Chapter One

“Why have you taken her?”

“Beauty.” Ghostly white fingertips passed gently over her paling cheeks.

“She is mine.” His strength rose within him. “She will be my queen.”

“Not yours, mine.” A dagger’s blade glimmered in his hand as he pressed the blade against the delicate skin of the woman’s neck. The man leaned down slowly and kissed her lips with a passing whisper. “She will be my queen.”

The prince drew a dagger from the sheath at his waste and slashed across the side of the man’s face. Blood reddened the gash on his cheek as he glared up with murderous eyes. The gash healed quickly as fangs protruded from the sneer on his thin lips. Drawing in a deep breath, the prince lunged again with the dagger plunging it deep into the chest of the vampire.

“Your weapons cannot kill me, foolish little boy.” Spit flew with the words as he hissed through his teeth. “I am the King of the Vampires.”

“She will not be your queen.” Slamming a rock against the skull of the pale man, he spat back. The blow sent him to the rough floor of the cave.

He cautiously lifted her body off of the un-giving ground. Swiftly he carried her out of the murky cave below the unstable cliff and laid her down carefully on the coarse sand. Red blood dripped from a small gash on her neck. Her breathing dwindled as he brushed back the silky strands of hair from her delicate face. He knelt down to lovingly kiss her cheek. A gentle breeze blew over the grains of sand.

A muffled growl floated out from the depths of the cave. He jumped up to his feet and hastened towards the gloomy darkness. He drew his sword from its sheath. He took a calming breath and dashed into the cave. Despite the overbearing knowledge that he would never see his dearest love again he readily accepted their unchangeable fate.

Inside the damp cave, craggy rock formations stood diligently blocking his view of the dangers that awaited him. He cast aside all of his notions of fear and continued onward in his desperate mission. The diabolical sound had grown louder and he knew he was close to the creature’s lair. He paused at a break in the cave walls to muster up his courage to continue. The horrendous thought of his love’s lingering death was enough of a reason for him to go bravely down the demeaning path and defeat his unseen foe.

The depth of the darkness was bitterly cold. Angelic whispers seemed to be the hopeless warning of the stone walls themselves. A startling sound coming from the dank darkness behind him caused him to avert his attention and turn his head. While he was momentarily distracted, the creature slinked up behind him. A burning pain stabbed through his neck as his blood splattered across the dreary cave wall. Turning quickly, the prince sliced across the throat of the vampire.

“I have tasted your blood, valiant fool.” As he laughed, the blood pulsed from the deep gash. “You kill me, you will become me.”

“She will never be yours.” One final swing from his sword sent the head of the cackling murderous being rolling across the ground.

Dizziness pulled him to teetering and pushed his fading body to the ground. Pulling himself along the rocky ground, he pursued over the jagged edges as they dug at his hands. Looping his sash around his neck, he tried to keep the blood inside his veins. His remaining strength pushed him to continue out of the damp darkness to the blinding light of the sun.

“My love?” His words were strained as blood seeped through the make-shift bandage. Her head was slumped to the side, no breath was coming from between her lips. “I will find you, my love—“

His final breath squeezed from his body as he fell face down into the sand. Clouds, gray and black, spiraled toward the small cave on the coast. Waves crashed upon the jagged rocks as the savage wound on his neck slowly began to heal, re-sealing muscles and healing skin. Searing pain surged through the tops of his hands. The shock pushed him to his feet and sent him blurring fast into the shadows of the cave.

-

A car sped towards the overlook area near the murky ocean-side cliff. The brakes squealed loudly and the car halted to a stop next to the beach where her failing body was laying beside the destroyed mass that was her car. Two men fled from the car and rushed over to help her.

“The tire tracks lead towards the cliff and then back to the road.” He followed the tracks on the ground. “Looks like it was a hit-and-run.” Carefully examining the blood on her body, he hesitantly touched her neck to check for a pulse. “God, she’s still alive.”

“We have to get help.” The other man, shaken by the sight, reached into his pocket and looked at his phone. “No service up here.”

“If we hurry, we can be back in fifteen minutes.” He combed a hand through his brown hair.

“We can’t leave her here. She’ll die if we don’t take her in.” The blonde man pleaded with his friend. “We can put her in the back seat.” Cautiously they lifted her limp body into the backseat of the car. “Grab the blanket out of the trunk.”

The other man rushed back to the trunk and pulled out a quilt. He came back quickly as the other began to cover her with the thick blanket. Closing the door carefully, the first made sure she was secure before moving on. They both hopped back in the car and accelerated off down the winding road toward the looming buildings of the city.

-

A deep pain stabbed itself into his chest as he stood on the creaking wooden deck of the overlook. Waved crashed and swayed at the rocks on the shore far below his feet casting up a gentle spray of salt. He had felt her presence in this place all the way to his very core. She was here, somewhere in this jungle of a city, and he had to find her quickly. The pain he felt resonated from her own body telling him she was in danger.

-

“Do you know what happened?” Krista moved to the side of the bed attempting to get her friend to remember anything. The young woman sat up slowly in the hospital bed.

“I don’t really remember what happened.” Lexa gently rubbed her forehead. “I was driving home and, then, here I am.” She was trying to recall what had happened before the accident or just after, but nothing was coming to her. “I looked over at the book for a split second, and I woke up here.”

“What book?” Krista nearly giggled.

“That stupid book that Julian was reading.” Shaking her head, she realized how stupid the book really was. “I don’t even believe in that crap.” She laughed slightly trying to push the thoughts of the book out of her mind for good.

“What was he reading?”

“Some stupid vampire lore volume from the medieval times.” Her words were even and emotionlessly. “He doesn’t even know I was reading it.” A slight pang of guilt slipped into her mind as she thought about what he would do if he found out. “I should’ve never snuck into his office after hours.”

-

A man grabbed her from behind, wrapping one arm around her waist and covering her mouth with the other hand. She tried to scream for help, but the large palm stamped out the potential.

“You are mine now.”

Her body twitched as she felt a cold sharp blade slip across her throat. She blinked her eyes open at the creaking sound of the door. The heaviness of her eyelids made opening them all the way nearly impossible as she caught a glimpse of a thin woman with flowing blonde hair coming into the room. Lexa tried to force a smile to her lips as she recognized the woman.

“Lexa, how are you today?” Krista closed the door behind her as she entered the room. Lexa took a few moments to recall how she got where she was.

“I think I’m alright.” She was still trying to open her eyes all the way. Wiping her hand across her eyes she yawned with sleepiness.

“Julian will be by in a few hours when he’s done with work.” She spoke with a slight smile trying to raise her friend’s spirits. There was a sense that something was still wrong. “He wants us to get you back to London as soon as possible.”

“Okay.” Lexa blinked at the light from the open window as she leaned back against her pillow. A soft breeze blew through the room carrying whispers in its arms.

“Come back to me, love.”

The wind whispered slow and loving words that seemed only to reach her ears. Her mind began to wander back to the dream she had while walking along the beach. She tried to fight sleep, but the faint feeling in her body was just too strong. She closed her eyes and drifted off.

“You and I, my love.” Warm strong arms wrapped securely around her. “We are the only truth.” A kiss brushed the side of her neck with the whispers of passion. “The only real.” His chin rested upon her shoulder as his arms held her close against his chest. “The world will be ours.”

The sun slowly began to shed its light across the midnight sky as her breaths began to grow shallow. The bright stars in the cloudless sky gradually faded as the sunlight grew stronger over the distant horizon. He softly kissed the lobe of her ear and pulled her close against his chest as the sun illuminated the gray stone of the castle.

“I must leave you now, my love.” Tears stung at her eyes at the prospect of being without his tenderness.

“Take me with you.” She pleaded softly as his fingers traced down her throat. “Save me from this shell I live in.”

“I will come for you soon.” His whispers faded into nothingness. “Very soon.”

She startled awake as the door to her room flew open and slammed against the wall with a loud bang. The man did not even bother to turn on the lights in the room as he rushed to the side of her bed. Grabbing the wires to the heart monitor, he swiftly pulled them from her skin drawing a scream from her lips. Placing one hand over her mouth, his other hand grasped the tube to her IV.

In one swift movement he tore the tube from her body. She cried out in pain against his palm as the tape and needle were ripped from her body. Blood dripped from her arm as he lifted her body from the bed. He rushed from the room as the alarm on the heart monitor echoed through the empty hallways of the hospital. As he carried her through the hallway, she began to lose consciousness.

3