Moonlight Prince (Vampire Girl #4)

I feel it. The bond breaking. Something is wrong.

Arianna!

I rush forward through snow and brush, searching, hoping, praying. Branches snap beneath my feet and dust flies in my wake. Baron keeps pace beside me, running faster then he ever has, never slowing, even when his breath draws ragged and fatigue settles into his bones. For a straight day, we run. We run. We run. Until we can run no more. As the sun begins to set, I fall to my knees on a hill overlooking the forest. My breath is heavy. My body is drenched with sweat beneath layers of brown fur cloaks and vests. Baron moans into the snow, his body as spent as mine, his howls weak and plaintive. We have searched for days. Weeks. But still we find nothing. And now… now something has changed.

Ever since I fed on Arianna that day in the cave, I have felt bonded to her, felt her life a part of my own. But now I feel it no longer. Instead, I am empty. Hollow. Alone.

It is time for a new plan. Time to reassess. Time to do something I do not wish to do, but I must. For Arianna. Because I know of no other path now. I draw my dagger and slice the palm of my hand. With red blood, I draw his mark.

Then I set to building a fire behind a group of large stones. They remind me of a claw, viscous and cruel, reaching for the heavens. You are the Prince of War, they seem to whisper. You are the Prince of Death. What ending did you dream of? Did you dream of happiness?

My body coils with rage at my own dark thoughts. It burns with a fury I have not felt in my long life, even at my darkest. And then I fling my head back and roar to the stars. I smash my fist into the ground and feel it shake beneath me. Again. Again. I strike the ground until my knuckles bleed, and then I strike again.

And when I have no strength left, I fall back, back against those cold cruel stones, and I lose myself in memories. Memories of Arianna in my arms, her soft skin upon my own, her lips against mine. Her breath a cool breeze upon my ear, her scent like fresh flowers and a summer day. Oh, how I long to have her back in my arms. To know I can keep her safe, to whisper words of comfort. Why did I ever let her go? Why did I not see her rush for Levi? Why, when I did, could I not fight through the guards fast enough? Why? Why? Why? The word haunts me.

But I will not fall into despair. Not yet.

I will save Arianna. I will do anything to do so.

I would even summon him.

Baron stands at attention, sniffing at the air.

He comes from the shadows, a silent snake coming upon its prey. I look up. Glare into his dark eyes.

"Lucian."

My father smiles, but there is no warmth to his eyes. He is cold and harsh like the storm. Black and red armor clads his body. His great sword hangs on his back. "You wish to speak," he says, still half in the shadows, half hidden in darkness. As if the light from my fire would burn him.

I have not seen my father since the day I drugged him. The day I thought him dead and my entire world changed. I stand, equaling him in height, my body as massive as his own. I never look away. Never show a sign of weakness. "Where is she?"

He does not feign ignorance. Feigning ignorance is feigning dullness. "The Druid Metsi has her. In a place you will never find. A place she will never escape."

It is as I feared. I saw the broken ice. The raging water. The Water Druid has her. I clench my jaw. "Without Arianna, the contract cannot be honored. A new King of Hell cannot be chosen. You must help bring her back."

He chuckles. "I must? After you betrayed me, your own father, your own kin?"

"I was never yours," I roar.

"Of course you were mine. I raised you. My wife's blood brought you to life, flows through your veins even now." His words pulse with rage. He is more upset than I imagined. Upset at the thought I am not his own. Or perhaps just upset I am not within his power.

"If the contract is not honored," I continue, "the realms will suffer. There will be no ruler, and your children will continue to squabble as they have, setting ruin upon each other. Have you seen the destruction within my castle? Have you seen the strung-up Fae and the dismembered heads adorning pikes?" I step forward, pleading. "Did you not seek to bring balance between the Fae and vampire? Did you not seek to bring peace? Help me. Help me save Arianna and bring balance."

He looks down for the first time. "Even if I could… even if I did… what would it matter? You have no desire to be king. You will make no difference."

His words punch me in the gut. They ring true, and yet, they fill me with anger. How dare he deign to know my mind? To know what I can or cannot do?

"I will bring peace," I vow. "I will bring balance."

Lucian smirks, pointing at me. "You have always had a flair for the grand gestures, a flair for the dramatic. And often, you have kept to your word, succeeded where others thought you'd fail. But this time, you will not succeed my son. You cannot. Because this time, you are against me." He looks to the fire. "You and your brothers play your game, fighting over my scraps like a pack of dogs, but in the end, there is only one King of Hell. And he stands before you." He turns to leave.

But I will not let him. My voice thunders through the air. Asking what I have dreaded to ask. "Am I a true Prince of Hell? Can Arianna choose me to rule?"

He turns back, his face half in shadow, half in light. "Yes. She may choose you. But will you let her?"

His words fill me with emotion. I am a true heir. Arianna and I can still be together. But before I can collect all my thoughts, Lucian continues.

"You know, I despised you at first," he says. "Despised everything you represented. A Fae living in my own home, feeding upon my food, my hospitality, my knowledge. But in time, you showed me something I never thought true. You showed me it is not our birth that makes us who we are, it is our choices. It is our own true self." His eyes fill with sorrow; an emotion I do not recall ever seeing on him. "I once thought myself condemned to this realm, condemned to live a life lesser than that of my brother's. But you showed me I could do anything. Anything. I remember when you left to slay the beast upon Grey Mountain. It was your test, your test to see if you were worthy of a realm of your own. Half your brothers laughed and placed bets on your demise, the other half worried and trembled for your safety. But I… I did not doubt you then. Too often had you proven me wrong. Too often had you made dreams reality. So when you returned from Grey Mountain, your rags soaked in blood, the head of the beast strapped to your belt, I did not even blink an eye. That is Fenris, I said. That is who he is. The Prince of War."

Why does he tell me all this? "You care nothing for me," I hiss.