At a guardโs announcement, somebody was making a heart-wrenching scream: her. โReign Hrudnand Eclipsis,โ the guard had announced. Hands were roughly shoving back down into her seat while she didnโt remember she had stood up. She would not back down without a fight. Her fist hit one vampireโs jaw. She dodged and struck. She was much faster and stronger than she had ever been, but all those came down to nothing against a group of vampires. โPlease stop,โ murmured a voice in her head. โFor me.โ โHow insolent! You dare communicate with my daughter right under my nose!โ Fragor roared inside and outside of her head. โIโm not your daughter. Reign!โ she raced to the doorway. Nobles stood still as though nothing strange was happening; how eerie. They were under some sort of spell or mental manipulation, she realized, just like the crowd along the way. Despite the earlier voice, he had yet to enter. Her father was seething on the throne behind her. Then he entered, wearing a wry smile. She
Danica did not blink at the word, โthe ritualโ. She did not care what he was going to do with her. Footsteps retreated and footsteps entered while she did not bother getting up from the floor. Pulling up her hood, her new attendant stopped by the bedside; she did not look like an attendant at all.โYou knowโฆโ said Eirene. โI came here to kill you.โโI know,โ she mumbled. โHow do you know?!โ her eyes widened.Danica got up, holding onto the edge of the bed to support herself. Her limbs felt heavy after days of no movement. โI saw you in the crowd the other day.โโYou couldnโt have possibly known myโโโHereโฆโ she looked at her in his glowing eyes. โIโve been a hunter for years. I could at least spot someone who wants to kill me. You probably thought I was a dumb bitch, didnโt you? How convenient you want to kill me. Do it now.โEirene showed her fangs. โNo. I changed my mind. You deserve to live suffering.โโOhโฆโ she breathed, disappointed. โYour father let me in even though he knew I
That did not surprise her. All of Fragorโs followers hardly consider her a princess anymore since they realized what she was for their king: a device. This sentinel must think the same. He must not feel the need to grace her with a response.She left the chair and went to the wardrobes where she had found the blanket, all along feeling a hawk-like gaze on her back. It seemed her remaining few days would be even more suffocating than her previous days. While Eirene hadnโt given a damn about her well-being, she had kept her good company most days.This new personโฆ she sighed, placing the blanket in the far corner where she had found it. She went to the bed and sat down in the middle. There was no scenery to look out. No sunlight. She had wondered how the sun would feel against her skin since the seal on her arm was gone and she was a hybrid. Hours must have passed while she was sitting on the bed and the person at the door had yet to move at all. She got down from the bed to take a bath
In the wind, his sentinel cloak was flapping. It tickled her calves below her nightdress. The garden below was in pandemonium just like in the tower. She registered all those noises vaguely while she was too aware of the single presence, the male holding her.“We’re going back in,” he warned.In one swift movement, he lifted both of them back into the tower. Once their feet touched the bathroom floor, he stood face to face with her and leaned down gently, cornering her against the half-broken window. Along the ragged window frame, he placed his hands, seemingly unaware the sun was hurting them.She stared when he spoke, unable to take her eyes off of him.“I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight. It was my fault,” he murmu
After a long, frustrating flight and drive, Danica was finally back in Brickland, Umbre. Along the way, she had yet to meet a single person who did not recognize her as an alleged-criminal-turned-princess. Some stared at her, whispering between one another, and othersโespecially teenage girlsโwould surround her and try to take photographs with her, and of her.โI donโt want you to take my pictures. Please. Please!โNobody gave a damn. They would press their faces next to hers and would take selfies while her face ended up grimacing or contorting. A few would caption their photos and upload them to their social media accounts, right under her eyes.Their hashtags, #withcc, #ccandme #atairport, #milestonemoment, etc., etc. CC meant Cinderella Convict, apparently to someone who practically shouted that to her face. One group of teenage boys even asked her, โAre you hungry now? Do you want to bite me?โโNo. I donโt have bloodlusts.โโReally?โThey looked disappointed while some girls gav
Patrons went back to their noisy selves although several were still staring at her. โWho cares if youโre someoneโs fiancee or not?โ he grinned. โBy the way, did he tell you? That I saved his life.โโYeah, Marc is a hero,โ said Loyd, looking at him fondly. โHe saved the vampire kingโs life.โShe took the glass Marie was handing her. โNow that I think about it, yeah, he almost told me about you. I think he was saying, โYour friend...โ when I started screaming about going back.โโYou shouted at him. Now youโre a hero,โ Loyd pitched in. She noticed some tables went silent around her. She ignored them and swallowed. The scene in the throne-room from five months ago replayed in her mind.โThank you, Marc,โ she said seriously. โWhat did you do?โโItโs nothing,โ he sighed. โCompared to what he had suffered. Iโve never met someone likeโฆ your boyfriend. Heโs your boyfriend, right? Excluding Loyd obviously; he is the most amazing. Anyway, I was at the palace gate when the evil vampire king was
โWhat is it?โ she questioned, pretending to be angry. โYou have nothing to be jealous of, do you?โโI wouldnโt dare, Your Royal Highness,โ Marc joked. โItโs just, you guys were not even kissing, but the tension was so high. We were afraid you guys might burn down the building.โโYep. Yep,โ Marie agreed vehemently.โYou guys trust him now?โ interrupted Sage. โStop, Sage,โ protested Marc, but the other one continued, โAnd you, you donโt care about her. Why are you even here?โDanica was worried Reign would do something to him and prepared to stand between them.But, he merely responded, โI am starting to regret that I healed you. I probably shouldโve let you crippled for your entire life.โShe spun around and faced him. โYou healed him?!โโYes, my darling,โ he smiled, lighting up the entire apartment, or the entire building perhaps.โThe vampire princeโsorryโking could smile?โ Loyd remarked, sounding dumbstruck.โIโve seen him smile,โ retorted Marc.โIโve seen it on the net too. But, i
โWait, Your Highness! Your outfit! How silly of me.โThe woman gestured to her assistants, who gingerly carried what she was going to wear for this evening over to her. She stared at her dress in a daze; it was easily the most beautiful gown she had ever seen. The sleeveless, low-cut dress was neither black nor silver, or both perhaps. It shone whenever it moved in their hands. Delicate forest green laces were sprinkled withโฆdiamonds.She swallowed the urge to refuse it, biting down on her lips not to slip that it was too expensive and she couldnโt accept it. Unlike the other dresses she had received from him, this felt so different. This gorgeous dress was full of his adoration for her; she looked away, blushing at her thought.After she put that on with their help, she stood before the mirror they had removed from her wall. Her lips were a few shades darker than her red hair; her cheeks appeared naturally flushed; and her eyes looked glittering, just like all the jewels over her bod
When he led her down the stairs, she eyed Marie, who was biting her lips and giving her a conspiratory look. An hour later, she was in his mansion, having lost the crowd at last. Marc and Loyd arrived with Marie, Both whining they would have come sooner if they had known. In the garden, they sat down for dinner, five of them. Reign asked Mr. Hacke to join and the old man cried before he took a seat at the table. โYouโre coming with me back to the kingdom, my darling,โ he announced, in the middle of their noisy chats.โAm I? Why?โ she set down her fork. โAre youโฆgiving me orders? Already?โHe tilted his head, candle lights half-shadowing his face. โIf youโd love to stay behind, of course you can. Iโm not giving you an order. Chaos could break out soon without me or you with the remnants ofโฆโ he halted as though searching for words, โmy enemy. I simply thought youโd agree with me to come along.โShe looked down at her plate.โIโm sorry I brought this up at our engagement dinner.โ He k
โCut!โ the directorโs voice boomed. Nova slumped her shoulders and dared a peek at his direction. This was the 51st take of one single scene and the sunlight was burning her in her voluptuous Snow White costume. This was how a vampire would feel under the sun, she thought sarcastically. โSnow Whiteโs supposed to be sad thinking about her late mother.โ he shook his head. โYou looked freaked the hell out. This is her birthday. She is โlonelyโ. Again!โ Her jaws felt so stiff, almost paralyzed with trying to get into that sad smile the director wanted for hours straight. Before she was ready, the director shouted, โAction!โ She looked at the giant birthday cake and sighed. โHappy 16th Birthday, Princess,โ said the co-actress. She smiled wryly, or tried to. Thankfully, it worked! โCut.โ Director Clark rose from the chair. โGood job, everyone.โ She exhaled in relief, before slumping down into a nearby chair. For todayโs scenes which started at six am in the morning, she had to wake
โWait, Your Highness! Your outfit! How silly of me.โThe woman gestured to her assistants, who gingerly carried what she was going to wear for this evening over to her. She stared at her dress in a daze; it was easily the most beautiful gown she had ever seen. The sleeveless, low-cut dress was neither black nor silver, or both perhaps. It shone whenever it moved in their hands. Delicate forest green laces were sprinkled withโฆdiamonds.She swallowed the urge to refuse it, biting down on her lips not to slip that it was too expensive and she couldnโt accept it. Unlike the other dresses she had received from him, this felt so different. This gorgeous dress was full of his adoration for her; she looked away, blushing at her thought.After she put that on with their help, she stood before the mirror they had removed from her wall. Her lips were a few shades darker than her red hair; her cheeks appeared naturally flushed; and her eyes looked glittering, just like all the jewels over her bod
โWhat is it?โ she questioned, pretending to be angry. โYou have nothing to be jealous of, do you?โโI wouldnโt dare, Your Royal Highness,โ Marc joked. โItโs just, you guys were not even kissing, but the tension was so high. We were afraid you guys might burn down the building.โโYep. Yep,โ Marie agreed vehemently.โYou guys trust him now?โ interrupted Sage. โStop, Sage,โ protested Marc, but the other one continued, โAnd you, you donโt care about her. Why are you even here?โDanica was worried Reign would do something to him and prepared to stand between them.But, he merely responded, โI am starting to regret that I healed you. I probably shouldโve let you crippled for your entire life.โShe spun around and faced him. โYou healed him?!โโYes, my darling,โ he smiled, lighting up the entire apartment, or the entire building perhaps.โThe vampire princeโsorryโking could smile?โ Loyd remarked, sounding dumbstruck.โIโve seen him smile,โ retorted Marc.โIโve seen it on the net too. But, i
Patrons went back to their noisy selves although several were still staring at her. โWho cares if youโre someoneโs fiancee or not?โ he grinned. โBy the way, did he tell you? That I saved his life.โโYeah, Marc is a hero,โ said Loyd, looking at him fondly. โHe saved the vampire kingโs life.โShe took the glass Marie was handing her. โNow that I think about it, yeah, he almost told me about you. I think he was saying, โYour friend...โ when I started screaming about going back.โโYou shouted at him. Now youโre a hero,โ Loyd pitched in. She noticed some tables went silent around her. She ignored them and swallowed. The scene in the throne-room from five months ago replayed in her mind.โThank you, Marc,โ she said seriously. โWhat did you do?โโItโs nothing,โ he sighed. โCompared to what he had suffered. Iโve never met someone likeโฆ your boyfriend. Heโs your boyfriend, right? Excluding Loyd obviously; he is the most amazing. Anyway, I was at the palace gate when the evil vampire king was
After a long, frustrating flight and drive, Danica was finally back in Brickland, Umbre. Along the way, she had yet to meet a single person who did not recognize her as an alleged-criminal-turned-princess. Some stared at her, whispering between one another, and othersโespecially teenage girlsโwould surround her and try to take photographs with her, and of her.โI donโt want you to take my pictures. Please. Please!โNobody gave a damn. They would press their faces next to hers and would take selfies while her face ended up grimacing or contorting. A few would caption their photos and upload them to their social media accounts, right under her eyes.Their hashtags, #withcc, #ccandme #atairport, #milestonemoment, etc., etc. CC meant Cinderella Convict, apparently to someone who practically shouted that to her face. One group of teenage boys even asked her, โAre you hungry now? Do you want to bite me?โโNo. I donโt have bloodlusts.โโReally?โThey looked disappointed while some girls gav
In the wind, his sentinel cloak was flapping. It tickled her calves below her nightdress. The garden below was in pandemonium just like in the tower. She registered all those noises vaguely while she was too aware of the single presence, the male holding her.“We’re going back in,” he warned.In one swift movement, he lifted both of them back into the tower. Once their feet touched the bathroom floor, he stood face to face with her and leaned down gently, cornering her against the half-broken window. Along the ragged window frame, he placed his hands, seemingly unaware the sun was hurting them.She stared when he spoke, unable to take her eyes off of him.“I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight. It was my fault,” he murmu
That did not surprise her. All of Fragorโs followers hardly consider her a princess anymore since they realized what she was for their king: a device. This sentinel must think the same. He must not feel the need to grace her with a response.She left the chair and went to the wardrobes where she had found the blanket, all along feeling a hawk-like gaze on her back. It seemed her remaining few days would be even more suffocating than her previous days. While Eirene hadnโt given a damn about her well-being, she had kept her good company most days.This new personโฆ she sighed, placing the blanket in the far corner where she had found it. She went to the bed and sat down in the middle. There was no scenery to look out. No sunlight. She had wondered how the sun would feel against her skin since the seal on her arm was gone and she was a hybrid. Hours must have passed while she was sitting on the bed and the person at the door had yet to move at all. She got down from the bed to take a bath
Danica did not blink at the word, โthe ritualโ. She did not care what he was going to do with her. Footsteps retreated and footsteps entered while she did not bother getting up from the floor. Pulling up her hood, her new attendant stopped by the bedside; she did not look like an attendant at all.โYou knowโฆโ said Eirene. โI came here to kill you.โโI know,โ she mumbled. โHow do you know?!โ her eyes widened.Danica got up, holding onto the edge of the bed to support herself. Her limbs felt heavy after days of no movement. โI saw you in the crowd the other day.โโYou couldnโt have possibly known myโโโHereโฆโ she looked at her in his glowing eyes. โIโve been a hunter for years. I could at least spot someone who wants to kill me. You probably thought I was a dumb bitch, didnโt you? How convenient you want to kill me. Do it now.โEirene showed her fangs. โNo. I changed my mind. You deserve to live suffering.โโOhโฆโ she breathed, disappointed. โYour father let me in even though he knew I