Call Of The Dark

He wanted to protect her on instinctive level, but he pushed those thoughts away.

Emma's eyes flew wide when she looked around at the closet. seeing so many royal gowns of silk and finest material, furs, gloves, jewelry and other paraphernalia.

"I am sure you must have thought of Maeve before buying all those dresses. Ultimately, she would be the one wearing it, won't she?"

His gaze turned softer as he studied her face. He lifted himself up and turned away to walk away. He didn't say that he had measured her curves well in his mind so well that it wasn't an issue for him to order those clothes. "Yes, I have."

"I am sure she really loves you a lot…" Emma mused.

He picked her up in his arms and traced her back to the bed, happy that she was impressed by all of it. As he tucked her in the blanket, he said, "Well, she is my betrothed. Why won't she love me?"

"But does she?" she asked when he stepped back.

"She is my betrothed," he growled, getting irritated by her questions. The problem was that vampires couldn't speak lies because they inherited fae genes. If they tried to speak a lie, they experienced burns in their tongue and whole body. So it was impossible for Lazarus to lie, instead he had learned the art of making deals and circumventing lies, just like faes.

Emma became quiet for a moment. Her head was still dizzy with all the tracing he was doing. She licked her dry lips. "Water…" she murmured.

He turned around and brought water for her instantly. Emma drank it greedily and when she settled a bit, she said with sarcasm, "I am sure you love her a lot… Why don't you turn her into a vampire? Then both of you can live sadly ever after!"

Slowly he came back to her. "If it would have been one of my subjects speaking like this to me, I would have burned them at stake or maybe pulled out their tongue."

She turned her head away from his dangerous face and murmured, "I am not someone. I am someone special."

He bent down towards her and placed his hands on either side of her body. "Yes, you are someone special because your body will host my mate. Other than that all I see in you is a mortal girl with no class and lacking in all departments." She was so lacking that every time he went after her to stalk her, he wondered how Lore could be so biased. And Lazarus had obsessed about her since the time he had seen her. Emma was blissfully unaware that someone stalked her all these years. What if she had known that it was Prince Lazarus who was trailing her?

"I hate you," she blurted.

"The feeling is mutual, mortal," he said but couldn't help taking his hands to her hair that streamed like rays of sun all over the pillow. They were so soft and silky that he lifted them in his palm and let them slip through his fingers. It was something he had never attempted on Maeve.

Emma wanted to protest, but she found herself calming down. She closed her eyes, reveling in the touch, in his proximity. Her body reacted to this vampire so strangely, but her mind— it was different.

Suddenly, he removed his hand and straightened up. She opened her eyes with a jerk, missing the feel.

"I am going out," he said arrogantly. "Like I said earlier, I have a lot of work to do!"

Emma drew her brows together. "I never stopped you," she remarked.

He opened the door and before leaving warned her, "Don't think of escaping. You are too fragile and very weak."

"When is the ritual?" she asked from the bed. Her stomach grumbled out of hunger. The hell she would stop thinking of how to escape.

"It is on the next full moon," he answered.

"And what should I do until the next full moon?" she said. The next full moon was almost a month away if her calculations weren't wrong.

"Eat, and sleep," he grated. "Live your best life, because you won't be feeling it after the next full moon. The palace is your new grounds. And try to change your sleeping routine. Sleep in the day and wake up at night." Saying that he closed the door behind him.

"You will go to hell!" she spat, glaring at the door. Her mood plummeted once again. She hated closed spaces and loved to go to the Black Woods once in a while because she felt good there. Sometimes even protected. Now where would she go? Anger and hopelessness warred inside her.

Soon the door opened again and she blurted, "Remove the—" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw that instead of Lazarus it was a young maid coming in with a plate of food.

The maid bowed and smiled at her. "I am Ginger. Prince Lazarus has sent it for you, m'lady," she said in a soft voice.

Emma saw that there was a bowl of steaming stew on the plate. Her stomach grumbled louder but her surprise was larger. She blinked at the maid who brought a small wooden table and placed it in front of her. After putting the bowl on the table, she helped Emma to sit up on the pillows.

"Thank you…" Emma said softly.

"No need to thank me, m'lady," said the maid. "The prince has asked me to take care of you and so here I am."

Emma smirked. Surely the vampire prince wanted her in a healthy shape so that she was going to be able to sustain the soul casting ritual. She gritted her teeth.

"Would you like to eat something else?" the maid asked, pulling her out of her reverie.

"No," Emma shook her head slightly and started to eat rabbit stew. The stew was so tasty that when the buttery flavor exploded on her tongue she couldn't help groaning. The maid giggled. Emma smiled and carried on eating the stew. "You don't look like a vampire, Ginger," Emma said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Ginger chuckled. "I am not a vampire. My family has served the royal family since ages and that is what we do naturally. We are humans."

Emma jerked her head back as her eyes widened. "And you are in the den of vampires? Aren't you all afraid?" She lowered her voice and asked curiously, "Don't they suck your blood?"

It was Ginger's chance to jerk her head back. "Suck our blood?"

Emma nodded.

"I am under Prince Lazarus, and he and he don't suck the blood of those who serve them." Ginger said as if surprised by Emma's statement. "Moreover, the vampires in Wilyra don't suck blood of everyone or anyone. The owner has to give permission to them to suck the blood, otherwise, it is considered illegal. And that is why there are so many vassals in the kingdom!"

"B— but—" Emma spluttered.

Ginger chuckled. "I think you have heard too many weird tales about vampires." She removed the bowl and offered her a glass of water.

Emma watched her curiously over the rim of her glass. Ginger looked intelligent.

The maid kept the table on the floor. "I am twenty-five years old, m'lady, and there hasn't been an instance in which I was forced to give my blood to the royal family."

Emma spluttered. The water came out as a jet from her mouth. Ginger laughed as she patted Emma's back. After taking in a few deep breaths, Emma settled and smiled as she shook her head.

"You must rest now, m'lady. The morning sun has just risen and almost all of the royal family has slept. I will come later to give you a bath."