Chapter 2 THE KING'S DANGEROUS PROMISE

The moment Damon Blackthorn wrapped his black coat around my shoulders, I realised that the frightening creatures surrounding us were not the only things I needed to fear, because the man standing before me seemed capable of far greater destruction than all of them combined. His hand remained firmly around mine as he guided me away from the abandoned chapel, and although I wanted to pull away and demand that he explain everything, the sounds of approaching footsteps reminded me that I had very few choices. I had spent eighteen years believing that vampires were imaginary creatures, yet I had watched one disappear before my eyes and reappear several metres away in the space of a heartbeat. I had also heard my grandmother reveal that my father was a vampire king, discovered that my mother had been murdered, and learned that strangers wanted to capture me because of a prophecy involving something called a cursed bride. My entire life had changed within a single night, and I was beginning to wonder whether I would survive long enough to understand any of it. "Where are you taking me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "Somewhere they cannot reach you easily." "That's not an answer." Damon glanced at me, his crimson eyes reflecting the pale moonlight. "You have a remarkable habit of questioning people who are trying to keep you alive." "And you have a remarkable habit of giving orders to someone you barely know." For a moment, he said nothing, but I noticed the faint movement of his lips as though he was fighting the urge to smile. "Your mother was exactly like that," he finally said. My steps slowed. "You knew my mother?" Damon stopped walking, and the silence between us became uncomfortable. "I knew her better than you can imagine." "Then tell me what happened to her." His expression changed, and something cold settled in his eyes. "Not here." "Why does everyone keep saying that? My grandmother told me to find you, and now you're telling me that you knew my mother, but you refuse to explain anything." "Because the truth is not always something a person is prepared to hear." I pulled my hand away from his. "You don't get to decide what I can handle. That woman raised me, and now I don't even know whether she is alive. My brother is somewhere back there, and I have no idea what those monsters might do to him." For the first time, Damon appeared genuinely interested in what I had said. "Your brother?" "Daniel. He's ten years old. Please, if you know anything about those men, you have to help me find him." Damon looked towards the direction of the village. "Your brother is not the reason they came tonight." "I don't care why they came. He's my family!" Before he could respond, a low growl travelled through the trees. Damon immediately turned, his expression becoming dangerously serious. "Stay behind me." A shadow moved across the path. Then another. Three vampires stepped out from behind the trees, and unlike the creatures we had encountered earlier, these ones wore no armour. Their clothing was dark and ordinary, but their eyes were an unsettling shade of silver. The tallest one lowered his head. "Your Majesty." Damon did not return the greeting. "Why are you here?" "The palace has received news that the royal blood has awakened. The council demands your immediate return." "The council can wait." The vampire's eyes moved towards me. "Is that her?" Damon stepped slightly to the side, blocking his view. "You will address the princess with respect." The man lowered his head again, although I noticed the way his jaw tightened. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. We have been instructed to bring her to the palace before sunrise." I looked between them. "Who are these people?" Damon answered without taking his eyes off the stranger. "My personal guards. They serve the crown." The silver-eyed vampire stepped forward. "My name is Cassian, Princess. I have been searching for you for many years." I frowned. "Why?" His expression softened. "Because your father ordered us to protect you before he died." Those words struck me harder than I expected. My father had apparently known about me, which meant that somewhere in the world there might have been someone who knew I existed, someone who could have told me the truth before my eighteenth birthday. "Did he know me?" I whispered. Cassian looked at Damon before answering. "He held you when you were only a few hours old. He loved you very much." I lowered my eyes, trying to control the sudden tears gathering beneath them. For eighteen years, I had wondered what it would feel like to have a father. I had imagined whether he would have my eyes, whether he would have taught me how to ride a bicycle, and whether he would have been proud of the person I had become. Now I was being told that he had been a king, and that his death had left an entire kingdom fighting over my existence. "How did he die?" I asked. Neither Cassian nor Damon answered. I looked directly at Damon. "Please." His jaw tightened. "Your father was betrayed by members of his own royal council. They believed that your birth would threaten their control over the kingdom, so they arranged an attack that destroyed the royal family." "But my mother escaped?" "She managed to escape with you. Unfortunately, she did not remain hidden forever." I felt a chill move through my body. "Who killed her?" Damon's eyes darkened. "Malachi Voss." I remembered the name from the night before. He was the man who had entered our house with the other masked vampires. "Was he the one who attacked my grandmother?" "Yes." Anger rose inside me so quickly that I almost forgot how frightened I was. "Then take me back. I want to find my grandmother, and I want to know whether Daniel is safe." Damon shook his head. "You cannot return to the village." "Why not?" "Because Malachi has already discovered your location. He will be waiting for you." "I don't care!" "You should." His voice was not loud, but the authority behind it made me fall silent. "Your blood has awakened, Seraphina. Every vampire in this territory can sense it, and those who want the throne will do anything to possess you. Until you learn to control what is inside you, leaving my protection would be foolish." I hated that he might be right. I also hated that my survival now depended on a stranger whose secrets seemed almost as dangerous as the enemies hunting me. Cassian approached with a black horse waiting behind him. "Your Majesty, the carriage is ready. We should leave before the sun rises." I looked at the animal suspiciously. "You're expecting me to ride that?" Damon raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer to walk through the forest while armed vampires search for you?" I gave him an irritated look. "I would prefer to go home." For a moment, his expression softened. "One day, you may be able to return. But tonight, I need you to trust me." He lifted me onto the horse before climbing behind me, and I immediately stiffened when his arm settled around my waist to keep me from falling. "Don't touch me unnecessarily," I warned. "Then try not to fall." I turned my head to glare at him, but he was already looking ahead. The journey through the forest was strangely silent. The guards rode around us, watching the trees and listening for any movement, while Damon remained unusually still behind me. After some time, I noticed that the necklace around my neck had stopped glowing. "Why did it light up earlier?" I asked. "Because your blood recognised the royal magic." "Does that mean I'm a vampire?" "Not entirely." I turned towards him. "What does that mean?" He hesitated. "Your mother was human, while your father belonged to the oldest vampire bloodline. You inherited something from both of them, making you different from every vampire currently living." I stared at him. "So I'm half human and half vampire?" "That is the simplest explanation." "And what happens when I become a vampire?" "You will not become one in the ordinary sense. Your powers will awaken gradually, but the process may be dangerous." I looked down at my hands. I had always thought my biggest challenge would be finding a way to support my family. Now I was being told that something extraordinary lived inside me, and I did not know whether I wanted it. Eventually, the trees began to disappear, revealing a magnificent castle standing on a hill in the distance. Its towers rose into the night sky, surrounded by enormous stone walls and hundreds of glowing windows. Dark banners bearing a silver crown moved in the wind, and the entrance was guarded by enormous statues of winged creatures. I had never seen anything so beautiful or frightening. "Is that where you live?" I whispered. "The Northern Kingdom." The gates opened as we approached, and dozens of guards bowed their heads when Damon entered the courtyard. "Welcome home, Your Majesty!" I looked around in amazement. A home. He had an entire kingdom, while my family had struggled to keep the roof above our heads. Damon dismounted and helped me down. Before I could ask where I was supposed to go, an elderly woman hurried towards us. She wore a long dark-blue dress, and her silver hair was neatly arranged behind her head. Her eyes widened when she saw me. "Your Majesty," she whispered. "It cannot be." Damon nodded. "This is Princess Seraphina Vale. Prepare the eastern royal chambers for her." The woman placed one hand over her mouth. "After all these years..." She stepped closer, studying my face with an expression filled with emotion. "You have your mother's eyes." I swallowed. "Did you know my mother too?" The woman nodded. "My name is Lady Margaret. I served your parents before the kingdom fell into darkness." For the first time that night, I felt a small sense of comfort. Perhaps someone here would finally tell me the truth. But before Lady Margaret could say another word, a bell rang from somewhere inside the castle. Once. Twice. Then a third time. Every guard in the courtyard immediately lowered their heads. Damon's expression became cold. Cassian hurried towards him. "Your Majesty, the council has arrived." "Already?" "They received the news before we crossed the border." Damon looked towards the enormous castle doors. "Who is leading them?" Cassian hesitated. "Lord Malachi Voss." My stomach tightened. The same man who had attacked my grandmother's house was now waiting inside the palace. Damon turned towards me. "Go with Lady Margaret. Do not leave your chambers until I return." I caught his sleeve. "What if he comes looking for me?" Damon looked down at my hand before meeting my eyes. "Then he will have to go through me first." He gently removed my fingers from his sleeve and walked towards the castle entrance. I watched him disappear through the enormous doors, wondering whether I had just found the person who could protect me or the man whose world would eventually become my greatest prison. What I did not know was that, inside the council chamber, Malachi Voss was already preparing to reveal a secret that could turn the entire kingdom against me. And that secret had something to do with the night I was born.