Royally Cursed, page 2
part #2 of Vampire Princess Series
Chapter 2
My heart pounded in my chest. It was the thing that made me different from full blood vamps. It made it impossible to hide what was I was. I knew he could hear it.
I also knew that my enemies believed that drinking my blood would give them untold powers.
I was strong but I was still young. I could take some vamps in a fight even now, without real fighting experience. The problem was, I had no idea how strong this particular vamp was.
Or how old. Older generally equaled stronger.
I had to leave.
I sensed Maxim before I felt his hand land on my shoulder. He squeezed softly and I glanced up. His strong jaw and high cheekbones practically glinted in the moonlight.
“Ethan.”
The tall Vampire stepped closer, giving a tiny, almost imperceptible bow.
“Maxim.”
I felt the tension leave my shoulders. While I wasn’t thrilled that someone had snuck up on me, if Maxim knew the stranger, I wasn’t as concerned.
I wasn’t going to run away. Which was good since I did not want to ruin my dress.
“They are waiting for you at the house. There is no reason to come here.”
Another hint of a bow.
“My apologies, Highness.”
“Ethan has a contact inside the Palace. He just came from there with news.”
I narrowed my eyes, not liking the man for some reason. I wasn’t getting a clear reading from him either. Waves of contempt and respect were battling inside him.
I turned back towards the bright lights of the school parking lot.
“We should go in. Please remind him that my title is not to be used in public.”
Max nodded and whispered in my ear. A shiver went down my spine as his fingers grazed the bare skin on my upper back.
“You owe me a dance.”
He was right. I did owe him a dance. I’d promised him a dance when the initial discussion had taken place. I’d wanted to go alone, until I realized how that would look to Dylan.
It would have looked like an invitation.
He’d be by my side in an instant. As it was, he still hadn’t been able to keep away.
The only way to truly end things, to break his heart, was to actually hurt him. So I had.
I wasn’t proud of myself. I told myself I wasn’t looking forward to dancing with Maxim. Sure, he was gorgeous, in a dark and brooding way, but he was also way too arrogant for my liking.
Smug, even.
And what was more stereotypical than a smug, unspeakably handsome Vampire? He might as well have walked out of an Anne Rice rip off novel, full of tortured souls and lost loves.
My companion might be brooding, but he didn’t seem like the type to fall in love or sprout poetry.
Love? Maxim? That was a laugh.
I mean, I knew he liked me more than he should, but ‘love’ wasn’t in his vocabulary.
He respected my claim to the throne. That was enough. He also made me laugh, which had saved me more than a few times. It didn’t mean I had to let him get away with flirting with me constantly.
Even if I kind of liked it.
I shook it off and stalked into the building, heading for the auditorium. Maybe I could get a few more moments of normalcy out of this night. For my mental scrapbook and what not.
I had no idea if I would live to see eighteen at this point, but if I survived the upcoming battle, I could live to be as old as Caleb. I might as well make some cherished human memories now.
Not likely.
I felt the breeze that marked the speed of Maxim’s arrival. A slow song was starting. I rolled my eyes as he took my hand and lowered his lips to it.
“So formal, Maxim.”
His full lips quirked sensuously, hovering just above my hand. I could feel his breath against my skin. But no heat.
Maxim’s hands were as cold as ice.
His eyes, however, were not.
They burned with desire for me.
A crazy feeling twisted inside me as his lips grazed my skin. They were surprisingly soft. The combination of his hot eyes and cool lips made me break out in goosebumps all over.
I snatched my hand back and held it behind my back, rubbing the place his lips had grazed me. His smile widened at my reaction and I cursed.
I showed him too much. If he knew that he was getting to me, he’d never stop.
He held out his hand in invitation.
“Come.”
I was about to tell him to go shove off when I saw Dylan out of the corner of my eye. He was watching me.
Watching us.
It’s now or never, Soph. I swallowed, forcing myself to act normal. I put my hand in Maxim’s and walked out onto the dance floor.
“Relax, Princess.”
“Don’t call me that.”
He smiled sensuously, pulling me closer to his broad chest. His shoulders nearly blocked out the view.
Nearly.
Dylan was staring, watching us like a hawk. Watching with a look of hurt so deep that it made me miss a step. Maxim caught me, setting me back on my feet smoothly.
Way to go, Sash. You are now officially the world’s clumsiest Vampire.
“You dance so well, Sophie.”
“Shut up.”
His perfect white teeth shined as he laughed at me. At least he wasn’t overly sensitive. That was my favorite thing about him.
Maxim had a thick skin.
Me, on the other hand…
Mrs. Van Epps, our English Lit teacher, took the stage. She cleared her throat, tapping the mic nervously. I stopped and gave her my full attention.
I liked Mrs. Van Epps. She was a good teacher. And more than that, she actually liked her students.
So many teachers didn’t. It was odd. I had to wonder if they started out hating kids, or if it was years of dealing with teenagers that did it.
At any rate, she was bright and funny and treated everyone with respect. So I shut up. I was happy to see that most of the rest of the students did too.
“It’s that moment you’ve all been waiting for. Time to announce the King and Queen of the Prom.”
I clapped politely, completely disinterested. I was sure that Janelle was going to win. She seemed to be well liked and popular despite being an exceptionally nasty person. She was my least favorite human on the planet, other than a few key political figures and war lords. I was about to leave when Maxim stopped me.
“Sophie. You won.”
I blinked up at Max.
“What? No, I didn’t.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. You did.”
He gently pushed me towards the stage. People were applauding and smiling at me. I just wanted to melt into the floor.
Time seemed to slow down as I climbed the steps to the stage. Mrs. Van Epps smiled at me encouragingly and lowered the chintzy rhinestone crown to my head. I swallowed, staring out over the crowd.
That’s when I saw who was walking up the steps behind me. Of course. How could I be so stupid?
I might be surprised to be named Prom Queen, but no one was shocked that Dylan was Prom King.
Chapter 3
Lights flashed as Dylan sat beside me on our ‘thrones’ for our portraits. The chairs were from the drama department, probably donated by some parent who didnt want them anymore. They’d been papier-mâchéd and sprayed with gold paint. My mind was racing, wondering how I could have forgotten about this particularly inconvenient human ritual.
Dylan looked calm. Much calmer than I was. I was a fool.
I had to have known that this would happen.
I’d put us all in danger, just for the sake of some fantasy of being a normal teenage girl. I wasn’t normal. I was about as far from normal as you could get.
I just hoped that no one I cared about had to pay for it with their lives.
I had won a prize alright. But not Prom Queen. I was officially:
The World’s Stupidest Vampire.
This was the farthest thing from low profile that I could have done. The King and Queen’s names were public knowledge. They even ran the photos in the local paper.
Photos. Of me.
Caleb would be furious. He’d have to find the photos and destroy them. Then there was glamoring the paper’s editor and removing the article altogether. He didn’t mind glamoring people, he was just going to be mad at me for being so short-sighted.
And he’d be right.
The lights dimmed and the music started up again. Dylan reached for my hand and I had to force myself not to flinch away from his touch.
Not because I didn’t like it. Because I did.
As usual his skin was warm and, well, tasty smelling.
“We are supposed to dance.”
“We already did that. Remember? It didn’t go so well.”
“I didn’t think you were a quitter.”
He smiled at me without humor.
“You could always give your crown to Janelle. I’m sure she’d be thrilled.”
I growled under my breath, practically dragging him down the steps to the dance floor. He smirked as I turned to face him.
“That’s what I thought.”
I gave him a look of annoyance, letting him know exactly what I thought of him. For some reason, it just made his smile wider. He stepped closer and took my hand.
That’s when I realized what it was that was making him smile, making us both move into the dance without thought.
It was normal. It was almost like nothing had happened. Like we were still friends. Still together.
Still in love with each other.
But we weren’t. Not really. Not that I was going to admit anyway.
Anyway, it was nice to pretend for a moment.
I knew he was mad at me, angry now that he’d seen me with Maxim. But I didn’t want to fight with him. I sighed deciding it was time to call a truce.
“How have you been, Dyl?”
He squeezed my hand, his eyes focused on my face.
“How do you think?”
“Bad.”
“How have you been?”
I shrugged.
“Bad.”
“Does he make you happy, Soph? Because that would be a lot easier for me to walk away. I tried to. But for some reason I just… can’t.”
I stared up at him, afraid to speak. Maxim was not his replacement, even if I did feel something for the vamp. No one could fill the hole Dylan had left in my heart.
But if I told him that, if I said the words out loud, I would break my word to Karen.
I would start another war, risk exposing my kind to the world. A war with the Fae. And that was the last thing I wanted. So I bit my tongue, saying nothing.
Because if I told him the truth, I knew this night would end with us. Together again.
His eyes were on my lips. I realized I was staring at his mouth. He was going to kiss me.
I wanted him to kiss me.
A wave of desire swept over me. It was mostly his emotions I was feeling, but it was also my own. I basked in the warmth washing over me. I inhaled his scent. And then it happened.
SNAP.
My fangs dropped. There was no hiding it now. His eyes went from heavy lidded to wide.
He’d seen me.
I slapped my hands over my mouth and ran, tearing through the room without thought to how it looked. I might have been a blur for all I knew.
I had been about to chow down on the love of my freaking life.
Not just that abomination either. I was on the verge of doing it in front of a few hundred people.
I ran from the building like my life depended on it. In truth, it was Dylan’s life that was in danger. And any human who got in my way.
The hunger was still strong as I disappeared into the woods behind the school campus. I didn’t stop. Not until cold, hard hands clamped down on my shoulders, spinning me around.
“Princess— what is it? Did he upset you? I will kill him.”
Maxim stood there in the moonlight, angry and concerned. I shook my head, stepping away. My fangs were out. I knew he could see them.
“No. Don’t touch him. Promise me you will never hurt him, Maxim.”
He scowled but nodded.
“I promise. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I wanted to— my fangs— the thirst is back!”
I moaned, bending over and holding my stomach. He was lucky he was a Vampire. Because I would have killed him if he was a human, the hunger was so strong.
In a heartbeat.
“The hunger… it must be unbearable.”
I couldn’t speak. I just made a high keening sound of despair. He nodded, his hand sliding through my hair.
“It’s alright.”
He grasped my chin, lifting my face to the light.
“Here, try this.”
I stared as Maxim pulled out a pocket knife and cut a thin line along the side of his throat.
“What are you—”
“Shhh, it’s okay. It’s just a theory.”
I couldn’t resist what he was offering. I pressed my lips against his throat, feeling the smooth skin, tasting him.
The blood hit my lips like cool water on the parched desert. I heard Maxim make a low sound of appreciation as my fangs sank into his flesh. I lapped at the blood greedily, drinking him in.
“Princess… you must stop.”
He seemed to sink against me, my hands the only thing keeping him on his feet.
“Sasha… I cannot take much more.”
I tore myself away, the weakness in his voice finally registering. I’d done that to him. He’d offered me his blood and I’d taken too much.
If he was human, he’d be dead.
He stared at me in the darkness, the puncture wounds healing as I watched.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head.
“It is an honor. I don’t mind.”
“But I almost killed you.”
“But you didn’t.”
He smiled rakishly at me, still leaning against a nearby tree.
“But—”
“It is my blood to give. I wanted you to drink it.”
I crossed my arms, staring at him. I had a sudden suspicion. He had an air of male satisfaction about him that made me frown.
“Did you… enjoy that?”
His smile widened, the suggestive look in his eyes making me blush furiously.
“Your lips on me? Your fangs? How could I not?”
“You are impossible! Just when you do something nice, you go and ruin it by being a—”
“A what?”
“A man!”
I scowled and turned away. He stopped me, turning me to face him. In the darkness, I could still see him perfectly. He was serious, all hint of teasing gone.
“But your hunger is gone. Is it not? You were afraid to harm one of your friends.”
He was right. Somehow, he had quenched my otherworldly thirst. I felt better. More importantly, I hadn’t killed him or anyone else.
“Let me take you home.”
I nodded and followed him to the parking lot.
“Should I drive?”
He quirked an eyebrow at me as he opened the passenger door.
“I didn’t think you had your license yet.”
“I don’t.”
I tossed my hair at him.
“But I’m going to get it.”
Chapter 4
I heard soft voices from the kitchen as we came in. They stopped talking immediately and I froze, cursing under my breath.
It sounded intimate. Like maybe they were finally getting somewhere with their constant emotional battle. Bernard was in love with Caleb. And Caleb was always holding him at bay, even though I was pretty sure he loved him too.
The two of them had been so focused on protecting me, that it got in the way of what they meant to each other. It drove me nuts and made me feel guilty at the same time.
Interrupting the two of them was the last thing I wanted to do.
But it was too late. Of course, they’d heard us pull up. Super vamp hearing and what not. Bernard stepped into the hallway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his broad chest.
“Back so soon?”
Caleb followed him out, his eyes telling me everything I needed to know. He looked distracted and not at all calm. In fact, he looked almost frazzled.
Caleb was always calm.
Only Bernard could really get to him.
Bernard, on the other hand, did not look the least bit ruffled. He looked chilly, if anything. I sighed inwardly. Caleb had been toying with his affections for centuries. I knew it wasn’t deliberate or spiteful, but it had to hurt.
Maybe Bernard had finally had enough.
“Where’s your friend?”
“Ethan told us what we needed and left. I doubt we will see him again. He’s not invested in the fight.”
Caleb gave Maxim a cold look.
“It was not wise for him to meet the Princess like that.”
“I didn’t expect him to go there. He must have sensed us. He’s gifted.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Gifted how?”
“He can sense other supernatural creatures.”
I blanched, wondering if he’d sensed Dylan. Or Karen. I hoped they were okay.
“What about Fae?”
“He has been instructed to observe, not interfere. He prefers it that way.”
“Great, but can he be trusted?”
“Yes.”
Bernard crossed his arms, giving my ensemble a once over. I knew I looked dishelved at this point. I had no problem running in heels. But my ‘do was definitely looking worse for wear.
“So? Did Cinderella loose a pump?”
I shook my head, biting my lip as Maxim headed to the kitchen. I followed him, watching wordlessly as he pulled a pint of chilled blood from the fridge. He uncapped it quickly, his eyes closing in relief as the blood hit his lips.
I knew he hated cold blood. He preferred to hunt. But I’d nearly drained him and he needed to replenish.
“What happened?”
I didn’t say anything. I just stared at Maxim’s throat as it bobbed up and down. His throat was strong and thick but silky looking, his olive skin looked delicious. He’d shaved himself recently, and barely had a shadow.
