CHAPTER TWENTY
My body quite literally hurled across worlds and crashed to the ground.
My knees dug into the rough surface. I winced as something definitely embedded itself within my skin.
I remained on my hands and knees panting, trying to grab hold of my body once more.
Whatever I was prepared for, it certainly was not that.
As soon as I stepped through the portal, it felt as if every part of me dissolved into a fine mist, like I was nothing but floating particles.
And it was cold. A frigid cold not of any winter I had ever experienced.
A different kind of cold. One I dread to ever feel again.
As soon as I caught my breath, I rolled over to my back and looked up to find five faces staring down at me.
One of them was Sebastian. The other four were his guards.
They wore impressive armor. Its design paid close attention to detail, like a gothic cathedral.
It was made of shining gunmetal, with black leather accents.
Intimidating black capes were secured to their shoulders. But their faces.
Their eyes seemed wide yet narrowed at the same time, if that were even possible. They had similar blank expressions as Sebastian, but there was a tightness to their features, as if they were restraining themselves.
“Not even a minute in vampire lands and you’ve already managed to bleed,” Sebastian said flatly.
I glanced down to the rock that did in fact imbed itself within my knee. I flicked it away to reveal a small pool of blood. I looked back to his guards warily.
“Don’t worry, they will control themselves.” It came out like a warning. “Let’s just get you to our room so we can stop the bleeding.”
He took my arm and led me through the trees.
It was similar to the Lost Woods, yet everything here seemed so much more vibrant.
A dreamy veil draped over the land to create a softness.
A brightness. A liveliness. Like magic itself coursed through the air.
And it was warm. I wondered if it was summer here, or maybe this was how the climate always was.
“Wait.” I stopped abruptly. “Our room?”
He let out a long sigh. “I neglected to mention our betrothal extends to my world too, and we will have to create a convincing performance.”
“What?” I shook my head. Why would he, a vampire prince, want to pretend to be engaged to a human in his own world? “And what do you mean convincing performance?” My eyes narrowed.
“My sister is Queen of Svealin. My father passed long ago, and I was next in line for the throne, but my sister was far better suited than me. So, I offered it to her. She wants me to marry the daughter of an allied family.” A pang shot through me, the origins of which teetered on the edge of jealousy.
I couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge or accept the reaction.
“I’m not interested, and I don’t need to take her hand, but my sister is very determined. Our betrothal will keep the peace.”
“You’re just going to show up suddenly engaged with me, a human, wrapped around your arm? In what world would that keep the peace?”
“In some ways it may be better this way. If I rejected her, they could keep pressing. But if I’m already engaged, they will have to honor the bond.”
“What do you mean?”
“During an engagement or the wedding itself, vampires create a bond. It’s similar to the idea of soulmates because it creates a deeper love by allowing you to see the hidden parts of your partner, the raw emotions you’d never be able to see unless you were in their head.
The connection between partners strengthens because it brings them closer in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without that window into their soul, so to speak.
The sacrifice for such a connection is that it is unbreakable, until death. ”
“And everyone will think we have bonded, which means we have to act like soulmates? How could we even fake that sort of connection?”
“I told you it would have to be a convincing performance.” He smirked, and my mouth fell open slightly. This was no smirking matter.
“Wait, this is the bond you mentioned before, the one that strengthens your abilities? How exactly does it do that?”
“We’re not quite sure. Back when vampires discovered strength in numbers along with everyone else, drinking from one another when other sources were scarce was not only nourishing, but it bonded us as well.
It strengthened our relationships, which just so happened to strengthen us in every other way too.
As we have evolved and can be more self-sufficient, bonding in that way has become something only lovers do now. ”
“And that’s how it’s done, by drinking each other’s blood?”
“Yes.”
“There’s nothing else, that’s it?”
“Yes, it’s quite a simple ritual. Though as you can imagine, not everyone wants to be bonded. We have to be quite careful who we drink from.”
“But that would mean ... I already have Alaric’s blood in my system. Does that mean if he drinks from me we would be bonded as soulmates?”
“It could be possible. But it usually takes far more blood than what he gave—forced—on you.” Anger flickered through his eyes.
I was still far from comforted. There was still a possibility, and it would not take much for him to overpower me to drink my blood and complete the bond.
“Complete the bond ... is that what Alaric had threatened? He wants to bond us in that way?”
Sebastian stiffened, his jaw clenching. “What exactly did Alaric threaten?” His tone turned cold.
“He said I wouldn’t be able to contain my desire for him.”
My eyes widened at Sebastian. Did he just growl?
“He asked if I knew about the bond, and I thought he meant the tracking spell, but he meant this all along. He wants ...”
“Not going to happen,” he bit out.
Reality sank in slowly as I took in the very real possibility that at any moment Alaric could bind me in that way. Bind me to him. Forever. I shuddered at the loss, the helplessness that enveloped me.
Sebastian’s firm hands suddenly cupped the sides of my face. “That is not going to happen,” he repeated, much more forcefully.
I nodded weakly.
A short while later we came through the trees to a vast, open expanse.
I gasped at the sight. A sparkling river cut through the ground before us.
The sun caught the ripples like winking stars.
A bridge with ornate, iron rails stretched over the water leading to a path of white stone.
I trailed my eyes along the stone that reached out to a hilltop of cascading green grass.
Atop the hill was an expansive castle comprised of more white stone and pointed spires all around.
My mouth hung lower at the magnificent backdrop of snow-capped mountains behind it.
“It’s ... I never expected this.”
“What did you expect?” He tilted his head slightly, amusement coloring his eyes.
“Gargoyles, red skies, fences made of bone.” My eyes slid over to him, not wanting to fully take in his smirk.
“Is that how you see us?”
“I suppose it’s how I’ve been taught to see you.” I finally met his eyes. The amusement lingered.
For the first time, he smiled. Not a smug smirk or a wicked grin but a real smile. My knees nearly gave out beneath me at the sight, and his smile only grew, likely due to my uncontrolled gawking. He held out his arm to me, and I wrapped my own around his as we crossed the bridge.
And something shifted as we made it to the other side. I would make it back home, but I’d never be able to make it back to what once was.
* * *
Sebastian had us enter the castle through a side door connecting to a sprawling garden.
The interior was so bright I had to squint my eyes.
The ceilings stretched high above, and light poured in from the skylights.
The white walls donned the most intricate crown moldings I had ever seen and massive oil paintings depicting unknown histories that spanned across centuries.
The white marble floors were polished so thoroughly, the sun reflected down upon it like a gilded sea.
Sebastian clutched my arm a little tighter. “Let’s make it to our room before—fuck,” he muttered at the appearance of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
She was draped in gold. Her skirts flowed from her like a gentle waterfall.
Each cascading curl of dark chocolate-brown hair was perfectly positioned atop her perfect head.
And her skin was kissed with a glowing tan.
I glanced to Sebastian and then to her. They had very similar features.
Except unlike his nearly black eyes, hers were a golden hazel.
She was flanked by four guards, two on either side, all donning the same armor as the guards at the portal, except these ones wore a cape of deep burgundy.
Her arms flew up at the sight of us, bent at the elbow, wrists flopped limply. Her catlike eyes widened, plum mouth parting in shock and then smirking as she eyed Sebastian and me. “Sebby, who do we have here?” she asked in a seraphic singsong voice.
Sebby?
I glanced at him through the corners of my eyes, and he shot me a quick scowl. If I hadn’t known him, I would have run far from that terrifying expression. But I couldn’t stop my smile, which only darkened his eyes.
He clutched my arm tighter bringing me closer to him.
I tried to ignore his warmth and the hard planes of his body.
“This is Charlotte, my betrothed.” He turned to me.
“And this is Queen Sindri, my sister.” His lips pressed into a firm line for a moment.
I could tell he was reluctant to make the introduction.
Sindri gasped and looked between us for a few seconds, her mouth agape. “Well, this has made this evening quite awkward,” she whispered.
“And why is that?” he ground out.
“Odette is visiting,” she delivered the words as if she was handling fragile glass.
“Of course she is,” he said calmly, but everyone leaned away from him slightly. I had no such luxury as he held me tightly at his side.
“She’s grown restless in your absence. She’s always here.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I can’t seem to get rid of her.”
“That is your own doing. You were the one who suggested this ridiculous arrangement.”
She reeled back as if he had slapped her.
“Excuse me for assuming you were intrigued with her. I mean it wasn’t long ago that you were all over .
..” she trailed off as he leveled her with a look that could flatten a tidal wave.
Her eyes slid over to me. “Right.” She smiled widely.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Charlotte—Emily!
” I jumped at her sudden outburst and change of subject.
I glanced to my side, jumping a second time at the stoic woman who appeared out of thin air beside me.
As I realized I was clinging to Sebastian’s arm, I let him go quickly and shoved him away a little too aggressively, but then I remembered we were supposed to be soulmates, so I snatched his arm back and pulled him closer.
He looked down to me with his blank expression, though there was a touch of vexation.
I smiled sweetly, glancing around awkwardly, pretending that didn’t happen.
“Emily, please prepare their room. Sorry it’s such late notice. I didn’t receive any word of their arrival.” She cast a mile-long side eye at Sebastian.
He gave a murderous glare to a gilded vase of luscious, white flowers.
“Well, I’ll leave you two be. You must be exhausted after crossing worlds,” she said as if it were a normal occurrence. “I’ll see you both at dinner.” She grinned, floating away down the hall.