“Luis, come down here, please.” His mother’s voice came from the living room, but he ignored her for a second. Thinking about what he wanted to do with the shirt he’d just taken out of his backpack, he put it on the bed and considered the options: either unravel the seams and change the cut completely or just add a couple of patches. But first, he needed to see what his parents wanted.
Luis ran a hand through his blond hair, which would need a cut soon. Well, not until he got another paycheck. Right now, he was kind of broke. He didn’t have anything to spare for a haircut. His money would be enough for food until the end of the month—something he always took care of first.
His parents had made it clear they didn’t support his choice to study art. And while he wouldn’t ever say that out loud, he was kind of proud for not needing them. He did it on his own. Not like a lot of the other students who sat around on their asses while getting money from home and spending it on partying. Luis didn’t have much time to go out. Either he learned, or he worked. And sometimes, he slept, but only when he could afford it.
He grinned at his reflection in the mirror. The I’m-tired-as-hell look suited him well, in an ironic kind of way. Five hours of sleep a night didn’t cut it, but he was ahead of his class, and he worked thirty-five hours every week. These things didn’t lie. He should have a day off sometime soon, though, and then he’d sleep for ten hours straight. Only a few more days, then most of his tests would be finished. For now at least. Then he could rest.
But first, he had to see what his parents wanted. What could they have to say that required him to come home?
Did they want to get a divorce? He hadn’t thought of that. On his way to their house, he’d believed something was wrong, that one of them was sick, but they had both denied it. They’d only told him to take his bag to his old room and then come back down. But before he could even take a deep breath and mull over what else could be wrong, his mother called again, leaving him no time to linger.
They wouldn’t divorce. They’d been together for so long, but then, even that wasn’t a guarantee anymore. But no matter what, he needed to get down there and talk to them. It had to be important. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have called him home.
With heavy steps, he walked down the stairs to the living room. Dread settled even deeper in his stomach when he saw them sitting on the couch, their expressions somber. Very somber. Whatever the news, it wasn’t good.
His grandparents were dead, so they weren’t the source of the sorrowful miens. But what then? Luis took his place on the couch.
His mother turned to him and took his hand with her cold one. Her beautiful blue eyes sought his, and she visibly took a deep breath. “I have to tell you something. Please hear me out before you say anything.”
Luis swallowed hard. What would come now? His hands were clammy, but he could only wipe one on his jeans as his mother still held the other. Luis stared at her face and tried to figure out what was wrong. Something bad happened. Something really bad. Blood pulsed in his ears while he waited for his mother or father to speak again.
“The Vampire King from Munich visited us yesterday. He had a proposal for us. His son, Gerome, needs a mate. He’s seen the picture of you at the coven meeting from a few months ago and thinks you’d be a good match. The prince is going to take over the crown soon, and he needs a mate by his side. You, to be specific.” His mother paused and tightened her hold on his hand. “I agreed. A mating to the prince will bring a lot of power to our coven. And the king paid us a good deal of money for the match.”
“You what?” Luis yelled, trying to pull his hand back, but his mother held him tightly. He jumped up from his seat and tried to yank away from his mother’s grasp. What the fuck were they thinking? They had to be kidding. He was not going to mate some guy he never met. They were totally crazy. Nuts.
His mother didn’t relent, firmly keeping his hand in her grip.
“Let me go! I won’t mate someone you picked! What do you think you’re doing?” His voice cracked, but his mother didn’t even flinch.
“Calm down. You knew this was coming. Everyone gets mated. It’s the way things are done,” his mother said calmly, even though her fingers still dug into Luis’ hand. It hurt, but he couldn’t focus on that now. He needed to get away before they married him off. His mind raced, turning over possibilities. He couldn’t simply mate someone. What if he ran away and hid? Would one of his friends help him to lay low? If the king wanted him as a mate for his son, would hiding help at all? Or would they find him?
He didn’t sit down but remained standing, ready to flee the second his mother’s grip loosened. And he would run. They were not selling him like a damn animal. His heart beat madly and blood rushed in his ears so loudly he didn’t understand his mother’s words. Not that he wanted to hear them. They’d betrayed him. Sold him. Panic rose in him, and he couldn’t breathe properly. They couldn’t do this to him.
Luis met his father’s gaze. He’d remained strangely silent. “Dad, can’t you do something? It’s not right. Please, help me.” Maybe his father could stop this.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do anything. Your mother owns me, and she made the decision.” He looked up, the pain in his eyes nearly too much for Luis. “This is the way things have been done for a long time. Her father bought me as well, all these years ago, and it worked out okay for us. It’s best for you to have a strong mate. You’ll be a great consort for him. I would have liked for you to meet him first, but his father thinks you’d be a good match, and while I’m sad to see you go, I’m happy you’ll finally have such a powerful mate. It’s good to have connections, you know? He’ll be good for you.”
“BUT I FUCKING DON’T WANT TO MATE A COMPLETE STRANGER!” Luis yelled at the top of his lungs. It was disrespectful, he knew that, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. They’d sold him, fucking sold him. They’d agreed that he’d spend his life with someone he’d never met! He had every right to yell. His parents had lost every ounce of respect he’d ever had for them. How could he respect someone who sold him?
With heavy breaths, he tried to push down his anger, to think straight. There had to be a way out. He just needed to find it.
What could he do? Think, Luis, think. Talk to them. Maybe there was still a chance. His father belonged to his mother. He’d known it but forgotten about it. She never showed her ownership in front of him, and Luis never attended coven functions, even if his parents were the leaders. He’d more or less forgotten they were vampires. At least, his mother was. His father was mostly human, with just a couple of his ancestors being vampires. Luis never even had the urge to try blood, so he’d believed he was more or less completely human as well. Paranormals had come out of hiding a few years ago, and it didn’t matter what you were.
His mother owned his dad. They’d fought on occasion—and she’d won—but he never thought of it as a fight due to their social standings. Or had they been fights between their two caste positions? Had the argument been over punishment for the owned mate? His stomach churned as he recalled the times his father hadn’t been able to sit down properly, the times his mother had shut him up with nothing but a glare. Bile rose in his throat, and he swallowed hard. Didn’t they understand how sick that was? And if they did, why did they agree to something like that? Didn’t they know what they were getting him into?
His mother still held his hand, most likely to stop him from running away. She knew him better than he wanted to acknowledge.
What should he do now? He couldn’t simply agree and obey. They weren’t going to destroy his whole life. His father couldn’t help him. He had no power to do so. His mother seemed to see nothing wrong with her plans. Maybe his mate or the king would understand.
No, not King Harold. He’d bought him. Luis swallowed again against the nausea. God, he’d really been bought like an animal. Without allowing him a say.
With a retching sound, he bent over the side of the couch and threw up on the carpet. He couldn’t stop it for the world. His mother still clutched his hand, so he didn’t even have a chance to make it to the bathroom. He didn’t care. After what they’d just told him, they could deal with the mess. He had to deal with it as well.
Finally, as his stomach just cramped, he sat back up, wiping his hand over his teary eyes. His mother, her disapproval clear on her face, silently handed him a tissue. It wasn’t Luis’ problem. She was the reason for this reaction. She had to deal with it.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked, her tone icy. It wasn’t as if she cared about his feelings, Luis thought.
“Can you let me go, please? I don’t want to stay here in this room anymore.” It took all of his willpower to stay polite, but screaming wouldn’t help him.
“No, I can’t. The king’s men will be here in a few minutes to bring you to the palace. I don’t trust you not to do something stupid. You will have to stay here and wait with me. Your father will clean up the mess.” With a shake of her head, his father rose and silently went to the kitchen. He’d always wondered about the dynamic between them. He never got the feeling they loved each other. Now it was very clear. How could he have been so stupid? He didn’t understand how he could’ve missed it.
Still avoiding eye contact, his dad cleaned up the mess. Luis’ mind refused to comprehend the recent events, no matter how much he tried. Yes, he grasped the facts. But what did they mean? If he tried to envision his future, he’d be sick again.
But what could he do? Nothing. If he understood correctly, the king’s men would arrive soon and take him away. Judging by the grip his mother had on his hand, running away wasn’t an option either.
Panic gripped his insides and blood rushed in his ears again until his vision dimmed. Then everything went black.