The level of training increases a hundred percent. I work out in overtime and even ignore the pain, by succumbing to it. I start to obsess on how to kill Reno. My anger and emotions will never end. The men start to worry about me. They view my rage as understandable—but troublesome. Tommy tries different meditation techniques with me. It is a struggle not to allow the emotions get the better of me. I’m finally taking a stand, and no longer fear the ‘big bad monster,’ coming to get me. I want to go after Khan and Reno on my own terms. Louie helps me drop more weight, and he takes the time, to give me additional martial art lessons. The rest of the men don’t even know that I’m working closely with Louie, and he gives me private lessons in overtime. I learn additional things from him over the others.
“Don’t put your thumb underneath your fingers! You will break your thumb, if you punch that way!” Louie explains the correct way to punch.
He isn’t afraid to hit my hands, when I do something wrong. He’s not even afraid, to leave a mark on me. Except this time, Brannon notices the brand new black eye.
Brannon grabs my face. “Aye, love. How in the world did you score the black eye?”
“I never paid attention, when I picked a book off the shelf. I didn’t see the book falling and well… you see the aftermath. I hope you remember, when I told you that I’m exceptionally prone to accidents,” I blatantly lied to him.
Brannon shakes his head at me. “You should be extra careful, darling. That’s one nasty black eye. You also have your Coronation tonight. I hope Louie will be able, to conceal that nasty shiner.”
Louie emerges, and he takes my hand. “You are indeed clumsy, girlfriend! What am I going, to do with you?”
Brannon chuckles again. “I suggest making her wear a helmet.”
“Chris and the guys will find out what we’re doing! They will think I’m beating you!” Louie whispers to me, and he worries for nothing.
“You take too much stock, on what he thinks about me. He’s just a guardian, who has no other choice, but to watch over me. My Coronation is in a few hours. What can I expect?”
He pulls me inside his salon, and he quickly applies concealer, to cover my black eye. “Saber believes it will be beneficial, to introduce you to the world. We are all in agreement to at least inform the rest of the world that you’re still alive, and Reno hasn’t won.”
“Does this mean Reno will come after me?”
“Reno will try everything he can, to kill you.”
“Good… I want him, to come after me. My door is open for business,” I boldly state to Louie.
“That’s what we thought you would say. You also have, to deal with the annoying paparazzi. You will make headlines,” Louie informs me.
“I wish the media would ask me, and stop making shit up!” I rolled my eyes after he mentions the paparazzi.
“You know how media works. They love to make money, and hear their voices talk. Pay them no mind. Just let them create their own soap opera. We love you girlfriend. You have to show them how tough you are, and remember to smile and wave,” Louie abruptly changes the subject, “so who is escorting you to your Coronation?” Louie waits for my answer as he applies my foundation.
“I thought it through, and chose Christian to escort me. He’s my guardian right?”
“That makes perfect sense, to choose Christian. The last time I checked he’s still your guardian,” Louie approves of my choice.
I focus on my dress and I chose to design what to wear. Sean gave me a few options to choose. I chose a bright crimson dress with gold trim. The dress is strapless, and it flows to my ankles. My dress is long, but elegant for my Coronation. It has layers of satin, silk, with a trace of lace at the top. I love how the gold trim shines throughout the dress.
It is time for my Coronation. I have a matching crimson corset and a garter belt underneath my dress, with nude stockings. The matching crimson thong slides over my ass. Sean arrives in time, to help me. Louie fixes my hair for me, and he places my hair in a loose bun, with curls draping down my back. He makes sure to level the top of my head, so my tiara can sit there.
The maids enter the salon with a large box. They brought out a large crimson with gold sash. The sash drapes over my right shoulder. They carefully pin my sash, and it flashes with ancient royal symbols, with intricate designs in it. I complete the formal wear, with Christian's latest necklace. The Enforcers keep my sister’s jewelry safe for me. The necklace has ruby stones in the shape of a heart. I really need to repay him for all the kindness he has given me. The way I start to repay him is by choosing him, to be my date for the evening. I think I even surprised him, by selecting him. To me, it makes perfect sense. The nerves slowly calm down. Leo hands me a matching ruby broach, and he snaps at the maids, to pin it on my dress. Leo tests out the new broach a few times, to ensure it still works. He left the earpiece for me, to make my own call. I politely refuse to wear the earpiece for now. I don’t want to know what they are doing behind the scenes. I peek in and notice that all the Enforcers are standing in the foyer. They are wearing expensive suits, and some of their suits are double-breasted. I carefully enter the foyer to reveal the brand new me.
A gold with ruby hairpiece surrounds my loose bun. There are gasps throughout the onlookers. The sash and ruby earrings match. My dress sparkles and shines. My lips are blood red, with a few strands of curls trailing on both sides of my face. I chose to wear a pair of gold with ruby heels. The straps wrap around my ankles. My six-inch heels are open-toed. My fingernails and toenails match the gold within my dress. Nail designs are the latest craze. Louie designs my nails, by putting gold droplets over the clear nail polish.
Christian fidgets at the foot of the steps. He’s exceptionally handsome this evening. He isn’t wearing a double-breasted suit. I notice that he’s wearing a button-down ivory shirt, crimson with gold vest, and a crimson tie underneath his vest. The jacket covers his shoulders, and parts just enough, to reveal his vest. I swear this feels like I’m repeating my senior prom, which coincidentally ended in complete disaster.
~~~***~~~
I remember my prom date never showed up. I remember waiting for hours at my house in Berry, Kentucky. Mesa and Arizona managed to drag me to the prom at the last minute. My date chose the most popular girl in high school. James found me, and tricked me into following him. Unbeknownst to me, I was standing underneath a bucket. The bucket dumps over my head, with red paint covering me. I remember the paint taking an incredibly long time to remove.
~~~***~~~
My nerves start to scatter. My body shrunk to a hundred and sixty pounds. I have an hourglass figure, and my body has definition with great muscle tone. Christian smiles at me. Out of reflex, I smile back at him. Without tripping, I make it to his arm, and slide my hand around it.
Flashes of light snap from every direction. We gingerly stroll outside together, and then we enter the limousine. I sit in the back with Alexander on the other side of me. Majority of the Enforcers are either in the front escort vehicle or behind us in the back escort vehicle. They only allow Leo inside our limousine. He works feverishly on Alexander's microphone.
Leo faces me. “I urge you, to remain calm. There will be people there, to see your Coronation. The hard part for our team is transferring you from the limousine into the building. There will be tons of crazy people there with tons of psycho media, chasing after you. We hired backups for this event tonight. There are a few teams watching you from every single direction, but even that shows no guarantee for your safety. We signed a deal with the two groups, to aid with protection,” Leo instructs.
I try to guess, who are accompanying the Enforcers. “Will you please thank them for me?”
Christian cracks a smile. “You can give them your thanks soon enough.”
The limousine pulls into a street. The mob is enormous with flashes of light shooting from every angle.
Christian gives me a light squeeze. “I know you are feeling a little nervous tonight, but we are here for you.”
Leo nods with approval. “I’m so glad you chose Chris, and not Ian.”
Alexander chuckles aloud. “I am thankful she made the right decision too.”
The limousine parks and the flashes never cease. I remind myself, to look graceful, when I exit the limousine. I worry about tripping, or not smiling. My safety is the last thing on my mind. Alexander exits first and then Leo. They hold their hands out to me. I quickly exit the limousine next. The media screams at me non-stop. They want to ask me tons of personal questions. In a flash, Christian automatically takes over Leo's side. He remains on my left side, and Alexander strategically places himself on my other side. Leo and the others walk behind me, or walk in front of me. The Enforcers have their earpieces in, and they are constantly talking back and forth in their sleeves. The other strange men hold the media back. They wear leather suits with either canary—or baby blue beanies.
I instantly recognize Gabriel from a distance. He’s wearing a baby blue tie. We shift inside the building, after ten minutes of media frenzy.
I am stun by the sheer beauty of the large foyer. Inside the large foyer is a crystal with gold chandelier directly above us.
Gabriel and another man with a canary tie step over to Chris. “That shit was fun! If they are going this crazy for Jeannie, I’m pretty sure they will go this crazy for Ember.”
Christian places my hand inside the crook of his elbow. I remain there until the Enforcers enter through a set of tall oak doors with intricate designs. The Enforcers are scanning the crowd. Christian and I remain at the oak doors, and I never took a good glimpse of the room.
Christian clears his throat. “I have to say something, before we make our entrance.”
I stare directly into those ultramarine eyes. This is the first time; I catch a glimpse of nerves from him.
“I am thankful you chose me to be your escort, but I want to make sure you realize just how beautiful you are tonight.”
My heart hits my throat, and I struggle with what to say in return. Christian takes me completely off guard. “I’m thankful for you. You’re very handsome tonight. I—err... thanks, Christian. I need to make this up to you.”
He kisses my forehead, and then he caresses my cheek. “You have already made it up to me, by thanking me, and when you entered into my existence.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, and he still caresses my cheek. He’s about to lean in for a kiss, but the doors swing open. I jump out of impulse, and Alexander gives us the signal. I quickly take my place, and return to his right side. I inhale deeply from bitter disappointment. We stroll into the large room together, and there are tables with people sitting around them. Everyone rises to attention as I walk by. The handclaps start, along with flashes of light. I keep a nervous smile on my face. Christian escorts me to the center of the room, where a small stage is.
“This is where I leave you temporarily,” he whispers gently in my ear. I try to hold on to him, but he pulls my hand down.
Zohar wears an onyx suit with a carmine velvet robe. He places me on the small oak stand. The bright lights above us remain on. I think to myself, “This is a little overboard.”
Zohar takes out a claret velvet pillow, and he places it in front of me. He directs me to it. “You will kneel down on the pillow.”
I follow his request, and I hold on to the oak rail in front of me for support. Zohar continues to instruct me, “You will remain on your knees until your Coronation ends.”
Saber enters the room, and everyone that’s a vampire immediately kneels on his—or her knees, except for the Enforcers. He exempts them, since they have to work security. He stands on the other podium with his royal crown upon his head. The vampires stare at each other with curiosity.
Zohar starts to talk through a microphone, “First of all, I would like to thank all of you for arriving on such a short notice. Tonight is the Coronation of Vampire Princess Jeanne Zorelle Justice-Denali.”
I gaze at my grandfather in confusion. He changed my last name! There has to be a perfectly logical explanation for the name change.
“This is a monumental ceremony, not only for the vampires around the world, but for all hybrids. May I please, have the two guardians, who are in charge of the Princess, to stand before me now?” Zohar spoke and orders.
I watch intently, to see who steps forward. I’m blown away when Willow appears. Willow and Christian steps forward and I never expect them to do that. Charlie smiles lovingly at his daughter, who now stands in front of Zohar.
Zohar turns to my guardians. “Are you both willing, to teach her about the laws of both vampire and Meropis? Are you both equally responsible for any actions from the Princess? Do you promise to remain her loyal friend and consort? Will you be her advisement, armor, and soul protector? Will you direct her, and guide her as your future queen?” Zohar asks all the important questions.
The nerves spark throughout my body, and the nerves causes me, to shake violently. Christian and Willow willingly accept the oath they make to me. They bite into their wrists and pour their blood into a gold chalice. Zohar hands the gold dagger to me. Christian steps over to me, and he slices my wrist open for me. He pours my blood into the gold chalice. Saber bites into his own wrist, and pours his blood into the same gold chalice. I remain on the small oak stage with an open wound. Zohar lifts the gold chalice in the air. He speaks in a different tongue. Smoke enters the room with two red fangs midair. Christian cleans my arm with his mouth. He continues, to pour his blood directly into my open wound.
“You will start feeling the side effects from our blood exchange,” Christian whispers to me.
My eyes close from the intense euphoria. I can feel his blood coursing through my veins and into my heart. The feeling is indescribable. Relaxation flows from my head and through my toes. This is such a bizarre, but calm feeling.
“You need to remember, to breathe through the side effects,” he whispers.
“What are the other side effects?” I whisper in return, asking him.
“I will tell you tomorrow, and you are already feeling a few tonight.”
After he cleans himself off, he takes his place next to Willow. This feels almost identical to the time from my past, when I accidentally drank my dad’s whiskey. The whiskey knocked me out for the entire evening. My nerves disintegrate, and my body feels light. Everyone and everything twists into vibrant colors. The colors are alive and brilliant. The scents around the room are lush and extremely pungent. Christian's cologne permeates the air with ease. The drawback to this heightened sense of smell, are the other potent scents from colognes and perfumes. My head starts to throb from the combination of scents. My vision drastically improves, and I swear that I can see behind my head. I remind myself to remain perfectly still.
Zohar uncovers a tiara made of diamond and rubies. Zohar lifts the tiara to the crowd, and he speaks in a bizarre tongue. He pulls the tiara down, and he stands in front of all the Vampire Enforcers. One by one, they kiss my tiara. It shocks me to realize all the customs they participate in together. Even Willow and Christian kiss the tiara. My grandfather follows in suit last.
The tiara sits on my head ten minutes later. The flashes of light blind me. The euphoric emotion keeps me calm. I smile goofy, and I feel drunk. At least I can hope and pray that pictures of drool aren’t hanging from my mouth. This feeling makes me feel incredibly woozy.
Zohar continues, to speak in a different tongue. After waiting patiently in what feels like forever, he allows me to stand up. My tiara reminds me of a disco ball, from the way it shines brightly around the room.
Christian returns to my side, and he helps me off the small oak podium. “Before you ask, you will have to go through this again, when you become queen.”
My grandfather follows through with his promise. “I’m so proud of you, and you look absolutely stunning this evening, granddaughter.”
We embrace and flashes of light shoot from every direction. I turn around to see that the podium has already vanished. I accept a dance with my grandfather, and he escorts me to the dance floor. Luckily, for me, Louie taught me all the ballroom dances that we will participate for tonight. My grandfather instantly takes the lead. Willow makes sure she takes her share of pictures.
“Why did you change my last name?” I courageously ask my grandfather.
“I want to leave you everything, in case something should ever happen to me.”
“What if something happens to me instead?”
“That will never happen! He blurts out, and he continues, “Christian will make sure nothing will happen to you. He’s an excellent Enforcer. I’m so thankful that he’s openly supporting you. He wants to make sure you remain safe. He always follows through with his promises. So no, my dear, he doesn’t like to lose, and losing you, won’t be in his cards. I know for a fact that he will take good care of you.”
I perform a proper curtsey at the end of our dance. A skinny woman walks over to my grandfather, and he takes her hand. The woman could easily pass for my age. Christian returns, and he leads me into another dance. The world around me spins, and the room ripples into giant waves.
“Do you still feel the side effects?” Christian asks as I stumble a few times. The only thing I can do right now is nod yes.
“The side effects will go away soon,” he reassures me as he pulls me closer.
“What other side effects will I have?” I managed to ask him.
“You feel the euphoria right now. You will notice a few subtle changes, but at least the euphoria will dissipate in a few short hours,” he swings me around the dance floor and continues, “your vision; smell; and taste will drastically improve. You will have thoughts and feelings in the future, but these feelings are not yours. The same will apply to me.”
“You have to explain all of this to me again, once the euphoria fades away,” I say to him.
He laughs and twirls me around the dance floor.
“How long will these extra feelings last?” I still feel drunk with euphoria.
“It depends on how many times we trade, or create this bond. The extra feelings will last for twenty years. If we continue, to bond even more, then it will last a lifetime.”
I think I have drool escaping my mouth. I lean my head on his chest, and try to see through the euphoria. The room constantly spins inside my head.
“How long does this normally last with let’s just say… a normal vampire?”
He gently caresses my cheek. “With a two hundred year old vampire it can last twenty months, but we traded blood twice, so it will be forty years for us.”
I peer into his perfect ultramarine eyes. “That makes me an old woman. Will I still age?”
He twirls me around again, but brings me back to him. “That depends on what you want with your life. My advice to you is to age and enjoy your human side. You deserve to marry a man, who is mortal and bear his children. You deserve to age with someone, and watch your grandchildren fill your yard.”
“You may think I deserve a lot of things, but what mortal will approve of these things?” I open my mouth, and point at my awkward fangs. He closes his eyes with a slight smile. He keeps my head on his chest.
“The choice is ultimately yours, but I will never turn you. I already turned someone into a vampire a long time ago. You have no idea, the guilt I feel for turning him,” he peers at me, with sadness in his eyes.
“I never asked you to turn me. I’m sure that I can find others, who will turn me,” as soon as I said that to him, he scowls at me.
“I will make sure nobody turns you. You must enjoy your life, and not become one of us,” he says to me as he grits his teeth.
He bows gracefully, to signal that he’s finished dancing with me. I slowly curtsy to him, and another man appears, only to scare the daylights out of me. “So, you’re Chris's Jeannie that he has been yacking about!” the unknown man tries to shout over the stereo.
This man has short blonde hair with jet-black ends. The unknown man has piercings in his face and ears. He has tattoos that he’s trying to conceal. This strange man could pass as another brother to Christian and Alexander.
Christian shakes the man's hand roughly. “I wondered when you were going to show up, Joey.”
He wears a canary tie and a canary with slate vest underneath his jacket. He has the same style as Christian. I remember exactly who he is, and this man tops the list with Christian as one of the most wealthiest supernatural creature. Although they have similar appearances, Joey wears dark eyeliner. I blush immediately, after he calls me Christian’s Jeannie.
“Stop worrying sweetheart, he doesn’t say a whole lot to me,” Joey continues to tease him, “he only mentions you every time I talk on the phone to him. I’m Joey, by the way. He’s the jerk who forgot, to introduce me to his girlfriend,” Joey kisses my hand, after he introduces himself to me.
I blush at Joey. “I have no idea what to say, but it is so nice to meet you.”
He also has a certain confidence and charm about him as he nudges Christian. “I taught all these dudes how to dance. If it wasn’t for me, you would have a bunch of dead guys dancing around like a bunch of stiff fucks,” Joey continues, “I have to leave for my own babysitting detail. Oberon just asked me to babysit his niece. I don’t even know if I should—or not.” Joey appears lost and confused.
“Is this Ember?” Christian stops laughing and asks.
Joey shakes his head no. “Gabe must have filled you in on her. No man, there’s another one to babysit, and she happens to be Rosebud's daughter. Rosebud was murdered along with my best friend, Blaze. Ember and Rosalie are also cousins. Oberon told me that the girls are hard for him, to watch over all the time. Gabe is keeping his distance from Ember, but they are watching her. Oberon worries about the trip they plan to go together. They have no idea of the danger they are in. Khan and Reno are after all royal members, who support Saber. Some of his supporters are fairies. The good thing is that there are too many McClouds on the loose for Khan to catch. He wants the McClouds off the royal throne, to bring another family into power. What do you think I should do?”
“I know what it’s like to have your parents brutally murdered, and it isn’t an easy thing to deal with. I think it would be an excellent idea, if you were able to keep her safe too. I appreciate Christian and the rest of the Enforcers for keeping me alive. I’m extremely thankful for each day they are giving me. If it weren’t for them, there’s no telling where I would be right now. I say you should go for it,” I answer for Christian.
Joey smiles at me, and he nods with approval at my answer.
“You heard what my Princess says. I value her thoughts, and she’s better educated on the subject of losing parents than I am. I assume she’s also a princess?” Christian confirms my answer as he asks Joey a normal question.
Joey chuckles as he shrugs his shoulders. “She’s another princess, as if our hands aren’t busy enough. Not only do we have Ember, but Rosalie to worry about. From what Oberon told me, she doesn’t think things through, and she can be an airhead at times.”
Christian glances at me calmly. “That should be fun for you to handle, since you can also be irrational at times. You can handle this challenge perfectly.” Christian pats him hard on the back.
They switch their conversation to politics. I respectfully excused myself to the bathroom. I found an empty stall, and close the door behind me. I daydream about the events from tonight. I try to snap myself out of this euphoric mood.
I hear the main bathroom door open and two sets of heels walk across the floor. I listen to their conversation.
“So, what do you think of our new Princess, Shelly?”
“What are your thoughts, Tracy? How do you feel, when you watch your man dance with the Princess?”
I instantly recognize the two women. I keep perfectly still and pull my feet up. They show no signs of knowing that I’m in the bathroom stall.
“He’s only with her in case something happens to Saber. I firmly believe he only wants to be with her for the title of king. If Christian is king, then he fully accomplishes his goals of ruling this fucking world. He will always remain the same disgusting vampire he inspires to be.”
I peek through the crack, to watch Shelly reapply her lipstick. “I really don’t know… he appears to be falling for her. I’ve never seen him look at anyone, the way he looks at her—not even you. He never notices anyone else in the room. I honestly believe that if anyone goes near her, he will end their existence.”
“All vampires only care about themselves. She has nothing to offer him,” Tracy argues back.
Shelly drops her compact, but picks it up. “She can still have kids. From the both of us, she can give him kids.”
“He always talks about his stupid daughter. How stupid can he be? What woman would willingly put a freak in her womb? Oh, wait… Saber did that! Look at how well that turned out,” Tracy laughs.
The women continue, to laugh hysterically. My stomach starts to churn. Tracy continues to run her mouth with pure ignorance. “Christian only worships himself, and he will never love her.”
~~~***~~~
The women left the bathroom, after ten minutes of how I will make a horrible princess, and how he will never marry me for love.
I inhale a deep breath, and exhale slowly. The euphoric feeling keeps me perfectly content. A few shouts are coming from the hallway outside.
“Jeannie, are you in here?” Willow yells in the bathroom.
I put my feet down, and left the stall. “I’m still here, Willow.”
“Christian is going out of his mind wondering where you’re at!”
While I wash my hands, tears stream down my cheeks. Willow notices my tears. “What’s wrong, Jeannie?”
“Is Christian only nice to me, because I’m a princess?” I cut the crap, and went straight for the jugular vein.
Willow wipes off my face, and reapplies my makeup. She pushes me out of the restroom. “If that were true, then he would have never let you stay with us. He would find an excuse, to put you in New York City, or something stupid. He wouldn’t spend any money on you either. Trust me, when I say that he’s crushing hard for you.”
I follow her through the corridor. Christian has his hands behind his head, and he’s visibly upset. I think I can feel the other symptom of our bond—or side effect.
“I found her, Chris,” Willow announces.
He wheels around on his heels to face me. I can feel his emotions, and this starts to freak me out. I can feel his fear and relief coursing through my veins. I apologetically hug him. “I’m sorry that I made you worry.”
His feelings change from worry to happiness. I don’t believe that I like this one single bit. This must mean that he can feel me too. His emotions confuse me completely.
He pulls me close to him. “Are you ready to leave?”
I grab his hand, and we exit the expensive building. Christian and I slid safely inside the limousine. The media are a distance away from us now. This experience emotionally and physically drains me. I rest my head on his shoulder, to fall asleep. He wraps his arms tightly around me, and holds me close to his lukewarm body. He makes me feel completely safe and secure. I already depend on him for so much. Before I knew it, I fell asleep on him.
The next thing I remember is waking up in a gigantic bed. I glance around the room in total confusion. I check myself over, and realize that my hair is down. I only wear a red slip. The time reads four o'clock in the morning. Christian types away on his laptop. He’s also stripped down to just his slate dress slacks.
I clear my throat. “Where am I?”
He stops typing, and he eyes me through his hair. “You are in my bed, and you have another hour, before Leo takes over for the next two weeks. Go back to sleep.”
I take his advice, and fall back to sleep. It surprises me that I’m actually sleeping in his bed. The huge mattress feels extremely soft. There has to be at least three king size beds put together in this one large circle. An ivory bearskin keeps me warm and extra safe. I drift off to sleep in no time. My first dream with Christian happens. He replaces the mysterious lover in my raunchy dreams. This should be a nightmare, but I dream of having intense sex with him.
He steals my breath away from his intense speed in bed. I shout his name aloud by accident, and his name repeats in my dream. I even told him how much I love him. Every part of my body responds to his sensual touch. The heat between us set off sparks. We are about to launch into a triple X scene, when sadly someone rudely awakens me with a French accent. “Time to wake up, sleepy head!”
I open my eyes, and glance around the room. To my bitter disappointment, I’m back in my bedroom all alone.
Leo throws my workout clothes at me. “We have a long day ahead of us, and you need to put your clothes on.”
I can’t remember how I got here, and I’m in my bed with a shirt only. My throat gargles a few expletives as I rush to change in my bathroom.
I complain loudly through my bathroom door, “There’s nothing like snapping back to reality!”
“Do I hear complaining?” Leo shouts through my bathroom door.
A few additional expletives mumble underneath my breath. My iPod stays with me in case there are cardio exercises today.
“You appear to have a hangover,” Leo teases as he pats me hard on the back.
“I might as well have a hangover. I’m so glad I have sunglasses, because my eyes are killing me.” The brilliant lights shoot around the room in vivid colors.
Leo laughs and he opens all the doors for me. “That’s what happens, when you create a blood bond. Now, you belong to Christian. Therefore, no other male vampire can stake his claim on you. Please, pardon the pun, my dear.”
“What does a blood bond entail? I don’t comprehend any of this.”
Leo finishes his sweet drink, and he sets it down on the mahogany table. “You may experience vision; hearing; and taste differences,” Leo continues to talk, but now underneath his breath, “you will also want to fuck him.”
“I hope I misheard you, but you muttered that last part. Will you please, repeat that?”
“You will experience what he’s feeling, and he will sense what you’re feeling. You will find him sexually appealing, and the one will dream of having sex with the other. I call that an occupational hazard,” he explains what I’m going through right now.
I try to make sense of all these emotions, and I have to gather my thoughts. “Does anyone ever follow through with these impulses?” I ask.
Leo scratches his head. “There’s no way to avoid it. The indecent thoughts will eventually take over, and of course, one thing will lead to another. Christian will eventually pop your cherry sooner—or later. We all made bets, to see who will break first.”
I am repulsed and in shock. “You’re so gross, and let me guess… Ian is behind these bets!”
Leo taps my nose. “You’re absolutely correct. He believes that you will cave in, and beg Christian for sex first.”
I felt like I swallowed another bitter pill. “Oh, great! I live in a house full of men, who bet over my sex life, or lack of one! Thanks a lot, guys! Where is Christian at anyway?” I shake my head with disgust.
“Christian has a business meeting, and is it working yet?” Leo smirks at me.
I try to stand up, but trip over my own feet. “I’m fairly positive that I won’t hike his leg today, or even tomorrow! You and Ian can shove those bets, where the sun never shines!”
Leo catches me. “The sun never shines there anyway.”
He escorts me inside the gym, and he orders me, to run for several hours on the treadmill. Ian walks inside the gym, and hands him another gadget for him to fix. That’s why I’m so glad I have my iPod with me. It is hard to keep Christian off my mind. I try to focus on my sister, and how many different ways I can kill Reno. There’s the sun, but he doesn’t deserve the sun. There has to be better ways to torture that animal. The ways to end Reno and Khan's existences never stop. The same thoughts revolve in my head, and it always ends with those two begging for their existences. I want those assholes, to grovel at my feet. I know I should take the high road, but that will never happen. Ava didn’t deserve to die the way she did. My sister deserved more respect than that. The pain in my chest continues to ache. I have lost so many people in my life, because of Reno and Khan. I won’t rest until those two meet their final deaths. Ava was supposed to be married. I wanted to become an aunt with a bunch of nieces and nephews running around the house. The pain aches deep in my soul. I have to pause, and catch my breath for a few minutes.
Leo stares at me. “I know you’re still grieving, but it will be okay. I won’t hold it against you.”
A few tears drip off my cheeks. Leo clearly understands what I’m going through. I sob for only a few minutes. “Thank you Leo for your compassion, but it only hurts, when I think about the future she clearly deserved.”
Leo lifts up my chin. “What about your future?”
“My sister was the outgoing one. She had the most potential from the two of us, to have a marriage and children.”
“You can still marry and have children.”
“Do you think he will be able, to ignore my fangs?” The tears continue, to trickle down my cheeks.
“I have a simple solution for you. Marry a vampire instead of a mortal,” Leo suggests.
“That sounds easier said than done. I want to have kids though.”
“You can still have kids, even if they are vampire kids. All you need to do is find a male vampire, who will want to have kids with you. After you have his kids, then he can turn you to our side. Do you see how easy that is?” Leo gave me his advice.
“Christian said he will never allow it. I wish that were true Leo, but majority of my life is tied to Christian. So, how does that work with a blood bond?” I wait for his answer.
“In that case, I have no clue. You’re screwed, and if you take another drop of his blood, you will always remain a part of him,” Leo scratches his head.
The idea unhinges me, and I wished someone warned me, before exchanging blood with him, but it’s too late, to turn back now.
~~~***~~~
The last week of August ends with September arriving with coral leaves. My second week of training with Leo begins. There are no signs of Christian anywhere. My body drops to one hundred and fifty three pounds. This size feels comfortable and enjoyable to me. But, there are a few pounds left to lose. My boobs firm up nicely, and I lost additional bra sizes. Since Christian isn’t around, the younger Enforcers act up. Erik, Charlie, Alexander, and Sam left for the week.
Ian takes his skateboard out, and he rides it around the castle. The Hayes twins decide it’s time, to pull pranks on Tommy and Leo.
I study history in the library, when all the sudden, I hear a loud “BOOM” echo in the library. I nearly jump out of my skin, and I can hear Brannon snicker.
“You stupid mother fucker, and I will get you for that!” Tommy yells at Brannon.
Brannon apparently lit a firecracker at Tommy. He runs out of the library, hysterically laughing. His brother Brennan winks at me as he pours maple syrup all over Leo’s keyboard. I shake my head at him with disbelief. Brennan chuckles, while he nonchalantly leaves the library.
Zane returns and he commits additional practical jokes. I watch him open Ian’s laptop. He replaces his screensaver with rotting vaginas. He snickers, and then he puts Ian’s laptop back in his seat.
Ian stops riding his skateboard long enough, to strut inside the library. I try to hide the giggles, but he catches me. “Did one of them do something to my laptop?”
I point at Leo’s laptop. “At least your laptop, isn’t as bad as Leo’s.”
Leo has excellent hearing, and he runs inside the library as soon as I say his name. “What the fuck happened, to mine? You had better tell me now, Jeannie! What did they do?”
Ian turns his laptop on. “Okay Zane, this so means war, dude!”
Leo swears up a storm, “Which asshole did this to my laptop?”
I wrote Brennan’s name down for him, and hand Leo the perpetrator. “You had better tell me who did it, Jeannie! I will make you suffer in training, if you refuse to tell me!”
I play along with him, “I was sworn to secrecy, and I refuse, to be in the middle of this!”
Brennan arrives acting nonchalantly, “Whoa, dude! Who did that shit to your laptop? I feel sorry for your poor laptop, and that really bites, dude!”
Leo walks over casually, and then he grabs Brennan by the neck, “Fucker! I will kick your ass for this one!”
Brannon walks inside with a paintball gun, and he ducks inside the library. Tommy storms in with another paintball gun. “Come out, wherever you are, Brannon! I’ve got red paint with your name on it, waiting to light your ass up!”
To my horror, they start a paintball war inside the library. The blood red paint scatters, and a few drops land on my arm. I duck behind Ian, and laugh. The paintball tournament escalates outside. It is fun, to see the younger Enforcers enjoy themselves for a change. Sophia cleans up their mess in the library, and covers for them.
The following day, Louie runs in whistling, “Shit! Erik is back!”
The younger Enforcers run out of the room in a blur. Brannon manages to place a Whoopee cushion in Erik’s chair. Brannon drapes a blanket over his chair. He quickly returns to his usual seat. All the Enforcers sit perfectly still. Erik storms inside the library with a scowl on his face. Everyone stays away from him, because he’s the most intimidating out of all the Enforcers. His face never relaxes until he’s about, to take a seat in his chair.
Alexander arrives with Charlie right behind him. The younger vampires are snickering. Brannon has his phone ready, to take pictures of Erik’s reaction. He keeps a straight face the whole time. Erik finally takes his seat. All you can hear is an obnoxious sound coming from his chair. The younger Enforcers are laughing hysterically, but not Erik.
Erik stands up and he’s hot. “You little fuckers! I will make you pay for this! Reconnaissance for Brennan and Brannon right now, and both of you have two weeks!”
“How do you know it was us?” Brannon asks argumentatively.
Charlie grins at their admission. “That right there bloody told him, who did it!”
Erik turns around to Brannon. “You are lucky that Christian isn’t here, to deal with your childish antics! You should be watching the Princess! All of you are failing at protecting her! We are an elite group, not a bunch of clowns! Take your jobs seriously boys!” Erik yells at them.
“They actually were doing their jobs. None of them left my side at any point, Erik. They were having fun for a change. I actually enjoy, seeing this side of them. They have actual personalities, and they are not a bunch of stiffs,” I boldly speak up for the first time.
“You are a princess, and you will learn your place soon enough! Don’t interrupt our methods of discipline!” Erik huffs at me, and he yells back.
“The year is 2011, and this isn’t the Viking Era anymore, Erik. A little bit a fun never hurts anyone. I actually enjoy watching the men turn into something other than a bunch of soldiers. If you don’t mind, I think I will surrender to my room,” I quickly stand up, and abruptly end our conversation. I take my book, and leave them behind. I surprise the younger vampires, by sticking up for them. I spend the rest of the week reading up on history.
I fight hard, to keep Christian and my sister far from my mind. Those two consume my waking thoughts. Tommy gives me additional meditation advice. Louie works with me, after my initial training with Leo. He isn’t easy at times, and I even thought he would break me. I stumble in the bathroom a few times, because of his late night training.
Leo takes me outside, during the second week. This time he orders me, to run through the woods. It is hard to complete the painful obstacle course. The logs are too heavy, to carry from one end of the woods to the other. I climb over and under all the barbwire fencing. Leo makes certain that I wade through the mud, and climb over the wooden fences. “Come on, kid! You have this! You have to beat the time limit!” It is incredibly hard to make the time limit.
~~~***~~~
Leo taught me how to make a bomb, and how to disarm a bomb. He also taught martial arts, and he taught me how to use other guns. Leo even adds how to throw a grenade. “Disarm, and throw. Jeannie, you need to throw the fucking grenade now!” Leo takes it from my hand, and chucks it just in time.
I apologetically stare at Leo, “I’m so sorry, Leo! I never thought it would go off that fast!”
“Open you ears! When I say throw, you had better throw! I really don’t feel like having our guts explode everywhere today. We should practice throwing a few more times,” Leo yells as he shakes his head at me.
Leo loves to set things off. We practice a few more grenade throws, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. My mind focuses on the bombs and grenades for at least two hours. Christian is probably doing the same thing too.
I secretly meet Louie in the basement. He trains me in gymnastics. The flips are the easiest thing to learn. He blindfolds me, to teach additional gymnastic moves. My punches and kicks are potent with Christian's blood flowing through me. That has to be another side effect of our blood exchange.
~~~***~~~
The cool breeze blows gently, to signify the weather change. Leo shakes my hand, and he congratulates me at the end of our training. For the next two weeks, Sam takes over. Sam continues to train me on detonating bombs and grenades. Besides Louie, he’s the only one, who refuses to treat me like a girl. He’s vicious with his training.
“I refuse to take it easy on you. The next two weeks of training, will be your most brutal weeks thus far,” Sam, warns me.
Sam takes out a swordstick, and he hands it to me. My fighting with him commences.
“Someone has been working with you. You shouldn’t be this far along,” he accuses me.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! Now, show me what you got, dear trainer of mine!” I smirk at him with a guilty look on my face.
Sam laughs and he smacks my hands a few times. I fire back at him, and give him everything I have. Christian makes his grand entrance. I can feel him inside of me, and he’s here. Sam nails my hands a few times, and I swiftly nail Sam hard in the groin.
Sam crouches down. “Vampire or not, that shit still fucking hurts!”
Leo laughs overhearing and watching our little duel.
Sam falls again from another smooth hit to his family jewels. “I’m so sorry, Sam!”
Sam grimaces from the pain. “Can we make the family jewels off limits?”
I notice the pain in his face, and I’m constantly apologizing to Sam. Christian enters the gym, and he watches me bend over Sam. “What is going on here?”
“Jeannie has killed my family jewels, and I need a break,” Sam answers grimacing.
Christian helps me stand up. Sam and Leo left us alone in the gym together.
“You are doing such an excellent job. You have come a long way, from the time you came through my doors,” he compliments me.
The sexual attraction towards him reaches its peak. Without thinking it through, I lean in and kiss his lips. He immediately pulls back, and he isn’t exactly happy. His face twists and he’s hot. “Why did you do that?”
“I’m so sorry! I never mean to!”
Christian places his hands over his head, and he yells at me in a foreign language. He slams the gym doors, and he walks away from me. Maybe I should have thought twice about kissing him, but I didn’t.
Sam returns, shaking his head. “Oh, you really did it now, Princess! Christian is angry! I have no clue what you just did, but he’s really hot!”
“I accidentally kissed him,” I answered.
Sam shakes his head at me. “That wasn’t the smartest move. All I can say is yikes, Princess! You’re screwed now!” He keeps shaking his head at me, and then he instructs me, to run on the treadmill.
My legs are in so much pain. For the rest of the day, I make my own lunch, snacks, and dinner by myself. Louie left me a note on my door, to state that he’s ending our training, since the others are catching on. I sit in my bedroom all by myself. Christian remains in the house angry. I crossed a line that I shouldn’t have crossed.
I remember his number on my cell phone. I promptly chose to send a text to Christian. “That was completely stupid of me, and I’m truly sorry. I was way out of line, and I hope you can forgive me.”
I left my phone on the desk and shower. The shower lasts for a good hour. I stop to think of what I could have done differently. After my shower, I dry myself off, and quickly change into my pajamas.
I return and to my surprise, Charlie is perched on my desk with my cell phone in his hands. His eyes are closed and this doesn’t look good for me. Through our bond, Christian isn’t even in the castle. The anger is far away from me now.
I mournfully peek over at Charlie. “I really pissed him off this time.”
He comes to life. “Bloody hell… I have to say this, darling. You’re very young, and bloody naive about vampires. I’m the only one; he has turned into a vampire. This kind of existence is my bloody choice and not his. My daughter turned as well. Nevertheless, she also chose to turn. I know you will do things out of bloody line. Aye, that’s okay, but you must understand that there are things you must never do. You need to understand a few things about him. He loved his bloody wife very much. Kissing you is a smack to her memory. He also had kids with his mortal wife. There are many other things about him and he’s occasionally misunderstood. He still loves his wife, even after all these years. Do you understand me at all?”
“I understand now, and I’m sorry,” I keep apologizing to him.
“I want you to understand, why I will never replace my wife. You need to hear my story, to have a glimpse at what our lives were bloody like way back when. My bloody wife and I met on an island. I married her and created beautiful children with her. My wife was bloody tough! She took shit from nobody, and she answered to nobody! As a pirate, she was my equal in every way. We sailed the open seas together, and then one day, it all came to a bad end. These pirates from the ship took over ours. They pillaged and plundered. They made me watch them rape, and murder my own wife right in front of me. I couldn’t do anything, not a bloody damn thing! My daughter was with her grandmother at that time. Our other children were also brutally murdered. Willow was sick a lot as a child. Luckily, she wasn’t with us, when that bloody went down. My quest for greed killed my wife. I live with that painful memory every bloody day. They left me on this bloody island over fifteen hundred years ago. Chris is much older than I am. The young lad found me, and saved me. He hated turning me, but I wanted my revenge. I found those bloody pirates, and I got my revenge. I wound up turned for all eternity, and I became a member of the dark side. My wife is still gone, but my daughter is now a member too. She saw me, and she demanded me to turn her. She had the flu that could have killed her, so I turned her at her bequest. My daughter is only a couple years younger than you are.”
Their ages surprise me, and they are older than what I previously thought. The guilt swallows me. I thank him for telling me his age, and how he was turned. Now, I see why it’s painful for him, and the others to talk about their pasts. I have a full understanding, to why they never discuss their pasts. Christian was once married with children during his mortal existence. The news takes me by surprise. There’s only one person, who I could rely on right now. It is time to make that phone call to my grandfather.
Saber answers on the first ring, “I often wondered when you were going, to give me my first phone call. How’s everything going, Jeannie?”
“I need to ask you a private question, but you don’t have to answer, if you don’t want to.”
My grandfather sounds like he’s tapping on something. “I have a feeling that I may already know what you’re about to ask me—but go ahead.”
“Why... I’m sorry, but I made an honest mistake with my guardian. He’s furious with me right now, and I feel extremely guilty. I don’t know what to do next…”
Saber cuts me off, “I’m sorry about what happened to your sister, but you have to understand that revenge is never the answer. I love you enough, to make sure you stay out of this battle. Christian only wants the same things as me. We equally care for you, and we want what’s best for you. I blame the blood bond that you two are sharing between each other. A blood bond can do peculiar things, to both the vampire and his human companion. I anticipate more arguments in the future from you two. My best advice is to be careful with what you do. I know that blood bonds will trick your mind into doing things that you wouldn’t normally do. You need to distinguish between what’s real, and what’s fantasy.”
“I understand perfectly, so how do I fix it?”
“You tell him that you’re sorry in person, and not on a device.”
“I’m truly sorry and I wasn’t thinking. I allowed what isn’t real, to get the better of me.”
“You need to be careful with your actions, and not give in to your blood bond. I know it has a mind of its own at times. Please, give all of them the same respect they deserve. Is there anything else, I can help you with?”
“I wish I could go to Harvard, but I guess that isn’t going to happen?” I try, to squeak in a question.
“You can start college next year, but it will be on this island. Now, is there anything else, I can help you with?”
“Thanks for answering my question about college.”
“I know you worked hard in high school, but right now, it’s too dangerous for you, to attend a mortal college—or any college in general. You will attend college, once we know Khan is weak. I’m so sorry to disappoint you. I knew you were looking forward to college. Right now, it isn’t appropriate at this time.”
“I’m so sorry, Grandpa. I want to say thank you, for your words of wisdom, and I love you very much.”
My grandfather freezes on the phone. I swear that he’s in shock. After five minutes of patiently waiting, he finally responds, “I love you too, but make sure you apologize to Christian in person.”
“I will, and goodnight”
“Goodnight, my young granddaughter.”
We say our goodbyes, and I feel relieved.