Dinner With a Vampire (The Dark Heroine #1)(87)
Author: Abigail Gibbs

The King took several measured steps closer, closing the distance, dwarfing me. ‘Do not insult me, Miss Lee, or you will come to regret it.’

I took a final step to close the gap between us. Just inches apart, I stood on my tiptoes to meet his glare. ‘I’m not afraid of you.’ An audible gasp swept through the watching room. Shocked, the crowd erupted, the room coming alive at once.

Yet he chuckled darkly. Bending down, he murmured into my ear. ‘No. But you are afraid of your feelings for my son.’

My heels lowered to the floor, everything else motionless. He knows. He knew and he was going to cross hell to ensure those feelings were not returned by his son, heir and Prince. He knows.

‘Everything has a consequence, Miss Lee.’

I took a few shaky steps back, staring at the floor as the music drew to a close, the violins striking one last note. I have to get out of here.

And so I curtsied and fled. Away from the room. Away from the ball. Away from the King. Away from Kaspar.

FIFTY

Kaspar

She walked away, not even lifting her eyes as she hurried right past me, so close I could reach out and touch her. I didn’t. She strode from the room, head held high but avoiding the gaze of anyone she passed. Disappearing amongst the milling and shocked network of hushed tones, I only just caught a glimpse of her sprinting up the stairs, hands over her face, crying.

‘You may think that I am heartless, my son.’ I jumped at the sound of his voice beside me, muttering in my ear as the crowd gradually dispersed back into a waltz. ‘But truthfully, I am just trying to protect you, and more importantly, her.’

I nodded, wordlessly, recognizing in his gaze a look he saved only for moments when he wished to make an impression. ‘Her feelings for you will only cause her pain.’

With that, he walked away.

Bollocks. That’s what it is. Bollocks. All of this. Duty, and responsibility and consequences. What happened to free will?

‘Feelings’. I knew what that suggested. And what one heck of an emotion that was.

It wasn’t a total surprise: I had long suspected she was attracted to me; it would be hard for her not to be. I knew she had sacrificed her friendship with Fabian for me too. Putting two-and-two together didn’t require a huge amount of effort.

But that. ‘Feelings’. For her to return the sentiment when I have been a jerk all along …

Not that secretly I wasn’t pleased. Just not shocked. No … flattered … and pleased. Beyond pleased. Ecstatic even …

‘I’ve got to tell her,’ I said aloud, as though that confirmed the matter. It didn’t. It wasn’t that easy.

You don’t want to break her heart, do you? Because you’ve been denying it for months, haven’t you, Kaspar? You like her. Always have. Always will. Prophecy or no Prophecy, you want her.

My voice was right. Of course it is right. But my duty was not to her. It had never been to her. It was to another. And it had always been to another. I just never knew.

Feeling my grip clench too tightly around the china wash-basin, I pushed away. ‘But I’ll be damned if I don’t get her,’ I told my voice and the empty bathroom. I just had to hope that the first Heroine didn’t show herself too soon.

I pushed the door open silently, shutting it behind me as quietly as possible to not wake her. She lay on top of the dishevelled covers, still wearing the white dress from the night before. It had ridden up, exposing her thighs. But unusually, that was not what my eyes were drawn to. Instead, I looked to the locket resting on her chest, rising and falling in time with her slow breathing.

FIFTY-ONE

Violet

I heard the clattering of curtains being thrown open, as loud as the wheels of a train on a crossing. The pale yellow light of dawn poured in, the darkness behind my closed eyelids becoming bright, blotchy orange. My instant reaction was to fling my arm over my eyes, the crook of my elbow sheltering me from the piercing light. I groaned, not attempting coherent speech. I had been woken up far too abruptly for that.

‘Morning to you too, Girly.’

I moaned in reply. This was not a pleasant wake-up call, however much my stomach was twisting itself into knots. ‘What are you doing here? It’s barely even light.’

He grinned, walking towards the wardrobe as I grabbed a pillow and jammed it firmly over my ears. I would much prefer it if he just treated that as a rhetorical question and left me to sleep.

‘Waking you up. And correct. It’s barely light. Which is why you need to get your arse out of bed.’

I lifted the pillow a little, feeling the bed depress as a pile of clothes landed beside my feet. I turned my head, glancing at the tiny clock that occupied the bedside table. I hadn’t even managed to catch six hours of sleep.

‘Nuh-uh. Not happening.’ I rolled over and buried my head in the mattress.

‘C’mon, Girly!’ The duvet was whipped from beneath me, almost pulling my dress with it. I spun around, sitting up.

‘What?’

He threw the clothes towards me. ‘Moody in the morning, aren’t you? But I’m asking nicely. Please, get up and get ready. We’ve only got fifteen minutes.’

I narrowed my eyes, instantly suspicious. ‘Get ready for what?’ He took a couple of calculated, cautious steps back. I crossed my arms and legs, not caring if he caught a flash of my knickers.

‘You might not like this,’ he began, to which I laughed.

‘Cut to the chase, Kaspar.’

His mouth settled on a grim expression. ‘Suit yourself. We’re hunting. You’re coming.’

I chuckled into the silence. ‘And what makes you think, Kaspar, that a vegetarian will come on a hunting trip?’

I only just had time to throw myself back onto the bed as I saw him move. In a second, he was poised above me, his legs either side of mine, not touching, hands just an inch from a few stray strands of my hair splayed on the pillow. He was close, so close that I could feel the ice cold air searing into my quickly warming skin and his eyes bore down into mine in a gaze I couldn’t break. My heart involuntarily sped up and I prayed that at that moment Kaspar couldn’t hear it.

‘Wake up, Violet Lee! Before this year is out your heart won’t beat and your blood will turn cold. You’re going to become a vampire. You’re going to have to hunt humans and animals. You’ll have to feed off them. You have no choice. You never did! Nobody chooses their fate when they get involved with dark beings. Nobody!’ He paused, gulping for breath, his eyes closing briefly before that smouldering look returned. ‘Wake up, or die dreaming, Girly! I just hope to God you wake up, because I can’t lose—’