••{RHIANNON'S POV}••
The moment Azrael left, the words he said burned into my mind.
"We're getting married in seven days."
I suddenly feel like I'm drowning. Like the walls are closing in on me.
"No…" I whisper to myself. "This can't—this can't be real."
I have to do something. I can't just sit here and wait for seven days to pass by until I'm wed to that… monster. I have to find a way out of here.
I bunch up the skirts of my bloody wedding gown and swing my legs off the bed. My knees falter at first, quivering under me, but I force them to hold. I stagger toward the towering doors and close my fingers around the cold handles and twist.
The door doesn't open.
I twist again and again until my breath starts to come out in sharp, quick bursts but it's useless.
The door is locked.
I rest my forehead against the door for a moment, biting down on my bottom lip as frustration and fear twist in my stomach. I turn around, searching the room with desperate eyes until my gaze lands on one of the tall, arched windows.
For a heartbeat, hope blooms in my chest.
I cross the room and push the heavy curtains aside. Moonlight spills over me as I step onto the window ledge. I grip the stone frame and lean forward just enough to see—
I immediately stumble back so fast I almost fall.
The ground is so far below I can't even see it. Just darkness swallowing everything.
In that moment, I realize that I'm trapped and there's no way out.
The bitter truth sinks to the bottom of my heart as tears start to gather in my eyes. The heavy silence of the room breaks as the doors creak open behind me.
I turn around to see a few women entering the room. They bow in unison, their movements almost too graceful. Too precise.
"Princess," one says, her voice soft and smooth, "the emperor sent us to you. A bath and fresh clothing have been prepared."
I narrow my eyes as I look at them.
Something about their presence is… unsettling.
Their skin is pale, unnaturally flawless, almost glowing even. Their eyes shimmer with something that isn't human. One of them smiles and in the faint light, I catch the glint of sharp fangs.
These aren't just servants. They're… vampires.
My stomach twists into knots as I take a cautious step back, the fear sharpening with each heartbeat.
"This way, Princess," the first one says, gesturing toward the door.
I swallow hard, trying to force down the lump forming in my throat.
I slowly take one step forward, then another, my eyes constantly flicking to them from the corners of my vision.
I can't help but wonder if they know who I truly am. If what Azrael says is true, then what if they attack me? What if they bite me and drain me of every single drop of blood in my body?
A sweat breaks down the side of my face as every part of my being screams at me to run, but I don't. My legs feel heavier with each step I take.
I step out into the hall and my stomach drops. Two guards are stationed on both sides. Their skin is pale, their eyes following me as I walk past them.
The reality dawns on me that I'm the only human in a castle filled with vampires.
As the servants guide me down the massive corridors something inside me sparks and before I know it, I'm running.
My wedding gown weighs me down but I push forward with everything in me, legs carrying me as fast as they can through the endless stone halls.
"Princess!" one of them calls after me. "please, stop!"
I ignore them and keep running. I have no idea where I'm going but I just keep running.
For a second, I glance over my shoulder and my eyes widen when I see they're quickly gaining on me. Panic rises like fire in my veins, my heart beating faster.
I turn forward and from nowhere, a guard blocks my path. I slam into him and fall back on the floor.
"Princess," he says gently. "Please, calm down. We mean you no harm."
My eyes dart wildly, desperately searching for something—anything I can use to defend myself with. My eyes fall on the sword sheathed at his side. I immediately jump to my feet and his eyes widen as I rip it from the sheath.
"Stay back!" I growl, my hands tightening around the sword's hilt.
The servants close in and slowly walk toward me with their palms held out, as if approaching a frightened animal.
"I said stay back!" I shout, my voice shaking with fear and rage.
One reaches for me, "Princess, we just want to—"
I swing the sword and a scream echoes throughout the corridors as her fingers fall off. Her blood splatters across my gown and she stumbles back, clutching her hand.
For a heartbeat, I freeze, my chest heaving, my ears ringing with her scream. I may not know much about vampires except for the things I heard growing up. Whispered warnings meant to scare children indoors before sunset. But those whispers echo in my head now with brutal clarity.
Fire. A blade through the heart. Or take their head.
Those are the only ways to kill them.
The only chances I have.
My grip tightens around the sword. If I hesitate, if I make even one mistake, they'll tear into me and drain me dry before I can even scream. I can't let that happen.
I won't.
The guard reaches to seize the blade from me but I elbow him hard in the face, spin around and sever his head from his body. Blood sprays across my cheek as his body drops to the ground and his head rolls to a stop at my feet. My stomach churns at the sight, but the fear and rage burning inside me, fuels me.
I turn and charge at the remaining servants. Another servant stares at me, horror and disbelief twisting her features. I charge her with a raw growl ripping from my chest. I plunge the sword through her heart, pushing deeper as I hear the sound of bone crack until the sword pierced through her back.
I rip it free and turn to the next. She ducks under my first swing. I swing again but she's too fast. I fake left and the moment she moves right, I drive the sword through her chest.
Blood splashes across the walls, across my hands, across the tatters of my wedding gown. My breaths come frantic and wild. My arms tremble with the force of each strike but I keep pushing. I keep fighting because my life depends on it.
Suddenly, a hand touches my back. I spin around, raising the sword, ready to strike.
"Hypnareth," a calm voice says.
Something invisible slams into me. My head starts to spin and my vision splits into two, then three. The sword slips from my grasp, clattering to the floor. My eyes grow impossibly heavily as I try to keep my balance but I stumble to my knees and collapse onto the floor.
"Sleep," she whispers.
The last thing I see are those amber eyes staring into mine before the world fades into darkness.