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Authors: Cassidy Raindance
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me to get to Prussia. I laid a hand on the
trunk lid. If I had planned to let her go I would have before I got
to the castle. Hell, I wouldn’t have sent a team to find her after
she got away. But it was as plain as ever that Lydia, if she ever
cared for me, wasn't as in love with me as I was with her. My heart
ached. I still wanted her to live. I wanted to fix her, to make her
better, to just convince her to behave so we could be together. But
not at the expense of my own life.
"If you try to run, I'll kill you," I said,
loud enough for her to hear but not too loud. I meant it. I think
she believed me.
"Okay, it's your funeral," she said.
I opened the trunk and she tried to punch
me. I caught her wrist and twisted it around her, hugging her close
to me so that she couldn't struggle.
"I mean it," I said close to her ear.
We were both breathing heavy. It wasn't
exertion. It was adrenaline.
"I know," she said, her hair in my face.
The breeze brushed her hair away. I could
see that she wasn't happy to be here. She didn't want to be here at
all. A party in full swing has more witnesses. It's no fun to cause
a scene when there is no audience. And it's not a warm thought when
you're about to die without witnesses.
"Take me," she said, "or don't,"
A master of manipulation, I knew what she
meant. She taunted me with the power she knew she had over me, that
dangerous knowledge that she could flip like a switch - I loved her
completely.
"Yes, Lady Lydia," I said.
She bit her lip. I think using her old title
hurt her and made it real. We were about to enter our world, the
world very few knew of and if anything, we were formal and final.
There would be no appeal.
I kept my hand wrapped around her wrist and
guided her out of the trunk. I pulled her up the steps of the
castle and dragged her through the many hallways that
crisscrossed.
When we made it to the Queen's chambers, I
was surprised to find that Lydia put up less of a struggle and even
seemed unafraid.
"I warned you," said Lydia to me as I
knocked on the Queen's door, "I loved you," she whispered.
My heart sank and pity was all I could feel
for her. She clung to her lies all the way to the gates of hell. I
couldn't blame her. Self preservation was a strong urge, even for a
vampire. But why didn’t she run when she had the chance?
"As did I," I said, "in both respects,"
I set my jaw and listened for Victoria. I
heard some muffled sounds from the room but before I could open it
the door was opened by one of the Royal Guard. There was another of
the Queen's Royal Guard stationed inside of the room. They were
guarding her from the inside of the room. That was new.
"Come in," called Victoria, her voice calm
and commanding as usual.
I swallowed hard, not prepared for what I
knew would come next. And what I didn't expect at all happened.
Lydia yanked her wrist from me. And I let her. We shared a glance
in that moment. I desperately wanted her to run, her death more
real now than ever before. With other guards there it wouldn't just
fall on me. I could deny that I was the one that let her escape
though there would still be some shame on my name. But she would be
alive. Her eyes were defiant to the end and furious. She rubbed her
wrist for a split second. A small part of me withered up as she
walked past me, right into the Queen's chambers with her head held
high. She walked straight into the den of the monster, our monster,
as if she belonged. I wanted to scream at her to run. But I kept
silent. I held my tongue.
"Lydia dear," said the Queen, "What news do
you bring me?"
The Queen smiled at her and that made me
extremely nervous. Things were not as they seemed. Something was
up. The Queen was political but she had no reason to be polite with
Lydia, never had. She had openly disliked her and I being together.
Something had changed.
Lydia went straight to the Queen and knelt
in
trunk lid. If I had planned to let her go I would have before I got
to the castle. Hell, I wouldn’t have sent a team to find her after
she got away. But it was as plain as ever that Lydia, if she ever
cared for me, wasn't as in love with me as I was with her. My heart
ached. I still wanted her to live. I wanted to fix her, to make her
better, to just convince her to behave so we could be together. But
not at the expense of my own life.
"If you try to run, I'll kill you," I said,
loud enough for her to hear but not too loud. I meant it. I think
she believed me.
"Okay, it's your funeral," she said.
I opened the trunk and she tried to punch
me. I caught her wrist and twisted it around her, hugging her close
to me so that she couldn't struggle.
"I mean it," I said close to her ear.
We were both breathing heavy. It wasn't
exertion. It was adrenaline.
"I know," she said, her hair in my face.
The breeze brushed her hair away. I could
see that she wasn't happy to be here. She didn't want to be here at
all. A party in full swing has more witnesses. It's no fun to cause
a scene when there is no audience. And it's not a warm thought when
you're about to die without witnesses.
"Take me," she said, "or don't,"
A master of manipulation, I knew what she
meant. She taunted me with the power she knew she had over me, that
dangerous knowledge that she could flip like a switch - I loved her
completely.
"Yes, Lady Lydia," I said.
She bit her lip. I think using her old title
hurt her and made it real. We were about to enter our world, the
world very few knew of and if anything, we were formal and final.
There would be no appeal.
I kept my hand wrapped around her wrist and
guided her out of the trunk. I pulled her up the steps of the
castle and dragged her through the many hallways that
crisscrossed.
When we made it to the Queen's chambers, I
was surprised to find that Lydia put up less of a struggle and even
seemed unafraid.
"I warned you," said Lydia to me as I
knocked on the Queen's door, "I loved you," she whispered.
My heart sank and pity was all I could feel
for her. She clung to her lies all the way to the gates of hell. I
couldn't blame her. Self preservation was a strong urge, even for a
vampire. But why didn’t she run when she had the chance?
"As did I," I said, "in both respects,"
I set my jaw and listened for Victoria. I
heard some muffled sounds from the room but before I could open it
the door was opened by one of the Royal Guard. There was another of
the Queen's Royal Guard stationed inside of the room. They were
guarding her from the inside of the room. That was new.
"Come in," called Victoria, her voice calm
and commanding as usual.
I swallowed hard, not prepared for what I
knew would come next. And what I didn't expect at all happened.
Lydia yanked her wrist from me. And I let her. We shared a glance
in that moment. I desperately wanted her to run, her death more
real now than ever before. With other guards there it wouldn't just
fall on me. I could deny that I was the one that let her escape
though there would still be some shame on my name. But she would be
alive. Her eyes were defiant to the end and furious. She rubbed her
wrist for a split second. A small part of me withered up as she
walked past me, right into the Queen's chambers with her head held
high. She walked straight into the den of the monster, our monster,
as if she belonged. I wanted to scream at her to run. But I kept
silent. I held my tongue.
"Lydia dear," said the Queen, "What news do
you bring me?"
The Queen smiled at her and that made me
extremely nervous. Things were not as they seemed. Something was
up. The Queen was political but she had no reason to be polite with
Lydia, never had. She had openly disliked her and I being together.
Something had changed.
Lydia went straight to the Queen and knelt
in
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