Indulge (11 page)

My father sighed. “Very well. You will train, but only for your protection.” I tried not to smile too widely in fear that he would change his mind, but I couldn’t help myself. It felt good to know I would be doing something helpful instead of just hanging around.

My father waved over a man from within the crowd. “Eli!” he called.

My stomach flip-flopped at the sight of him. He was nearly six feet tall and had muscles that threatened to burst through his clothes. His hair was black as night, as were his eyes, and he had a perfectly deep tan that only accentuated his muscles. Side burns covered his jaw, giving him a rugged look.

He simply grunted at my father and I couldn’t help but think he was a meat head. Did I really have to train with this guy? His neck was as thick as my thigh. But he certainly looked intimidating, and if I was to train with the best, then he was definitely it.

After my father discussed my training with the man he turned to give me a look over. If any other guy had looked at me like that I would have probably flipped him off, but this guy, he was dissecting me. “I can train her,” he said. His voice was deep but raspy. A thick scent of cigar smoke traveled with him as he approached me to offer his meaty hand.

“I am Eli. I will train you. It will not be easy, but you must do as I say and you will be a powerful fighter.”

What did I say to that? Thank you? Without saying anything, I took his offered hand. As expected he crushed it with his fierce grip, and I smiled, returning it with as much strength as I could manage.

“Ah!” Eli smiled evilly at me, wagging his finger. “You are stronger than I thought. She will do well,” he added as he turned to my father, who nodded proudly.

I left the room with orders to be ready for training four hours before dawn. I was hoping I could rest before we started, but Eli didn’t have the face of someone who would allow whining, especially not in a time like this.

I knew I didn’t have much time so I took off to Arrick’s room. I needed to know for myself if he had really gone. Deep down I knew he had. If he were here he would have been in the strategy room with everyone else.

I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves, and stepped into Arrick’s room. It was empty, looking very much like he had never been there at all. I was surprised by how disappointed I was. It’s not like I didn’t know he would be leaving.

Ever since becoming a vampire, my love life had become so complicated, but I wanted to change that. I thought we had made progress at the temple. Arrick and I were going to be bonded for all eternity. It just made sense that we should be together. Not just because we were bonded, but because of how we felt.

But he was right; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bury my feelings for Dmitry. I was what was stopping the two of us from being together.

I headed for the dining hall on the way back to my room and grabbed some blood before the inevitable training was to begin. I definitely didn’t want to fight on an empty stomach. I finished the glass quickly and handed it to a maid who had passed me by. She smiled merrily, completely oblivious of the terror that was lurking, waiting to pounce on the city.

I smiled back at her and headed to my room to change. A servant had brought me clothes earlier, while my mother and I were waiting, but I doubted training in pajamas was appropriate. No, I had the perfect outfit planned out already. As pathetic as that sounded, Liz really did have a bigger impression on my current fashion sense than I would ever admit. I was going to show up to that training session with Eli looking like a skilled fighter.

I hesitated at my bedroom door, fearful that a lingering sensation of the stone might still be locked inside, but when I opened the door I was met with only a cool night breeze. My balcony had been fully opened to let the air in the room filter out. My nerves quickly relaxed and I focused on the task at hand. I needed to psych myself up for this training. I wanted desperately to be the best, to prove to everyone and to myself that I could be what everyone thought I should be. There had never been a vampire like me before and I sure as hell was going to see how far I could go.

My planned attire was definitely on mark. I regarded myself in the mirror: fangy smile, black yoga pants, a black tank top, and black sneakers splashed with red. My hair was tied in a tight ponytail. I was ready to go.

Heading out of my room, a piece of paper fluttering in the breeze on my bedroom door made my heart stop. I hadn’t sensed anyone in my room while I was changing. I knew I hadn’t. I made sure to keep my senses aware of my surroundings. There was no way I would let anyone sneak around me again. I was a vampire, damn it, and I was going to start acting like one. No more relaxing around the Château or on the beach, no more balls or fancy dresses. Okay, well maybe balls; I did love to dance, but that would have to wait for later. After I kicked some serious evil vampire butt.

I snatched the paper from the door, it crinkled in my hands. Without hesitation I opened it. Fully prepared for some sort of warning from The Dark about their evil plans, but what I found nearly tore through the fabric of my newly found confidence. It was a note from Arrick.

You looked so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you. I promise I will look for your friends and ensure their safety, but you must promise me you will stay safe as well. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. Yours, Arrick

I definitely wasn’t prepared for that. Arrick did care for me after all. I hadn’t imagined it. And I could promise him I would be safe. Tonight I started my training with Eli and I planned to push my body to its limits.

My plan to push my body to its full potential was apparently Eli’s plan as well. I couldn’t say that I thought he would really take it a little easy on me, but the first night of training was a lot harder than I had expected. There were no warm-ups or stretches. We just got right down to business.

“What is the first rule of fighting a vampire?” Eli asked. He circled me, eyeing my stance, then kicked at me feet so they’d spread further.

“Um…” I knew he had told me this a dozen times already. If I got it wrong again he promised I would pay with more severe training the next night. “To watch them.”

“Very good, and why must you watch them?”

Geez, I thought I was going to learn how to fight and not take a memory test. My eyes flashed back and forth as I tried to remember how he had explained it. My time had run out and Eli flashed to me, landing a solid, meaty fist into my gut.

I fell onto the rug at my feet and clutched my stomach. Waves of nausea hit me, but I pushed them back. I rolled over, putting all my weight on my feet and stood up. I could do this.

My fangs pierced my lower lip as I grimaced and readied my stance again. Eli raised his eyebrows at me and growled. “If you had been paying attention, I would not have been able to strike. You live too much in your head, Claire. Too much in here.” He tapped me hard on the chest and then pointed toward my head. I knew he was right. I tried to clear my thoughts.

“Now fight!” Eli hissed at me and jumped away from me. He twirled in the air and landed across the room, his arms raised preparing for my attack.

My breath quickened as I focused. I allowed myself to just touch the surface and connect with my vampire instincts. I watched him, listened to his breathing, followed his eye movements, trying to predict if he would make the first move. He did.

Eli jumped in the air with ease, like he was light as a feather. I felt the urge to lunge out of the way, but stopped myself. I saw his eyes flick to the right; no, he was predicting me to do that. A hiss erupted from me and I dove forward, to where he stood before. As he landed, I struck him in back, hard. The force behind the blow came easily and I savored the power of the connection with the killer instincts inside me.

He only faltered a step, but I had landed a hit. “Yes!” he shouted in a growling tone. It sounded animalistic and it struck a chord inside me. The dance was about to begin.

Eli and I lunged and jumped, striking and missing each other’s blows for what felt like days. I had never felt so in touch with my vampire nature than ever before and I loved it. I finally was starting to understand. This was what I was meant to do. It felt right. It felt natural. I was a fighter.

When the approach of the dawn began to lighten the night sky Eli called it a night. He tossed a fresh towel toward me and I caught it instantly. “How do you feel?” he asked as we exited the training room.

At first I wanted to say exhausted, but I wasn’t really all that tired. At least not from the fighting. If morning wasn’t coming, I probably would have been able to keep going. There was another feeling that was commanding my attention at the moment. “I feel amazing.”

Eli nodded. “You are connecting with your power. That’s good.” He retrieved two sports bottles, handing one to me. “Tomorrow I will teach how to land more devastating blows. A vampire can evade attacks easily without becoming very tired, but an accurate and crushing attack can stagger your enemy enough for you to defeat them.”

“Do you train the Blood Guards?” I hadn’t realized I was wondering until the question blurted from my lips.

“Yes.”

“So, you know all of their strengths and weaknesses?”

He eyed me suspiciously. “I do. Why are you asking?”

We rounded another corner as we neared the part of the Château that contained the living quarters and I waited for two Blood Guards to pass by before I continued. “Well, I’ve been thinking. There has never been a vampire like me before. You know, born to a vampire, turned by a vampire, and bonded with a Blood Mate… Blood Guard, I mean,” I corrected. Geez, I sounded like a science experiment.

“You want to know what you can do?” Eli said knowingly. I nodded. “The only way to know this is to test your abilities, Claire. But now is not the time. Right now you need to focus on honing your skills as best as you can. Defending yourself and eliminating your enemy are our main focus. We can worry about the fancy stuff later.”

His voice was stern so I agreed to his terms, even though I knew curiosity was likely to get the best of me. I had never been very patient.

When Eli finally escorted me to my room and reconfirmed our training for the next night I made my way to the shower as fast as I could. I didn’t want to go to bed covered in sweat, but I was also anxious to read the letter from Arrick one last time before I went to sleep. It was two days before he was back, and I could only hope the time would pass swiftly.

The next morning I was relieved to find no stone in my bed. Not that I really believed there could be. Security at the Château had been fired up almost quicker than I could blink.

I woke up refreshed and French-braided my hair. The night before, Eli, had managed to pull it a few times as he would fly past me for an attack. I took it as a signal I needed to confine my tresses.

A memory of yanking on Ana’s hair flashed in my mind. The sound of her scream as I slammed her to the floor. Bile rose up in my throat as the painful memory unleashed the anger I had buried inside. I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts. I couldn’t let it consume me. I needed to keep hold of the power I had connected with during training. The seemingly endless fisher of strength I had inside me. I guessed that was what made me different. The question was, what else was inside me? How far could I go and what could I really do? After training I planned to do my first test. There was no time to waste, not with a war showing its ugly face on the horizon. I just needed to be sure I didn’t get caught.

The palace was busier this evening than it had ever been. The population within the Château seemed to have doubled in size. Blood Guards stood at nearly every hallway, and maids and servants ran busily through the corridors. I’d noticed their faces weren’t as bright and cheery as they had been, yet they still smiled kindly at me as I passed. I guessed they must have been informed of the situation.

Would every citizen of the region be warned? It could cause mass panic, but they deserved to know. Didn’t they? I decided to take a detour and walk past the strategy room. I was certain that it would be buzzing with activity.

Unfortunately, as I turned down the long hallway, I could see that the doors were firmly shut. A glow leaked from the edges of the door. They must be holding a meeting. Could I sneak in? I was the princess, after all; I should be kept up-to-date on everything. Besides, I was curious to know if anything had been heard from Arrick yet. I knew it wasn’t likely, but there was always a chance.

I walked with purpose down the hallway, my feet squeaking on the floor. A Blood Guard eyed me wearily as I approached the door. I tried to ignore his presence and not look like I was worried he might stop me. I failed. As soon as I reached for the handle he slapped his hand on my arm and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, princess. The King asked not to be disturbed.”

I shook my hand free. “I’m sure that doesn’t include me. He will want me in there.” My tone grew annoyed.

“He said no one. No even the Queen was allowed to enter.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “Really? Where is she then?”

“I believe she is in the dining hall, Princess.” He straightened his posture like he was preparing himself for my refusal. Like I would barge into a secret meeting that my father didn’t want disturbed. What kind of princess or daughter did he think I was? Sure I guess compared to most Princesses I was a bit of a rebel and questioned everything, but I wasn’t that bad. Was I?

I rolled my eyes and turned away to head toward the dining hall. That Blood Guard was super annoying, but I couldn’t blame him for following orders. Especially not now. I had no doubt that everyone was probably on edge tonight.

I found my mother right where the guard said she would be. Lines of worry creased her face and her hair was done up in a feathery bun that allowed loose strands to fall around her face. She looked surprisingly older than I had ever seen her.

Her face brightened only faintly as she saw me approach. A bowl of blood sat before her in the standard gold rimmed china. A yellow rose petal with hints of pink floated atop the surface. I could tell she hadn’t touched it.