Vampire Girl (9 page)

He doesn't look at me at all, but I can tell he's aware of my presence. I know he sees everything I might do before I even do it. This man-beast terrifies me.

"Please allow Miss Spero to see her mother's soul, and then we will be going."

The demon pauses, uncertainty on his face. "If you feel that is wise, Your Highness?"

"Just do it. I'm in a bit of a hurry and must be on with it."

"Of course."

He leads us through more halls stained with the remnants of their last occupants and opens a barred door, the metal hinges creaking loudly in the eerie silence. The room is large, like an underground warehouse, and full of giant cages hanging from the ceiling yet low to the ground. Each has the glowing ethereal form of a human laying on it. There must be hundreds of them, at least. Maybe more.

"She is here," he says, walking to a cage in the middle.

I shuffle forward, my body shaking. I see my mother's soul, leaning against the cold bars. It is transparent, ghostly, but it is her. She looks the same as her body, and I reach to touch her, but my hand finds no purchase.

"She is not here in form," Asher says. "Only in spirit."

"Can I speak with her?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "If she is awoken, she will suffer greatly. My father recently ordered that all souls be kept asleep during their time with us. It used to be standard practice that they remain awake, tortured and in misery. Some demons feed off that pain."

"That's barbaric." My voice trembles just imaging my mother, or anyone, enduring such a nightmarish existence.

"That is likely why the King ended it," Asher says, and I can hear in his voice a softening when he speaks of his father. "He had a change of heart near the end. I still... Never mind."

"What?"

His eyes are dark and heavy. "I still wonder why. Why did an eternal demon change his ways?" He looks at me, his gaze piercing. "What changed his heart?"

We are both silent for a moment, and I turn away, the intensity of his glance overwhelming.

"He should have kept things as they were," says the demon warden.

Asher's eyes widen, and he turns to the warden, grabbing him by the neck. He squeezes, choking the giant, bringing him to his knees. Asher's fangs descend. "You dare speak of your King, of the royal family, that way?"

I watch, amazed. Asher is impressive in his own right, but nothing in bulk compared to the dungeon-beast, and yet, the demon seems terrified of the Prince.

"Apologies, Master. It will not happen again."

"See that it doesn't, or you will suffer a much worse fate than those sorry souls once did."

I turn my attention back to my mother and watch her for a few more moments before Asher puts a hand on my shoulder. "You've seen her. I have fulfilled my promise. We must be going now."

He turns to walk out and I follow him, but as I reach the end of the room, the demon grabs my elbow. I pull away, instant panic filling my veins. His eyeteeth elongate and his pupils dilate, but he doesn't try to bite me. Instead, he leans down to whisper into my ear. "Beware the princes of hell. Not all of them are pleased that you will decide on the next king. Not all of them wish you alive."

––––––––

"Don't let the pretty baubles fool you, Princess. We are still demons. This is still a dangerous place."

—Fenris Vane

I
rush out
the door and into the arms of Fen.

The air immediately cools, and I suck in a breath and sag against Fen's chest. He stiffens in surprise and I realize what I'm doing and pull back. "Er... sorry about that. The, uh, guard in there scared me and... " My voice trails and I really have no idea what to say next so I take another step back, but end up bumping into the stone wall behind me. Fenris is still staring at me, his blue eyes pulling me into him as he steps closer. His wolf is by his side and scoots forward with his master, his eyes on us both.

Fen is so close to me now I can smell the wildness that clings to him like a cologne. He inhales deeply, his eyes unreadable, and his eyeteeth elongate. His eyes drop to my neck, and I know I should be scared. A vampire is checking me out like I'm dinner. But I'm not scared. I'm... entranced. A low growl vibrates in his throat as he leans in. "You should be more careful, Princess."

His breath brushes against my neck, sending a chill down my spine. "My name isn't Princess, or girl, it's Ari. Arianna if you want to be formal."

Fen looks at me with a strange expression, like he's trying to figure out what I am.

"Time to go," says Asher from the top of the stairs, once again interrupting something that feels heavy. The wolf, whose name I really must learn soon, reverts into his defensive position.

"Does your wolf basically hate everyone but you?" I ask.

Fen looks down at him. "Usually, yes. You seem to be the exception."

Asher clears his throat. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but Dean is waiting and you know how patient he is."

Fen pulls away from me and turns to face Asher. "Dean can wait as long as needed. I care little for whatever so-called demands he has on his time."

"Be that as it may, we still must go. Unless you two are planning to stay in the dungeon all night?"

I shiver at the thought, and the wolf steps away from Fen to come closer to me, pushing his large head against my leg until I pet him. Both the princes stare at us, open jawed, for several seconds.

Asher is the first to break the silence. "What the—?"

Fen crosses his arms over his chest. "He's been like that since she got here. I've never seen anything like it."

"The other brothers are not going to like this, Fenris. They will feel you are taking liberties to weigh things in your favor."

Watching the two of them is like watching the North and South Pole in an odd dance. They are so different—Asher with his fine suits and refinement and Fen with his wildness and leather—but somehow they compliment each other in a strange way.

Fen scoffs at Asher's words. "I care as much about that bloody throne as I do about Dean's latest conquest, which is to say not at all. They should know that. This isn't my game, it's all of yours."

"Be that as it may, this will ruffle feathers."

Fen pulls his eyes from me and the wolf to turn to Asher. "I'll do more than ruffle feathers if any of them dare challenge me."

The warden's warning echoes in my mind. Is Fen one of those displeased at my presence?

Asher holds up his hands in surrender. "I'm on your side in this, brother. You know that."

Fen nods his head once sharply, and begins walking up the staircase back to the main castle. His wolf stays by my side until Fen turns, face puckered with irritation. He whistles, and the wolf rubs against me again, whining. "Oh for the love of all that's unholy, what is wrong with you, Baron?"

I'm starting to feel bad for Fen, so I nudge Baron with my hand. "Go on. I'll be okay."

He looks up at me, his eyes so intelligent, and almost nods, then slowly moves to Fen, but keeps looking back to make sure I'm coming. I stifle a grin and hurry up the stairs as Fen curses and turns away from us. Asher watches with a mix of amusement and worry on his face.

As we make our way to wherever Asher is taking us, I ask the question I've been wanting an answer to for some time. "Are we going to talk about the fact that these Fae keep attacking me?"

"No," Fen says gruffly. I think he's still mad about his wolf not obeying him.

"If they do manage to kidnap me, what are they planning to do?"

"Shut you up, hopefully."

Yup, he's still mad.

"Look, I'm sorry your wolf likes someone else for the first time ever, but that's no reason to act like a petulant child. There are serious matters to discuss here."

Asher laughs out loud. "She's got your number, brother!"

Fen turns and grabs him by his collar, shoving him against the stone wall. "That is quite enough from you,
brother.
I've done everything you've asked. I kept her safe. I got her here. I'm done." He releases Asher—who doesn't look the least bit scared—and storms away, leaving us alone in the passageway. His wolf does follow this time, though reluctantly when he sees I'm not joining him.

Asher adjusts his clothing and brushes away the wrinkles caused by his brother's rough handling. "Fen has a bit of a temper," Asher says calmly. "Prince of War and all. You understand."

"I understand that a family of immortal vampires has all of eternity and still can't figure out how to grow up," I say. I'm tired of the bickering, so I walk ahead, but once we come to the door that brought us here, I pause, unsure of where we're going.

Asher grins, winking at me, and leads me through hallways lined with gilded doors and gold trimmed paintings and elaborate doorways carved out of stone or marble or wood into beautiful shapes. We stop in a hall with a fire blazing in the largest stone fireplace I've ever seen. There are pillows and rugs in front of the fire for lounging, with tables filled with drink and food, and plush, elegant furniture artfully placed throughout the room to create reading and conversation nooks. One wall is lined with books and another is a painted mural of a beautiful landscape with a Pegasus flying through a winter storm. In the center of the room stands one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen.

He has the kind of physical beauty that is literally stunning.  Golden hair that falls around his shoulders in thick waves. Eyes so piercing blue they hurt to look at. Skin carved of golden marble. A face that could slay armies with its beauty. A body that is so perfect he looks unreal. Like, I can't walk anymore, because I'm
literally
stunned into place.

When he sees me, he smiles and I nearly choke on my own tongue.

Asher sees my response and just sighs. "Arianna, this is Dean. Dean, this is the princess."

Dean reaches for my hand and brings it to his lips. The kiss is soft, tender, and stays on my skin like a gift. "Hello, Princess Arianna. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I look forward to our time together and trust you will enjoy yourself
in all ways
."

Parts of my body I've neglected most of my life are set on fire by his words, and I have no response but to stand there, weak-kneed and shaking.

Dean is still holding my hand, and I don't pull away until Asher nudges me. "Arianna, the council has chosen Dean, Prince of Lust, to be your first guide in our world. You will spend a month with him, and then move to the next realm with another prince."

I blink, reminding myself who I am and why I'm here. "Of course. It's nice to meet you Dean." I take a deep breath to steady myself and finally pull my hand away. It still burns with his lips, and I find it very disconcerting. It's not as if Fen and Asher are slouches. They are prime male specimens in their own right. But I can see why Dean got the title Prince of Lust.

A growl diverts Dean's attention from me, as Baron approaches us. He nudges against my side and my hand falls on his head. His presence clears my mind, saving me from whatever fog of desire Dean casts by mere proximity.

"Actually, that is incorrect," Fenris says, joining us. "The council chose me as her first escort, so she'll be coming to my realm."

Dean scowls at Fenris. "You relinquished your rights to being first. I believe your exact words were, 'I'll not be a pawn in this game you are all playing, so sod off and have at her.'"

"Have at her?" I ask, fire burning in my stomach. "I'm not a thing to be had at by any of you! Not by charm," I say, looking at Asher, "or brute force," that was for Fen, "or by a pretty face." I glare at Dean who looks as shocked as Fen did when his wolf snuggled up to me. "You lot have got to stop acting like asses and start behaving like reasonably intelligent men, or I have no idea how I'll fulfill my contract of picking any of you!"

"Well, brother," Asher says to Fen through a smirk, "looks like you have an interesting month ahead of you."

"Wait a second now, I haven't agreed to relinquish my turn," Dean says.

Asher shrugs. "You don't have to. Fen is right. The council chose him and he has the right to reclaim her."

Dean turns to Fen, his face in a scowl. "You're an ass, you know that? There's a reason no one likes you."

Asher laughs as Dean storms out of the room, but Fen's face is all serious. I think his brother's words bothered him. Or maybe he's regretting his 'claim' to me already.

When Dean is out of earshot, Asher calms himself and turns to Fen. "What's going on? This isn't like you."

"It's my job to keep her safe," Fen says.

"And you've done an admirable job," Asher says. "But despite Dean's arrogance and frivolous life, he's as capable as any at fighting. No harm will come to her in his realm."

Fen sighs. "Have you not pieced it together yet? How did the Fae get all the way to Envy's realm to attempt another kidnapping? For that matter, how did the Fae reach the High Castle to assassinate our father? Have you not wondered?"

Asher frowns. "Of course I have but—" his eyes widen. "You're not suggesting what I think you are?"

Fen nods. "The
only
way is if one of us let them in."

"Fenris, this is a serious accusation. You're suggesting that one of our brothers not only plots to kidnap Arianna, but also helped aid in our father's murder?"

"I'm not suggesting it," Fen says. "I'm saying that's exactly what happened."

"If you're right, then why share your suspicions with me? How do you know I'm not the guilty party?" Asher asks. "For that matter, how do I know it's not you?"

"You know it's not me because I don't want to be High King. And I'm pretty sure it's not you because I trust you more than most. That and you had plenty of time with Arianna in her world and never made a move. You could have made it much easier to kidnap her, but you didn't. So it must be one of the others."

The princes lock eyes with each other. I might as well not be here but for Baron standing by my side. The ramifications of what they are saying slowly sinks into my mind. I have to spend a month with each brother. If one of them is a traitor, then like it or not, I will eventually be kidnapped. And I still don't know why the princes wanted me here to begin with.