Alina
In the golden and red hues of the twilight, the Constantium looked like a magnificent giant with its high towers and angel statues. The mountain now had an opening. Its doors which were in the shape of a cave were open for the ceremony.
Athena, now in a gorgeous ankle length lavender lace dress encrusted with diamonds and paired up with sapphire drop earrings, came to stand on my right while Selene, in an ankle length maroon dress with full sleeves and diamond embroidery, stood on my left. The queen wore a floor-length red dress with golden embroidery along with her crown and gold earrings. Another girl who looked like a female version of Erick, only smaller, stood next to her with a green embroidered dress. That must be Susan, Erick’s second elder sister. In fact, everyone around me was glittering in some of the best designer dresses I had ever laid eyes on. I couldn’t even get started on Miaka. She wor
Alina“Papa?” I looked at Erick, visibly stunned. “B-But... how?”“Humans are not allowed inside the Constantium unless you’re the bride.” He tapped my nose with his index finger. “But no one said he can’t come to the castle.”I turned around and threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you!” I gasped out.You have no idea what this means to me!Anything for my lovely wife.He chuckled.It struck me anew that we were married now, something I had never thought possible right from the beginning and an idea I had always thought repulsive, especially after that incident. Now, here I am, married to the Vampire Prince on my own accord. I had no idea when I had come to trust him and to like him. But I knew now that I would never leave him, just like I knew that he would never leave me.I broke away from hi
MiakaIt was three hours after Erick and his new bride teleported out that I heard it— the distinctive noise of an unknown footstep in the hallway.My senses were growing more acute with each passing day. Soon enough, I would be able to blend into the shadows so perfectly that I won’t cause any sound. Soon, I would be as still as the darkness itself. I was beginning to grow faster than anyone had expected. Today, it was that underdeveloped ability that caused me to slow down several times as I followed the intruder.Almost everyone had gone to bed, except for a few who stayed behind at the bar or were simply strolling around the castle grounds. Their footsteps were continuous enough that I’d made out their pattern. Well, it was that or counting imaginary sheep jumping over my bed. But this one was new. It sounded like whoever it was had a purpose, but I couldn’t really tell. So I followed be
Alina“You’re transitioning into a vampire.”I didn’t think the words had sunk in yet.Erick was currently on the phone, talking a mile a minute and in languages that didn’t quite exist in the Earthly vocabulary, while I sat on our bed, staring at my hands as if I’d magically found the answers to what happened tonight written on them.This was a first for me. I was never the person to stay this quiet in the eye of the storm. Usually, I would just faint, but today, I felt a strange sense of calmness that was so unlike myself that I kept on wondering exactly how long it’ll take for the words to sink in or if it ever would.“You’re transitioning into a vampire.”“Alina?” Erick’s voice was gentle and careful as if approaching a panicked wild animal that was outwardly calm but could turn into a hissing mo
Erick“Where is he?” I barged into the throne room without knocking, Kendrick in tow. My father was in the midst of a conversation with his general, Vishal.“In the dungeons. We were just heading there for the questioning,” Father spoke in an even tone, but I knew he was seething inside. Emiel and his goons had taken out ten of our finest guards.“The soldiers?” Kendrick asked Vishal.“Disabled,” was Vishal’s curt reply. “They were of little use after the possession faded. We plan on sacrificing them to our Lord tonight.”Sacrificing to the Lord meant they would be slain in the Constantium. Their blood will be offered to Hades as an offering. That was a good idea. They were no better than rotting vegetables now that they had been possessed. Weaker vampires couldn’t handle possession by an Ancient, but a strong vampire like Emiel was a whole differ
AlinaGasping in deep breaths, I woke up with a start. I felt like my lungs were on fire, and my body felt even worse. It felt like I have been running for hours. Now, everything hurt to the point that I saw black spots cloud my vision. No! Closing my eyes, I let the pain wash over with teeth gritting strength. It took a long time to subside, but I didn’t give in to unconsciousness.I moaned in pain as my body cramped, and my hands flew to my chest to makes sure my rib cage was whole. It still was. I was having a nightmare. It had to be. There was no way Erick would try to hurt me. It had to be a nightmare.I felt the pulse of the mating bond in my head and felt relief flood me from the inside. Erick was near me. He had to be.I opened my eyes again, blinking rapidly, only to find everything extremely hazy. I panicked. Flailing my hands around, I tried to get a grasp of where I was. They said that when one sen
Erick“Why didn’t you warn me before, damn it! Why didn’t you tell me?” The table in front of me cracked in the middle, its contents falling to the floor. Glass shattered to a million multi-coloured pieces.“That’s because you have this vexatious anger with anything that has to do with Emiel that blinds you to the truth. You just don’t listen to any other recourse!” This was the first time Ken had ever raised his voice at me, but I was too blinded by anger to care.“He took Alina, Kendrick!” I gritted out. “My bond to her is gone. It just shut down, and I have no other way of contacting her. She might be hurt, Ken! Why didn’t you warn me the second that piece of trash uttered a single word?”“Are you even listening to yourself, Erick? That piece of trash is your brother, and he risked his own life to try to warn me!” Ken snapped back. &
AlinaI watched in horror as the thing sitting on the throne moved its head to look down at me. Just like in my dreams, this monster was made up of only flesh and bones, but his condition seemed far worse.Maggots crawled out of the hollow spaces that were the eyes, staring out of a skeletal face. Muscles and skin hung loose on the exposed parts of his body. There was blood dripping onto the floor in a constant rhythm, and his clothes were drenched in it. But the most horrifying fact was the number of bodies that were scattered all around him. I tried and failed to keep the bile down my throat and ended up retching at the sight of half-rotten corpses of hundreds of men and women that lay scattered by the monster’s feet with their hollow chests. Their rib cage wastorn open like egg shells to expose their heartless bodies.“Your assumption’s correct, my lovely granddaughter.” Aaron ca
Erick“Arctic Blade?”Mother sounded just as surprised as Father. “I haven’t heard of any such blade, son. I’ve already asked the elder historian, but he doesn’t have any idea what it could be.”Both my parents had no clue about the existence of the Arctic Blade, and neither did Emiel. This led me to the only option I had left: the Dark Council that was out of my reach as of now. Which was appropriate since the Ancient itself was a mage of unparalleled power.“No,” Ken answered, “I don’t know of any such blade, but the Chrone might.”“Ken, Merida hates me,” I said, referring to Ken’s grandmother, the elder of his coven of mages. “She’s always been against you becoming a part of the Vampire Royal Guard.” Ken, however, was no longer a guard. He commanded the Royal Guard itself, but Merida Blackbur
For The Last ChristmasA The Vampire’s Bride Christmas BonusZaira sat crouched in front of the high walls that surrounded the old manor. According to some very reliable sources, this particular vampire had chosen the most obvious of clichés and decided to reside in an old castle that scared the crap out of even the most badass hunters.Zaira contemplated going in guns blazing since her spies had informed her that only a single vampire inhabited the manor, but then she looked up at the darkening sky and knew that she was at a disadvantage. Even though it was only around one in the afternoon, dark clouds had gathered in the sky out of nowhere, and it kept getting darker by the minute. Soon, there wouldn’t be any difference between day and night.It’s gonna be a white Christmas this year, Zaira thought to herself as she looked away from the sky and took out a gun from her thigh holster. Sing
Secret SantaErickAlina stood in the middle of the Grand Hall, her dress a stunning gold with intricate flowers embroidered from one shoulder to the other. That same embroidery was present on the skirt of her gown, thin at first, but they flared out at the end. Her hair was in loose curls down her back and her green eyes sparkled with fake joy that only people closer to her would understand. She looked like a glorious golden goddess who would rather be anywhere other than the Royal Christmas Party.
Interview for The Vampire’s BrideFor AlinaYour relationship with Erick didn’t start out so well. Is it hard to fall in love with a man you thought caused your miseries?Alina: Falling in love with Erick had never been the hard part. The hard part had been to accept the fact that I had. We’d
Erick and Alina’s Great EscapeAlina“I am so done with this!” I slammed the humongous book shut and would’ve thrown it across the room if I had the strength to lift the damn thing.Emiel pushed his spectacles down his nose to witness my tantrum before burying his nose back into another book. He didn’t really need the spectacles, vampires being unable to have any diseases unless they were magically induced, but Emiel apparently likes to look nerdy.“Is something the matter, highness?” A maid poked her head from another isle. By now, it seems everyone was accustomed to my tantrums.“Where on Earth is Erick?” I snapped at her, needing an outlet for my frustration.“His Highness is having a meeting with the Nobles.” The maid answered, head bowed.“Argh!” I grunted and stomped out of the library and headed straight for o
EpilogueAlinaSix months laterThe Royal Castle was abuzz.Flowers were being brought in, curtains were being changed, fancy dresses and glittering diamond jewellery were donned by pretty maidens, and elaborate attires were worn by the gentlemen. It was a day of celebration and a day to rejoice. After all, Erick and I were being crowned today.We had to go through another one of those cleansing rituals and then ushered into different rooms to get dressed. Come to think of it, Erick and I had been too busy for the last six months that we barely had a proper conversation with each other; me with lessons after lessons on vampire culture, dancing, and etiquette, and Erick with learning statecraft from the nobles.It was in these six months that I had come to learn exactly how attached I have become to Erick. It was like he was so near, yet still far enough that I couldn’t reach him.
Alina“How are you feeling?”“Like I’ve spent enough time in this damned place and am ready to finally move out.”“But you know that’s not possi—”“Of course, it is, Alina!” Papa sat up straight, taking my hands in his wrinkled, trembling ones. He looked far too old for his age, yet he looked happy. “Darling, I’ve already spent a long time here, and it’s enough. The doctors have done all they could. They tried everything in their power, but they can’t do any more than they already have. It’s time I live my remaining days reminiscing about the life I’ve had. I want to relive every memory I’ve cherished, and I can’t do that if I’m here. It’s time you let me go.”I understood what he was trying to tell me, but I just couldn’t imagine a life without him. I’ve been
Alina“What’s going on? What is she chanting?” Erick yelled at Kendrick, the howling winds making it near impossible to listen to anything.“It’s the transfusion spell!” There was urgency in Kendrick’s voice as he turned to face me. “Alina, your transformation isn’t complete yet. Do you know about anything that connects you to Tuhin? Something that Tuhin or Aaron had given you?”“The necklace!” Erick and I said in unison.“Aaron said only Tuhin can remove it from me. I tried to, but it electrocuted my hand,” I yelled at Erick as the chanting got nearer and nearer.“I think I can get it off,” Erick replied then unsheathed a huge sword with a blade completely made of ice. “Hold up the strings.”I did as he told but removed my hand as soon as sparks began to dance on the surface of the penda
Erick“Erick!” Both Kendrick and my mother were by my side as I teleported back to the throne room of the castle.“Oh God, Erick! You’re freezing!” Mother knelt down next to my slouched form on the floor.“We don’t have time, Kendrick. We must leave right now,” I told him while gathering my strength to get up again. “Emiel, you’re coming too.”“Me?” Emiel asked, eyes wide in surprise.“Yes.” I made that conscious decision moments ago. “You’ve been their bitch for long enough. You just might come in handy.”“But Erick, we still don’t know the location of Aaron’s hideout,” Kendrick pointed out.“I might be able to help with that.”“Erick, take the guards—”“We can’t, Father. If we take the guards, we&rsqu
Erick“Arctic Blade?”Mother sounded just as surprised as Father. “I haven’t heard of any such blade, son. I’ve already asked the elder historian, but he doesn’t have any idea what it could be.”Both my parents had no clue about the existence of the Arctic Blade, and neither did Emiel. This led me to the only option I had left: the Dark Council that was out of my reach as of now. Which was appropriate since the Ancient itself was a mage of unparalleled power.“No,” Ken answered, “I don’t know of any such blade, but the Chrone might.”“Ken, Merida hates me,” I said, referring to Ken’s grandmother, the elder of his coven of mages. “She’s always been against you becoming a part of the Vampire Royal Guard.” Ken, however, was no longer a guard. He commanded the Royal Guard itself, but Merida Blackbur