The Chalice (Luna Vampire Series) (10 page)

             
Inadvertently, my eyes focused on the elaborate chair as my brain tingled, legs trembled, and everything within me yearned to take a seat.
  Was this what Petrus and William were saying about being unable to refuse an order from their maker?
  Granted, his pull
was
strong.  Although, it didn't feel anywhere near as bad as when he'd forced me to drink from the chalice. 
The evil prick.

             
My intuition screamed at me to fight, to refuse the puppet master's strings.  So, I squared my shoulders and resisted.  My hands shook under the pressure, yet I struggled for control regardless.  At first, it seemed like I couldn't win and I thought my head might explode. 
Pain, throbbing, strange vibrations.
  However, after awhile, the tide turned in my favor and I was actually able to shoot Tsedaka a big, fat, disobedient glare.

             
And let me tell you, it was a mistake. 
A horrible, excruciating mistake.
  A flash of anger slid across his face, a mere millisecond ahead of his hand latching onto my right arm.  Rapidly, his skin warmed to that of a white-hot poker and the smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils.  The onslaught caught me off-guard and instantly seared away my willpower. 
My temples pounded, my eyes were about to pop out of my head, and my heart gave off a sharp twinge at the end of every beat.
 

             
"You will not oppose me!" he boomed, his scorching ache penetrating my consciousness with waves of pure agony. 

             
"Okay, I'm sorry!" I whimpered, automatically shrinking back.  "Please!  Just let my arm go!  It hurts!  It really hurts!"
  Goddamn the pain was intense!
  And, honestly,
at that point I would've done anything to make it stop, even beg.

             
"Don't defy me again, child.  In the future, I won't be so merciful."  And with a flick of his wrist, he propelled me in the direction of my throne.  This time, I followed his orders without complaint, briefly peeking at my burned arm. 
The exact shape of his handprint.  How in the hell?

             
"Ah, now that we're all in our correct places," Tsedaka bellowed, turning from me to jovially address the audience.  "Let's get on with the ceremony."

             
The crowd responded to him with laughter as though his abuse had been nothing more than a superfluous joke.  Shortly thereafter, one of the guards stepped forward carrying a red velvet pillow.  It held a petite crown that was gold, inlaid with diamonds and rubies, and a perfect match to the king's larger version.  Within moments, the guard fell to his knees in front of Tsedaka and lifted the pillow high above his head. 

             
The room hushed as
dear old daddy
took hold of the adornment and moved to stand at my side.  "I crown you, Princess Luna," he proclaimed, his gravelly tone echoing throughout the room.  "As heir apparent to the throne of the United States."  He then placed the crown on my head and whispered, "Now stand and show them your left forearm."

             
To avoid his wrath, I did what he said.  I begrudgingly leaped from my seat, held out my arm, and waited for his next
request
.  Meanwhile, I surveyed the room which was basically divided into five sections with each group strangely wearing clothing of the same color.  A person, or pair of people, stood at the forefront of every subdivision and, yep, they were wearing crowns. 
I know, freaking weird, right?
  And, as expected, Adrian was one of 'em, heading up the purple section in a flashy piece shimmering with gold and diamonds.

             
"This is my blood daughter," Tsedaka called out, bringing my thoughts back to him.  "My family mark graces her arm."  Upon hearing his words, the crowd's murmuring increased which, in turn, caused him to raise his volume.  "My friends, we must press on.  It's time for the heads of the families to swear allegiance." 

             
And so, one by one, the crown-wearing
vampires
approached to kneel at my feet.  Adrian was first, confidently striding forward in the same purple velvet suit coat he'd been in earlier.  As he moved, the group behind him went to their knees and bowed their heads.  All the while, everyone remained eerily quiet.  The stupid string quartet even quit playing. 

             
Reverently, he said, "I, Adrian the duke of sector six, swear allegiance to you princess Luna.  I recognize that you're the rightful heir to the throne of the United States."  With his vow complete, he returned to the purple throng and didn't spare me another look. 
What was he up to?  All the secrecy and hiding?  All the acting like we'd never met?

             
Regardless of his reasoning, I didn't get a chance to ponder the conundrum for long because, minutes later, an African American man had already replaced Adrian on the stage.  This guy led the green group, as evidenced by his forest green cape, and he wore a silver crown that was engraved with symbols similar to those on the chalice. 

             
He spoke in a strong voice.  "I, Marcel, duke of sector five, swear allegiance to you princess Luna.  I recognize you're the rightful heir to the throne of the United States."  Finishing quickly, he descended the platform to be with his people.

             
Next came a couple, announcing themselves as Jacob and Mariah the duke and duchess of sector four.  They were dressed in stylish yellow outfits, the type of thing somebody'd wear to a business meeting, and their crowns were a combination of gold and silver weaved together in celtic
knots.  They swore allegiance, both taking turns repeating the same words as Adrian and Marcel, prior to rejoining to their group.

             
Following close behind them, was an overweight bald man.  He seemed to be around Tsedaka's age and sported a white suit with an orange dress shirt.  Truthfully, the guy reminded me of a damn easter egg. 
Round, bald, and pastel.
And, let me tell you, fending off the giggles took shitloads of self-control. 
Vampire easter eggs.  Sigh.
He introduced himself as Eric the duke of sector three while he knelt and droned on with the standard pledge.

             
Finally, a tall redhead stepped forward.  She wore a silver crown accented by sapphires and pearls atop waist length, curly hair.  Her midnight blue gown, layered in black embroidery, was an exact replica of the dresses you'd see in period movies depicting the 1700s.  The bustier and petticoats must've been hella uncomfortable. 
I certainly wouldn't have suffered in such a relic.
  Nevertheless, she announced yourself as Isabella the duchess of sector two, swore loyalty, and then returned to her section.

             
I saw that she was the last one and felt relieved. 
What a pretentious sham!
  It did make me wonder, though. 
I mean, how could all these people be so delusional?
 
There had to be a fragment of truth to their fantasy, right?
 
Maybe they were some of those role-players, you know, the ones who held sci-fi conventions and stuff.  Or perhaps...
 

             
All at once, the
vampires
rose to their feet in a synchronous mass and started cheering boisterously.  As a result, Tsedaka raised his hands forming a sharp gesture that put an instant damper on the commotion.  "Listen, my friends, the party cannot begin just yet," he declared.  "I have one more surprise for my daughter."

Chapter
8

             
With a look of amusement sliding across his face, Tsedaka nodded toward the group of guards standing behind us.  "You may bring them in now."

             
Promptly stepping forward, William bowed like a total kiss ass and replied with a slightly whiny, "Yes, your majesty."  Then he turned and rushed away. 
God!  He was such a loser.  I really hated...

             
"Child, why don't you join me?" Tsedaka grunted, squinting in my direction expectantly a few seconds after taking a seat in his throne.

             
Damn lunatic.  I seriously wondered what in the hell he was gonna put me through next.
  As a result, I wavered indecisively, allowing the crowd's hum to increase.  A part of me wanted nothing more than to tell
dear old daddy
to go screw off, but in the end I thought better of it. 
Getting burned again wasn't on the top of my to do list. 
So, feeling dejected, I slumped over and flopped down into my own ostentatious chair.

             
Several minutes later, William sauntered back into the room and ascended the platform with two people hot on his heels.  The newcomers wore white dresses that, honestly, reminded me of christening gowns.  And they were young, seventeen or maybe eighteen years old, sharing lanky builds and straight brown hair. 

             
"I present this time-honored gift to you, my daughter," Tsedaka bellowed, his voice quieting the audience.  "Lucien
and Amelia will attend to your needs for the duration of their lives.  And from this day forth, they'll be bound to you above all others."

             
"Um, okay," I muttered, truthfully not caring.
I mean, my stay at vamp central would definitely be short-lived.  So, whatever. 
If the king felt like giving me a couple servants, well, I guess I'd play along. 
No reason to risk his wrath over something trivial, right?

             
"Come here, Amelia," Tsedaka ordered, his no-nonsense demeanor pressing us on.  "Kneel in front of the princess.  Ah, very good.  Now, push up the sleeve of your right arm and give her your wrist."

             
She did as he asked without question.  And before I knew it, I sat there holding her wrist in my hand.  Thoroughly baffled, I watched while the room grew silent once more. 
What were they expecting me to do? 
And then recognition hit.  They wanted me to suck her blood. 
Oh, shit.  C'mon, think fast vampire princess.

             
For the barest of moments, I simply stared at the girl and grappled with my problem.  I took in her pristine heart-shaped face, the thick hair falling past her shoulders, and the nervous glint filling her hazel eyes.  After which, I cautiously returned my attention to Tsedaka.  "Uh, I'm not hungry," I mumbled, scrunching my nose in a show of distaste.  
Did they actually think I'd sprout fangs and attack her?  Yeah, sure.

             
"You
will
feed, my daughter," he growled.  "However, if these blood slaves aren't to your liking, I can have them disposed of and others brought in their place.  Is that your wish?"

             
"No, um, no," I backpedaled, heartbeat exploding from my chest. 
What did he mean by dispose?  Was he saying he'd kill 'em?  Jesus, this situation kept getting worse and worse. 
"Seriously, um, these ones are fine.  There's no reason to
dispose
of anyone, I'm..." 

             
"Feed then!" Tsedaka yelled, threatening me with his hand.  "Or suffer the consequences!"

             
I shuddered at its proximity. 
Less than an inch away.
 
Shit!  Shit!  Shit!
  My eyes bounced around in desperation, eventually settling on Adrian.  He stood in a nonchalant pose, although, his brows were furrowed with concern. 
He'd said he would help me, yet where was the guy when I needed him?  Probably just playing games, the jerk.

             
"I'm here as promised, Luna.  That said, you mustn't reveal our hand.  So, shift your gaze elsewhere." 
I froze in complete and utter confusion.  The voice sounded exactly the same as Adrian's, but his mouth hadn't moved.  Plus, nobody else seemed to hear it.