Chapter One
1910, The French Alps
“You will do as your sire instructs and attend your wedding!” Krystal Dárques snapped with such vehemence that Juliette couldn’t help but shrink in fear. Her mother’s eyes were sparkling, bright amber, indicating she’d reached the end of her patience with her youngest daughter. Mother Dearest wasn’t the only one ticked off, Juliette fumed to herself. Over the past century they’d had this fight way too many times.
Tonight, however, things were different. Desperation raged within Juliette, for it was quite literally the eve before her arranged union to two male vamps she’d never met. That she had no wish to go ahead with this joining just so her sire could form one of the most powerful covens in France wasn’t an issue for her parents. It was, however, a big problem for her!
Her older siblings, bless them all, had dutifully obeyed their sire and they seemed happy with the mates selected for them. But Juliette didn’t want happy. She wanted adventure and freedom from the tight constraints of the Traditionalist life. Despite her belonging to the Traditionalists, who forbade single females to roam away from their homes alone, Juliette had snuck out many times to explore the nighttime beauty as well as to meet with other female vampire friends who also defied their parents.
That’s where she’d learned there was a huge world out there with many human women beginning to break free of their restraints. It’s also where she’d learned about Vampira , a clique of powerful female vampires who secretly lived among the humans and took in females who ran from oppressive regimes such as the Traditionalists.
Tension zipped through the air like lightning rods as both her parents stared at her with such obvious disappointment and utmost fury she wanted nothing but to run away and hide from them forever. Sweet vamps! She would do just that if they didn’t call this whole nightmare off! She swore to herself she would join Vampira .
“You dare to humiliate me, female!” shouted her sire. Count Dárques , a staunch Traditionalist, took arranged marriages just as seriously as his right to mate with several wives and keep as many blood-slaves as he wished. During the argument with her mother, he’d kept silent as he sat at the long, oak dining room table counting the enormous number of gold coins he’d been sent earlier this evening from her soon-to-be mates’ sires.
Payment for her .
Damn him! She would not be sold like some lowly blood-slave to vamps she did not love, let alone had never met!
Rage at both her parents for insisting she marry made her fangs unsheathe. She shrugged back her shoulders in defiance. “I have stated my decision. I will not marry.”
Her mother’s surprised inhalation at Juliette’s steadfast disobedience mingled with the crash of her sire’s chair as it hit the hard, marble floor. He dematerialized and before she had a chance to run from his anger, he re-appeared before her, grabbing her by her waist-length, straight black hair. Pain screamed through her scalp as he knotted his hand in her hair and yanked her against him. At a menacing seven foot tall, compared to her five foot six, he was an intimidating figure. His fangs unleashed, gleaming white and pointing with menace.
Cold shivers raced through her as she remembered watching how he’d, in his rage, killed servants or blood-slaves with those fangs, ripping into their throats with fury. For a few seconds she feared he would do the same to her but then realized she was too valuable and doubted he would hurt her. Much.
His brown eyes glowed fiery red. Juliette tried hard not to cower as his cold, too-controlled voice melted over her like a bucket of ice.
“I have arranged this mating from the day you were conceived. I have received the appreciation monitories as per tradition. There will be no more talk of this.” His eyes narrowed with threat and his voice grew louder. “You are
1910, The French Alps
“You will do as your sire instructs and attend your wedding!” Krystal Dárques snapped with such vehemence that Juliette couldn’t help but shrink in fear. Her mother’s eyes were sparkling, bright amber, indicating she’d reached the end of her patience with her youngest daughter. Mother Dearest wasn’t the only one ticked off, Juliette fumed to herself. Over the past century they’d had this fight way too many times.
Tonight, however, things were different. Desperation raged within Juliette, for it was quite literally the eve before her arranged union to two male vamps she’d never met. That she had no wish to go ahead with this joining just so her sire could form one of the most powerful covens in France wasn’t an issue for her parents. It was, however, a big problem for her!
Her older siblings, bless them all, had dutifully obeyed their sire and they seemed happy with the mates selected for them. But Juliette didn’t want happy. She wanted adventure and freedom from the tight constraints of the Traditionalist life. Despite her belonging to the Traditionalists, who forbade single females to roam away from their homes alone, Juliette had snuck out many times to explore the nighttime beauty as well as to meet with other female vampire friends who also defied their parents.
That’s where she’d learned there was a huge world out there with many human women beginning to break free of their restraints. It’s also where she’d learned about Vampira , a clique of powerful female vampires who secretly lived among the humans and took in females who ran from oppressive regimes such as the Traditionalists.
Tension zipped through the air like lightning rods as both her parents stared at her with such obvious disappointment and utmost fury she wanted nothing but to run away and hide from them forever. Sweet vamps! She would do just that if they didn’t call this whole nightmare off! She swore to herself she would join Vampira .
“You dare to humiliate me, female!” shouted her sire. Count Dárques , a staunch Traditionalist, took arranged marriages just as seriously as his right to mate with several wives and keep as many blood-slaves as he wished. During the argument with her mother, he’d kept silent as he sat at the long, oak dining room table counting the enormous number of gold coins he’d been sent earlier this evening from her soon-to-be mates’ sires.
Payment for her .
Damn him! She would not be sold like some lowly blood-slave to vamps she did not love, let alone had never met!
Rage at both her parents for insisting she marry made her fangs unsheathe. She shrugged back her shoulders in defiance. “I have stated my decision. I will not marry.”
Her mother’s surprised inhalation at Juliette’s steadfast disobedience mingled with the crash of her sire’s chair as it hit the hard, marble floor. He dematerialized and before she had a chance to run from his anger, he re-appeared before her, grabbing her by her waist-length, straight black hair. Pain screamed through her scalp as he knotted his hand in her hair and yanked her against him. At a menacing seven foot tall, compared to her five foot six, he was an intimidating figure. His fangs unleashed, gleaming white and pointing with menace.
Cold shivers raced through her as she remembered watching how he’d, in his rage, killed servants or blood-slaves with those fangs, ripping into their throats with fury. For a few seconds she feared he would do the same to her but then realized she was too valuable and doubted he would hurt her. Much.
His brown eyes glowed fiery red. Juliette tried hard not to cower as his cold, too-controlled voice melted over her like a bucket of ice.
“I have arranged this mating from the day you were conceived. I have received the appreciation monitories as per tradition. There will be no more talk of this.” His eyes narrowed with threat and his voice grew louder. “You are
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