Vampire Girl (13 page)

Ari holds her hand out to him. "Hi John, I'm Ari. Thanks so much for rushing to get this message here. You did a good job. After you speak to the stable master, hop over to the kitchen and tell Olga I said you should have some tea and cookies before you're sent back, okay?"

I raise an eyebrow at Ari, but I don't contradict her, at least not in front of everyone who is watching.

John looks to me, uncertain how to proceed with such odd orders. I just nod. "Do as the Princess says, boy. And be quick about it."

He nods, his face breaking into a smile, and runs to the stables.

I turn to Ari. "What was that about?"

She puts a hand on my arm. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, Fen. Didn't anyone ever teach you that?"

She's already walking towards the stables, and I jog to catch up, grumbling under my breath about flies. Who needs flies anyways?

––––––––

"You've never seen me fight."

—Fenris Vane

I
can hear
Fen mumbling his complaints. I ignore them. Olga had little to say about her master, but her silence told me enough. Fen's servants respect him, but they don't care for him. I see it in the way they stare at him when he's not looking, at the way they avert their gaze under his glare. Most of them are Fae. Slaves. It makes me want to hate Fen and his brothers. But, somehow, I don't.

I don't hate him. I find him frustrating and exasperating, but also... fascinating. There is a kind heart in there somewhere. I saw it last night when he let me sleep in his room, though I could tell he didn't want me to. I saw it the night he saved me back in my world, and then stayed all night watching movies with me. I see it in the way he treats Baron, and in the way he cares about his brothers.

There's good in him. I just need to nudge it out. Help him show these people he actually does care about them and their welfare.

When we arrive at the stables behind the castle, two horses are already prepared for us. This might be a good time to admit to Fen that I've never ridden a horse before. But I'm afraid he'll make me stay behind, so I don't tell him. I just watch as he mounts and try to copy what he does. I've seen movies. I know the gist. It can't be that hard, right?

My horse is beautiful. She's black with a white marking on her forehead, and her eyes stare at me with such wisdom. I do manage to make it onto her without falling on my ass. I pat my horse's neck. "What's her name?" I ask the stable master.

She's a stout woman with pointy ears and long sand colored hair that pulls into a tail at the base of her neck. Her face is wide and leathery and she looks like she's been living with these horses for all of eternity. "She's Diamond, and she should serve you well, Your Highness. The Prince picked her out for you himself."

I look over at Fen, surprised. "You did?"

He grunts. "I knew you would need something on which to get around."

"Thank you. She's amazing."

The stable master nods with approval. "That she is. She'll treat you good if you do her right."

Baron follows us as we walk our horses for a bit. I think I'm getting the hang of it, but I'm nervous that if Diamond starts to trot or run I'll lose control.

"I'm surprised the horses aren't spooked by Baron," I say, pulling Diamond up to the side of Fen and his horse.

"They've become acclimated to him, and he to them. It's an uneasy alliance, but it works." He takes us down to a dirt road and turns to me. "Are you ready to run? We need to get there fast."

I swallow, regretting my decision not to tell him about my lack of experience. But it's too late now. "Sure, let's do it."

He grins and makes a clicking sound, gently nudging his horse on the side. He picks up speed, so I copy him and Diamond begins to trot, then run. I grip her body with my knees, my knuckles holding on to the leather strap so hard I fear I'll break it. But I don't fall off. We ride fast down the path and through the woods until I begin to hear the sounds of people. Fen slows to a trot, then a walk as we reach a lumberyard. An area of trees has been cleared and piles of trunks line the grass. A machine that reminds me of a giant pizza cutter sits in the center, covered in black smoke. Men are scattered throughout the clearing, talking, pacing, drinking. Not working. There are no women, which I find odd. In fact, there are only male vampires, from what I can tell. Not a Fae or Shade amongst them.

They all turn in unison to face us, and I try not to embarrass myself as I dismount Diamond. "Thanks girl," I whisper into her ear. "You made me look good. I owe you a treat when we get back."

Fen, who apparently overheard me, gives me a lopsided grin and hands me an apple. I hold it out to Diamond, who wraps her large, soft horse lips around it and chomps it up.

A big, brawny man in flannel with a bushy red beard stomps up to Fen, two men flanking him. He's frowning. "We're done!" he says. "No man can work in conditions like this."

Fen crosses his arms over his chest. "You're not exactly men, are you?"

The man glares. "No demon neither."

"Where is Henrick?" Fen asks.

"I'm over here, Sir."

We both turn in the direction of the voice. Henrick lies on a wooden table under a tarp, his leg propped up and bandaged. His hair is blue and a black tattoo covers half his neck. Fen strides over to him. "What happened?"

"The wood cutter jammed. When I tried to clear it, the damn thing exploded on me. My leg is pretty ripped up."

"We'll get you patched up." Fen signals to several of the men standing around. "Take him to Navia in Stonehill. Tell her I sent you. He's to receive the best care, understood?"

"Yes, Sir," the men say.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Henrick says. He's far too pale and his jaw clenches in pain as he tries to talk. "We were already behind in production. There's no way we'll make the deadline before winter hits."

Fen nods sharply, but offers no other words. I walk over and lay a hand on Henrick's. "Just take care of yourself and heal. The rest will sort itself out. It always does."

Henrick looks startled by my touch. For that matter, so does Fen, but once again he chooses not to contradict me in front of others. Interesting. I'm sure we'll have a lively conversation about things later, once we're alone.

Just thinking about being alone with him makes my skin hot. I played it cool, acting like seeing him naked and touching his body didn't affect me. But lord, that was my biggest lie ever told. I can't get the image of that man out of my head. Or the feel of him off my skin. His scent alone makes me want things I shouldn't want. I still have to live with six other princes. I can't fall for Fen, not now. And besides, he's made it clear he has no desire to be King. He doesn't even want me to pick him. I'm setting myself up for heartbreak if I give my heart to a man who doesn't want it.

The men place Henrick on a cot on wheels and attach it to a horse, then begin guiding him slowly to town.

Fen faces those who remain. "We have a fortnight or two until winter hits. Once that happens, we will not be able to harvest trees until spring thaws the land. This wood needs to be used for fire, heat, cooking, and building, throughout the entire kingdom. It is our primary export. If we don't meet our quota, people everywhere will suffer. Now get back to work and make it happen. I'll take a look at the machine, but if I can't fix it right now, then cut and sort wood by hand like we did before my brother invented the cutter. In the meantime, I'll talk to Ace about potential design flaws."

There are grumbles as Fen walks over to the machine in question. A few men return to their work, using axes to cut the tree trunks into splintered wood or smaller logs. But the men who originally confronted Fen stand and glare at him as he works on the machine. I turn away to scan the rest of the clearing, walking amongst the logs that are piled and ready for distribution, and the trees still needing to be cut. The scent of pine and freshly cut wood fills the air, mixed with something more vinegar-like.

Sunlight filters through the tall canopies of the trees and I walk towards the woods, away from the repetitive sounds of steel hitting wood: chop chop chop. Towards the sound of running water. I'm hoping to find a stream where I can wait while Fen does his work. Something about those men makes me uneasy, and I'm beginning to regret coming with him, but it's important I know what kind of work this realm does. If I'm stuck here for all eternity, I'm going to make it work for me, which means making it better.

My dreams of being a lawyer and helping people that way might be over, but that doesn't mean I can't still affect change in the lives of those around me. And that's just what I intend to do, whether the princes of hell like it or not.

After a bit of searching, I find the stream. I can still hear the men working, but water trickling over rocks muffles the sound. I sit on a boulder in the shade of a sad looking willow tree whose branches extend over the river, dipping into it.

I watch a small red bird jump from rock to rock. This place is peaceful, serene, and—

A branch snaps behind me.

I spin around to face the intruder. It's the man with the red beard and flannel. The man who looked so angry at Fen when we arrived.

I stand and step back as he approaches me, his body invading my space as he breathes into my face. His breath smells of alcohol and his eyes roam over my body in a way that makes my skin crawl. "So you're the little bitch they brought to decide everyone's fate? What makes you so special, huh?" He brings his dirty hand to my face and grabs my chin so hard it hurts.

I shove his chest, but he doesn't budge. Of course not. He's a demon. A vampire. Strong. Too strong for me. "Get your hands off me," I hiss at him through clenched teeth. "You will not like what happens if you don't."

"Oh? What are you going to do? Tell the big, bad prince on me? You don't know who my family is, do you?"

He leans in close to my face and extends his sharp fangs, then sticks out his tongue and runs it over my cheek. "Do you taste as good as you smell, I wonder?"

I try to fight him off, but he pins me against the willow tree, his thick, sweaty body pressing against me until I can't breathe. His teeth slide along my neck, nearly piercing my skin.

I have no weapon, so I pull a branch off the tree and swing it at him, hitting him in the head.

His teeth are no longer at my neck, but his grip tightens around my arm. He looks much angrier than he did before. A bear riled from his sleep.

So I do what I've always been taught to do when under attack by a stranger. I scream. I scream so loud the man looks shocked. He squeezes my neck hard and slams my head against the tree. I hit with a painful thud, tripping over a branch, falling towards the water.

The man has a choice. Hold onto my neck and join me in the water, or let go. He lets go, but looks ready to follow, when a wolf growls from the top of a boulder behind him.

Baron jumps onto my attacker.

He bites him in the shoulder.

I scramble away, splashing out of the water, my heart pounding, my hands shaking. Baron pins the man down, his wolf teeth at the man's throat. I stand in the mud. "Doesn't feel so good having a predator at your throat, does it?" I ask.

Fen arrives a moment later and quickly takes in the scene. "What is going on here?" He's not asking me, he's asking the man pinned by Baron. "What did you do to the Princess?"

"I didn't do nothing! I swear!" The man is a mix of anger and panic. "Was just having a nice chat with the Princess when this beast attacked me for no reason."

Fen places a foot on the man's arm and presses in. Bones snap. A scream fills the air.

"Let's try this again," Fen says. "What did you do, Rodrigo?"

"She just smelled so good. You don't let us feed neither. Not proper-like. And I was thirsty!"

Baron growls again and Fen looks like he's about to lose his shit. This time I don't intervene or play nice. This time I want blood. Justice. Maybe vengeance. Something. I'm sick of men acting like they are entitled to the bodies of women just because they want them. I'm sick of this mentality, regardless of which world it's on. So I don't try to temper Fen's rage. Not with Rodrigo. I want the prince to unleash his own brand of wrath.

Fen lifts Rodrigo by his neck and Baron jumps off the man's chest, snapping at him just in case he forgets who's in charge. Then Fen drags Rodrigo through the woods, back to the center of the clearing where the other men wait. I follow, watching as my attacker attempts to get away from Fen, who doesn't seem to even break a sweat keeping hold of the bulky demon.

When we arrive, I see the cutter is working again, diligently chopping logs into smaller and smaller piles.

Fen throws the man into the center of the field. "Rodrigo seems to believe you are not being cared for properly. That my laws about feeding are too strict, that he is entitled to drink from the Princess
against her will.
Are any of you in agreement?"

All the men take a step back and look down at their feet, even the two who had stood by Rodrigo's side earlier.

"Very well, then we have just one traitor to deal with. Normally, I would sentence him to immediate execution for such an act against royalty. But I'm feeling generous today. So instead, I make his punishment a duel. To the death. Whichever one of us is left standing at the end, wins."

What? No, this isn't what I wanted. I tug at Fen's arm to get his attention. "Can I talk to you privately?"

He nods, then turns to the group. "Don't let him leave, or it'll be your head."

We walk far enough away that I hope others can't hear us. "You can't fight him to the death!" I say.

He chuckles. "Why not?"

"What if you get hurt?"

Now he laughs. "You think he has any chance against me? That's sweet, but you've clearly never seen me fight."

"I've seen you fight a few times actually. Things can go wrong."

He brushes a strand of hair from my face and smiles. "You've seen me spar. You've seen me battle while you were drugged and nearly unconscious. You've never seen me fight. I'll be fine. No one touches you like that and walks away." He heads back to the waiting men, and I follow him, my heart hammering in my chest.