Royal shuffle: Vampire’s mate

ANDREA

We were both jerked awake to the sound of very loud sirens and wailing. At first, I thought it was a dream, or maybe Leo was watching a movie, completely forgetting where we were.

“Wake up!!!” Leo screamed, shaking me awake.

I woke up with my heart beating a steady rhythm. Fast and hard. It wasn’t a dream. There was something going on.

“What’s happening?!” I asked, and began frantically putting my clothes on.

“War.” Leo said so calmly, as he buckled his belt, and rolled up his sleeves.

“What?!”

“We’re under attack.”

“From who?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I think we can both take a lucky guess…”

The werewolves. My heart began to beat faster knowing that they were here for me.

“Maybe I should just…” My voice was shaky.

Up until now, all that was discussed was the possibility. Now, it had become a reality. I don’t like wars. I don’t want a war.

“The answer’s still no, Andrea.”

Leo sent me a death glare that said one thing. I shouldn’t repeat that statement again.

“Goddess…my sisters…” I whispered, worry seizing my entire being.

“They’re going to be fine. Their security has instructions to send them to the bunker underground the building.”

“What? There’s a …”

My eyes opened in surprise.

“Yes. It’s one of the reasons I chose there. That way, I could focus on just you.”

Despite the situation, I stood on my toes, and kissed him. I couldn’t help myself. Leo smiled sadly and kissed me back.

“I wish this wasn’t happening right now. At least, not after last night…” I railed off, letting my words hang in the air,

I felt heat rise on my cheeks, and I blushed heavily. That seemed to make Leo smile more.

“Do you feel sore?” He asked.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Just a little.”

He nodded. Another explosion went off, shaking the treehouse, we barely managed to keep our footing. Leo moved away from me, and looked out the window at the forest. He stood there for a while, and then he came back to me.

“You’re going to get on my back. I’m running back to the house.”

I nodded, and we both descended from the treehouse, with Leo going first to make sure the coast is clear. As soon as my feet touched the ground, Leo crouched low enough for me to get on his back. I quickly jumped on him, and wrapped my limbs tightly around him. My heart was pounding fast.

“Hold on tight, okay?”

I nodded, and tightened my fingers on his shirt. When he took off, I had no other choice than to close my eyes. He was so fast, and the wind and leaves and branches were brushing through me with amazing speed. I held on tight and gasped as he cleared through bushes, and jumped over branches. In no time at all, we had scaled the fence of the backyard, and we could see that the house was already surrounded by Vampire soldiers.

Kitted in armor, and carrying guns that contained silver and wolfs and bullets. I could smell them. They looked deadly. Their eyes were bloodshot red, and they had their fangs elongated. Their gaze landed on me, and their eyes told me what their mouths couldn’t because I was their leader’s chosen. They blamed me for disturbing the peace. They blamed me for causing the first war in ages. And I had no doubt that these people would give me up if given the opportunity. How was I to be princess or queen in such a kingdom? Tears came to my eyes but I quickly blinked them back. Now wasn’t the time to be a crybaby. To be a weakling. I had to be strong.

Leo set me back down on the floor, and sent a nod of acknowledgment at his soldiers as their bowed their heads and gave their greetings. He took me by the hand, and we hurried into the house, and up to his room. I picked up my phone, and immediately called my sisters but it wouldn’t go through.

I turned to Leo. Panicking. “I can’t reach them,”

“Perfect. It means they’re already in the bunker. There’s no cell service there. You’ll need a sat phone to phone the number directly. Calm. They’re safe. That’s where we need to get you to.”

“No,” I said firmly.

“What?” Leo looked confused.

“I don’t want to be near them through this. I don’t want them to get hurt.”

“Andrea…”

“We know that they’re here for me…and you too. But I’m an easier target. They don’t really care for my sisters. Putting us together won’t be a good idea.”

Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have to be joking…”

This man must think I’m crazy, and maybe I am, but I won’t risk their lives by being so close to them.

“I’m not. Leo…” My voice broke “I won’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to my sisters because of me. I just won’t be…”

“Shhh…” Leo pulled me into his arms, and ran his hand through my hair. “It’s okay.”

“So, what are we going to do?”

Leo ran his hand through his hair, and despite myself and the situation, I found myself getting wet.

“First of all. Change. That dress isn’t practical for the situation.”

I nodded and headed for the closet, deciding that a bath right now wasn’t practical either. I quickly changed into a pair of joggers, a sports bra, and a large jacket. I threw my hair up into a rather messy braided pony, wore a pair of black combat boots, and bounded out of the bathroom to see that Leo was all dressed up in camouflage. On the once bare bed were now an assortment of weapons, ranging from big guns to small guns, and knives and grenades. My mouth hung open in surprise.

“My goodness. You have all these weapons?”

He simply shrugged. “I am a commander in the army, and I get to have my own arsenal as the king’s son.”

“So…you’re fighting with them?” I asked, worry seeping into my tone.

“Andrea. Yes. I have to fight. I can’t send my men and not fight with them. That, and I want a piece of that bastard William.”

William’s name came out of his mouth dripping venom.

“What are we going to do now?”

He gave me a pair of gloves. “Wear them.”

“Why?” I asked as I reluctantly received them and wore them.

“So you can hold this comfortably.”

He handed me a sheathed dagger, and I eagerly took it, and unsheathed it. It was a silver dagger, and could kill a werewolf.

“Thanks.”

He nodded, and pointed at my boots.

“Hide it in your boot.”

I quickly bent down and did that. He handed me another sheathed dagger, and I stuck it in another boot. His phone rang and he answered it. He dropped the phone a few seconds later.

“You know what? Pack a small bag of necessities.”

“Why?” I asked while simultaneously rushing to the closet to do as he had asked.

“You’re leaving North America.”

“What?!”

“I have a friend on human territory. He will get you to an airport, and on a plane to Morocco. You will stay with my cousins there. They’re aware of the arrangement.”

“But…”

“Hurry.”

I threw a few clothes, and another pair of shoes, toothbrush, and soap into bag and re-emerged.

“Ready?”

I nodded.

“Let’s go. Your car is waiting.”

“Who’s taking me?”

“I am. I’ll drive you to the outskirts of the territory, there’s another set of guards already waiting there for you. And then I’m going to be palace to get briefed.”

“I think you should just go to the palace, and let the guards take me,” I said, wanting to be as less of a nuisance as possible.

He shook his head.

“Let’s go.”

He picked up his gun and ran took hold of my hand, and we left the room. We stopped by the kitchen, and Leo forced me to stuff some food water in the bag. We got into the car, and Leo insisted I wore my seatbelt.

“Once we hit the road, keep your eyes shut,” Leo instructed.

I was confused on that directive but I nodded anyway. We hit the road, and I realized why he asked me to keep my eyes shut. The war was in full motion. Vampires were on the defensive. Dead bodies littered everywhere. Fallen buildings, screaming children, and growling warriors. The sounds of howling, and the sounds of gunshots, the smell of silver, and wolfsbane made me shudder.

“I thought I asked you to close your eyes.”

“Look!!!”

A wolf jumped in our path but Leo quickly ran them over with the truck. I could hear the bones break, and I forced my stomach to not empty its contents. Another explosion went off some meters in front of us, and it was accompanied by the sound of screaming, and running children. My eyes watered, and guilt settled in. This was my fault, and yet I was safe. Yet, my sisters were safe. But people who had no idea what was going on were suffering the consequences.

We were nearing the outskirts of the territory. We had cleared the city. Here, the population was quite small as it was characterized by thick forests on the left and right of the roads. Houses here were quite hard to find. Tears gathered in my eyes, making my vision blurry. I looked in the rear view mirror and gasped as I saw a truck coming at us with full speed.

“Leo!!!”

My warning wasn’t timely enough as the vehicle rammed into us hard, sending the car spiraling till we crashed into the woods. I bumped my head, and the last thing I remember was seeing wolves emerge from the vehicle.

“Leo…” I whispered as I slid into darkness.