Authors: A. M. Hudson
Arthur looked up at him, confused. “Didn’t know you cared.”
I wrapped my lips around the cool, soothing milk spilling from Arthur’s skin.
“
I don’t. But the last thing we need now is the death of a vampire at the hands of the future queen.”
I was vaguely aware of Mike moving away, but had to narrow myself in and focus only on the blood—only on the feel of it taking the burn away, like cream over salt. But the urge to bite Arthur seared worse. I could. I could bite him. He wasn’t immune, but if I bit him, I could give him my blood right away and he might be all right.
“
Okay, that’s enough.” Mike grabbed my shoulder and rolled me away; the sensation of lust, flooding me like a warm beat of blood through my heart, turned to a flush of heat in my cheeks as I felt the air between us.
“
Sorry, Arthur.” I wiped my mouth with my forearm. “I still get a little carried away with blood.”
He bowed his head, rolling his sleeve down his already healed arm. “Do not think on it, Princess. It is my pleasure to appease you.”
“
Right.” Mike seemed to grow taller then, taking me by the arm. “Training’s over for you, missy. Let’s go.” As he led me from the room, he looked back at the gawking knights. “Back to work—all of you. Blade, you’re in charge.”
Thank you, Arthur
, I mouthed, hurrying away at more than human speed. I didn’t even get a chance to see if he heard me.
The cool breeze and soft kiss of rain on my cheeks outside shocked my warm body. My heart started faster and the taste of Arthur on my lips sunk in to realisation. I touched my fingertips to them, smiling a little, half laughing.
“
How could you?” Mike said, eyes forward, practically dragging me away.
“
What? Drink his blood?”
“
Yes! How could you let yourself—?” His face contorted with disgust, his fingers tightening on my arm. “I’m so mad at you, Ara.”
“
Urgh. Get over it.” I whipped my arm from his grip. “I’m a vampire. I drink vampire blood. He’s a vampire.”
“
He’s a guy. You’re a girl. Doesn’t mean you can screw him.”
Hu!
I gasped loudly. “How dare you? I would never—”
“
Don’t play stupid, Ara. We all saw the lust take hold.” He pointed to the training hall.
I dropped my hands to my hips. “It’s not my fault. It’s a part of the process.”
“
Precisely why you are never to drink his blood again. Do I make myself clear?” He towered over me a little.
“
You cannot,” I said breathily, insult rising like a flamed wind, “tell me. Who to eat from.”
He grew taller in front of me, his eyes widening to take all of me in. “I can. And I will.”
I stomped my foot, thrusting my fists to my sides, tilting my chin to seem taller. “I can eat from whom ever I please.”
“
Not Arthur.”
“
And how are you going to stop me?”
Mike dropped back and leaned against the white bricks of the training hall, rubbing furiously at his brow. “Ara. Please. Come on. Stop being a stubborn little brat. You know you shouldn’t drink from him
and
you know why.”
As the heat of lust and the adrenaline simmered in my limbs a little, I felt a pang of acquiescence. “Well, it doesn’t matter, because I don’t want his blood anyway,” I huffed, folding my arms. “And if I did, I’d have it. You can’t tell me what to do.” Only, he was right. I did feel the lust. I did feel the desire to move my lips up Arthur’s arm and find his mouth, and I knew it was artificial. So, I wouldn’t drink his blood again—if I could help it. But I wasn’t about to be controlled by Mike, either.
“
It’s my job to tell you what to do—when it comes to your safety.”
“
Arthur won’t hurt me.”
“
It’s not his hurting you I’m worried about,” he said, his voice breaking. He stiffened quickly and dropped his arm back down to his side. “Look, I’m sorry, Ara. I know you just hate being ordered around, but, please—” He stepped into me, two hands holding my face. “Please don’t drink his blood again.”
I shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t want it.”
“
Fine.” He let go of me and turned away, walking ahead. “But if I catch you alone with him, I’m going to assume that’s what you’re doing, and I
will
forcibly remove you.”
“
You so will not!”
He stopped then and turned to face me. “Yes, I will. I promised David I’d watch out for you when it comes to Arthur. I won’t let you make the mistake I know you’re capable of, Ara.”
“
Wait? What mistake?” I grabbed his sleeve.
“
You know damn well what I’m talking about.” He looked down at me, his caramel eyes narrowed. “I listened to your heart, Ara, while you drank from him—as did Arthur. You’re lucky only one other person in that room is immortal, or they would
all
have heard it, too.”
“
It’s just the blood lust, Mike,” I called as he walked away again.
“
That’s bullshit, Ara, and you know it.”
“
Hu!” I huffed and followed him toward the manor. “What are you saying?”
“
I’m saying you don’t know how to control yourself when it comes to your heart.”
I bolted—Lilithian speed—and stood in front of him, blocking his path. “My
heart
?”
His eyes shifted before stopping on the ground by his feet. “You think you want something until you get it, Ara—which, by the point you realise it’s not what you wanted, you’ve already destroyed it.”
My stomach dropped. “Mike? Is this about Arthur—or about you?”
He stared at me for a second then looked away with a sigh, shaking his head.
“
Mike?” I grabbed his forearm and tugged until he looked at me.
“
This is about nothing, except the safety and freedom of our people, Amara. If you fall for Arthur through some twisted, artificial love the blood lust causes you to feel, you could be putting this whole operation in jeopardy.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “Okay, Mike. I already told you—I don’t want his blood. It tasted old and dry.” I pretended to wipe it away from my mouth as though that was true, when all I really wanted was to feel it against my tongue again.
“
You’re so stubborn, Ara.” Mike pushed past me. “You could just say you won’t drink it because you think I’m right.”
“
It’s not true, though.” A wide smile forced itself onto my lips. I hid it before I walked beside him again.
“
Well, it doesn’t matter, anyway. I stand by what I said. If I catch you alone with him—” he pointed at me, “—you are in big trouble. Clear?”
“
As a bell.” I nodded. But I think we both knew I wouldn’t listen. I’d stay away from Arthur’s blood, but he was quickly becoming the only friend I could truly confide in. There was no way I’d give that up to ease Mike’s baseless fears.
The ring tone had a kind of homely sound to it, and I hoped with all my heart that David would pick up, but when Emily’s sweet voice came down the line, I wasn’t really that surprised.
“
Hi, Em.”
“
Ara! Hi. How’s things at the manor?”
“
Great. Hey, um, is David around?”
“
Uumm.” I could almost hear her clearing her throat. “No.”
“
Liar. Put him on.” I laughed.
“
I—I can’t, Ara.”
“
Why?”
She went quiet, aside from voices muffled by what I assumed was a palm over the mouthpiece of the phone. “Fine,” she said, not to me. “Um, Ara?”
“
Still here.”
“
He’s…he went to the store about twenty minutes ago. Sorry. I forgot. But I’ll have him call you back when he get’s in.”
“
Emily.” My voice broke.
“
Seriously. He’s not here, okay.”
“
Come on, Em. I’m not stupid.”
She sighed heavily. “Look, thing is…he kind of doesn’t want to talk right now.”
“
Why?”
“
He’s…well, I actually don’t really know.”
“
Is he mad at me?”
There was a pause. “No.”
“
Does he hate me?”
She laughed. “Of course not.”
“
Then…I don’t really understand. Why won’t he talk to me?”
“
It’s complicated.”
“
Em? I really miss him. I just want to say hello.”
“
Okay, well, I’ll talk to him, okay—maybe he’ll call you tonight.”
“
Okay.” I frowned to myself. “Um, can you at least tell him I love him and…and that I’m sorry for the argument we had the other day.”
“
Sure. I’ll tell him.”
“
Okay. Um. Thanks.”
“
Bye, Ara.”
“
Bye.” I hung up the phone and ditched it onto my bed, throwing myself down on top of it.
Chapter Four
The soulful tunes I set out to play had been left behind somewhere in my room. I sat in the pale light coming in through the giant window by the piano and played what was in my heart—which, when translated into notes, sounded like a doleful memorial.
“
Oh—” a high-pitched voice said from the side of the room, “—don’t you know any pleasant melodies, Your Majesty.”
“
I do,” I said, calming slightly as I looked up at the woman. “I'm just too angry right now to play something sunny.”
“
Hm.” She nodded, reaching high to dust the top of the mirror beside the piano. “Troubles of the heart?”
Hesitantly, I nodded, taking in her aged face and short, white-grey curls; she had a kind of ‘nanny’ look about her. “I don't like arguing with people. It makes me feel uneasy, and then when I can’t resolve it, I feel like I’ve been tied up.” I dropped my hands from the keys. “I just can’t think straight when I'm upset.”
She sat down beside me, her plump form taking up most of the piano stool. “Know what I do when I can't clear my head?”
I shrugged.
“
I take a stroll out to the lighthouse, climb the stairs and watch the waves talking to the shore.” She smiled at something distant. “Ever since they first erected that lighthouse in fourteen-oh-two, it’s been my go-to place.”
“
You’ve been here that long?”
She nodded. “I was human back then, but, yes, I’ve been here some years now.”
“
Years? That’s more than
years
.”
She nodded again, thoughtful. “Time passes differently here. Feels like only yesterday young Lilith was running these halls.”
I sighed, imagining Lilith as a child, but with everything else occupying my head, her face faded quickly, leaving only my troubles. “How do I get to the lighthouse? No one will show me the way.” I closed the cover on the piano.
“
Go out here and through the garden to the left.” She pointed to the big doors. “There’s a dirt road leading through the forest. Follow that to a clearing and go down the hill. You’ll see the lighthouse from quite far off. You can’t miss it.”
“
Thank you,” I said and stood up. “And, um, I didn't get your name.”
“
Kitty, lovely. Kitty Jomane-lonique.”
I extended my hand and she shook it softly. “Nice to meet you, Kitty.”
“
Pleasure is all mine, Princess.” She bowed her head and took to another room, leaving me alone again in the shadows of a newly-forming day.
The dirt road appeared quite quickly once I started walking, and the fresh air made all my problems seem further away—not so much like a blanket around my shoulders. The trunks of the forest trees parted for the dirt path, their wispy leaves closing the canopy in above, allowing passage for enough light to filter kaleidoscope patterns across the ground.
Aside from the graceful breeze and the summer song of birds, I could also hear my tactless, human guards following me. If I were human, I’d never notice them there—they were really quite clever—but I could smell them and hear their hearts pumping as they tried to keep up with me. Poor things. Mike shouldn't have them following me until they can handle it.
“
Would you like some company, my lady?”
I turned to Arthur, approaching from behind. “Hello.”
“
Can I walk with you?”
“
I—” I was about to say no, but he looked so young and carefree in his jeans and white button-down shirt, with the sun making his messed hair gleam, that I didn't have the heart to tell him I was in a bitter mood and just needed everyone to leave me the hell alone. “Yeah, okay. I'm not really sure I’ll be very good company, though, Arthur.”
“
Is something on your mind?”
I laughed. “There always is.”
“
Would you like to talk about it?”
I pressed my lips together and rolled them to one side. “No. I mean, I would, but I think distracting myself might be better.”
“
Very well, then,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I shall do my best to blindly steer your mind around these undefined troubles.”
I laughed again, bumping shoulders with him gently. “Thanks, Arthur.”