24. Engagement party

24

ENGAGEMENT PARTY

J ulien comes to my room to escort me to the engagement party that is happening on the lower half of the estate. His eyes widen when he sees me.

"What do you think?" I fluff the tulle of my skirt. "Do you think there are enough layers to this dress?"

"You look beautiful." Julien's blue eyes meet mine and there isn't even a hint of a smirk. "Like a true princess. No, a queen."

My heart thumps a little harder at the mention of ‘queen.'

We're still a long way off from that . Supernaturals are long lived and Damek's father is still pretty young for a vampire. But the idea of one day ruling a vampire clan is enough to make my knees weak.

"Is this what you want?" Julien asks, his eyes still focused on my face.

I lick my lips, which suddenly feel dry at the thought of going downstairs. "Am I sure I want to be betrothed to a guy I've known only a few weeks? No. But do I think Damek will make a great husband? Yes. I truly think I could fall in love with him if given the opportunity. Damek fought to give us a lengthy engagement. I believe he will make a wonderful mate and husband."

Julien nods firmly. "Good. And if he ever mistreats you, I will take care of him."

I don't ask him what ‘take care of him' means. I'm about to tell him not to get arrested for me, but he extends his elbow toward me.

"Let's head down there. Your beloved is waiting." He winks at me.

I link my arm through his. "Do you like Damek?"

Julien tilts his head thoughtfully. "He's one of the least spoiled heirs. I haven't talked to him much, but he's always been nice to me. I like him, I just sort of thought you'd end up with Kaine."

We pause at the door. "I kissed Kaine."

His eyes widen. "WHAT?"

I take a deep breath. "It was stupid. I was just freaking out about the whole having to choose a husband thing and it just happened."

"Do you have feelings for Kaine?"

I shrug. "I don't know, maybe. But I know that I have feelings for Damek. We had an instant connection and I can't just throw that away."

"I think Kaine loves you," Julien says.

My chest squeezes uncomfortably. "Really?"

"But I also think Damek is half in love with you," he says.

I chew on my bottom lip. "Damek is… wonderful."

Julien grins. "You're half in love with him too, you just haven't admitted it to yourself yet."

I roll my eyes. "I haven't known him long enough for that."

"Because you're still thinking like a succubus, but you're half vampire, Maddie. Vampires fall hard and fast, it's in our nature," Julien says.

I consider his words. He's right that I've been thinking about this from a succubus standpoint. I've been holding back. Maybe it's time I let myself fall for Damek. If I do, the next six months will be a lot smoother.

I squeeze his arm. "Thank you, Julien."

"Of course." He winks at me and then leads me from my room.

All eyes are on us as Julien leads me down the staircase and into the crowd of vampires. I've never felt more like a princess than I do now, with my fluffy gown and the tiara sitting atop my head. It's not the first time I've had to wear a tiara. Grandfather loves to throw lavish parties that show off his wealth. But tonight is about so much more than showing off wealth. Tonight, my father is showing me off.

Damek waits at the bottom of the staircase and I smile when I see him standing there in his expensive tux. He's messing with his cufflinks, but when he sees me, his jaw goes lax.

Julien chuckles beside me, but I ignore him. Instead, I focus on Damek, wondering if what Julien said is right. Am I half in love with him?

When I first met him, there was a spark of attraction. Had we not been interrupted by Kaine, I could've easily spent the entire night talking to him. We had an instant connection that has only grown as I've gotten to know him better. And now, we're engaged.

Is six months enough time to get to know him before I commit my life to him? While my brain screams at me that six months is such a short amount of time, I wonder if it is just conditioning. I've been taught that for a marriage to work, there must be a lengthy dating period. But I'm not just a succubus. I'm also a vampire, and my vampire half seems to be dominant.

Julien and I stop by Damek and his eyes slowly scan me from top to bottom. Eventually, his dark eyes land on me. They glow in the dim light of the house.

"Wow." Damek rubs a hand at his jaw. "You look so beautiful, Maddie."

"I knew I would get somebody else to start calling you Maddie," Julien says, completely delighted by Damek's use of my nickname.

I ignore Julien. "Thank you, Damek. You look incredible as well."

Julien moves so that he's slightly in between us. "I think about right now she's regretting the whole waiting six months to get married thing."

I swat at Julien's arm.

"To tell you the truth, I'm regretting it a little myself," Damek says.

My heart thumps a little harder.

Damek extends his arm toward me and I link mine through his. I wave goodbye to Julien as Damek leads me through the crowd of vampires.

"Every male tonight is jealous of me," Damek says. "And all the princes are all bitterly disappointed that you chose me."

I spot Prince Caedmon at the edge of the crowd. He's flanked by a crowd of women and he's got a smug smile on his face. I nudge Damek and nod my head in Prince Caedmon's direction. "Prince Caedmon is clearly heartbroken."

Damek laughs. "Okay, maybe Prince Caedmon isn't upset, but I imagine his father is upset enough for the both of them. He wanted an alliance with the Scott Clan."

I bite back a groan.

Marriage alliances need to be done away with. They're outdated and only seem to make monarchs miserable in their personal lives. Certainly, there are better ways to make alliances than marriage.

Damek leads me to our fathers, who are standing in the middle of the room with a few other men I recognize as monarchs.

"Father." Damek bows slightly to his dad, then he bows to my dad. "King Scott."

Dad pats Damek on the back. "Call me Michael. You're soon to be married to my daughter. There is no need for titles."

After that, the monarchs take their turns offering Damek and me congratulations on our upcoming nuptials. Even a few of the guys who took me on dates came up to extend their best wishes. I wonder if there will ever be an end to the crowd.

"How often do we have to attend gatherings like this?" I ask Damek, hoping there won't be many.

He smirks. "Not many, to be honest. There are a few each year, but we don't have to attend them all."

Thank goodness because I'm not sure I could handle too much of this.

After a few hours of casual conversation, I excuse myself to step outside and get some fresh air. It's hot inside, so I don't even mind that it's in the forties outside. The cool air is refreshing. Damek goes to grab me a bottle of water, so I have a moment to myself.

At least the night is almost over. Hopefully, there won't be any more events like this one for a while. And since I'm now betrothed, I won't have to go out on dates every weekend with different eligible princes. I'll get to spend my time getting to know Damek and learning how to be a vampire princess. It will be nice. Peaceful, even.

"Princess Madeline."

I nearly groan when I hear my title but I force myself to smile as I turn to face the speaker. The forced smile nearly slips off my face when I see who has spoken, but manners forced into me my whole life keeps me from reacting.

"Prince Lucas." I nod my head in his direction. "Thank you for coming tonight."

"I wouldn't miss it." He steps forward. "I will admit, I am jealous of your engagement. I was hoping we'd get a chance to hang out before you made your decision."

I swallow hard, not sure what to say to him. I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I also want him to know that he doesn't have a chance with me. Not that he ever did, even before Damek.

"It was… love at first sight," I say, exaggerating slightly. Love at first sight doesn't exist. I'm told that even soulmates still have to fall in love as they get to know one another. But it's a happy thought. One that will hopefully help ease Prince Lucas's broken heart.

"I still think you should give me a chance." Prince Lucas takes a step closer.

"I'm sorry," I say, keeping my tone firm. "My decision is made. Damek and I are engaged."

"It's not too late to break off your engagement." Prince Lucas steps closer again.

I look into his pale green eyes, noticing for the first time how cold they are. His jaw is set and his face is hard.

I take a step back. "Prince Lucas, I think you should give me some space."

"I will say this one more time." His voice lowers to an almost growl. "Break off your engagement with Prince Damek or else."

I look from Prince Lucas to the door. He's standing in the path. There is no way for me to maneuver around him.

"You were supposed to belong to me ." He takes a menacing step forward. "And if you don't break things off with Prince Damek and declare your intentions to marry me, I will put you in the dungeons with your brother."

My brother?

My eyes widen as I look at Prince Lucas.

He is the one who has Lucien?

I start to open my mouth to scream… something. But before I can, I feel something sharp hit the top of my head and everything goes black.

I wake up in an unfamiliar room. My head is throbbing and everything is too bright. That is when I notice the curtains to the window were left open.

Where am I?

I rub at my head and wince as I touch a large bump on the back of my head.

Just what happened?

Events from the night before rush back to me—the engagement party, and Prince Lucas.

Oh, my gosh. That's where I am. Prince Lucas kidnapped me.

And Lucien! He has my brother!

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot an old landline telephone sitting on the table beside the bed.

Certainly not . It's just for decoration, right? Hesitantly, I roll over and sit on the edge of the bed. I pick up the phone and nearly cry out in relief when I hear a dial tone.

It's official—Prince Lucas has no brains to go along with his no personality. I dial Damek's number because it's the only phone number I have memorized. He picks up on the second ring.

"Hello?" he sounds hesitant.

"Damek!" I shout whisper into the phone, not wanting anybody outside to hear me speaking.

"Maddie! Where are you?" I can hear shouts from his end of the line.

"Prince Lucas kidnapped me. He hit me over the head and I just woke up. But he has a landline in the room he stashed me in." I play with the chord of the phone.

"Great. We'll come get you," he says.

"Wait." I lick my lips. "Prince Lucas told me that he has Lucien. He's stashed away in his dungeon. I haven't seen him, but he's probably here."

"When I say we're coming to get you, I mean that the Rune and Scott clans are both bringing an army," Damek promises. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Good. Thank you."

The line goes quiet and I wonder if he's hung up.

"Maddie," he says quietly.

"Yes?"

"I know that we don't know one another that well yet, but I care deeply for you. Promise you'll be safe."

I suck in a sharp breath. "I promise."

The line clicks, signaling the end of the call. I hang up the phone and chew on my bottom lip, my stomach muscles in knots.

Should I be so giddy over Damek's proclamation when I've been kidnapped? Probably not, but my heart doesn't seem to care.