Page 54 of Fated to the Vampire Prince
I shook my head. He could have his joke. I wouldn’t select Devlinn, and that was that. But as each of the remainingapplicants undid their robe, I found every male had a shade of auburn hair ranging from bright red to strawberry blond.
Once all of them were introduced, I glared at the vampire beside me, who was now openly grinning. What a slimy, manipulative toad.
“Is there a problem?” he asked, replying with the same overly sweet voice I’d used with him.
I had two choices. The first was to scream at him for being so controlling. So manipulative. Or, I could swallow my fear of these witches in order to prove a point. Besides, Bastien had unknowingly given me a gift. Witches of the Darkness knew the location of relics. They would be useful to my mission.
Steeling my nerve, I rolled my shoulders back and raised my chin.“There’s no problem at all, Your Grace. These applicants are all wonderful.” I swallowed hard, watching as the smile on his face shrank. Keeping my tone as pleasant as possible, I raised a brow and added, “Don’t you agree?”
Bastien frowned, and he ripped open the connection between us while ten half-naked strangers watched on. The force of it left me disoriented as his voice sounded inside my head.“Has your opinion of Dark Witches changed since you threw a chair at one?”
My hands landed on my hips.“Did she tell you I threw a chair at her? Because I very well did not.”
I told myself to keep my cool, but I was boiling on the inside.
Bastien lifted his cane, waving it between us.“Are you willing to take one as a consort?”
“As long as they’re good at their job, I don’t care.”
He slammed his cane against the floor so hard that the sound reverberated off the vaulted ceilings, but I didn’t move. I stood toe to toe, hating every inch of him.
His love for the dark craft knew no ends. He kept at least nine Dark Witches at his castle, and he pledged to retrieve demonic relics from the Lawless Lands for the likes of Shreesa.
YetIwas an abomination to him.Iwas something to regret.
“Fine,”he said, fixing his cravat.“Make your selection.”
I closed the connection between us like I was slamming a door. Bastien glared back at me but didn’t move.
I realized ten sets of eyes were staring at us with a mixture of humor and confusion. I supposed it would be strange to watch two grown adults have a silent debate. Sheepishly, I smoothed a hand down my bodice, attempting to regain my composure as I reengaged with the group of people before me.
Bastien, however, did not. His hair was a mess from running his fingers through it and he was gripping his cane like it was a sword. I shrugged off his reaction and turned my attention back to the task at hand.
Who to choose? I had no way of knowing which one would skin me alive or curse me in my sleep. My gaze rolled over to the woman standing on the left, and an idea struck. I trusted no one’s opinion more than one of Diana’s chosen. She would know who to pick.“Tansy,” I said, taking a step closer. Mindful of the horde of Dark Witches staring at me.
“Miss Claire,” she said, dipping into another curtsy.
Trying to maintain composure, I asked, “Which of these men would you say is the best?” Her brown eyes met mine, and I wished she could speak inside my head like Bastien could. “If you were me, which one of these men do you choose?” I clarified when she didn’t respond.
Without flinching, Tansy replied, “Devlinn, Miss Claire.” My gaze shifted to the man beside her. “He’s funny, clever, and he has a tongue like you wouldn’t believe.”
The two exchanged a heated glance, and the red-haired witch beside her grinned like the demon he was. Tansy spoke as if she had firsthand experience with him, and I couldn’t believe a Witch of the Light would ever…kissa Dark Witch. But apparently, I had much to learn about the world outside Prideaux Hill.
“That’s good to hear,” I forced myself to say, throat dry. “I choose Tansy and Devlinn as my consorts, so long as they’re willing.”
They both looked at each other and nodded. “Yes, Miss Claire. We’d be honored.”
“I’ll reserve selection of my third for another day.”
Robes were tied and hoods were raised, then eight of the original ten filed out of the room as quietly as they came in. Once the four of us were alone, Devlinn and Tansy removed their robes fully, shamelessly puddling the black silk at their feet.
“Oh, I…” I started, not knowing how to tell them I wasn’t ready for this. My fear rose, twisting in my stomach, and I tried not to look to Bastien for help. But I didn’t need to. The vampire’s voice was tender against my ear, and his cool breath tickled over my skin.
“You don’t have to do anything you’re not prepared to do. You can simplywatch.”
I regarded him with new curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said, pausing, “they can touch each other. If that’s something you’d like to watch and they’d like to do. You don’t have to participate.”
