Page 28 of Married to the Vampire Prince

Dad and I approached a guard who stood by the exit to the gardens.

“Did you see the Princess go out these doors?” Dad asked in his booming, commanding King’s voice.

The guard shook his head. “N-No, my Grace. I did not. However, I only just arrived at this post after an… incident near the armory. All the guards there were occupied fighting off some masked enemies who suddenly appeared.”

“Masked… what-?” The King exclaimed.

I stared at the guard, my mouth gaping open.

Just then the Captain of the Guard, a powerful vampire around my age, came running up to us. “My Graces, there’s been an attack on the armory and-”

“And I’m only just hearing about this incident now?” The King tried his best to control the anger in his voice. He didn’t want to catch the attention of the whole ballroom, though I was sure some guests must have heard him considering the acute hearing of vampires.

“We just finished taking control of the situation,” the Captain of the Guard saw how furious Dad was, and the man’s voice shook. “I’m so sorry, your Grace.”

“A distraction,” I said, suddenly realizing what that armory incident must have been.

“What do you mean, your Highness?” The Captain of the Guard shot me a questioning look.

“Was anybody stationed at this door an hour ago?” I pointed to the exit to the gardens.

“N-No, your Grace. Given that the hall is full of vampires, we thought the nobles would serve as enough of a protection for the humans and-”

“So a human could have wandered out into the garden – no, the Princess herself could have wandered out here – without the protection of the guards. The Princess who is not yet used to requesting to be guarded at all times,” I spit out through clenched teeth.

The Captain of the Guard swallowed hard. “Y-Yes… that may… have been possible…” He stuttered.

“If I don’t find my wife in the gardens, you’re fired,” I gave him one final glare then ran out into the gardens at my full vampire speed.

Quickly I stumbled upon something that I really hadn’t wanted to find – a slightly crumpled note lying on the ground.

I picked it up with a heavy heart and looked at the words written in black ink.

“We have your wife. If you want her back, we want you to guarantee that Estone won’t take part in the Rosworth-Athalis war. Logan Sherman.”

I cursed under my breath. Logan Sherman was the vampire ruling over Rosworth – their King. A vampire much older than I, at three hundred years of life, he was known for his acts of brutality; a figure far more renowned for violence and bloodshed than even myself.

We had fought head-to-head in the last war, and I had defeated him, but the victory had been hard earned. I still remembered how long our last duel lasted. For two hours we had exchanged blows, circling each other, tiring each other out. Neither of us had been able to fully break through the other’s defenses.

Finally I found an opening, and my blow hit true. Badly wounded, Logan retreated, and winning the war immediatelybecame much easier. Not only was Logan a great fighter, he was a great tactician too; better than his second-in-command, to be sure. So with Logan healing and only his subpar second-in-command to guide their forces, I was able to secure a series of victories that finally pushed Estone toward triumph.

Now that man, that dangerous vampire, had my wife.

A series of loud curses escaped my lips. This crime was the worst thing that could have happened. Logan had made his men kidnap my wife – and for political reasons, no less.

A moment later my father ran up to me. Luke followed close behind – he had probably noticed the King leaving the ball behind to head out to the gardens and had come to investigate.

“What is it?” Dad gestured to the paper in my hand.

“Logan Sherman has Grace,” I said through gritted teeth, handing him the paper. “Rosworth has kidnapped my wife.”

Luke gasped, giving me a wide-eyed look. Before he could say anything, I spoke up.

“This means war.”

My dad grabbed my shoulder as if he expected me to run off to gather the forces immediately. A part of me wanted to, but I still had an ounce of reason left to stop myself. Just an ounce, though. Most of me was in a state of panic.

Was Grace okay? Would they harm her? How could I get her back home to safety quickly? What should I do?

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