"You have seen me now. What do you have for me?" I asked, my tone more curt than I intended.
Meriona moved closer, wrapping her arms around me, her breasts pressing against my chest. She whispered, "I have missed you."
I unclasped her arms from around my neck and took a step back. "Not now, Meri," I said, my voice firm.
Normally, such an advance would arouse me, and I would gladly indulge in what she was offering. But tonight, instead of feeling desire, I felt irritation. Something was wrong with me, and I knew it had to do with that princess. Because of her, I had maimed one person and killed another, and now I was rejecting a goddess like Meriona. Who does that?
Meriona's face fell, hurt flashing in her eyes. "You have never rejected me before," she said softly.
"I'm not rejecting you," I replied, trying to soften my tone. "I'm just caught up with work and I'm tired. I need to rest."
"But you have never been tired before," she argued. "Are you just saying this to push me away?"
"Never," I assured her. "When I'm done resting, I'll come for you, and you and I are going to..." I let my voice trail off, giving her a flirtatious smile and patting her head lovingly.
Meriona pouted, her lips forming a perfect circle. "You promise?"
I frowned slightly. "Have I ever promised and not fulfilled it?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Go on," I said. "I need to speak with my brothers."
"But I thought you said you needed to rest," she countered, her confusion evident.
"That's true, but I need to speak with them first," I explained.
Meriona smiled a hint of relief in her expression. "I will wait. But make sure you don't hesitate to come to me when you are fully rested." With that, she turned and sashayed away, her hips swaying provocatively.
I watched her go, a sense of unease settling over me. Meriona had always been able to distract me from my troubles, but not tonight. The image of a particular princess haunted my thoughts.
I sighed. Out of all my mistresses, Meriona was the neediest. Her constant demands for attention were wearing on me. I would have ended things with her long ago, but the woman was exceptionally skilled in bed. She knew how to satisfy me in ways that kept me coming back. But now, even that wasn't enough. The princess was on my mind, making me reluctant to enjoy Meriona's advances.
As I entered the great hall, I found Dominic and Gerard playing cards, with Pristine acting as their card holder. The sight of them lounging so casually irritated me.
"I risk myself out there in a strange land, only to find you people playing cards in my absence," I said, my voice sharp.
Dominic looked up with a grin. "Welcome, Master Bowen. We have missed you. We kept a special spot for you in our hearts."
I snorted. "Miss me, my foot!"
Gerard looked up from his cards and said, "I have assembled the army. We were waiting for you."
"I think we should hold on for a while," I responded, trying to mask my unease.
Pristine raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"I only went to the capital. I was not able to study the kingdom. I need more time to fully understand the workings of the kingdom."
Dominic leaned back in his chair, puzzled. "But you have never hesitated to conquer a kingdom before."
"This one is different," I insisted.
Instead of accepting my decision, Gerard pressed on, "In what way is this one different?"
"The kingdom is protected by a barrier," I lied, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. It had been years since I had last resorted to lies.
Pristine's eyes narrowed. "If it is protected by a barrier, how did you enter?"
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Damn Pristine and his sharp intellect! "I turned into a fly. That means I am the only one that can enter the kingdom. I need more time to figure out how to uplift the barrier."
Dominic frowned. "I thought you hated the mission. You want to go back?"
"I have to go back."
'But not to focus on the mission. I need to find a way to get close to the princess.'
Pristine's gaze turned intense as if he were assessing me. I refused to look away, knowing that breaking eye contact would only make him more suspicious. The prolonged eye contact was becoming uncomfortable, verging on a challenge. Even though Pristine was my brother, he should have known better than to keep eye contact with me for so long.
I was about to lash out at Pristine for his insubordination when he finally said, "Then we will do as you say."
I let out a sigh, realizing I had been holding my breath.
Dominic, apparently oblivious to the tension between me and Pristine said, "I am going all in." All attention turned to the cards on the table.
As they resumed their game, my thoughts drifted back to the princess. When I saw her earlier, I felt my heart beat for the first time since I became a vampire. I had heard of a vampire beloved, a person who was the better half of a vampire, but I never believed I stood a chance of having one. I had spent more than a hundred centuries waiting and hoping to come across my beloved.
After waiting such a long time, I had lost hope. But now, fate seemed to be giving me a second chance. I believed my beloved was none other than the princess of a kingdom I was destined to fight against one day. Why couldn't my beloved be a vampire like me? It was not that the princess wasn't beautiful, but the situation was complicated.
An image of her seeped into my mind. From what Pristine told me and from my own experiences, I knew that the kingdom hated vampires. How was I going to charm my way into her heart?
I rose from the table, unable to shake off my unease. "I need some air," I announced abruptly. The others looked up, but no one questioned me as I strode out of the hall and into the courtyard.
The night air was cool and refreshing. I walked along the stone path, the moonlight casting long shadows around me. My thoughts were a whirlpool of confusion and desire. How could I be so captivated by someone I was supposed to see as an enemy? And how could I reconcile my growing feelings with the responsibilities I had as a ruler?
I reached the edge of the courtyard and looked out over the city of Salem. The lights from the houses and shops twinkled like stars, people who depended on me. I couldn't afford to be distracted, yet I couldn't stop thinking about Alita.
I closed my eyes, trying to focus. If she truly was my beloved, then I needed to approach this situation carefully. Winning her heart would require more than just brute strength or vampiric allure. I would need to understand her, to know what made her tick, what she valued and feared.
My mind wandered back to the brief encounter we had. Her eyes had been full of fire and defiance, yet there was a vulnerability there too. A part of me wanted to protect her, to shield her from the harsh realities of our world. But another part of me, the ruler, knew that I had to tread carefully. Alita was not just a woman; she was a princess, and her kingdom's future was intertwined with her fate.