Page 12 of Eternal Captive

It was all too much.

The prince dropped into a low bow, placing one arm behind his back and another at his stomach. We followed his show of submission. Instead of copying his stance, though, we picked something much more fitting for our stature.

We kneeled to the ground and placed our foreheads against the cool marble. No simple bow would do. Some struggled to contort their bodies as fast as the others, their mistakes alreadydetermining their fate even before we were offered to the princess.

“I, Icas Solei, come to propose marriage to Princess Aurelia Castle,” he said, his voice ringing out loud and clear. “I have brought jewels and gifts, as well as fifty guards, at your disposal if you accept. On our wedding day, I plan to triple anything you receive from me today.”

Seconds ticked by. Five, ten, twenty.What were they waiting for?The silence pulled my gaze up, even if my mind told me not to look.

There was a single throne where the king sat while his daughter, and who I assumed were his wife and child, stood by his side.

Even the princess didn’t get a throne.

Another show of who actually held the power in the family.

She was beautiful. Long, soft brown locks flowed down her back, her head topped with a simple yet elegant diamond and ruby tiara. She wore a deep bloodred dress that was accentuated with real gold throughout and hugged her shape before flowing out behind her. To top it off, she had a huge ruby placed in the hollow of her throat, the contrast between the jewel and her skin striking. It twinkled with each breath she took.

But her beauty wasn’t what shocked me.

It was her striking blue eyes…that were staring right at me.

My breath caught in my throat, and my heart began to pound in my chest. I had come here with a simple goal, but never did I imagine that I would garner her attention so fast.

I almost couldn’t believe it. Suspicion rose in my belly.

Had I done it?

What would happen because of it, I did not know. But what I did know is that it was the first step in enacting the carefully laid-out path that had been determined for me at my birth.

I was going to kill Princess Aurelia.

Aurelia

His offer of engagement was not the first time I had set my eyes on thewonderthat was Prince Icas.

I was a young vampire when I first met him at a mandatory ball all royal vampires forced their offspring to attend. It was my first time debuting as an eligible vampire. Also the first time I had ever seen so many male vampires looking at me like I was a piece of meat.

Even back then, he took a liking to me straight away. After all, there weren’t many other vampire families out there that could match his family’sesteemed reputationand wealth.

It didn’t matter to him that there were already rumors of his engagement to another princess. Or that he was over a hundred years my senior. Or that he had more than his fair share offunwith the other princesses in attendance while his bride-to-be was watching it all.

Well…princesses, maids, guards. Icas didn’t discriminate who he decided to sink his fangs into. But that’s not what made me loathe him. I could appreciate a bit of fun now and then. Hell, sometimes it was the only thing that made this dull life worth living.

What truly made me loathe him was his disgusting disregard for the humans who signed up to be his feeders.

It wasn’t uncommon for feeder abuse to occur, and it was especially rampant in rich families. For vampires, feeders were at the bottom of the food chain. These were the humans who signed up to be used by the family. Who gave their blood—and body—in exchange for room, board, and a hefty compensation they accumulated for their service.

They were there for whatever the vampire wanted. At their beck and call, no matter the situation. And often, their deaths were overlooked if the family just quietly paid them off.

I had been witness to more than one atrocity he committed against the poor humans in his service. Watched as his hazel eyes lit up at the begging of his humans as he bared his pearly white fangs in a twisted grin.

I was no saint and had the blood of many on my hands, but even I had a limit with the poor feeders. I would never force them into anything sexual. I wouldn’t tear their skin or cause them harm just for fun.

But he did. And he did it because he enjoyed watching the pain of others.

He had that same look on his face as he stormed Father’s throne room. He held himself like he belonged here. Like he was the one who was next in line for Father’s throne. Like just because he breathed the same air as us, he was entitled to the wealth and status my family worked for all those years ago, when Mother was still alive.

The human guards behind him refused to look at us. All of them had their eyes on the ground as they marched behind him. Each of their heartbeats pounded in their chest, the sound echoing throughout the room.

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