VANE
The cursed princess is something to behold.
Under the light of the full moon, she looks as forbidden as she is cursed, with those plump full lips and high cheekbones that glint red when marked with the garden's amber light.
Did Grace make her up?
A smile touches my lips, and when I realize this, I'm inclined to get rid of it. There's nothing to smile about regarding the princess; she is here for just one job, no matter what Lakh, my wolf, thinks.
'She is MINE, no matter what you think,'
The declaration has been resounding in my head since the night at the club. Since my eyes first touched the princess, who even barefooted, with eyes lidded with black, had caught the interest of my wolf.
The princess might never know it, but it had taken all the sheer control I grew in the palace, and on the fields, to stop Lakh from tearing her skimpy gown apart that night, from taking what she had graciously offered.
'You should have taken her! She is our mate!'
Mate? That was a term reserved for fools, or for subordinates, not for the royals. Not for one like me, who has a mission to focus on, a kingdom to take back—never mind that the current ruler is my father.
I can't afford to be distracted by a flimsy mate indeed, especially when one who is damn cursed. That's one joke of the Goddess I have no plan to partake in.
'MINE is not cursed…'
Probably, if I should consider what had happened earlier today, with the Goddess choosing her blood as a healing thing for the pack. However, what did that mean?
I've asked the priest to check on the matter. But honestly, I don't care for the pack.
I haven't even mentioned what had happened to my father; as a matter of fact, he isn't aware that I went to the Blood-Claw pack at all. And really, I hope the disease remains in the pack and perishes with all of them.
But if it starts to spread, then I might have to use the princess for my gains again.
I squash the feeling of guilt that rises within my chest.
What? Haven't I fulfilled my promise?
She is in my private residence, not in some damp attic. And right now, she is in my garden—something like a retreat center where I stay to think and plan the stages of the mission.
So, freedom? She has it. And I believe that's enough. With my protection, of course, although I doubt anyone will be stupid enough to cross me on her case.
Well, apart from my father.
My lips tighten further. The ball tomorrow, where the official engagement with the Countess will take place… my lips curve then as I imagine my father's possible reaction to me coming to the ball with the princess who he deemed dead already. It's going to be something to behold.
I'm not sure what alerts her to my presence, but she stops moving the swaying bench and opens her eyes. She turns her head sideways to me, and I'm again stunned by the black quality of her pupils, piercing even from such a distance. They are like twin voids, dark and bottomless.
'GO TO HER!!'
I wince at the pounding that ensues but dies just as fast as Lakh shouted in my head.
'Do that again, and you won't see her ever again…'
'You won't dare… buttcheek.'
I shake my head wearily. My second-in-command is a bad influence on my wolf.
"Not feeling sleepy… princess?" I say to dispel the feeling, the strand of nerve that wants to make me jelly around the princess who my wolf claims is my mate.
'She is our mate. It's not a claim, but truth.'
I don't bother with a response.
"Not yet. It seems everyone retires early here…"
I nod, taking in her dress, which shows her beautiful skin—the curve of her neck and the slender length of her hands, which rest on her thighs.
Her scent of dark crushed pomegranate drifts into my nose, a fragrance that was less like fruit and more like a nectar made of secrets. It was tart enough to bite, yet backed by a fermented, wine-dark sweetness that suggested she was exactly the kind of trouble a wise man would run from, and a fool would die for.
I inhale the intoxicating mix greedily once, then shut it down. The senses. The feelings. Everything.
"Aren't you cold?"
She shakes her head, then shifts on the bench, patting it. "Want to sit?"
I pride myself as a man of control, but even I know my limits. With her neck all out, revealing even the spot I had sucked on last night... I just can't.
"No. Go to bed."
I turn, my steps measured as I start out of the garden with a beating heart. But she calls me back.
"Wait! Did you tell your father about me?"
"Yes." I lie, tucking my hands into my front pockets. She didn't need to know I had spent my time with a few of my scouts and spies who watched along the road the vampires will take to the ball tomorrow night; getting and arranging reports and plans with my inner circle.
"And what did he say?"
I hear the fear in her voice, and I'm sure she is wondering why my father isn't even here if he knew what was going on. Because surely he would have been here, making sure she actually dies…
"You will hear for yourself at the ball tomorrow night."
I hear her scoff, and a traitorous smile grazes my lips again.
'Admit she intrigues you.'
Oh, shut up, Lakh, I muse, continuing my movement. But at the edge of the garden, I turn.
"Aren't you coming?"
She shakes her head. "Not yet. You can get on…"
"It's not a request."
Her nose tweaks as she stares—no, glares—at me.
Cute thing, I conclude, watching her rise from the bench. I wait until she reaches my side before I continue walking. We walk in a silence that feels heavy with things unsaid, the air between us thick with a tension I refuse to name.
At her doorpost, she mutters a soft goodnight before opening her door.
Lakh begs me to stay, to go in, to say something—anything—back. Ignoring his request, I only turn and walk away without dignifying her goodwill with a response.
'You dumbwit! Will it kill you to say goodnight back?'
No, it won't. But I won't give her, or my wolf, any more ideas.