One
PROLOGUE
The sound of my ringing alarm is the first thing that drags me out of my dream, it's a dream I have had a lot over the years. It's the last memory of my mother, the day she died. Even after all the years since she died, I still remember it, so clearly the day I left the human world and everything I knew to be true and came to live in Nosferatu.
I remember seeing my mom emotionally broken and driven past the point of no return as she simply walked into the burning blaze that used to be our apartment. I still hear my own scream mingled with that of our elderly neighbor Mrs. Brown my mom was smart though she made sure to place calming drugs in my warm milk knowing she needed to make sure I will not be able to break free of the feeble and weak hold of Mrs. Brown, the shock must have made me black out because the next thing I remember was waking up in Lucian and Willows living room my father looking down on me.
His cold voice and words echoed off the wall;
"My blood may flow in your veins but you are no daughter of mine for the crime I committed against your mother, I will spare your life but you are nothing to me. Lucian will take care of you, and turn you into a guard at least then you will be of some use. "
With that, he left and I never really saw him again, except once or twice from afar, but true to my father's wishes over the last 17 years Lucian turned me into one of the best royal guards. Their only fighters better than me are the King, three Princes, and Lucian himself. Lucian and Willow became my adoptive parents and gave me the love and care I needed to become the person I am today.
PRESENT-DAY
My name is Thalia and I am a Dhampir which for you guys that don't know I am half-vampire and half-human. How do you ask? Simple, my mom was a human that was, unfortunately for her, seduced by my father, a vampire. Sadder for my mom's unfortunate fate is that he was married to a very jealous female vampire. When she found out she made my mom's life a living hell. But like karma, she got what she deserved. Her punishment for tormenting my mother to death was death by sunrise, poetic don't you think as for my dad nothing happened to him other than having to take responsibility for his halfling daughter. Not that he did that he just dumped me with Lucian, captain of the royal guard, and his wife Willow, but that was probably the best thing he could have done as they loved me as their own.
I struggle upright in bed as I brush the mess that is my long Crimson Red hair out of my face wanting very badly to go back to sleep, but sadly that is just not happening. Being the only Dhampir in Nosferatu, my days usually begin before the sunset, but today I seemed to wake up just as the sunset.
Dragging myself out of bed I get ready to start what no doubt will be another long night.
"Your late Honey !!!"
The words of Lucian stop me in my tracks mid-step. Glancing up I look at him, his golden eyes not matching his stern voice at all.
"I am not late Lucian, I bet you no one is even up yet"
"Ok, I will take that bet you have to stay Prince Dario's personal guard for the next year if I am right."
"Fine, I will take that bet because we both know he is still fast asleep, and my six months is almost up and he is all yours again."
"It sounds like you can't wait to give him back to me. Is there a special reason? Who would have thought spending every day with a handsome vampire would be so bad, every other girl will give anything to be in your shoes."
Giving him an annoying glare, I grab my keys and water bottle getting ready to leave not even giving his unsaid comment a spare word.
"Bye Lucian, get ready to take prince handsome and charming back.
"Bye Honey have a nice day"
A few minutes later I walked into the training center not paying attention to my surroundings at all if I did, I would not have found myself in this very awkward, and slightly intense situation.
Still scrolling through my playlist, I didn't sense him, hear him or see him coming my way. Slamming me into the wall with the full force of his weight and strength.
"Hello, my little dhampir you should be a little more on your guard are you getting lazy on me know"
Prince Dario the thorn in my life, the reason for all my sleepless days, dark, handsome, and should be illegal to be that sexy and hot Prince Dario. The playboy with a heart of gold, the one who is slowly chipping away at the ice around my heart. His angelic yet at the same time, sinful voice was a soft caress at my ear. It takes all my self-control and training not to give in to my treacherous self and stay motionless.
Dario
I know I shouldn't be doing this; I shouldn't be this close to her. The game I am playing at this moment is a dangerous one, but like my brothers, Logan and Leo said, this small fiery dhampir has completely broken down my defenses and I truly believed she messed with my sane rational brain. I have become obsessed with her to the point where I can see every detail about her if I close my eyes, from her crimson red hair to her bright beautiful Hazel eyes, and her perfect pink lips that at times have caused more trouble in my thoughts than I care to admit and more trouble to my daily life than I care to mention to her small perfect body. She is kind, caring, and friendly to all but me, it seems with a smile as bright as the sun I will never see except in pictures.
"If I were some dangerous rouges, you would be dead right now."
"Don't be so sure your Grace…"
Using her small size and skill she twists herself free.
"Isn't this too early for you to be awake your Grace the sun barely set. I would have thought after last night you would be sleeping in"
She knows how much I hate it when she calls me that, Logan and Leo and Danica are always Prince Logan and Prince Leo and Princess Danica or when we are not in a formal setting just Logan, Leo, or Danica but no I am always your Grace. I swear she does it just to get on my last nerve.
Ignoring her little jab, I reach out grabbing her pulling her against me her back pressed against my chest and her arms and hands pinned against her body. Dhampirs are strong but she is no match for me. She can easily overpower a common vampire and even some purebloods but not me or my brothers we aren't just pure blood, we are Vampire royalty descendants of the original vampires the ones of human myths and legends of old. She is no match for me and she knows it even with her struggling to break free we both know she can't.
"Now, now Thalia my sweet is that reproach I hear in your sweet voice or a hint of jealousy. Just for your information I left not long after you left, the party became dull and I had my fill of blood and alcohol"
"Aaa, so you expect me to believe you left early, alone without either dumb or dumber"
"Dumb and Dumber really isn't that a bit harsh just because they like me or were interested in me?'
"That's not the reason every female within a hundred-mile radius is attracted to you but seriously do they share a brain cell there is more to life than clothes and jewelry."
"Every Female within a hundred-mile radius huh? Does that include a certain crimson head Dhampir? "
I say this with a smile as I can feel her small frame stiffen and become absolutely still.
"What?! Do not be ridiculous, you know I don't trust or let myself be taken in by men no matter what form they are vampire, Elf, werewolf or human, or any other form you can think of."
Hearing a car coming down the road towards the training center I let her go, the time is not right to let anyone see us in such a close intimate situation or to know how much I have come to care for this little dhampir and she is not ready yet.
"That baby is a shame and a big problem but I promise I will unfreeze the ice around your heart, my little Ice princess, that is a promise I will keep. Best get on with your training. The others are here and we have a meeting with my Dad so we can't be late."
His statement has robbed me temporarily of my senses and voice. Did he just call me baby and ice princess? O, how I want to slap that handsome arrogant face. But I can't. I am his personal babysitter and he is the prince so slapping him is a big fat no, giving him my best death glare, I turn and leave.
Thalia
As I make my way over to the sandbags and weapons wall, I turn to see Dario's older twin brothers prince Logan, prince Leo, and Dario's twin sister princess Danica walk into the training center. He let me go just at the right time.
That is so annoying, Dario did it again, see the thing about Dario, is even though he is at times a playboy, he is always a gentleman he would never ever place any female in an awkward position. That is just one more thing I like about him. Now you probably wondering if you like him why don't you want to spend all your time with him or why do you try to avoid him?
Simple at the age of 22 and in all the time since I lived in Nosferatu, I have seen a lot of good-looking guys, Vampires, and other supernatural creatures that are by nature drop-dead gorgeous but none of them has ever made my heart stutter and beat like Dario does he takes handsome and sexy to a whole other level.
Tall, well build with just the perfect amount, of muscles. Short black hair in a sexy/bad boy undercut style, perfect flawless porcelain skin, and breath-taking emerald green eyes. Everything about him makes me like him, confuses me, and breaks down my wall of protection. Because at a very young age I swore off men I vowed never to trust a man but Dario changes all that and that makes him more dangerous to me than any rouge vampire or other creature. At times I feel like he looks into my soul.
Princess Danica's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. Her beautiful big chocolate brown eyes staring at me. Her perfect flawless porcelain heart-shaped face was right in front of me.
"Thalia, earth to Thalia!
"What? O, sorry Danica I got lost in my thoughts, are we working on swordplay or archery?"
Tying her dark brown waist-length hair into a messy top knot she keeps on talking not missing a beat.
"No problem, anyone I know walking through your thoughts?"
She says this with a smile in her voice, as one of the few friends I have, she gets me and at times sees more than others do. Letting the comment slide only because it came from Danica. I answer while getting the weapons ready for practice.
"No comment"
"Fair enough, let's do archery today, I don't feel like getting beaten by you today, yesterday was just too humiliating."
"You're not that bad, you know you're better than almost all the guards, and you have to remember you only started a few months ago."
"Yes, but I don't think I will ever be as good as you."
She says this all while stretching her long, slim willowy body to warm up before our practice starts.
From the other side of the room, the guys were listening to our conversation and all of them looked up and over at us at this statement. I do believe that fallen Angels wouldn't have looked this good. Dario with his dark hair and emerald green eyes and Logan and Leo with their golden brown short tousled hair and startling blue eyes. Looking at them your eyes can't help but travel down from their gorgeous heads, down their muscled bodies.
"Well considering Thalia, lived the most of her teen years in the training center, very few people are as good as she is, that's why she was the perfect choice for Dario because she can at least hold her own against him."
Smiling mischievously Dario can't help commenting on Leo's comment:
"I would love to see whether our little dhampir can really hold her own against me, I am sure that would be quite entertaining."
"Leo meant in a fight Dario, not what you're implying."
"Logan, I am shocked, I innocently meant in a fight what are you talking about." He says this with the best straight face full of mock innocence.
"Yeah, little bro, we are not buying that any guy with eyes would not mean anything innocent with a statement like that when it comes to Thalia."
"Excluding Leo and myself of course but only because our hearts have already been stolen."
Thinking that this conversation is moving into dangerous territory I decide to remind them that we should finish training or we would be late for the meeting with the King.