Royal shuffle: Vampire’s mate

ANDREA

I returned home with a heavy heart, couldn’t eat and found it difficult drinking anything. The words of the royals are ringing in my head. I looked at my mother, and couldn’t imagine life without her. Then there was also my siblings. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself is anything happened to them. They had threatened my whole family. What’s worse, my sisters weren’t even in close range, I wouldn’t know if anything happened to them. I knew I had to do what they wanted. I didn’t have any protection, and the odds were not in my favor.

My mother had asked me severally what was wrong, but I smiled and shrugged it off. I knew I was worrying her with the way I wasn’t eating. But I had bigger fish to fry.

I pulled in to work the next day, ready to begin my royal assignment of espionage. I sighed as I got behind the counter, and sat. Lauren was re-assigned to somewhere else since I took the job. So, it was now always just me and Leo.

The place looked quite simple to me. I just felt if the Prince of werewolves was to be planning or hiding something, it would be done in a more organized fashion. This was just a library where rarely anyone came into. I was just opportune to get a job here.

The days flew by, and I’ve not managed to do anything. If Leo noticed anything off with my behavior, he didn’t say anything. The royals had sent me a parcel in the mail the other day. It was a smartphone. The first, and only message on it was that they were waiting for me to give them updates.

By the following week, I had already prepared my mind that this was my new reality. Leo had been so good to me, but it was my family’s life on the line. I didn’t doubt for a second that they would hurt my family if I didn’t comply.

“I’m going to get something for us to eat. I’ll be back soon,” I nodded, and smiled at him.

“Okay.”

“Anything particular you want?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No. Whatever you get is fine.”

He nodded, and left. I waited for a good five minutes before springing out of my seat, and around the count headed right for his office, and slowly opened the door, cringing as the solid wood creaked open. I took a deep breath, and looked around the office, thinking of where to begin. I went around his desk, and began to ransack his drawers, scanning through all the papers, not even knowing what it was I’m searching for.

I put everything back in place, and decided to check the attached bedroom. Who decided to have a bedroom attached to their place of work, anyway? I tried the knob, and was surprised when the door opened. I was expecting it to be locked. I closed it behind me, and began to look around the room. A few minutes later, I heard the bell on the front door ding, and then Leo called my name.

My hand flew over my mouth, and I began to think of what to do. My breaths were coming in short, hard, pants, and I frantically looked around the room. I could hear his footsteps, slow and heavy on the wooden floor, and the door to his office open. I did the one thing that came to mind, and crawled under the bed with both hands over my head, and my face on the ground.

His bedroom door opened, and then I couldn’t hear anything anymore. After a while, I was beginning to think that maybe he had upped and left. I lifted my head a little in the constricted space, thinking if he left. My mouth let out a scream as I was dug out from under the bed by my legs, and flipped onto my back. His left hand went around my throat, and his right hand raised in the hair, claws drawn and ready to end my life.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“Andrea?”

“Y…yes…”

I was shaking like a leaf. His eyes were bright red, and I could see his fangs. Up close, he was more scary than he appeared to be on the night of the ball. He retracted his claws, and his fangs disappeared. He got off of me, and helped me got off the floor, setting me on the bed.

“What are you doing? I thought an intruder was here. You could have died,” he said.

I couldn’t help it, tears pooled in my eyes, my lips quivered and I burst into tears.

“Shhh…tell me what’s wrong? What’s going on? Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been acting weird for a while now.”

“I’m sorry!!!” I said, more tears rolling down my cheeks.

He sat beside me on the bed, and pulled me into his arms. Holding me and letting me cry my eyes out. I pulled back when I had managed to get myself under control.

“Now, tell me what all this is about.”

“I…I can’t…” I said, my voice coming out a cracked mess.

“And why not?” He asked.

I opened my mouth and closed it.

“I…my mother, my sisters. If I don’t deliver…” I shook my head sadly, and I could tell by the way his eyes hardened that he understood.

“Who put you up to this?” He asked.

“Who do you think?” I replied.

He scoffed, and balled his fists. “King Alexander?”

I nodded. “And Prince William, and Princess Esmeralda.”

“What did they say to you?”

I took a deep breath and told him everything. In detail. I started from when I was mysteriously summoned, and how they cited the dance we had. Figured out that I worked for him, and then threatened my family with death if I didn’t do as I was told. I also told him about the phone that was delivered to me.

“You didn’t have a phone?” He asked, surprised.

I shook my head shyly. “No. I didn’t really think it necessary.”

He regarded me for some time, and then he nodded…and silence followed. He seemed deep in thought, or maybe he was just very angry with me.

“I’m really sorry…”

He waved it off. “It’s okay…”

“You seem angry.”

“I am. It’s just not directed at you,” he replied.

I nodded. Silence reigned for a while and then I spoke again. “What are you thinking about?”

“You,” He answered simply.

“Oh,” I said, holding my hand to my chest. “What do you want to do with me?”

“Not exactly what to do with you, but what to tell you,” he replied.

My brows furrowed in confusion. “You want to tell me something?”

He nodded.

“What’s that?”

“I’m still trying to figure out if it’s safe. And you don’t seem to have figured it out yourself, so that might be a good thing.”

At this point I was confused, and curious. Given the expression on his face, I felt what he wanted to say might shake me just as much as this incident. But you know what they say about curiosity…it always kills the cat.

“Please, tell me.”

“You’re not going to believe it. I doubt that you even feel it.”

“What’s that?!”

“We’re mates.”

Laughter bubbled in my chest, and then pushed out of my mouth. I couldn’t help it. I laughed long and hard, that has to be one of the best laughs I’ve had in a very long time. I looked over at him, and saw him staring at me with a blank stare. He wasn’t laughing back. Matter of fact, there wasn’t a hint of amusement on his face. I stopped laughing. He looked too serious. This wasn’t a joke.

“I’m assuming you’re done laughing?” He asked.

“You’re not joking?”

He scoffed. “You’re really saying you don’t feel anything? At all? For me?”

I didn’t know how to answer that question. “I…I find you attractive. If that’s what you’re asking?”

He sighed. “I guess we’ll have to speed this up. I heard intimate touches help.” My

brows furrowed in confusion. “What do…”

No sooner had the words left my mouth that he leaned in and kissed me. My eyes opened in surprise and shock, as his lips moved on mine. He placed his hand behind my head and angled my head for the kiss. I raised my hands to push him away, but instead found that they were wrapping themselves around his shoulders. I sighed, and closed my eyes as my body overwhelmed me. My heart began to beat a funny rhythm, and new feelings overcame me. His tongue prodded my lips, asking for me to open my mouth, and I did. Emotions burst through me, and shivers ran down my spine as our lips tangled.

Pleasant shocks and shivers emanated from wherever his hands were and spread to every part of my body. By the time he pulled away, we were both gasping for air. His eyes were gazed with lust, and I was struggling to catch my breath.

“Do you feel anything now?” He asked, smiling at me.