“I’m not changing, if that’s what you’re hinting at,” she snapped at him when she stepped into the carriage.
“You should be more obedient. I expect that from my wife. We won’t be going to any balls or parties when we’re married,” Londis said, spreading his legs in order to climb into his carriage. Cindy thought he was a fool if he thought for even a second that he could keep her locked up at his farm. She was a human being, and even if she married him, she would do what she pleased. “And you’re going to serve my bed whenever I feel like it. It’s a wife’s duty to be obedient and spread her legs when her husband needs to feel satisfied.”
Cindy’s jaw dropped, and she instantly felt sick. She couldn’t believe that Londis dared say something so disgusting to her. It looked like she wasn’t only going to be his farm worker, but a sex slave as well. She was shaking with anger and didn’t say another word to him the entire time they were riding together. However, Londis was yapping all the way to the palace about his farm, his animals and about how he imagined his new life with Cindy would be. By the time they arrived at the castle Cindy was ready to strangle him. Her stomach was rumbling, and on top of that, Londis had really bad breath. She had no idea how she was going to get through this horrible confrontation with the king.
Susan mentioned that when she was in town today, everyone was talking about her lace knickers. The king was still looking for her, and Cindy wasn’t even embarrassed anymore that she’d spent a night with him.
She felt that her dress was stuck to her back when she walked inside the castle next to Londis. Every part of her body was aware that the king was nearby, but she wanted to avoid seeing him, knowing that it would break her heart.
Ida was walking behind her, looking proud and holding her head high. For the first time since her father passed away she realised that she hated her stepmother with a vengeance. Telling the king that she had to marry someone else was going to hurt Cindy in the worst possible way.
She had no doubt that Caspian would be devastated, and most likely furious that Cindy had lied to him.
Her stepmother and stepsisters were greeting other people in town. Cindy spotted Red in the distance, and she was surprised to see her with Charles again. The usual sparks that Cindy felt in the past when she saw him were missing; she just didn’t care for the forest ranger anymore like she used to. She wanted to run away again, just so she could avoid being humiliated in front of the man she desired.
“I don’t like these kinds of parties to be honest, but your stepmother insisted that I accompany you here tonight. I hope that we don’t have to stay for too long. You shouldn’t be staring at other men, you’re going to be my wife soon enough,” Londis said, as they both entered the ballroom. Cindy knew that Caspian had organised the second ball hoping that she would show up. It was torture for her to be there, standing on pins and needles waiting for him to approach her. Her stepsisters had already disappeared somewhere, and Cindy was glad that she didn’t have to listen to their insults any longer.
“Cindy go and fetch Mr. Londis a drink,” Ida asked, suddenly appearing next to her.
“Yes, stepmother,” Cindy replied, thinking that she still had time to disappear. Her stepmother could let the king know that she was engaged without her being there, but Cindy wasn’t a coward. Her father brought her up well and she was always ready to face her fears. The darkness still paralysed her, but she tried to overcome it and had done so after the first ball.
Cindy told herself that it was time to stop her pity party. She was strong and there was a way out of this marriage, she just had to figure it out. Then, a split second later, heat scorched down to her core. She knew the king had found her in the crowd, because Cindy instantly sensed him. Parts of her body tingled and sparks flew. No other man had ever made her feel like she was completely losing her mind, and she wanted to press her tingling body close to his. Vampire or not, he turned her sex into a pulsing bomb. He stood close, too close.
“Don’t be afraid, my Cindy. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we made love. That’s why I threw this ball tonight, because I knew you would come back to me,” whispered the enigmatic voice behind her, sending cold shivers down her spine. She needed to close her eyes in order to calm down. All of this was happening too fast; she didn’t even have time to think about what she was going to tell him.”
“Please leave me alone, you don’t want me. I’m not good for you. This will end badly for both of us,” she said, not even knowing what was coming out of her mouth.
There was no way that she could turn around and look directly into his eyes. Maybe if she ignored him for a little while, he would leave her alone. His masculine scent was driving her crazy, and all she could think about was touching him again.
He placed his cold hand on her shoulder and her insides began melting away. She gasped for air, remembering every word and every moan that had escaped through her mouth the night that she spent with him.
“Leave? I’m not going anywhere. We must talk right away. I owe you an explanation. You ran away so quickly and I was losing hope thinking that I’d never see you again when my guards came back empty handed,” he continued saying those soft words to her, making her forget where she was. Heat was turning her blood into lava. This wasn’t really happening, her mind was in disarray. Pressure underneath her eyes was mounting.
“Cindy, there you are. I was just looking for you,” said another voice that instantly brought Cindy back to reality. Her heart practically stopped when she realised that her stepmother stood next to the king, and she had dragged Londis along with her. Cindy’s blood rushed to her ears and anger swamped through her body like a tornado. It was clear that Ida had been planning this from the moment she learned that Cindy had spent a night with the king. She was intentionally going to make Cindy look like a complete fool.
She knew that the king would eventually show up, and no doubt planned to interrupt her at just the right moment so she could hurt her further. She might as well have stuck a knife in her back and twisted it a couple of times.
“Your fiancé was just telling me how much he likes the castle,” Ida said, smiling widely, but Cindy knew that it was a fake smile. She pretended that she didn’t even notice the king in the first place and then methodically moved her gaze toward him. Cindy couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. All her strength had left her body and she kept wishing for Martha to appear, so she could take her as far away from this place as possible. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we have been introduced. I’m Ida, Cindy’s stepmother, and this is her future husband, Mr. Londis.”
The vampire king looked at Cindy, then glanced at Ida, finally moving his gaze toward Londis. The awkward silence moved between them for a very long time and Cindy was ready to throw herself at her stepmother and throttle her. She finally looked up at the king, whose expression was stone cold, unreadable, and her heart sank even further.
“I’m King Caspian, pleased to meet you,” he finally said. “A future husband? How can this be? I thought you were single, Cindy?”
Her stepmother laughed and Londis’s mouth hung open. The king shifted closer and suddenly his presence was unbearable. Cindy was fighting with herself not to run away from them. She was considering telling him everything up front, but she had to find a way to be alone with him again, and right now that was impossible.
“Oh, our Cindy is so naughty sometimes and keeps telling lies, my lord. Mr. Londis has been in the picture for a very long time and the wedding is all planned out,” Ida added, finally stabbing Cindy one last time.
“Is this true, Cindy?” the king asked in an icy tone of voice. Cindy had no idea what to say. Her stepmother was there and she didn’t want to make a scene in front of the other guests.
“Yes, I’m engaged to Mr. Londis and we’re going to be married very soon. This was my father’s last dying wish,” she admitted, wanting to scream that she had no other choice, but it was too late. The king exhaled sharply, and a dar
k shadow passed over his face.
“Very well then, I wish you the best. It was nice to meet you all, but please excuse me because I have some other duties that I need to attend to,” he said, with the same cold voice, then turned and walked away.
Cindy was devastated, but she had done what was right, lied to him and herself.
“Who was that man? Someone said a king? He didn’t look like royalty,” Londis stated. “And I don’t like the way he stared at my future wife, like she was a piece of meat.”
“Oh Mr. Londis, you’re such a joker,” Ida laughed and then pushed Cindy towards him. “Come on, you must take Cindy around, show her off to the others. You two are so adorable.”
Cindy was looking around for the king, but he’d already vanished in the crowd. The pain in her chest was rising, spreading down deep into her bones. It was just one night, and she had to forget about him if she wanted to keep her reputation intact.
She let Londis touch her, he wrapped her hand around his elbow and they started moving around through the ballroom. Now and again Londis made an effort to talk to her, but mainly she felt like she had no voice. In a matter of weeks, she was going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere without any way of getting out.
The mere thought made her sick to her stomach, knowing that she was going have to spend the rest of her life trapped in a loveless marriage, until her dying breath.
Chapter Twelve
“Ladies and gentlemen, please, may I have your attention. King Caspian has an announcement to make,” the loud voice of one of the king’s advisors spread throughout the ballroom.
The snippets and whispers moved throughout the crowd, and even Cindy looked up, curious to find out why the king wanted to address his guests.
Ida had gotten what she wanted, and despite the entertainment Cindy was ready to go home. Londis kept pushing her in front, suddenly looking very interested in royal affairs, but Cindy no longer cared. Sadness enveloped her, spreading through her veins—mind, body and soul—she was crushed.
She finally noticed him, standing behind his advisor. Caspian was by his son and the girl Prince Eric had picked up at the ball. Cindy didn’t know her name, and she was surprised to see that Eric was planning to marry someone so unattractive, considering what he was saying at the ball. Cindy looked at Caspian, and again felt scorching heat spreading throughout her entire body, licking and touching every crevice. She knew that no one in the ballroom could tell that he was a vampire. People were so clueless.
He didn’t even look at her once. She knew that he could sense her standing in the crowd. She deserved to be ignored. After all, she had lied to him in a sense.
“Cindy, keep still; otherwise I won’t be able to see a thing. My knees are hurting,” Londis complained when she was trying to stand on her tiptoes to see everything in front.
She rolled her eyes, and folded her arms over her chest. Londis was short. He barely reached her shoulders. Cindy thought about her wedding day, suddenly realising that she would look ridiculous standing next to him at the altar. She chose not to stare at the king any longer, although her heart was beating fast, and only for him, but their romance ended the night she ran away from the castle. His energy was making her wet, so she closed her eyes, trying to calm down, breathing in and out. He was so close, and yet so far away.
Finally, the crowd in the ballroom settled and people stopped talking. Caspian nodded to his advisor and stepped forward.
“I’m very delighted to announce that my son has found the woman of his dreams. Rigga comes from respectable family and in several weeks I’m planning to throw Eric a wedding party. Of course, every resident of the Farrington Kingdom is invited. Due to this special occasion, I’m announcing a national holiday tomorrow,” the king stated, smiling, and the crowd erupted, cheering for him. Warmth danced around Cindy’s chest, but she had a feeling that this wasn’t the big announcement that she was waiting for. Moments later Caspian continued. “His decision made me realise that I should move on with my life as well.”
The king paused for a second, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue, and then he found Cindy in the crowd. The heat from his gaze made her toes curl, and her breathing became laboured. She wanted to shout at the top of her lungs that she didn’t want Londis. They were staring at each other, forming yet another silent connection. Cindy felt that she could love this man, but it was impossible, right? It was too soon to develop any feelings for him and yet she couldn’t have been wrong. She was in love with the vampire king.
“As many of you know, my wife died almost twenty years ago and for a very long time I couldn’t accept that she was gone. I’ve never met anyone who could make me happy the way she did. Seeing Eric filled with joy made me realise that I need to remarry too, that it’s time for me to start over with someone who will love me like Catherine did,” the king continued with his speech and then more snippets and whispers rolled through the crowd.
Cindy’s heart sank and her knees nearly gave out. His voice kept ringing in her ears, and it seemed that people around her were suddenly very excited that they were going to have a new queen. The king was ready to find a new wife and several hours ago she could have been the one standing next to him.
The rest of his words faded as the buzzing in her ears became unbearable. Cindy glanced at her stepmother who was suddenly standing next to her. She must have walked up to her earlier to make sure that Cindy wouldn’t do anything stupid.
“He would have never chosen such a pathetic creature like you. Londis is suited to you, and he will keep you in line.”
Ida looked satisfied with the way things turned out, kicking Cindy while she was down. The king was still talking, but Cindy couldn’t listen to him any longer. She was standing, rooted to the spot until his voice finally faded away. Sometime later, the music started playing again and everyone entered the dance floor. She was nauseous, and couldn’t breathe when Londis grabbed her and told her that she owed him a dance.
Her body didn’t feel like it belonged to her—she was numb and broken. The world she lived in seemed too cruel. Londis was leading her to the dance floor, saying something to her, but she was hurting everywhere and didn’t hear anything he said. It felt like she was floating away into a state of nothingness.
People were smiling, looking like they were enjoying themselves while the orchestra played.
No one cared that the king had broken her heart or the fact that he was a vampire—that’s if they knew at all. Her mind was tangled with questions about his age; she wondered if he drank human blood. She was a mixture of emotions and none of them good. She knew the king had to move on, especially after learning she was engaged to that pig, Londis, but if he knew the truth? Then what? More questions riddled her mind as she faded in and out.
“I’m sorry, I need to go to the loo, please excuse me,” she blurted out to Londis and then pulled away from him. He was shouting something after her, but she wasn’t listening. Her mind was in despair, tears dripping down her cheeks as she ran away. Cindy had to get away from the suffocating atmosphere, from judgmental looks and her evil stepmother. She found the door in the back of the ballroom and began rushing through the long, dark corridors, not even knowing where she was going.
Part of her soul felt like it had been torn to pieces, but she kept on going, moving as far away from the scene as possible. Soon she didn’t hear the music anymore. Her chest started to burn, so she stopped for a second to steady her laboured breathing.
She happened upon a marble staircase and decided to climb to the higher parts of the castle, hoping to be alone. With darkness looming over her, old insecurities about being stuck in the darkness flared up. She needed to get away from Caspian, be as far away from him as possible. She missed him, but that didn’t matter anymore.
The king had done something to her, twisted her heart, and now she couldn’t function the same as before. Her stepmother was cruel, and Cindy was so stupid to have trusted her in the beginning.
/> Eventually she couldn’t keep going, her legs were aching and sweat was running down her face. She sat down on the top of the stairs and cried. In the past, she had always remained strong and positive, but hearing Caspian talk about remarrying broke her from the inside out. She didn’t know him, yes she slept with him, and that didn’t give her the right to claim him as hers, but they formed an incredible connection that could easily turn into love.
She didn’t want him to marry someone else, and her heart was crushing into tiny pieces at the thought of seeing him with another woman.
“Cindy? What’s wrong? What are you doing here all alone along, spilling your precious tears?”
The voice startled her, and when she lifted her eyes she thought she was hallucinating. Caspian was supposed to be at the ball, so what was he doing in here with her? She swallowed hard and prickling heat scorched her skin as he stood in front of her. Every small hair on her body stood on end. She would recognise his scent anywhere; she knew that he was real.
He was beside her before she could even take another breath. In a matter of seconds, she had forgotten about her stepmother and Londis. Nothing else mattered when she was staring in the eyes of King Caspian, her vampire king.
“Nothing, it’s nothing, I’m sorry,” she mumbled, knowing that she couldn’t really tell him what was wrong. If he knew that she was being forced into marriage, then he’d be furious. She couldn’t risk the king learning of Charles or the fact that Ida had forged papers saying she was a hooker. His reputation would be ruined because of her, even if he knew she was a virgin when they met.
“You must tell me what’s on your mind. I couldn’t bear seeing you with that man, so I walked away. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” he asked, touching her, and warming her blood instantly.
“I was ashamed,” she admitted.
“No, that isn’t it. Tell me why you’re really crying. What’s going on, Cinderella?” he kept questioning her, but she couldn’t concentrate when his cold fingers were touching her and burning her skin. She finally met his eyes and her thumping heart echoed inside her head.