Page 65 of Of Shadows and Blood

Stunned, I open and close my mouth, unsure of what to say.

“I am trying, incredibly hard, to protect you. And I realize now I am failing at that. But my actions are not without consideration. Please –” Cedric motions to the carriage once more and this time, I listen.

Chapter 16

Demis is a fortress meant to pay respect to our ancestors and the stones placed above their heads. A millennia of history and change has made little mark on the traditional operations of its interior. Demis, for we are but half of the god that created us.

One week after my attempt to flee, servants waken me at daybreak.

Lazily creaking open the door, I squint at the group in front of me. The sun is especially bright today.

“Can I help you?” I manage, still groggy from waking up.

“We’re here to move you back to the castle, Lady Liv,” one of the servants at the head of the group states. He’s definitely a vampyr, which makes me wonder why he works in the position he does. Behind the workers, at least three carriages await to be loaded with my things. Well, whatever they stocked for me at the cottage.

“On whose orders?”

“King Cedric’s,” the worker replies, putting leather gloves on. Growling, I roll my neck side to side. That bastard thinks all is well after our row and dead, uncomfortably tense ride back to Demis? Not to mention our mutual avoidance. The cottage has been a solitary, peaceful place and I’ve not made any attempt to go to Demis since.

“Must I?”

“What was that?” the worker asks.

“Oh, erm, how can I help?”

The men look to each other before laughing a bit. The head servant speaks up again. “Miss, you needn’t help us a bit. You’re to be our queen. Lee is waiting to take you up when you’ve dressed.” My eyes travel back up to the royal carriage with Lee upon the driver’s seat, giving me a lazy wave.

“Right,” I say as I duck back in the cottage. I pause and peek my head back out. “Just give me a moment,” I say before shutting the door. I pause and open it just enough to put my head out again. “And I’m not your queen,” I state. They all look at each other again and nod, continuing with their work on the carriage.

I quickly comb my hair and dress in a modest purple gown before exiting the cottage, letting the men in to do their job.

“Hello, Lee,” I say as I approach the carriage.

“Lady Liv,” he greets me as he bows before me.

“Oh, don’t,” I whisper. It really makes me uncomfortable. I’ve just barely come to acceptance about that. But the whole royalty thing is an itch I can’t scratch quite yet. Lee straightens and opens the door for me. Luckily, there is no surprise of someone trying to sit on me this time as I cozy up inside the carriage.

The short ride turns into a long trek around the grounds, straight to the main entrance of the castle. The main part of the grounds is loaded with more beauty than the parts I’d seen briefly.

A larger fountain is set out front with beds of elys circling it, lanterns hanging in a staggering pattern within the beds. The middle of the fountain has a large stone elys flower poking out of the center of the water. The sun has just barely risen, so the water warms with yellow and orange as it dances down the stone tiers.

Demis is bigger than I originally mapped out. Just the front wing of the castle looks to stretch a quarter of a mile on each side. The stone on the front of it is well kept with a shine to the gold and silver metal embellishments upon the windows and spires. Carved gargoyles overlook the pebbled path as we wrap around to the front.

The entrance, though, is magical.

A large, tarnished iron door swings open on either side by two sets of guards pushing it back. The light hitting it almost blinds me as it catches the sun before swinging under the eaves of stone.

Lee helps me out of the carriage and I nearly trip down the steps, unable to avert my gaze from the beauty of it. Rows of guards, servants and court members file out of the castle and line up on either side of the gravel entrance, which has now been laid with a black rug.

Standing awkwardly outside of the carriage, I lean over and whisper to Lee. “What do I do?” He turns his head to me as if not understanding what I just asked. Before he can open his mouth, Cedric steps out and into the sun.

It feels like I am seeing him again. Not quite the monster I first met, but more human. Well, as human as you can get, which is consistent with vampyr. They look, breathe and speak like humans do. For the most part, at least. But there are key differences that set them apart. The first being how absolutely gorgeous they all are.

Cedric, ever the king, is in a deep crimson tunic. A shade that is truly befitting of him. Strong, fierce and deep. His facial features are incredibly sharp and sculpted, emanating the image of a strong king under the small circlet upon his head. Not the same crown he wore to Duresden.

He lets a small smile grow on his face as he ignores the crowd on either side of the aisle. He walks forward quickly, closing the distance in a few strides.

“Liv,” he greets, curtly.