Page 103 of The Depraved Prince
Cooper follows me everywhere I go, his nails clacking against the tile with each step. I give him a small smile as I push through my dad’s things in the drawer. I lean forward a little to get abetter look and bend my knees slightly for a better angle to reach things through the cupboard.
“Do you know where Dad kept the flashlight, baby boy? I swear it’s always by the—” I always talk to Cooper like he’ll be able to talk back to me magically. My question gets cut off and replaced by another one.
“The pantry?” A man asks me in a tone I don’t recognize.
I stop moving, paralyzed by the sudden intrusion. I slowly turn around, dazed and suspicious, because I didn’t hear my close friend come into the house, never mind walk up to me. I whip around to find Cole in the kitchen with us, pointing my father’s flashlight at me, waving it in circles like a game.
“Cole? What are you doing here?” I ask, stepping back until my behind collides with the kitchen counter.
Wasn’t he just with Leah? Why is he inside my house? I mean, I don’t mind.
It’s Cole.
Cooper starts to growl beside me like he’s warning Cole to stay away from me. He turns off the flashlight, and the lights in my father’s house come back on. The light from the hallway gives the kitchen dim lighting, barely enough to see that Cole’s dressed in a white jacket, black pants, and Converse. He’s not wearing his glasses. He’s looking at me like never before with devious, cruel intentions.
Is he mad I saw Leah and him together?
“I’m here because...” He looks me up and down like he’s trying to undress me with his eyes, and I cross my arms over my chest. “Because it’s time you tell me the truth, and I want to hear it from your Northern Vampire fucker mouth.”
I gasp, and my mouth drops wide open. He takes a step closer to me, and I grip the counter tightly, looking for something to protect myself. Cooper starts to bark at him furiously.
Is Cole here to hurt me? How does he know about vampires?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cole. Why are you here?” I ask, keeping my gaze on him. The hair on the back of my neck stands up.
He never takes his eyes off of me. His silence is deafening, and the only thing I can hear is the blood rushing to my ears, thunder shaking the walls of my house, and my heart thumping in my chest.
“I loved you, Millie. I fell in love with you slowly over time. I could relate to you with having shitty parents that didn’t want you—being the second-born son with hard-to-impress parents. Well, I have my fair share of trauma. But don’t we all? They always overlooked me because I wasn’t born first. But now, I’ve been called for a deeper purpose, and I had to give you up once The Depraved Prince murdered my older brother!” Cole crushes my father’s flashlight in his hand when he squeezes it, and I watch all the bits and pieces fall to the floor. Cooper barks louder and starts to walk in front of me like he wants to pounce on Cole.
“What are you talking about?!” I ask, dumbfounded.
“So you want to act clueless?” Cole grins wickedly. He laughs slowly, and then his teeth become large fangs, slowly popping over his lips. Teeth I’ve come to know too well, and his eyes transform into a glimmering vibrant blue contrast to his original brown ones.
Is Cole a Southern vampire? Since when?!
“Oh my god. You…you’re a vampire?” I breathe out while my shoulders sink, and I rub my eyes with my palms.
I swallow my nerves, almost choking on brewed anxiety. I start looking for a knife, desperately seeking protection. Even though I know it’s not enough to protect myself, maybe it’ll help.
“I didn’t want to turn, but your boyfriend changed everything for me and my family. Or maybe he’s an ex-boyfriend because you’re back home now, and I don’t see Prince Drago anywhere near you.”
“Get out!” I yell, grabbing my father’s pocket knife from the drawer, and holding it in front of me. Cooper senses the tension and the danger we’re both in and lunges for Cole’s throat. He flies forward, barking, snarling, and biting, and my heart sinks into my stomach.
“Cooper! NO!” I try to pull him back, but it’s too late. Cooper bites his forearm and tries to dig his teeth in, but Cole is inhumanely fast. He grabs Cooper aggressively, forcing him to cry out and yelp, and Cooper goes limp with low whimpers on the floor.
“You evil monster!” I shout, gripping the knife harder, desperate to put it inside him. “Did you just kill Cooper?!” I’m seeing red.
“Come here, get on your knees, and find out.” He dares me with an evil smile, pointing to Cooper. I dart my eyes to the floor, and thankfully, I can see he’s still breathing but too weak to move.
Asshole. And there’s nothing I can do to kill him but wait until the sun rises, and even then, it’s still hours away.
“Does Leah know about you?” I bite out while my eyes well with tears.
“Didn’t your boyfriend tell you? When we drink from humans, it erases their memory. They can’t remember anything after. Leah doesn’t remember the reason why her throat is so bruised from my dick tonight because I bit her right after. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on you because of howspecialyou are.” He throws air quotes around the word ‘special.’ He scoffs and glares. “Leah was so eager to get a taste of me…an easy whore for me to use, and she doesn’t even remember it the next day. Pathetic.” He chuckles as he throws his head back, satisfied as the memories play back into both of our heads of their sexual encounter.
“Aww, are you jealous of Leah? Want me to fuck you too?” he continues.
“Screw you. I would never let you touch me!”
