Page 117 of Fighting for Her Heart
The princess asked to see me today and I’m hoping she has news of my sisters and mother. But she’s been pacing across the room, and seems nervous, which makes me think that whatever she has to say isn’t good news.
“I take it you didn’t find them?” I ask her, bracing myself. Might as well tear off the bandage in one go.
She stops and sits on a wing back chair opposite me, and the furniture dominates her small frame.
“I’m sorry, but I have no further news of them. Our team interviewed all of the blood donors when they were released. They have also interviewed every guard, plus the three witches you captured under the church. None could confirm Evanora Cross’s claims about your family. None of the blood donors released from the prison had any knowledge of you or of Evanora, or even of magic.”
“Maybe they’re still down there?” A lot of vampires are still trapped in the partially collapsed tunnels, and DEFTA still has a team doing rescue operations, even though it’s been a couple of months now since Octavia set off those explosives.
Anna winces. “I don’t think so. All of the guards we’ve interviewed claim every one of the blood donors held down there escaped.”
My heart drops. I don’t think I fully realized until now, how badly I wanted the news to be different. In hindsight, Nora was immensely cruel to me my whole life, but I didn’t think she’d stoop this low, telling me my sisters and mother were alive when they’re not.
A huge part of me, a part I barely want to acknowledge, is still mourning Nora, and now I have to add my sisters and real mom to the list of people I’ve lost.
“Do not despair.” Anna shifts across the space dividing us. She sits next to me and takes my hands in hers. “I too understand the pain of losing one’s family. There is nothing so painful.”
I shake my head as I draw a long breath, warmed by the compassion and empathy in her eyes. “I don’t even remember them,” I tell her. “Not really. It’s nothing compared to how you lostyourfamily.”
After meeting Anna, I read up on how her parents, her sisters, her little brother and many of their family’s servants were executed, shot in a chaotic flurry of bullets in a small basement room from which she and her injured little brother escaped into the woods.
A hemophiliac, her little brother bled to death in her arms, but Anastasia was found, near death, by King Dunkan, who turned her into a vampire to save her life.
“My loss was a long time ago.” Squeezing my hands, she smiles softly. “And at least I had the privilege of knowing them for seventeen years. You did not have that time with your family.”
“Do you have news about the other vampires we mentioned?” We were all curious about what happened to Psycho and Gracen and the other vampires who were imprisoned by Octavia.
“Not specifically, no.” She shakes her head. “Many of the vampires Octavia locked up were also wanted for other crimes, crimes actually punishable under vampiric law. I only have information on the vampires our people have charged. The others, the ones whose only crimes were wronging Octavia, were released once they were questioned.”
“So, then…” Did Anna ask me here just to chat?
“Why did I ask you to come here today?” She laughs lightly. “Mostly, to get to know you better. I have a few questions for you. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” I’m flattered that this vampire princess wants to get to know me. “What would you like to know?”
“For starters, can you really walk in the light?”
I nod.
“And your three…your lovers?” Blush rises on her pale cheeks. “They too can walk in the light?”
I shrug. “Yup, we all can.”
Anna gets up quickly and paces across the room and back a few times, hands behind her back. Her aqua colored, silk gown swishes around her legs, and the look on her face gives me the feeling that she likes to move when she’s thinking. Her dress is made of gorgeous looking fabric, and fits her so well it was obviously made for her, but it seems very simple for something a princess would wear. No pearls or beads. Nothing fancy at all. Her dress actually looks super comfortable.
She turns back to me, with an expression that seems far too serious and wise for a body and face that belong to a teenager—even though I know she’s well over a hundred.
“I have no power to demand this, but might I request that you keep this information confidential?” she asks. “Both what your blood can do for vampires, and that the four of you can walk in daylight? At least until I consult with King Dunkan?”
“Not a problem.” I nod. “It’s not like I want to have every vampire in the world aiming their fangs at my throat.”
She laughs, bringing her fingers up in front of her lips. “I suppose not.” She sits next to me on the sofa and takes my hand in hers.
“You are wise for one who’s so young,” she says.
“Thank you.” I laugh. “It seems weird for you to call me young. You look like a teenager.” My cheeks heat. I shouldn’t have said that.
But she smiles and laughs softly. “It is true that I was but seventeen when I was turned, but I assure you, I am well over a hundred years old.” She pats my hand.
