Page 12 of Royal Bite
She snatched her hand back from him and stared at the castle.
“You are lying,” she whispered. Her pulse thundered in her ears. She stepped back, falling against the SUV. Were they playing a cruel trick on her? Did someone know how much of a crush she had on the princess?
“A draft match is nothing lie about. We take this very seriously. It is true. You have been matched with none other than the heir to the throne.” Blondie stood firm, staring at her.
She swallowed hard. She had lost count of how many times she had fantasized about being mated to the vampire princess. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she would be matched to her.
“Come.” Dark Hair strode around the truck and motioned for her to follow him.
It took her a few attempts before her legs were able to move on their own. She walked behind him while Blondie ambled along beside her.
The castle was a large and imposing structure made of stone. It was giving off fairy-tale vibes, and Stormey couldn’t wait to see what it looked like during the day. It was sure to be a magnificent building. She had only seen pictures of it in the news or the papers.
The doors opened, and a gentleman dressed in a suit stood waiting for them. He had to be the butler of the residence. All places like this had one. She wondered if he was a human or vampire.
“We have Miss Jaymes for the princess,” Dark Hair announced.
They arrived at the top of the stairs and stood on the landing. The elderly man’s eyes swiveled toward Stormey. He did a quick perusal of her, but she was unable to read his expression.
“The princess is not here. She is away on business, but we will get Miss Jaymes settled,” the butler said.
Dark Hair handed him Stormey’s bag.
“Miss Jaymes, Edward will take care of you from here,” Blondie said.
He and Dark Hair stepped down a few stairs. She turned to them and offered them a warm smile.
“Thank you for escorting me here,” Stormey said.
They both gave her a nod.
“Will I see you again?” she asked. “I don’t even know your names.”
“I am Elwin, and this is Caleb,” Dark Hair replied.
“Thank you, Elwin and Caleb. I will remember your kindness.” She gave them a tiny wave and entered the castle.
“Your Grace. Are you sure we should be here?” Corbin exclaimed. He strolled along next to her.
Hegna Riskel sensed the worried gaze of her trusted advisor. Corbin had been by her side for well over a century. His advice was always sound, but tonight, Hegna wanted to make bad decisions.
She was the oldest daughter of the vampire king and queen. It was she who had been deemed the heir to the throne. She was always supposed to play by the rules, do what was expected of her. In truth, she had no problems doing what was expected of her, but there were certain aspects of her life where she wanted to maintain control.
And deciding when to mate and who to mate was one of them. A scowl formed as she thought of her mother’s treachery.
How dare she enter Hegna into that wretched draft without consulting her. This was not the right time for her to be matched with a mate. There were more important factors she had to worry about. Such as this bitch of an alpha wolf who’d decided to wage war against the vampire nation.
That was top priority.
Not falling in love.
She wouldn’t give in to the mating bond. She wouldn’t be a slave to the notion that one other person was her sole purpose in life. As a future queen, she had to think of every vampire in the nation. Only she determined her fate. When that time came, Hegna preferred to have some sort of say-so.
But that had been taken from her the day her mother, the queen, had entered her daughters into the draft.
One day in the future, Hegna would sit on the throne as queen, ruling the vampire nation. Once her people were at peace then it would be appropriate to find a mate. Not when they were seconds away from a war again with the lycans. She bit back a snarl at the thought of the lycan alpha causing waves in their lives.
“I can go anywhere I damn well please,” Hegna growled.
