Chapter 3

Three days after moving out of the castle, I settled into a penthouse in a downtown skyscraper.

No prince’s orders. No clan duties. No endless nights of Dreamweaving.

For the first time in centuries, I was enjoying true peace.

I was standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, swirling the red liquid in my glass, when my phone rang.

“Lydia!” Regent Marcus’s voice was frantic. “You have to come back!”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, unconcerned.

“The Blood Moon Awakening! The blood moon is in four days, but…” his voice trembled, “the preparations for the ritual… they’re a disaster!”

I almost laughed.

“That’s not my problem, Marcus. You have a new princess.”

“But Josie doesn’t understand any of it! The formula for the First-born’s blood, the ancient incantations, how to commune with the Progenitor… She knows nothing!”

“And what does she say?”

Marcus went quiet for a moment. “She says she’ll learn… but we only have four days! Lydia, if the ritual fails, the entire clan will lose its Warding!”

I took a sip of my “wine.” “That does sound serious.”

“So, will you come back and help?” Marcus pleaded. “Even just to guide Josie…”

“Give me the phone.”

A sharp female voice snatched the phone. Josie.

“Lydia, don’t listen to Marcus’s rambling,” she snapped. “I’ve been studying for three days. The Blood Moon Awakening isn’t that complicated. It’s just chanting a few spells and spilling some blood, right?”

I nearly choked on my drink.

“Josie, are you sure you understand the nature of the ritual?”

“Of course! I’m not an idiot,” she said smugly. “And I’ve already prepared everything we need. You just wait and see my flawless performance!”

The line went dead.

I shook my head and went back to enjoying the quiet night.

Three days later was the opening of my human friend Chloe’s modern art exhibition.

I arrived at the gallery in a silver couture gown just as the reception was starting.

“Esteemed guests, if I could have your attention,” the gallery director announced over the speakers. “We are here tonight to witness the debut of a brilliant new artist…”

I found a sofa in a quiet corner, ready to admire the art, when I heard a familiar voice.

“Oh, great Progenitor, bear witness to our bond…”

My eyes caught a shimmer in the air over a VIP section cordoned off by velvet ropes. A glamour. A cheap one, meant to hide them from human eyes.

Through it, I saw Milton in a black tuxedo, holding hands with Josie, who was dressed in a white lace gown. They were performing their bonding ceremony in front of a group of clan members disguised as guests.

They were actually doing this in an art gallery?

Even with a glamour, the risk was insane.

“…grant us eternal passion and glory for our clan…”

Milton continued his vows, completely unaware of my presence.

I was about to slip away, but Josie’s sharp voice cut through the air.

“Lydia! What are you doing here?”

Every vampire inside the glamour turned to look at me.

Milton’s face paled. “Lydia? Why are you here?”

I stood up and walked through the thin glamour, my composure intact. “I’m here for my friend’s art show.”

“A friend’s art show?” Josie looked at me with suspicion. “You’re not here to ruin our ceremony, are you?”

“Ruin it?” I scoffed. “Why would I do that?”

Milton rushed toward me, his eyes a mix of confusion and accusation. “You… are you here to bond with another vampire?”

I blinked, then realized his mistake.

“No, Milton. I’m here for my friend Chloe’s art exhibition. A human one.” I gestured to the oblivious human guests outside the glamour. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“Then why this gallery?” Josie demanded. “Of all the places in the city, you had to pick this one?”

“Because the curator chose it,” I answered calmly. “More importantly, I expected you to use the clan’s sacred ground. Not… this. Hiding in a human art gallery behind a shoddy, temporary glamour.”

“Modern?” I scanned the shabby setup. “Is that why a human event planner is reading from a script instead of our elders? At least the elders speak for the Progenitor. And what about the Secrecy Mandate? One spiritually sensitive human wanders in here and it’s all over. Have you even thought about the consequences?”

Josie’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Those old relics and their rules are too much trouble!”

I shook my head. “You have no reverence, yet you expect the Progenitor to recognize your bond?”

“Our bond doesn’t need your approval!” Josie seethed. “And I’m fully prepared for the Blood Moon Awakening. I’ll prove I’m a worthy princess then!”

Milton puffed out his chest proudly. “That’s right. Josie has a real talent for rituals.”

Just then, Milton’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, a smug smile spreading across his face. “It must be the elders, calling to praise Josie’s preparations.”

He confidently pressed the speaker button.

A heartbeat later, Elder Amelia’s fury erupted from the speaker, so powerful it made the very air inside the glamour tremble.

“Prince Milton! What have you done?!” she shrieked, her voice trembling with rage. “The clan’s Wards have completely collapsed! The Sun’s Curse has returned to our lands!”