Vampire Girl (16 page)

His hand, so cold and still, does not move in mine, and I fear we've already lost him.

Kayla curses under breath, as if arguing with herself about something. She seems to come to some kind of decision and bends down next to Daison, pulling out a pendant I've never seen before, tucked under her tunic. She holds the stone in her hand and mumbles words in a language I've never heard, but somehow feels familiar, like something from a dream I once had.

As she speaks, the wagon begins to lift off Daison, who is so still in my arms. I pull him out before the wagon falls, then watch in amazement as Kayla leans over him and rests her stone on his chest as she continues to chant.

A thick piece of wood sticks out of his abdomen. She pulls it out and straightens his twisted leg. He screams so loud I have to resist covering my ears.

But as Kayla continues to chant, his body begins to mend, and his breathing levels out. Color returns to his face.

"We must get him back to my house," she says, lifting the boy's body easily in her arms. I follow them as she moves quickly through the streets and into a cottage near a waterfall surrounded by trees and the mountains. It's more remote than the other houses. I follow them in, and she guides me to a small bedroom to the right where Daison usually sleeps. I turn down his bed and she lays him in it, then covers him up and says one more chant before ushering me out of the room.

Her cottage is small. She sleeps upstairs in a small room. Daison sleeps down here. There's a hearth with a fireplace and a pot hanging over it, a small kitchen packed with herbs and fresh food, and a living room with a few comfortable chairs and cushions on the floor. Kayla makes us both some tea and sits down in the chair next to me as we both stare at the fire.

"That was magic," I say.

She nods, sipping her tea. "And if you tell anyone what you saw, Daison and I will be executed."

"Fen would never do that!" I say, hoping I'm right.

"He would have no choice. And it doesn't matter. If he didn't someone else would. It is the way things are. My life, Arianna, is now in your hands." She looks over to Daison's bedroom door. "His life is now in your hands."

––––––––

"I am the Prince of War. I do not 'lighten up'."

—Fenris Vane

D
aison makes a
remarkable recovery, and though it takes a few days, Kayla stops eyeing me with a worried frown, as if I might shout her secret from the rooftops at any moment.

I'm not telling anyone.

Not even Fen.

When he asks about our dress shopping that night, I admit we didn't get around to it.

"She got busy at the forge," I say. "All those swords you need. For that war you won't tell me about."

He huffs at that. "We just need to be prepared for all eventualities."

The distance between us is growing, and I'm not sure what to do about it. We have breakfast and dinner together every day. We train every morning. But there's a wall between us, one he keeps adding to each time he turns away from my gaze, or pulls away from my touch.

"I will call Asher. He can help you with your gown. That man spends far too much time watching fashion reality television when we are in your world. It's not natural."

I nearly choke on the apple I'm eating. "I'm just trying to picture him glued to your big screen screaming at the television when the wrong person wins," I say, smiling.

"That's about the whole of it," Fen says seriously.

"And to think, he acted like he'd never heard of reality television when we first met," I say, thinking back to the day I found out about all of this.

Fen smirks. "He is quite attached. It is his secret shame, I think. If he were not a prince of hell and vampire condemned to the darkness of your world, I do believe he would make a career of it."

"He does have good taste," I say. "If you like that kind of thing," I add, when Fen raises an eyebrow at me. "Your leather and cotton look has its own kind of charm. More Viking than GQ, but there's a market for that," I assure him.

I almost see a flicker of a smile on his lips before we are interrupted by a soldier who requires Fen's attention on the training field.

Fen excuses himself and Baron stays with me as I finish my dinner in silence.

The next day, Asher shows up with an entourage carrying silks and satins in all shades. "Darling, I have been informed you are in crisis mode and are in need of a dress. I am here to save you."

I smile at the absurdity of him, but I let him direct the circus of people he's brought. Under his direction, red and white material is chosen, and Asher instructs his servants on how to design the gown in such a way as to flaunt my best features. They take measurements of every inch of my body, then rush out with orders to make haste sewing.

When I ask Asher about this presenting I'll be attending, he shrugs. "I, unfortunately, was called away on business when the Council met about this. We will both be surprised, I assure you. I'm guessing formal cocktail hour at High Castle, with you as the guest of honor. You'll be dashing, I assure you."

I'm still nervous about the whole ordeal, but how bad could it be? I've found my footing here, and I do want to meet the rest of the princes. I walk Asher out of the castle and through Stonehill, enjoying a few minutes without work.

"You look well," he acknowledges as we approach the gate. "This life is agreeing with you."

"Thank you," I say. "I'm finding ways of staying busy."

He smiles, and his attractiveness is not lost on me, but neither does it make my knees shake. I know who I have to blame for that, thank you very much.

"I've heard the people speaking of you in hushed admiration," he says. "They like you. A lot. The vampires, the Shade, even the slaves. I don't think any of us were expecting that."

I cock my head. "Did you expect I would be horrible and hated?"

He grins. "Not exactly. We just didn't realize you would have everyone falling in love with you so quickly."

"Surely not everyone," I say, thinking of Fen and the way he pulls his hands away from me when he finds them lingering too long during our training.

Asher winks at me before walking away. "You might be surprised, Princess."

***

T
hat day Kayla steals me away from the forge and we travel through Stonehill on a quest. Well, at least I call it a quest. Kayla rolls her eyes. "You'll need proper jewelry for this little party the princes are planning. Daison is manning my booth at the moment. We'll find you something perfect to match your gown."

Stonehill is deceptively large. At first glance, because of the mountains surrounding it, perhaps, it seems quaint. Charming. And it is, but it's more expansive than I realized. The very wealthy and well-connected vampire lords live in large manors built into the mountains, their roofs often displaying elaborate gardens and sculptures. Most of the Shade live in small clusters of modest thatch housing spotted with flower beds and potted plants. Each district has its own name and personality, though I am still trying to remember them all. There is Centerhill, the commerce district, full of shops and street-side booths. So far, it's the most flavorful and exciting. It's where Kayla leads me now.

Her booth is well-positioned near the city center. Trees sway in the wind and the land smells sweet from an overnight rainfall that left everything with a watery sheen under the struggling sun. We walk to Kayla's booth and Daison smiles at us, his cheeks turning red. I do hope one day he will feel more comfortable with me.

"Daison, bring out my best jewelry. Particularly the rubies. We need something special for Ari."

Daison nods and pulls out a small box tied in soft suede. Kayla opens it and exposes white, yellow and rose gold necklaces with different precious stones designed into them. I try on a ruby and diamond necklace that would work well with the fabric and style of dress Asher chose for me. "What do you think—"

"Slave sale! Slave sale!" Two Shade children run past yelling.

Kayla frowns, and we both turn to the city center. It's surrounded by trees with a platform in the middle for public presentations and performances and benches for sitting. Already a large crowd has gathered, and on the stage stand five Fae shackled to each other. They are all women who look young and scared. Except for the middle girl. She doesn't look mad, she looks pissed and ready to spit in the face of anyone who comes close. She's got bruises and scratch marks all over her pale body. My guess is she's already put up a fight at least once.

A tall man dressed in fine red fabrics and meticulously styled stands on the stage. He is a vampire and commanding in his presence. There are guards everywhere, but I don't recognize any of them from Fen's people. They don't wear Fen's colors either.

"Who are the guards?" I ask.

"They belong to a wealthy family in the Time Pool district."

The man begins to speak, and the crowd quiets to listen. "My brother, Lord Tylin, recently died in our constant war against the rebels of the Outlands, the Fae anomalies who would try to claim our world. He leaves behind these five slaves, captured as spoils of war."

Kayla shakes her head. "His brother didn't die in war. He died in a bar fight against a Shade. That Shade was hanged quietly and without a trial even though Tylin initiated the fight. This whole thing is a farce."

"Can't Fen do something?" I ask.

"Fen is a good man, but he is myopic in his focus. He has no idea what's going on in his realm. His sole focus is war."

The bidding begins, and many wealthy looking men and women raise the bid. There is one man, a vampire in the back with white hair and cold eyes, who keeps upping the bid. He makes my skin crawl, though he hasn't noticed me. I have no idea what my plan is, or why I do what I do, but I step forward and offer the highest bid I can think of for the girls.

Kayla stares at me, shocked. Everyone in the crowd looks at me. I want to retreat and hide, but I've made my stance and I can't back down now. "I wish to buy all five girls," I declare to everyone.

The soldiers prowling the crowds walk over to me, menacingly. Kayla pulls her sword out and holds it at her side. I wish I had a sword, but I console myself with the dagger I have at my hip.

Baron bares his teeth at the guards and Kayla pushes herself close to one of them, raising her blade. "Do you dare threaten your future Queen?"

The man at the podium whistles, and they all stand down.

"Why is everyone acting so strange?" I whisper to Kayla.

"Because that man with the white hair is a prince of hell, and you just challenged him," she says quietly. "Likely he had a deal already made with Tylin's brother to buy the slaves at a discount in exchange for a favor."

I look at the man again, and this time he does notice me. His face is hard, and I get the impression he would attack me on the spot if not for everyone around us.

"Which prince is he?"

"Levi, Prince of Envy," she says. "Be careful of him."

Levi outbids me, and I counter. I've been studying Fen's financials and his realm's affairs for a few weeks now, and I feel like I have a good handle on what he can afford. We've got this. I hope.

Levi finally stops bidding, and I am declared the new owner of the girls. I command my own guards, Marco and Roco, to escort the girls back to the castle safely, and to arrange for Kara and Julian to care for them. Marco argues with me, but I insist I'll be fine without him, and Kayla promises she and Baron will keep me safe, so he finally, reluctantly agrees.

The crowd disperses and I take a deep breath, adrenaline still pulsing through me. "Does that happen often?"

"When there are new prisoners of war taken, which happens fairly often, or when someone of nobility dies, which happens much less often," she says. "Vampires aren't easy to kill, but it is possible. Fae aren't too easy to kill either, for that matter."

"And Shade?" I ask.

"In some ways, we're the hardest to kill of all." She winks at me and I smile, but it fades quickly when I think about what we just witnessed.

"How can you stand it, seeing your own people auctioned off like cattle?" I don't mean for my question to sound judgmental, but she snaps back anyway.

"They aren't my people. The Fae hate Shades. They would kill all vampires, half my blood family, if they could. My mother was Fae, yes. She spent her days washing floors on her knees and her nights with men she despised. She never fought for herself. For her family. She was weak. I can't be weak. I don't fit into either world, but at least here, with Fen, I am accepted and given a place of respect. That wouldn't be true in the Outlands, or anywhere else. So I take what I can, and I do my best to live my life with some manner of peace."

I don't know what to say, so I say nothing. Instead, I lay my hand on hers and squeeze. It's a silent show of support. A way to say that even though I am confused and conflicted about the rules of this world, I still care about her and accept her as she is. It's the best I can do, but it seems to be enough.

We return to the booth, and I select a ruby necklace lined with silver and diamonds. Then we head back to the forge, and as the day progresses, I notice a subtle shift in my relationship with Kayla. I'm no longer assigned to sweeping floors and putting away tools. It's as if I've somehow proven myself to her.

She finally begins to teach me the craft of blacksmithing. "You'll start with your first sword," she says. "I'll help you make it, from beginning to end. It's the only way to learn."

And so we start with iron, and turn it into steel. And the process begins. A true alchemy. Like the iron, I am becoming something new. Something I don't quite understand.

I have felt it for a few weeks now, but haven't had the words to articulate it. There's something in me pushing to be free. A raw power, trapped by training, by my world, by my past. But I am growing. I am shaping my body and mind just as surely as I'm shaping my sword from steel. Soon, I will become something new.