Chapter 32

Miaka

It was three hours after Erick and his new bride teleported out that I heard it— the distinctive noise of an unknown footstep in the hallway.
My senses were growing more acute with each passing day. Soon enough, I would be able to blend into the shadows so perfectly that I won’t cause any sound. Soon, I would be as still as the darkness itself. I was beginning to grow faster than anyone had expected. Today, it was that underdeveloped ability that caused me to slow down several times as I followed the intruder.
Almost everyone had gone to bed, except for a few who stayed behind at the bar or were simply strolling around the castle grounds. Their footsteps were continuous enough that I’d made out their pattern. Well, it was that or counting imaginary sheep jumping over my bed. But this one was new. It sounded like whoever it was had a purpose, but I couldn’t really tell. So I followed behind as silently as I could, trying not to stir the air currents around me. Vampires were, after all, good at hearing.
The person in front of me kept moving forward through the dark halls and up the staircases that led to the roof where several guards patrolled to look out for stubborn intruders.
Sure that I would have backup if necessary, I climbed the stairs after the intruder and through the open door onto an empty roof.
Shit!
An arrow hit the spot I had been standing a millisecond ago. It was clearly intended for my head. Looking around, I saw several black shadows creep out of the darkness to stand in a semicircle around the intruder. They were silhouettes with glowing red eyes.
Double shit!
It looked like I’ve been played. Whoever it was that set this trap must know a great deal about me. I kept to the darkness myself, willing it to blend into me and not giving the intruders the satisfaction that they had someone in their trap.
But they knew I was here. Vampire eyesight was just as sharp as their hearing. They may not know who they had, but it was clear that I was to be leveraged to the king in exchange for Erick or Alina.
That was when I knew what he had been planning all along.
I couldn’t hurt him or any of the guards. They were vampires, and harming them would mean breaching a contract so old, its origins were lost in time.
So I did the only thing I could.
ERICK!

Erick

I wrapped a towel around Alina’s limp body, covering her before she caught a cold. Our lovemaking might have dulled the razor edge of the hunger that I felt for her, but I was far from being sated.
Baby steps. I had to remind myself not to rush. I couldn't afford to break this fragile bond of trust we’ve built by coming on too strong.
Getting out of the water with her in my arms, I walked up the steps to the gazebo and laid her down on the soft silk sheets, wet hair and all. Since I couldn’t help myself, I ran my hands down her front, where the skin between her breasts was exposed from the towel having shifted as I laid her down.
Alina gave a tiny shudder, but her eyes remained closed. She’d fallen asleep after our coupling in the pool. And as tempting as the desire was to explore her, I pulled the covers over her instead. Rose petals scattered over her body as I pulled the sheets up to her chest.
ERICK!
Miaka’s mental call almost threw me off balance at its intensity.
Something was very, very wrong. Miaka didn’t call me for help unless she had no other choice. Miaka didn’t call for help, period.
Ken! He went to drop Alan off at the hospital, but he should be back by now and would be outside the house guarding. I’d fed him some of my blood earlier in case of any emergencies. Look after the house but don’t come inside. Warn me if you sense something.
Yes, sire, came his curt reply.
With that, I pulled on a pair of loose-fitting pants to allow free movement and tugged on the shirt I’d been wearing. I teleported out, holding onto Kendrick’s promise that he would keep Alina safe.
Locking on to the memory of the great hallway, I imagined myself standing next to a pillar, and when I opened my eyes, I was standing in that exact location. I was the only vampire with the ability to teleport in all of history, but it also meant I didn’t have any bedrock to learn from. I had to teach myself to be very precise, or I might end up trapped between walls or fall off a cliff.
Where are you? I’m here. Although it had been only a few seconds after she had contacted me, a lot could have happened in those few seconds.
Her mental voice sounded in my head instantly. It was clear and without hesitation. I’m on the roof. Ten guards are down. They’ve brought their own and are keeping to the shadows.
Alerting the backup guards, I picked up a sword from a fixture on the wall and sped up the staircase. The door was open, but I didn’t cross the threshold.
I lie low. Thank God the lights were out on this side of the castle. I peeked through the side of the door and saw a single shadow surrounded by ten other shadows in a semi-circle. Their eyes were glowing with an eerie red hue.
Shit. They were possessed.
The next few incidents happened within the span of a few seconds. The shadow in the middle raised his hand up in the air. The fighters attacked all at once, lunging for the spot where I presumed Miaka was standing. I swung my sword at lightning speed. Several guards came out from the shadows and attacked the other guards. Two severed heads rolled away from my legs.
“Erick!”
I held up my sword instinctively over my head, and a clash sounded not a second later. Reminding myself to thank Miaka later for the warning, I threw back the person whose sword was locked with mine. He flew back with a wave of sparks as his sword slid down mine, shedding enough light on his face to make it visible.
Emiel.
The attacker was Emiel. The fool decided to show up after all.
“Miaka Von Feltsper, I give you the right to grant punishment to those who try to harm the royal bloodline.” My voice was carried over all of them.
The air currents changed the next instant and grew stronger by the second. Emiel’s cries followed soon after. It took me some time to realize that the air was wrapping around him like an invisible hand and was crushing his limbs and his chest. He would be dead soon if I allowed the torture to continue, and God knew he deserved just that. We can never be brothers no matter what Alina thought me capable of. There were some things that can never be changed. However, I also couldn’t kill him yet.
“Get him!” I called to the guards. Immediately, fifteen swords were pointing at his throat just as the air currents subsided bit by agonisingly slow bit.
The currents vanished, and Emiel fell to the floor, gasping for breath. The guards didn’t waste any time. Someone hit him with the hilt of a sword on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious, while the others carried him to the dungeons below the castle where no natural light could penetrate.
Miaka materialised out of the darkness next to me.
“I’ll contact a mage. Tell her to seal the dungeon so no magic can get in,” she said.
“You do that,” I told her. “I need to return to Alina to make sure she’s safe.”
“Go. I’ll take care of things here. Acelin stayed back. I’ll get him to help.”
Teleporting out, I arrived at my beach house. I checked the entire house before heading out to the pool. I also checked up with Kendrick to confirm if he’d heard or felt anything unusual.
Walking up the gazebo stairs, I released a breath I’d been holding as I saw her sleeping peacefully on the bed with rose petals scattered all over her long brunette locks and the pendant around her neck emitting a dull glow in the moonless night.
Stripping out of my shirt, I slid in beside her and placed my arms around her waist. Within seconds, I fell into a deep sleep.

Alina

The sound of a thousand seabirds chirping in unison woke me up from my slumber. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but there was some light on the horizon. However, the most surprising fact was, I was ina bed with sheets up to my chest, and Erick was fast asleep beside me with an arm slung over my waist.
Wait, let me rephrase that, Erick slept beside me. My head was on his shoulder, and his arm was under my head. My hand was on my waist with his on top of mine. We had nothing but the covers draped over us. Well, it was the case for me, at least. Erick’s upper body was bare, but I could definitely feel some silky material on his legs.
He looked young, like someone who could easily pass as a college student if not for the depth of knowledge in his eyes. Those eyes were now closed, and his long dark lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones. I curled my fingers into my palm to try to reign in my urge to touch his face and trace his lips with mine.
I was about to get up and get a shower, or do something to avoid the ‘morning after’ awkwardness when I realized that this didn’t have to be awkward. Erick was mine, just like I was his. We had our entire lives ahead of us, and it was for eternity. This reminded me. I needed to ask Erick about the whole vampire thing. How do I even become one?
“Why are you up so early?” His sleepy voice snapped me out of my ponderings. I turned to look at his face, but his eyes were still closed. I felt him remove his hand from on top of mine. He was probably giving me an escape route.
“I’m an early riser,” I answered truthfully, voice hushed. But instead of leaving, I snuggled up to his side. The scent of dark chocolate with an undertone of spices and something darker that was entirely Erick washed over me, calming my nerves.
How did I get caught up in all this? It won’t be long before Erick gets crowned king of the entire vampire race... and me, the queen. There were no choices and no other options for the both of us. He said it himself; there wouldn’t be anyone else for either of us. We were bound together for eternity. However, I wasn’t ready for it. Not yet. It felt like everything was happening too fast and too soon.
What would it be like to be a vampire? I was not stupid. I knew I would have to turn sooner rather than later, and I was not about to fool myself by saying I’d rather not lose my humanity. Vampires were kind, too. In my short time knowing them, I’ve met enough good vampires to know that. It was the person that mattered. But no matter what their character is, everyone had a touch of arrogance in them, the ‘superior race’ kind of arrogance. Erick had it in ample.
“You know, I’m starting to hate myself for giving you your engagement ring.” I met the piercing blue of his eyes. “What’re you thinking?”
I frowned. “How can you not be hearing me? We both drank the ceremonial blood mixture thingy yesterday, didn’t we?” I was confused. Didn’t drinking a vampire’s blood allow them to read minds because of the established connection?
Erick jumped up so fast, it was enough to give me a whiplash. He was tugging me towards him a second later.
Gasping, I clutched the covers to my chest while Erick had a death grip on my other hand. His fingers turned my face to his panicked eyes.
“Erick? What’s wrong?” The look in his eyes and the urgency in his touch as he searched my eyes were starting to scare me.
“Do you remember anything about last night? After I placed you on the bed?” he asked urgently.
After he placed me on the bed? It was a vague memory painted in smudge colours and on frayed edges. No, I didn’t remember anything after that, but why was... Forgetting the sheets, my hands flew up to my neck. “Did you bite me?”
There was a sharp pain in my neck. That was all I could remember. I’d been too deep in my slumber to wake up.
“Shit!” Erick let go of my hand to run his fingers through his hair and down his face. “Shit!” He repeated. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I shouldn’t… I-I should’ve known!”
“Erick.” I touched his shoulders tentatively. “What’s happening? You’re scaring me.”
“When a vampire injects venom into the bloodstream of a woman after coupling,” he said hesitantly, “it starts the transition process.”
“What transition pro—” My eyes widened as recognition set in.
“You’re transitioning into a vampire.”