The Vampire King Page 5

  He nodded.

  She nodded.

  Then he claimed her lips, sealing their agreement.

  “You know, I never truly believed you would follow through with your promise,” Guiliana said, snapping him back to present time.

  “I know.”

  “How?”

  “Because you didn’t trust me at all. With good reason.” He reached and took her hand. “Now you know I am a male of my word.”

  She squeezed his hand back.

  “Have you forgiven me completely for what I did?”

  She gave him a sad smile and shook her head. “I love our boys and I’ve lived a rich and colorful life, watching the evolution of both the human and vampire race over the past one thousand years, but taking one’s mortality is unforgivable, Francis.”

  He glanced away.

  All these years he’d never asked, and yet he’d seen that shadow in her eyes from time to time, an echo of those first three months.

  The time had come to stop hiding from the truth.

  “Would you have willingly chosen me if I’d given you the choice, Guiliana?”

  He had faced many enemies in his long life, but waiting for her to answer his question was the one he feared most. Which was why he’d never asked.

  She glanced at the rug beneath their feet for a long time, then slowly looked up at him.

  “No.”

  He felt the color leave his face and his heart break.

  Now he finally knew the heartache his Lia had suffered the past millennia. Utter despair and darkness.

  “Francis,” she said, taking his hand. “I was young and scared. I would never have been able to live without you, you know that. But how could a young girl choose to give up her humanity?”

  He looked into his mate’s eyes, and for the first time in all his years, he shed a tear.

  “Oh, my darling.” she flew into his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

  “You are forgiven.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Brayden watched as Vincent paced restlessly around the room.

  “Please sit down. You’re giving me vertigo.”

  “Vampires don’t get vertigo, you idiot,” the male snarled.

  Brayden grinned.

  “What do you think this meeting is about?”

  They had been summoned to the throne room, which was unusual without an official event on. Brayden glanced around the large, high ceiling room with the two thrones elevated at the front of the room. They were both appropriately adorned with gold and brilliant priceless gemstones, black velvet cushions and matching foot stools.

  Very his and hers.

  “Hopefully to curb these fucking orgies you host.”

  Brayden raised an eyebrow at the guy. “You mean the same ones you’ve attended for decades, brother? The same orgies you’ve enjoyed having your long cock sucked, your ass fucked, and where you’ve buried your face in more pussies than any of us can count?”

  “Enough!” he snapped.

  “What has gotten into you?” He stood and put his hand on his hips.

  “Nothing. You simply do not understand the pressure on me to be king one day.”

  Oh, that old nugget.

  Whenever Vincent didn’t want to face his feelings, he pulled the heir to the throne card. Which meant he had female problems.

  “Has she rejected you?”

  Really, he should have expected it, but even he could admit it wasn’t the smartest thing to say. If Kate really was his mate, then he was going to be temperamental as fuck. Vincent launched across the room and pushed him up against the wall.

  In fact, going by the sparkles pouring off him, it was safe to say the guy was bonding.

  The ethereal sparkle unique to vampire was a sign of dominant protectiveness. Simply put, their bodies released a chemical that interacted with oxygen in the air, creating the sparkle effect which surrounded their bodies.

  It wasn’t confirmation you had met your mate, but a strong indication, or precursor to bonding. Men in the race believed it was meant as a warning to predators; a bonded male was deadly when in protective mode.

  The most annoying thing was you couldn’t see yourself doing it.

  “Put your brother down, Vincent.”

  His father had a quiet, commanding voice. He’d always admired that about him. To portray such strength, without yelling, was an art his brother would be wise to study. Or at least Brayden wished he would. The guy was a screamer.

  Beside the king stood their mother, the queen. She was a beauty. Elegant and regal, with long black hair and bright eyes that shone with love at her males regularly.

  Brayden had been closer to his mother all his life, mostly because Vincent had spent his nights shadowing the king.

  They were a close family, but the bond between Brayden and his mother was unique. There had been a time he’d been so mad with his father for taking her humanity, until he realized he wouldn’t exist, and she genuinely loved him.

  Such was the life mate bond.

  Guiliana had shared her life as a human with him over decades of conversation. How she loved to be at the beach, to swim, and lay under the sun, making out images from the clouds. He had promised, should he mate a human, he would never force her to turn. He would never take the choice from her, as his father had.

  “Sit, my boys,” his mother said.

  “Do as your mother says,” the king added when they both mumbled I’m good’s.

  Okay, now they had his attention.

  Vincent glanced at him, and he shrugged.

  “One thousand years ago....”

  “Okay, look if we missed your anniversary again, can we just ...”

  “Quiet. Let your father speak.”

  Oh, they were so tag teaming it today.

  “One thousand years ago, I turned your mother into a vampire without her permission. You both know this, and I still carry the shame to this day.” He took the queen’s hand, and the two of them shared an intimate look that sent shivers down Brayden’s spine.

  What’s going on?

  Fucked if I know.

  He didn’t know, but he had a terrible feeling.

  “To win back my trust, your father came to me with an offer. One which I accepted. One which I still hold him to, to this day.”

  Cue the darting eyes as he and Vincent attempted to decode the weird conversation.

  “If this is sexual, can I please ask you to refrain from any details.” Brayden grinned, hoping to break the heavy mood. When his father gave him a small smile, he knew shit was about to get real.

  “Okay, what the fuck is going on?” Vincent asked.

  “This is not a reflection of our love for you...”

  “Gods, you’re pregnant?!” Brayden stood.

  “Sit down!”

  Yeah, his father had volume when he wanted it.

  He sat.

  “I’m not pregnant, Bray. We love you both very much. This decision was made well before you were conceived.”

  Silence.

  “One we have both decided we want to follow through with, knowing you will thrive in the next stages of your lives. Just as Francis’ parents did for him.”

  Together, Brayden and Vincent stood and began ranting.

  “No, the fuck you are not!”

  “No!”

  “You can’t do this!”

  “This is absurd.”

  “Break the damn promise. Forgive him, for crying out loud.”

  “Come on, that was a thousand years ago!”

  “I’m not fucking doing it.”

  “Nope, not happening.”

  “They’ve fucking lost it.”

  Now they were talking to each other. The royal couple simply sat, letting them rant and rave.

  “Mother!”

  Tears fell down her face, and the king wrapped an arm around her. Brayden dropped to his knees at her feet.

  “Noooo, mama!”

  He felt Vincent at his side, a
hand landing on his back.

  “Tell us this is a joke.”

  The king cleared his throat. “No. I made a choice, a promise, and I will keep it.” Brayden watched his father stand and lay a hand on Vincent’s shoulder. “You are ready, my boy, to be king.”

  Brayden sat back on his heels and stared at the man who had been his rock all his life.

  “Your brother is a powerful leader in his own right, leading what will soon be your army. One day, you will find your mates and understand the bond and sacrifice you will make for the one you love.”

  “More than your children?”

  It was childish of him, but he couldn’t stop the words.

  “It’s a different love, Brayden, my sweet boy,” his mother said, reaching out to cup his cheek.

  She glanced at them all. “I was born human, and my essence will always be that. I was never meant to live longer than a mere thirty years.”

  “Surely this is a gift, then.”

  Guiliana shook her head. “To die is the natural course of life for a human. Your father and I came to an agreement, and we have decided together we want to honor it.”

  Brayden looked at his face, his face pleading, but he held true.

  “We will hold a ceremony, to celebrate our life. In one week from today. Vincent, you must prepare for your coronation immediately after.” Then his father looked at him. “Brayden, he will need your loyalty and support and strength.”

  He nodded.

  What more could he do?

  “Always, father.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  The castle was abuzz. The weirdest kind of buzz you could imagine. Vampires from around the world were piling in while the household staff set up for a celebratory funeral.

  As if those two words should ever be put together. Not least in the vampire world where they rarely had fucking funerals.

  And not for a king and queen.

  Brayden had hugged his mother about seventy-five thousand times in the past week, and she’d eventually asked him to give her a bit of space. She was dealing with her own feelings on leaving everyone, he supposed.

  Turns out he was a pussy momma’s boy. And he was so fucking okay with that.

  “This is so fucked up,” Craig said.

  “Yeah.”

  “You sure you don’t want me to do it? You know I will, right? I mean, fuck.”

  Vincent and he had discussed who would do the beheading, and they had decided it should be them. God forbid any soul should kill their parents, except them. It was the right thing to do.

  “Thank you, my friend.”

  Much later, an hour from sunrise, the great hall was packed with VIP guests, a million candles, and two very unwanted guillotines, sitting side by side, so the king and queen could hold hands.

  Outside, at the water’s edge, a large raft bobbed in the water. They would load the royal bodies on the black Moretti encrusted velvet rugs and set them on their final journey.

  Brayden wanted to vomit.

  Dressed in their official attire, the two princes stood to the side, flanked close by Craig and four of their Senior Lieutenant Commander.

  The king began to address his vampires for the last time.

  “It is a rare opportunity for someone to speak at his own funeral. My father before me did, and I am grateful for this moment to thank you all for your loyalty to the Moretti family, to the crown, and to me as your king.”

  A weird muttering of words fell around the crowd.

  What did one do? Clap? Cheer?

  Fuck, no.

  There was nothing right about this at all.

  “The queen and I are choosing to pass on this first day of December, in the year eighteen ninety-one. We leave you in the powerful hands of our heir, Prince Vincent. He will be your new king.”

  More weird murmuring.

  Quiet praise, but not too much to disrespect the current king.

  God, this is painful.

  He glanced at Vincent and nodded in agreement.

  “He will have the support of Prince Brayden, captain of our army. Their mother and I know they will lead you into a new future. As Moretti kings have had since the beginning of our existence, they will have the loyalty of our race. Your loyalty. And in return, our protection.”

  Emphatic nods and mutters.

  “To my queen, I declare my undying love. It will not end today, despite our bodies departing this earth. It will survive space and time. I love you, Guiliana.”

  The queen tip toed up and, against his lips, returned the words. The room went quiet.

  “My son’s. You are my life, my pride and our race’s future.”

  For the first time, the king lowered his head to his son’s.

  Brayden gulped.

  “Let us proceed.”

  Then the world wobbled on its axis.

  Like fuck vampires don’t get vertigo.

  “Guys?” Craig said quietly, snapping them both out of their frozen state.

  They looked at him and at each other, grimacing, and then stepped out onto the platform.

  The king and queen had kneeled into position and were holding hands. Squeezing tightly. It had to be terrifying for them, and while Brayden was still wishing one of them would stop this insanity, he knew neither of them would.

  Ready, brother?

  He nodded at Vincent, and they both unsheathed their swords.

  The princes had said their goodbyes to their parents earlier, so there was nothing more to say, except don’t fucking do this.

  On my count of three.

  Got it.

  Brayden took a deep breath. If there was one thing in his life, he had to get right. It was this. One strong and sure strike. He wouldn’t let his father down, just as Vincent would take care of their mother.

  ... two, one.

  As his sword hit the floor, Brayden looked away, knowing the surrounding vampires would gather the bodies and carry them down to the raft.

  The room let out a strange sigh and a range of other painful noises.

  “Make your way down to the shoreline, please.” Regan, the king’s advisor, said to the crowd.

  Quietly and slowly, the room emptied until it was just Brayden and Vincent.

  “You, okay?” the new king asked.

  “No. You?”

  “Not even fucking close.”

  They stood side by side a moment longer, until he lay his hand on Vincent’s shoulder. “So, now you can boss me around, big brother.” They shared a sad smile, then left to take part in the final stage of the ceremony.

  Candles flickered, shimmering against the black of the water where the large raft floated with the bodies of the king and queen. They were covered in a white sheet, sprinkled in the petals of his mother’s favorite red rose.

  “Your majesties.” Regan bowed, handing them each a flame.

  Brayden looked up at the sky. The sun was rising, the black sky turning navy blue. They wouldn’t witness the moment their bodies turned to ash. It would be a private moment for the two mates.

  In hindsight, Brayden realized they had planned this.

  “To our king and queen.” Vincent said.

  “To our king and queen,” the crowd murmured, with a depth of love and respect for the royal couple he had witnessed all his life.

  “Goodbye, mother, father,” Brayden said, a hitch in his voice. Together, they leaned down and lit an edge on each of the cloth and pushed the raft out. Silently, they watched as it made its way out towards the horizon, the cloth burning off and exposing their bodies to the sun.

  He smiled. It was a small, sad smile, but a genuine one. “Would you look at that? Mom gets her moment under her beloved sun after all.”

  Vincent returned the same smile and nodded. “Come, brother, let’s go make them proud.”

  They turned and walked back up to Castle Moretti to prepare for his coronation.

  Turn the page to read the first chapter of The Vampire Prince

  CHAPTER ON
E

  Willow leaned on the counter and slowly counted to ten.

  She’d been waiting for the sonographer for over thirty minutes. It was seven in the evening, and as the only person in the waiting room, it wasn’t clear why she was having to wait so long.

  Her patience was dwindling.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  Her subtle attempt at getting the absent receptionist’s attention wasn’t working. This was the last place she felt like being; however, she’d injured her ankle over a month ago, and regular treatments weren’t working, so her osteopath had sent her for an ultrasound.

  She didn’t have a problem with ultrasounds; the problem was the time taken out of her day. With multiple deadlines due, Willow was still learning how to balance her own needs over her well-paying but demanding clients in her new media relations business.

  When she’d discovered the clinic was open late, she’d booked a six-thirty appointment hoping to be home by seven where she could heat leftovers and dive back into work.

  Yet here she stood, thirty minutes later, still waiting. She’d browsed Facebook, put hearts on all the Instagram posts, and sent out a tweet.

  “Excuse me,” she called out as politely as she could. “Hello!”

  The receptionist who had greeted her earlier popped her face around the corner. She held her phone in her hand and looked annoyed at the interruption.

  Willow inwardly sighed. The girl was probably making a tick tock, or whatever the kids called it these days. Not that she was old, but yeah, it wasn’t her thing.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Sorry to disturb you”—no, I’m not—“How much longer will the wait be?”

  Chest heaving, the girl didn’t even attempt to hide her annoyance. She walked to her computer and began tapping away with some barely contained huffs. They both squinted as headlights from a large SUV pulled up onto the sidewalk. Willow covered her eyes and looked away.

  “Let me see,” the girl said once whoever was driving had turned the headlights off. “He should be available soon. We had a delay earlier, which created a backlog.”

  Willow ground her teeth.

  “Oh.”

  She forced a small smile to her lips, then returned to her seat, where she imagined how the conversation could have gone.