In War, There Is Love

Checkmate

“We’re here to ensure your protection, Your Grace.”

Excellent. Her father had given Maya two faerie guards to protect her, both looking like they would choose to rather be in hell than inside this castle, and a maid that had her wings around herself, jumping from time to time as if a vampire would rip her apart any minute now.

Which might happen. Maya wasn’t even sure at this point.

For a second she wanted to fly after her leaving father and tell him how big of a joke this was, but what good would it do except for showing weakness?

Despite the fact that she didn’t have access to the fool potential of her powers—not a fault of her own—it didn’t mean she couldn’t use her magic to protect herself.

Barely.

It didn’t matter.

“Follow me,” she instructed them. But to where? The castle was huge, dark, and Maya had absolutely no idea about directions, or even the Queen’s chambers that would be her own. “Better yet, find the guards’ room for now.”

“B-but, Your Grace, we cannot leave you alone,” the other guard spoke, but he looked like he would give his left arm to do that instead of following her inside the dark hallways. “These are the King’s orders.”

“I am your Queen now.” She narrowed her eyes at them. “The only one you’ll take orders from is me. And I want you to leave me alone.”

They exchanged a look that felt a lot like relief, and left her with another bow, as she had requested. With or without them, it didn’t make a difference. If her husband suddenly decided he would rather want war than her as his wife—and his mate—two terrified guards wouldn’t be able to change it.

“You can come with me,” she simply told the maid. After a full minute that they had wandered around the first floor, Maya stopped and asked her, “What’s your name?”

“Ivy, my Lady,” the maid answered in a weak tone.

“Ivy,” Maya repeated her name. “Stop shaking, Ivy. Stick by me and they will not hurt you.”

The poor faerie didn’t look convinced, and if Maya wasn't in this position herself, she would feel bad about her. “B-but, Your Grace, they’re vampires—”

“And we’re faeries.” Maya stopped in front of her, narrowing her eyes. If there was one thing she despised, that was weakness. “Look at me, Ivy.” The maid did as she was told. “Yes, we’re surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies, and they might want to scare us, or hurt us. But don’t forget that we have our own powers. We are not the prey. Never let them think the opposite. They prey on the weak. And we are not weak.”

For a second Maya thought there were hearts all over her maid’s dark eyes. Maybe because all their lives, everyone on the Court she used to live was used to thinking Maya didn’t deserve much respect just for not being a legitimate Princess, therefore, no one had tried to get to know her outside of the confines of her half-title.

Whatever it was, Maya didn’t want Ivy’s admiration. She wanted the maid to survive, for her own good.

“If anyone attacks you, no matter who it is, just show them the consequences of their actions,” Maya told her. “I’ll never let anyone abuse one of my own.”

“T-thank you so much, my Lady—” Maya didn’t wait for her to finish. She turned her back on the maid and continued exploring around, to the portraits hanging around the halls, the decorations, the chandeliers. Almost everything was dark in color, in a style that she didn’t find back home. Other faeries, just like Ivy, would find the place almost creepy, but there was this elegance to it, this thing Maya couldn’t name... like she could get used to it pretty fast. Like she found it more thrilling than any other place she had been in. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to find my chambers, and you’re going to stay in the room closer to mine. I could use a friend from time to time.”

Ivy looked less scared now, which was the main reason Maya had said that in the first place. “But where are they?”

Maya started climbing the endless stars to the second floor, while Ivy followed her every step like a lost puppy. God, this place was beautiful. Brutally so. There were so many details, so many things she wanted to run her fingers through. Maya felt like a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to explore it all, although there was a big possibility she wouldn’t be able to live a full lifetime here.

She would probably get killed, or... kill. Which would result in her getting killed anyway.

Stop.

“We’ll have to ask someone for directions.”

“My Lady, did you hear that?” Ivy asked after a pause, her voice trembling again.

Maya didn’t hear anything, but there it was again, the same feeling she had while she spoke to her father. That sixth sense told her she was not safe.

But she would be stupid to think she was.

“There’s nothing, Ivy.” Probably a vampire. Probably one that saw them as their next meal.

They could try. But then they would have no more fangs to get fed with.

A few seconds later, they noticed two maids cleaning around silently, Maya guessed because most of the lords and ladies were already sleeping, since it was daytime.

“Show us to my chambers, please,” Maya ordered one of them.

She didn’t look thrilled to get orders from a faerie, but of course she could do nothing but bow down to her. Her eyes, however, held Maya’s gaze almost defaintly. Hately. She gritted her teeth together, forced a smile on her face, and Maya actually hoped the maid would say something, just for the thrill of showing her her place.

“What are you waiting for?” Maya asked her when the maid wasn’t moving.

“Apologies, Your Grace,” she gritted out, and finally started walking with her head bowed.

The chambers were on the fourth floor, it seemed, which were darker, and slightly more creepy.

“Show my maid to one of my rooms as well.”

The vampire maid nodded. “Here, Your Grace.” She opened the door for her, and closed it once Maya was inside.

She didn’t have time to explore around, her entire body aching because of how tired she felt, so the only thing indicating that this wasn’t her bedroom was the bed missing. Maya moved to the other room, and then the other, until she found herself in a larger, darker one.

Chills ran down her spine.

This feeling of being somewhere dangerous, yet somewhere she didn’t want to leave, and then feeling some eyes on her...

That’s when she saw him, sitting down on a couch in the corner of the room, rolling a glass in his hand, but instead of whiskey that matched his eyes, it was filled with a red liquid.

Blood.

“What are you doing here?” The deep, velvet voice now caused goosebumps all over her body.

The maid... she had purposefully sent Maya to the King’s chambers instead of her own, just so she could humiliate her. Just because none of them could stand the fact that a faerie was now their Queen.

Anger rushed through her blood, but Maya kept herself calm. She would deal with the maid tomorrow.

“I asked you a question, wife.”

Why did he have to sound so... God, the way she felt around him was infuriating.

She shouldn’t. Not when he was who he was. Her sworn enemy and the one she was sent to kill.

Her mate too.

“Next time, teach your maids what respect is.”

Maya turned her back on him, attempting to leave as soon as she could. Not because she feared him—though deep inside she did—but because she couldn’t trust her mouth not to get her in trouble.

“Are you running from me?” he asked her with a chuckle. A terrifying one if Maya had to be honest. She felt him stand up, although he was still a few feet away from her, and her instincts told her to run indeed.

Because he was dangerous. He was brutal. Maya could feel it deep in her bones.

He could ruin her.

But when had she ever been a runner?

So instead, she stopped and turned to face him once more. “Do I have a reason to?” she asked him, and with every slow step he took towards her, the urge to take steps back grew stronger.

She didn’t. Giving him that satisfaction, however small, didn’t sit right with her.

Instead of showing anger, he smirked at her. Like she was entertaining him right now.

“Oh, you have plenty of reasons, trust me.” His smirk slowly started turning into a wicked grin. “For example, how I have this crazy, insane theory that your blood tastes way sweeter than the one I’m drinking right now. A Faerie Princess blood. Fresh. Just out of her veins. Heaven.”

Shattered pieces of memories flew inside her head all at once.

Blood.

So much blood.

You’re not weak, Maya.

“Yet I have this crazy, insane theory, you’ll never get to find out.” Her grin matched his, and she didn’t blink once no matter the urge to look away from his piercing gaze.

He looked around the room with that same wicked grin on his face that gave her a close show of his fangs. For a second, Maya thought it was sculptured there.

“You think so, wife?” he provoked her.

“I know so, husband.”

He tsked, really not bothered if she could read him properly. But the thing was, she couldn’t. And maybe that was all the mystery about the Vampire King. People could argue that the cruelest King would be a cold one. One that was so unfeeling, one that had never once felt happiness, or sadness, or guilt, or love. A sociopath.

While Maya was now convinced Demetrius was the opposite. He could smile, he could laugh, he could feel. Maybe at another level of intensity. In a brutal level.

He just chose exactly what to feel, when to feel. And he chose to play with his enemy just as he played with his emotions. Which made him a pathological manipulator.

“Did you think by coming here you’d be able to seduce me?” her husband questioned after a short pause between them. “With your fake mate bond and your pretty blue eyes? Did you think you would share this room with me because you’re my Queen now?”

He threw his head back and laughed, the veins in his pale neck making Maya weak just for a split second.

“Oh, you and your narcissistic thoughts.” This time it was Maya that laughed, the sound fake but sweet, as she reached for the door. “Do you really think I want to spend the night here? With you? Do you hear yourself? I’d rather eat dirt.”

“Careful what you wish for,” he hissed, gritting his teeth together.

It fed into her own irritation. Maya lifted her chin high as he closed the distance again, this time not touching her. “All barks and not bite, aren’t we now?”

Provoking the devil. That was what she was doing, and the worst was not regretting it in the slightest.

“You want bites?” His whiskey eyes lit up at the thought, though Maya hadn’t meant it like that.

“You know what I meant.”

“I know exactly what you meant.” He leaned one arm at the right of her head, the difference in height and the proximity that came with feelings of fear and excitement almost making her dizzy. “You know what your problem is, my darling wife?” Of course, his voice was nowhere near endearing. “That you happen to think I don’t know what to do with you now that we’re married. That I cannot do anything to you without risking war with your father. As if your father cares that much about you.”

She held his gaze as the words cut through. “You don’t know anything.”

“Yes, I do.” His stare grew more intense. “I can do whatever I want to you and there’s no one that can stop me. I can break you. Ruin you. Use you. If you think I was forced into this marriage just as you were, you are nothing more than a fool. No one forces me to do anything. You’re just a chess piece in my hands.”

Maya gulped down the feelings that started suffocating her all at once. “Unfortunately for you, I’m not a simple pawn. I’m the queen.”

He bit down on his full bottom lip. “If you’re the queen, darling, then I am the king. Checkmate.”