Chapter 27
Alice
My back pressed hard against my favorite rock as my eyes moved across the ancient text, soaking up a story about a powerful Vampiress who bathed in the blood of her enemies. It was one of the rare books found in Acheron's library that I could understand, but it turned out to be a riveting read.
A gentle breeze lifted my hair, and my eyes pulled away from my book to swipe it out of my eyes.
My gaze caught on his castle in the far distance, and I smiled dreamily.
Acheron and I hadn't emerged from our room for the past two days.
We were too engrossed in our lovemaking, unable to be apart for even the time it took for me to shower.
We both fell asleep, and when I woke, it was to find Acheron still passed out.
Von told me that he could go days, sometimes weeks, without sleep, and over the past couple of unsettled weeks, Acheron barely slept for fear of losing me.
Now that he was assured of my safety, he felt free to rest and soon entered a very deep sleep with his body working overtime to restore itself.
I decided to let him sleep in peace alone while I explored the places I knew I was allowed to wander.
In the end, I followed my usual habit of picking up a book from the library and hiding out on my rock at the edge of the forest.
Things with Acheron were wonderful. Amazing, even.
My last ties to the human world had been severed when I abruptly sold off my company.
I used the excuse that I was unwell and unable to continue working, so my second-in-command took over.
I didn't have any close friends who would miss me, and my marriage to David was legally over.
I still felt a profound sadness at losing David. Not as a husband, but as a friend. I knew if he hadn't proclaimed his love for me, we would never have gotten together, and I truly regretted that I'd fallen into a relationship with him instead of telling him the truth.
But I hoped he was happy, wherever he was.
I didn't dare ask Acheron for an update.
He could sense whenever I thought of David and had punched a hole through the wall in jealousy when I innocently wondered if he was okay.
That was our first major argument, but it ended with him taking me roughly on my hands and knees. His bite still lingered on my shoulder.
I tried biting him back, which he thought adorable since my blunt teeth and nails couldn't even scratch him. Sadly, I would never be able to reciprocate since there was no chance of turning me.
As much as I wanted to be like him—could feel it deep in my bones that it was my path—he was also right. It was a huge risk, and he made it clear that the end of me would be the end of him, and I couldn't do that to him.
News of his mating was already starting to trickle out, yet he was still being overly careful in protecting me. Despite Vladimir's demise, he still felt I wasn't safe.
"A royal mated pair is rare, so we have targets on our backs. Only a select few know that you are human, and so our united strength will not be at its peak. But soon everyone will know, especially at your coronation."
Yes, I was going to have a freakin' coronation like the Queen of England. He was keeping mum about the ceremony, but I was sure it had to involve something…supernatural.
So until he felt like all threats against me were gone, I had to have guards with me at all times when he wasn't here. God, I felt like such a failure that I was human.
Another cool breeze swept over me, and I shivered a little in the shade. My brow furrowed as I glanced around me, a sliver of unease sliding down my spine. Speaking of guards…where the hell were they?
They usually maintained a safe distance and didn't dare speak to me, so at times I forgot they were even there. But even so, I could usually spot at least one lurking around by now.
"Good evening."
I jerked and yelped in fright, my startled gaze meeting the eyes of my intruder. Where the hell had he come from? There was no one here a second ago.
I had to admit that he was very handsome—although pretty much everyone I'd met so far was. He had dirty-blond hair and was tall and muscular. But it was his eyes that caught me. They were intensely dark with a hint of danger lurking at the edges.. I shivered and slowly closed my book.
"Um…hello. I don't think we've met."
He smiled widely as he shuffled closer. My eyes still darted around for my guards.
"No. No, we haven't. But I've heard a lot about you, Alice—despite Acheron keeping you close to his chest."
I shifted uncomfortably at his chilling grin. The way he said my name, it almost felt like he was mocking me. "Oh? I'm sorry, I'm at a disadvantage. Who are you?"
He shook his head ruefully. "Oh, how rude of me. I'm Damon. King Damon, to be exact."
My shoulders deflated, and my breath left me in a relieved exhale. "Oh! I've heard about you. Acheron’s mentioned you before. You're the King of Ameros Territory, right?"
His lip curled, and despite knowing he was a friend of Acheron's, there was something about him that felt off.
"I see he's been keeping his little human informed."
I ignored that jibe, smiling past the awkward pit of nerves that was deepening in my stomach.
"Yes. But I also did a deep dive into your history from his library.
Well, shallow dive is more like it. There's a lot to learn, and the history is so vast and goes back thousands of years.
" I was rambling like a nervous idiot, while also keeping an eye out for my guards. Where were they?
"Hmm, indeed it does." He moved closer, and I felt vulnerable out here in the open. "And what did you discover about Ameros? Anything interesting?"
I licked my dry lips, my heart beating fast. "Well, I know that the first royal bond-mate pairing came from Ameros. Phew! Say that fast three times," I joked, trying to lighten the mood because the way King Damon's stare was fixed on me was very unnerving.
"Hmm, yes." His lips pulled back into what I could only describe as a sneer. "How fortuitous. And to think, they happened to meet by coincidence."
"Oh?" That piqued my interest somewhat. There wasn't any information about how the two of them met. "How did they meet?"
"Ah." He shook his cuff out, straightening his shirt.
"Now that is a story for the ages. It was told to me many times as a rousing bedtime story by my mother.
" He flicked his hand at the book on my lap.
"You won't find it in your books that you've taken to devouring. It was efficiently scrubbed by King Artemis’s Elders," he bitterly finished.
My fingers tightened on my book, and I slid off the rock, brushing off the dirt on my shorts. "Um…you know what?” I shakily replied. "It's getting a little late, and Acheron—"
"Is resting." His knowing gaze scoured my features, and a hint of sinister amusement lightened his dark eyes.
"I'm sure he's burning both candles; keeping his little human safe, guarding his little secret mate, and keeping her…
satisfied." A little scoff of laughter escaped him.
"Although I doubt a little human could satisfy a Vampire King. "
"Excuse me?" For a second, I forgot that I was standing in front of a powerful King.
A powerful Vampire King. I was outraged that this stranger dared to approach me, just to insult me.
Acheron had told me multiple times that I didn't need to fear being discriminated against by his kind; that the majority of vamps were open-minded but might need a little time getting used to a human Queen.
But the fact that someone he called a friend—a fellow King—was looking at me like I was less than… well, it didn't bode well for me.
"Acheron told me that you were a nice guy. I guess he was wrong." I lifted my chin, attempting to summon all the bravado I could, even though my body shook in fear. "If you'll excuse me, I need to find him."
He quickly shifted, blocking my path. I could no longer hide my fear; it was surely written all over my face. "Oh? But I haven't told you the story yet."
I held the book like a shield against my chest. "I'm not interested."
His face darkened. "That's too bad. Because you're going to hear it anyway."
I shrank back a step, tripping slightly over a buried rock. My heart was racing as I subtly searched for an exit.
King Damon tapped his chin. "Now where was I?" His fingers snapped. "Oh, yes…how King Artemis met Sarai. His fated mate," he spat the last line out.
"Did you know that out of all the Kings, King Artemis was the most bloodthirsty?
He hunted humans for sport, and he had a habit of picking beautiful human women, knowing they were unable to turn him down.
" His mouth slid into a smirk. "King Artemis was quite the dish back then, you see.
After he seduced them back to his lair, he sucked them dry. And not the pleasurable way."
I swallowed hard, my feet inching away from him. "That’s-that’s vile."
"Hmm…yes, it is. But it was a different time. Now, we only use humans if we're truly desperate." His gaze raked me up and down. "No offense."
"None taken. Listen, I really have to—"
"Did you know that King Artemis already had a mate?
" He shook his head. "No, of course you didn't. She wasn't his bond-mate, of course.
He gave up on that. When his heart started beating, he tried to find her within the Territories but was unable to locate her.
This led him to believe that she was an Other Being.
We didn't have quite the alliances that we do now, and back then, everyone was a purist…
they did not want a mixed mating—apart from the occasional fuck. "
As fascinating as his tale was, I was only half listening. I knew I was in danger, and my feet kept inching away, still searching the area for guards whom I suspected he had already disposed of.
"Anyway, as a gift to Artemis, his mate kidnapped a human woman. Plucked her right off the street as she was making her way home from the markets. She was beautiful, apparently. Black hair, bright-green eyes." His gaze slid over my dark locks, lingering on my features.
"When Dietra threw her at his feet, Artemis immediately hit the roof. Yes, spoiler alert—isn’t that what you humans say?
She was his bond-mate. He almost killed Dietra when he saw the extent of this poor human's injuries, despite the fact that he would not have bloody met her if it hadn't been for Dietra. "
"That-that’s terrible. Sounds like a rough time for Dietra."
"Yes, it was more than a rough time," he sardonically mimicked. “Dietra was banished to the outskirts of the Kingdom…she and her unborn child."
My eyes widened at that tidbit.
"She had the baby alone. King Artemis never claimed him, never even visited them.
He even paid off his brother to take ownership of her and her son.
Oh, we lived in the lap of luxury, but everyone knew we were outcasts.
The precious King's rejected mate and her bastard child.
" He was fully ranting now, pacing back and forth in front of me.
His fists curled up and out as he relayed the story.
Even though I feared for my life, any benevolent feelings I had for King Artemis completely vanished. He didn't sound so nice after all.
"I grew up hearing all about the King and his chosen children with his precious bond-mate. I was told all about how cruel he was and how I was owed the Crown. His rightful heir." He stopped pacing and glanced at me, his face transforming into a scornful grin.
"Yes, in case you haven't figured it out yet, it's me…
I'm the bastard child. And to make matters worse, he decided to petition for human killings to be outlawed.
" His sardonic laugh was harsh and loud.
"As if he hadn't done the majority of the killings himself, the bloody hypocrite.
But no, he rebranded himself as the savior of humans. "
His brow lifted, and he leaned closer conspiratorially. "But he was too cocky. There were only a select few who knew she was human and hadn't been turned—my mother and uncle were among them. So when Vladimir crawled out of his cave, my mother did what she had to do."
The blood drained from my face, and my body shrank back in helpless terror. "You're working for the BloodKin," I whispered.
He snorted, rearing back in offense. "I don't work for that clan of idiots.
Bloody ancients stuck in the past. But they served their purpose.
Vladimir was under the impression that he would be reinstated into power.
He fell right into my trap. It was a pity about his head being ripped off, but he knew the risk.
There's no anger like a pissed-off mate. "
I was sick of talking in riddles. He clearly had a reason for cornering me—and I doubt it had anything to do with wanting me to pass on the message to my mate.
"What does this all have to do with Acheron?
I'm very sorry about your mother." I wasn't, since she sounded just as cruel as King Artemis had been. "But I don't understand your end game."
He shook his head, looking disappointed.
"It's got nothing to do with Acheron and everything to do with you!
I wasn't exactly jumping with joy that Acheron had found his bonded mate.
A King should have equal power across all Territories, so to have a bond-mate would triple his power.
" He slashed his hand in the air. "And yes, there was some jealousy involved," he admitted.
"All the Kings wanted it to be them. But at the end of the day, Acheron is my friend and an honest and trustworthy King—of course I was happy for him. "
He stopped his pacing again and turned to face me, his features reddening in renewed fury.
"But then I found out about you. Since he so desperately needed my permission to enter my Territory, I allowed it under strict instructions to my Elders that information be shared with me—all normal, standard stuff.
So to find out that one of his precious children escaped that day?
And on top of that, I find out that you are a descendant of King Artemis? "
He moved closer to me, and this time, I didn't bother to hide my movements. My steps quickly paced backward until my back pressed against a tree. My chest heaved in rapid bursts, my mouth quivering.
His handsome face distorted into pure hatred. "As much as I despised my mother, I know that her cruelty was a product of my bastard father. I promised Dietra that I would avenge her, and unlike King Artemis, when he promised her that he'd be mated to her forever…I intend to keep my promise."
He lunged forward, and a scream died in my throat.