Dinner With a Vampire (The Dark Heroine #1)(59)
Author: Abigail Gibbs

‘Yes,’ he replied simply. I turned my open mouth to him, tearing my gaze away from the speed dial, the needle fast approaching one hundred.

‘You are so done in. There was a speed camera there,’ I said as we passed a bright flash of luminous yellow – the dreaded speed cameras. ‘Say goodbye to three points on your license.’

I thought I saw him roll his eyes. ‘Will you relax, Girly, I am in perfect control. I have been driving since cars were invented. Besides, we have protected plates. So I’ll just keep those three points.’

‘What?’

‘Don’t you know anything? I can drive as fast as I like because the licence plate doesn’t actually exist, so if the police catch it, their database will just tell them to f**k off. Little favour you get when you’re royalty,’ he smirked.

I shook my head slightly, looking out the window. ‘Well, I’m sorry, we can’t all be kaspary,’ I said, settling back into my seat with folded arms.

‘Pardon?’ he snorted, half-laughing, half-grunting.

‘I make up words. Don’t you?’

He glanced at me sideways, taking his eyes off the road for a second to actually throw me a worried half-smile. ‘And what does this particular word mean?’

‘Kaspary: a level of awesomeness so high it kicks everyone’s arse leaving them breathless and bewildered.’

He chuckled, a low pitched hum coming from deep within his chest. ‘I leave you breathless and bewildered do I, Girly?’

‘Don’t flatter yourself.’

He hummed in disbelief, turning his full attention back to the road. I flicked my eyes towards him, trying to gage his reaction. He was smiling, but my stomach dropped as I saw the smile fall away from his face, meaning that the Kaspar that made me laugh, that teased me, that humoured my antics – and the Kaspar who had saved my life countless times and the Kaspar, who, occasionally, seemed to have a spark of caring in him – was fast disappearing.

I shook my head, ridding my head of the thought as a familiar frown encased his stunning features, unsure why a second bubble that had been swelling a few seconds before had popped even more painfully than the one before.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Kaspar

You told her too much, Kaspar, Fabian cautioned in my head, clearly displeased.

You sound like my father, I retorted.

More you tell her, more you hurt her. And I am pretty sure neither of us want that.

I don’t know what I want, Fabian. But she asked a question, and I gave her the answer. It’s not as though I told her about the Sage, is it? I just said Athenea.

Fabian sighed. Just don’t hurt her. She’s fragile. And I don’t just mean physically.

Anger flared in my veins. You think I don’t know that? You think I would hurt her?

Through our connection, I could feel him considering what to say next. When he did speak, it was with sorrow. There was a time when I wouldn’t even have considered it, but these past couple of years, I can’t be so sure.

Grief immediately washed through me. Thoughts of my mother came to light and her joyous laughter echoed in my head.

Don’t bring my mother’s death into this. And besides, it’s not as though you can talk. You hurt Violet just by going after her!

You say that as though not guilty yourself, he scoffed.

I’m not, I replied, puzzled.

Then perhaps you should examine your own feelings, Fabian spat, abruptly. Don’t go thinking I haven’t seen the way you are with her. You flirt, you seduce and you spend more time with her than any of us, he fumed.

I don’t! I protested. I don’t know what you are on about. So get the hell out of my mind!

Her tiny, frail body turned towards me, matching my frown, looking down at my hands as they clenched tighter and tighter around the wheel. I didn’t know what he was on about. I didn’t feel the way Fabian did for her. But I knew one thing for sure. I didn’t see her the same way as I had done three months ago.

You told her too much, Kaspar.

A familiar expression of subtle concern took over her features as she noticed the scowl on my face that could only mean I was otherwise occupied, as a fresh wave of self-doubt washed over me; the self-doubt only my father’s words could bring.

I answered her questions, nothing more.

I sighed as I said it, not doubting that more than he could hear my words.

You did more than answer her questions, young one, a third voice said, which I recognized as belonging to none other than Ll’iriad Alya Athenea, King of Athenea.

Great. Just great. My suspicion of my father allowing eavesdroppers was confirmed and only out of begrudging respect did I reply with a ‘Your Majesty’.

Prince Kaspar, he replied with the same patronizing tone. May I ask if you know the consequences of your actions?

I sighed, exasperated, wondering how Fallon could hold such radically different views from his own father concerning keeping Violet in the dark. Of course.

Another unrecognizable voice interrupted and I was forced to believe every person at the meeting could hear me. Almost instinctively, my mind began shutting down, locking every secret deep within my subconscious.

Then, tell me, Your Highness, if you were aware of the consequences, why did you reveal what you did?

The anger flared within my veins. I revealed nothing of the dimensions. But I’d tell her if I could. She deserves to know.

A separate, powerful thread worked its way into my mind and I recognized my father’s presence. Kaspar, he growled.

Smirking, I continued. I had no patience for them and their petty politics. You can’t hide everything from her forever. She is naturally curious and you can’t change that either. If you deny her the truth, she will only learn to hate us and we need her on side, especially if the Prophecy does come true and Lee gets his excuse.

I felt my father seething, beginning to boil. Kaspar, how dare you? Apologize.

No. I will not apologize for the truth. I would not apologize for simply going against the cosy status quo the inter-dimensional council had decided upon.

Take that back, or else, he hissed.

I knew I was tugging at an already taut string, but I didn’t seem to be able to stop myself. Or else what? You know I’m talking sense, you just can’t accept it. Mother would be ashamed of you.

My father growled, a growl that would not be confined to just our two minds, but a growl that would be heard in every mind in Varnley and for miles around, until he closed his mind off, speaking only to me.

From noon tomorrow, you won’t touch that girl again, Kaspar. Not a bite; not a finger; nothing.