female. I am your master. You will do as I say. You will be united with them in exactly twenty-four hours. Now go to your quarters. Nourish yourself on the blood-slaves so you are ready for your mates. Fix your hair and bat your blue eyes at your males when you see them. At least pretend you want them. It will be easier for you that way. I do not wish to ever hear of your fancies again or to see you until I have to hand you over to your husbands.”
He unwrapped his hand from her hair and let her go. Anxiety swept around Juliette like a suffocating blanket. She couldn’t go through with it! She couldn’t! Her spark for life would die if she became bonded with males. She needed to be free, wished to explore the world around her. That she hadn’t been allowed to venture farther than this veiled valley annoyed her no end. Yet her sire continued to forbid what she craved. Anger spouted anew.
“I will not!” she spat, suddenly not caring if he killed her. Death was better than this union.
“Enough!” he roared.
Pain sliced across her left cheek and silver stars exploded behind her eyes as the back of his hand met her face. The blow sent her reeling against the nearby wall, knocking the breath from her. She struggled to remain standing as raw emotions swelled through her. She detested being hit, but knew it was commonplace in the Traditionalist covens.
When the stars clouding her vision disintegrated and she could see again, Juliette realized her father had retaken his position in his chair at the table. Smugness laced his face as he once again began to count his gold coins.
Her mother was nowhere to be seen, which wasn’t unusual when her father got mad. She, as most vampires, was blessed with the unique gift of vanishing and reappearing somewhere else. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Juliette tried, she had never been able to master that art.
Brutal betrayal whipped through her at her mother’s abandonment. She couldn’t stop the tears from welling in her eyes.
She balled her fists in anger and gritted her teeth. How could they do this to her? How could they force her to mate with unknowns? They had never even told her the names of her future mates!
It was the way of the sect. She knew her father and his wives had been introduced to each other the same way on the day of their arranged marriages. Just as their fathers and mothers before them. Just as her siblings before her. A tradition of arranged marriages wouldn’t be broken just because she didn’t want to become the mate of two complete strangers.
But there was more to it for her. There was a restlessness inside her. An urge to be on her own. A craving to be free of the constraints she lived in. She certainly did not wish to be a slave to a male as her mother was to her sire. Besides, many males took several wives. She could not fathom sharing her mates with other females. She couldn’t understand how her soon-to-be husbands could share her between them. Perhaps she was a different breed of vampire? Or maybe she was the jealous type? Not only that, she detested feeding from her father’s blood-slaves. She hated the dismal, defiant looks in their eyes just before she opened a vein and sucked their sweet blood into her mouth. They wanted to be free, just as she wished to be free. In a way her position was no better than theirs. She was a slave here, born and raised.
Her soon-to-be mates would no doubt be Traditionalists too as the sect rarely mated with outsiders. Just thinking the name Traditionalist brought shame racing through her.
Due to the stress of being in hiding from the human world, it was difficult for vampires to produce offspring. Yet she couldn’t think on the possibility of not having any young ones of her own one day . Under tradition it would be up to her mates to arrange her offspring’s marriages, keep them secluded from the outside world, most likely locked up in some old castle as she was.
Her male offspring would be taught
He unwrapped his hand from her hair and let her go. Anxiety swept around Juliette like a suffocating blanket. She couldn’t go through with it! She couldn’t! Her spark for life would die if she became bonded with males. She needed to be free, wished to explore the world around her. That she hadn’t been allowed to venture farther than this veiled valley annoyed her no end. Yet her sire continued to forbid what she craved. Anger spouted anew.
“I will not!” she spat, suddenly not caring if he killed her. Death was better than this union.
“Enough!” he roared.
Pain sliced across her left cheek and silver stars exploded behind her eyes as the back of his hand met her face. The blow sent her reeling against the nearby wall, knocking the breath from her. She struggled to remain standing as raw emotions swelled through her. She detested being hit, but knew it was commonplace in the Traditionalist covens.
When the stars clouding her vision disintegrated and she could see again, Juliette realized her father had retaken his position in his chair at the table. Smugness laced his face as he once again began to count his gold coins.
Her mother was nowhere to be seen, which wasn’t unusual when her father got mad. She, as most vampires, was blessed with the unique gift of vanishing and reappearing somewhere else. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Juliette tried, she had never been able to master that art.
Brutal betrayal whipped through her at her mother’s abandonment. She couldn’t stop the tears from welling in her eyes.
She balled her fists in anger and gritted her teeth. How could they do this to her? How could they force her to mate with unknowns? They had never even told her the names of her future mates!
It was the way of the sect. She knew her father and his wives had been introduced to each other the same way on the day of their arranged marriages. Just as their fathers and mothers before them. Just as her siblings before her. A tradition of arranged marriages wouldn’t be broken just because she didn’t want to become the mate of two complete strangers.
But there was more to it for her. There was a restlessness inside her. An urge to be on her own. A craving to be free of the constraints she lived in. She certainly did not wish to be a slave to a male as her mother was to her sire. Besides, many males took several wives. She could not fathom sharing her mates with other females. She couldn’t understand how her soon-to-be husbands could share her between them. Perhaps she was a different breed of vampire? Or maybe she was the jealous type? Not only that, she detested feeding from her father’s blood-slaves. She hated the dismal, defiant looks in their eyes just before she opened a vein and sucked their sweet blood into her mouth. They wanted to be free, just as she wished to be free. In a way her position was no better than theirs. She was a slave here, born and raised.
Her soon-to-be mates would no doubt be Traditionalists too as the sect rarely mated with outsiders. Just thinking the name Traditionalist brought shame racing through her.
Due to the stress of being in hiding from the human world, it was difficult for vampires to produce offspring. Yet she couldn’t think on the possibility of not having any young ones of her own one day . Under tradition it would be up to her mates to arrange her offspring’s marriages, keep them secluded from the outside world, most likely locked up in some old castle as she was.
Her male offspring would be taught
Similar Books
