It was a good reminder that, no matter how affable a vampire seems, we are creatures ruled by hunger. Volatile, unnatural, and deadly.
Too often, we even turn on each other.
The ornate iron gate opens ahead, hinges moaning, and the sound pulls me back to the present. As Alexei drives through, sounds from the massive limestone fountain trickle in my ears. Then someone laughs, and I glance to my left, where some of my cousins play a game of croquet on the lawn. They’re followed closely by their Caretakers, and hovering beyond them, I spot several guards. Half of my family is too young to leave the mansion yet—a rule Father put in place to protect us from hunters and haters.
One of them spots me and waves, which prompts the rest of them to do the same. I smile and wave back, though they can’t possibly see me through the tinted glass. As I lower my hand, my phone chimes with a text message, and I glance down at the brightening screen to see it’s from Julia. I met her around the same time I met Cain, and though we have almost nothing in common, we still have fun at the clubs together.
There’s no time to read her text as Alexei slows to a stop before the mansion’s vast front doors. Tucking my phone away, I wait for him to get out, circle the car, and open my door. However much he dotes on me, the old man has never faltered from the strict guidelines expected of royal slaves. Even something as simple as neglecting to open a vampire’s door could lead to his death. Sighing, I step into the open again, my sharp senses picking up the rustling tree leaves hanging from the nearby apple orchard—each one stands for a seed Father planted on the day of our births.
With nine immortal wives, there are many trees in that orchard now.
“Thank you for finding me,” I say to Alexei sincerely, shifting from foot to foot. These heels have been hurting all night, and I can’t wait to get out of them. “You didn’t have to worry, though. Our curfews are a little relaxed during the week of Awakening.”
It also helps that I’m the king’s favorite—he’s never been able to punish me to the same degree he does my siblings.
Alexei bows, a formal gesture, but his lavender eyes are warm. “You’re welcome, Princess Charlotte.”
Something about his expression makes me wonder if he came early on purpose, hoping to cut my time with Cain short. “Good night, you meddling old man,” I say with exasperation, beginning to turn away.
“Dócha, wait.” When I face him again, Alexei is fiddling with something in his hands. Upon closer inspection, he reveals a wooden box. The top is carved with roses, vines, and birds. Noticing my interest, Alexei holds the gift out to me, exposing the tattoo around his wrist to the dim light. Just like every other one I’ve seen, it’s a simple, black band. The marks seem cruel to me, but they’re part of Father’s vision for our utopia.
I pretend not to notice it as I take the box, wary of splintering the wood with my strength. It’s heavier than I expected it to be, though.
“How beautiful,” I murmur, running my fingers over the small petals.
The human gives me the faintest of smiles. “I carved it myself. It was a skill I once hoped to pass along to my children. Alas, it was not meant to be.”
The hinges are gold. They don’t make a sound as I lift the lid. Inside, I find a small collection of tools. I raise a brow at Alexei. “What are these?”
“It’s a chisel set.” He hesitates. “Perhaps it would be a good way to pass the time.”
Apparently, word has spread about my restless days.
For the past week, my stomach has been a knot of both dread and anticipation. While everyone else sleeps, I pace the floor of my suite, only capable of thinking one thought, over and over again—soon, I will be leaving the mansion.
It’s strange to imagine, no longer being surrounded by my family. By my home. By the humans I’ve grown up loving. For the past two decades, we have all lived within these decadent walls. It has not always been peaceful, of course—vampires are endlessly seeking new ways to distract ourselves from the boredom of immortality. Oftentimes, it leads to violence and death.
But even that hasn’t made me stop loving them.
“Thank you. Really. I love it,” I say to Alexei, blinking rapidly. After the Awakening, the only occasions I will see this dear human are when I return to the mansion for royal events and holidays. Thinking this, I resist the urge to embrace him—someone is always watching, even if there seems to be no one in sight. Security cameras. Spies. Paparazzi.
The human bows again. As he straightens, I want to tell him that he’s been more of a father to me than my own. I want to tell him that I look forward to seeing him every day. I want to tell him what a difference he’s made in my life. When I look at my siblings and cousins, so many of them have an emptiness in their eyes—they look at humans and see livestock.
Humans like Alexei taught me otherwise.
But I can’t tell him any of that, or properly thank him for such a thoughtful gift. That’s not the world we live in.
Sending him one more grateful smile, I turn away and head for the giant door looming over us. The wood is a foot thick, dark as the rich soil its tree grew from. As I pull it open, noise overwhelms me in an instant. My enormous family, filling every room and hallway of this place. After spending hours at Crimson, I’m not in the mood to answer their questions. Are you excited for the Awakening? What color do you think your eyes will be? Do you hope you’ll end up in Cain’s district?
I use my vampiric speed to ascend the wide, marble staircase. In doing so, I pass the French doors leading into the garden. Father’s two Bengal tigers, their fur even more white and unearthly in the moonlight, follow my movements with their bright eyes. Most of the time they sit like statues, blending in with the ferns. I’ve always found them unnerving, though—I avoid their gazes and hurry on.
At the second landing, I almost stumble over a dead human.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, so sorry, Your Majesty,” a girl whispers from behind, rushing past to grab hold of the body. She keeps her eyes downcast as she starts to drag it away. “I was just searching for some fresh rags. I should’ve—”
“What is your name?” I ask gently, stepping over a pool of blood.
She still doesn’t lift her head. “Anna, Your Majesty.”
“Do you know who did this, Anna?”
The question makes her go still—doubtless her survival instincts are taking control. Anna finally glances upward, probably wondering which royal vampire will be the cause of her downfall.
When she sees who she’s speaking to, though, I can almost smell the relief rushing through her veins. “It w-was Henry, Princess Charlotte,” she says, her voice wavering again, not from fear of me… but terror of him.
“Thank you.” I smile at her, careful not to show my fangs. The poor girl is one fright away from collapsing. “Please find someone to help you clean this up. You’re much too small to do it alone.”
She bows repeatedly, stammering out a response, but I’m already turning away, unable to stomach the sight another second. If I were to help her, or reveal any hint of caring, someone could see. Word could spread to Father, who’d worry that our slaves are overstepping their bounds. More death. More bodies.
Feeling ill, I hurry up the rest of the stairs. It occurs to me that maybe, on the verge of my Awakening, I can finally muster the courage to talk to Father about his beloved heir. Henry exercises none of the control that seems necessary for a leader. Should he actually ascend to the throne, I worry about the fates of everyone in this city, both vampire and human alike.