me. I won’t be forced into some political marriage, or any marriage for that matter of fact. I had no plans to marry or have any children in my own world, and nothing or no vampire is going to change that.
Such Violent Delights: A Holiday Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 10