Chapter 6 Aurelia
Aurelia
Iwas screaming inside as I smiled at every single vampire that offered me a congratulatory smile.
I imagined severing their heads from their necks every time they let out that little laugh. I might be smiling and dancing, but inside my mind I was stabbing a sword through their torsos and watching as the blood sprayed over everyone here, ruining their extravagant dresses and suits.
It didn’t help that Adrian had changed the colors of the room. Blacks and golds with red rubies and crystals scattered throughout in a way that made it look like blood had already been spilled. It only made my fantasies that much more realistic.
Vampires were packed into one of our ballrooms, though it didn’t look like one since Adrian had renovated it to make it look like another throne room. He even had a new throne made just for this occasion with a platform just tall enough for him to peer over the crowd and watch everyone.
“Congratulations!” a pair of vampires said as they passed me. I forced myself to give them a proper smile, even as their deaths played out in my mind.
They were all so gross. So fake.
They were there to see the obedient vampire princess marry to help her brother secure a new kingdom. They thought that they had escaped my wrath.
They’re wrong.
And this time, I wasn't waiting for anyone to save me. This time I was the one who was going to take fate into my own hands and force it to its knees in front of me.
My husband-to-be was waiting patiently in the crowd for his debut, the announcement a surprise even to my brother, who was watching over the entire party with a soft smirk.
He thinks I’m under his control.
As if reading my mind, his eyes drifted over to me. He held up a glass of blood to me, so I stopped a waiter as he passed, grabbing one to make a show of toasting him back.
Good little princess, his eyes whispered.
Stupid fucking dickhead, mine hissed.
He thought he was going to be the one announcing my marriage tonight. As if I didn’t know he had already picked my fiancé. As if I didn’t have ears in the hallways willing to spill everything they heard my brother discuss in exchange for the littlest bribery.
We had one deal—I could choose my husband—but I was no idiot.
He used it as a way to control me, lulling me into a false sense of security while he schemed in the background. Everyone in the palace put on a show for him. Just like me, they were acting like the perfect subjects, excited to have a new and strangely powerful king.
But behind closed doors and in the dark corners, people were scared. They were furious. And that made everyone all the more willing to spill everything they saw.
Well… almost everyone.
I made my way to the side of the room, where my first target awaited me. In his freshly washed council uniform, holding his own glass of blood, General Lee stuck out like a sore thumb, but he seemed to enjoy the way other vampires were giving him space.
He smirked when he saw me.
I returned it with a polite smile.
“You seem happy to finally be getting this behind you,” he said.
“Very,” I replied. “But I have something for you.”
He raised a brow at me, and I took a step closer and dropped my voice to a whisper.
“I left our conversation so rudely the other day.” I looked up at him through my lashes. “I want what you were offering, but I want to prove my sincerity.”
His eyes shifted to the party behind us, almost as if he was afraid we were going to get caught.
He cleared his throat.
“And what can you offer me that I cannot get myself, Princess?”
I forced myself to keep smiling.
“Not much. Except…” I turned to look at the hallway to our right, where my present was waiting.
There stood a young male feeder, probably in his early twenties.
Normally, it wouldn’t mean anything, we had feeders galore, but this one…
“I hear virgin blood tastes sweeter. And he’s willing for you to be his first.”
That got his attention. I had to swallow my disgust. Vampires like him loved the idea of innocence, or rather, the idea of taking it for themselves.
General Lee let out a huff of a laugh and shook his head, almost in disbelief.
“It does sweeten the deal,” he whispered as he turned to move toward the human. “Tell me what you want. Information on your pet?”
“More. I want her transferred to me.”
The only sign that he was offended was the twitch of his eye. To the outside world, it would look like we were just having a pleasant conversation, but I saw the way his hands balled into fists.
“That would be going directly against the council,” he murmured. “You think a virgin will get you that?”
“Most definitely,” I answered with an even bigger smile, showing my fangs.
“Because I know what my brother plans to do, and you know the thing he needs most is a pliant, submissive sister who will make him look good.” I took a step closer, lowering my voice.
“You want me to behave? You want this reign to go without issue? Go fuck your little virgin, and then, before you come back, I want you to arrange her transport.”
I looked up at him, his sharp gaze sending a jolt through me. Time froze, and for a moment, I felt like I had poked the wrong bear. The hair raised on the back of my neck, my body jerked back as if anticipating an attack… but it never came.
He smiled at my move.
“What makes you think I care if you behave? You’re the one going to reap those consequences.”
I shrugged, trying to play off just how tense he was starting to make me.
“Just me? Sure, if that’s true, go tell him right now.”
I stepped to the side, acting like I was giving him the space to go, but he didn't move from his spot. I knew he was as shady as they came, and I don't know what my brother had on him or why he was chained to him, but part of his job had to be ensuring that my brother kept power.
And he did not need a bratty princess trying to ruin it all.
Though that didn't stop me from panicking inside as he took his time figuring out if he wanted to take my bribe or not. I was bluffing, and I didn't know him well enough to tell if he could figure me out just yet.
“Just because I'm taking this doesn't mean you have the power here,” he finally said in a low, threatening tone. “Don't forget your role.”
This time, my bitter smile came unbidden.
“Yes, I will bend over for my husband to unite the families so we can prosper. I get it. Now go get fucked and give me my silver-haired toy, or I will make a scene the moment the announcement leaves my brother's mouth.”
His smile told me he accepted, but his eyes told me he was killing me in his head right now.
“Fine,” he spat. “I will have news for you when I get back.”
I nodded and sent him a cheeky wave, watching as he went off with the feeder, who, at the last second, sent me a smile of his own.
When they disappeared, I finally allowed myself to take the tiniest breath.
One down, one to go.
I turned around, looking at the sea of vampires, particularly the one who was now leaning down and talking in a hushed tone to my brother. The head of the Solei family.
The way he looked so much like his son was jarring, but it wasn't my experience with his son that ran through my mind. It was the fact that he and my father had fought over my mother. That all they had wanted to do was breed us so that we could give them the Krae blood. Disgusting.
Vesper and Cedar passed through my mind, unwarranted. I couldn’t keep them at bay. At least not for long.
I miss them. I missed Vesper and Cedar more than my soul could handle. The bond ached constantly, reminding me we were so far apart.
I knew only I could save us. And I had a plan. As painful as it was, I held onto my violent daydreams and used them to fuel me as I threw myself back into the crowd, flitting from vampire to vampire, conversing about everything and anything.
Adrian’s heavy, lingering gaze was always on me and hard to ignore. I could tell that he was enjoying this little game of ours. He loved that I was flattering his ego. Showing the world what a good sibling I was.
Taking it up a notch, I decided it was time to start showing off. When the music changed to a waltz, I joined in without hesitation. It took only a few partner changes for me to get to Caspian Hart. His familiar face provided me with the comfort I needed.
“Just a little longer now,” he whispered.
As our dance came to an end, I was passed to another partner. But right in the middle of being tossed, bright red flashed across my gaze. Panic and hope rose in me, but I didn't let myself get excited.
She can't be here. If she is, I may just ruin—
The male vampire dancing with me now tried to say something, but it all sounded like underwater gibberish. My eyes darted around, trying to catch another glimpse of the impossible.
And then I saw the flash of white behind him.
My breath caught in my throat. The sore spot between my breasts where the unfulfilled bond ached made itself known.
Vesper?
No. I couldn't let myself get distracted. There were only a few more minutes until I changed the course of my fate. This was my mind playing tricks on me.
I was twirled again and sent off to the next partner, only to come face-to-face with…
“Vesper?”
The world floated around me. All the panic and hope swirled together and threatened to burst out of my chest at the sight of her golden eyes.
The bond thrummed to life between us, begging me to bite her. But there was something different about her. She was Vesper, there was no doubt about that, but she was… taller. Her eyes were sharper and… red?
“My princess, don’t you look beautiful tonight.”
Even her voice held a husky quality that wasn't there before.
She was wearing an all-black ensemble embroidered with swirls of silver. Something vampire royalty would wear, not a vampire hunter. It fit her well, hugging her shoulders and arms, showing off her muscled figure.