The Billionaire Vampire Would Kill To Keep Me

Chapter 21: Prague

Prague Castle smelled like old blood.

Not like Caspian's castle. Older. 1000 years older.

Caspian held my hand so tight my new fangs ached, gold eyes darting everywhere as we walked into throne room made of bones.

Seven thrones. Seven kings older than him. Eyes black, skin white like milk, no heartbeat.

And my mama — in full purple aso-ebi, gele bigger than their crowns, handbag containing holy water, anointing oil, and bitter leaf — was walking behind us chewing groundnut.

"This place cold," she announced loudly. "No heater? Even my freezer for fish is warmer."

The seven kings stared.

Caspian whispered, "Mama, please—"

One king stood — oldest, bald, voice like grave.

"Caspian Thorne. You have broken law. You turned a healer. You let healer reverse eternal life. That girl—" he pointed at me, — "is abomination."

Abomination?

My gold blood boiled. I stepped forward, fangs dropping for first time in Court.

"I am not abomination. I am Amara Okafor from Surulere, Lagos. Nurse. Daughter of—"

"Silence!" The king roared, room shook.

Caspian moved in front of me instantly, silver eyes white.

"You will not speak to my queen like that."

"Your queen?" Another king laughed. "She is not queen. She is food that you fell in love with. Give her to us. We will bleed her, learn how she turned vampire to human. Then we kill her properly."

I gasped.

Caspian's claws dropped.

"Try it."

Then my mama stepped forward.

Everyone froze.

My mama — 5'2, Yoruba mama with big gele — stepped in front of 1000-year-old Vampire Court, opened her handbag, and brought out small plastic bottle.

"Anointing oil," she said calmly. "From Pastor Adeboye program. You want to kill my pikin? Come."

Court burst out laughing. Cold, dead laugh.

"Woman, you think your oil can—"

My mama poured oil on floor and shouted: "HOLY GHOST FIRE!"

Nothing happened for one second.

Then floor — bone floor that had not burned in 1000 years — caught gold fire. My fire. Her prayer triggered my gold healer power. Flames spread from her oil in circle around me, Caspian, and Mama.

Gold fire. The same that burned Vivienne.

The seven kings screamed, recoiling — they had never seen healer gold fire.

"What is this?" Bald king shouted, shielding eyes.

"This is Mama fire," my mama said, hands on waist. "In Nigeria, we call it prayer. You people never had Yoruba mama pray against you before, abi? Now you have."

She turned to me.

"Amara, you told me you healed market in Surulere. Heal them small? Or burn them? Your choice."

I looked at seven kings, at Caspian whose eyes were now wet with pride, at my mama with oil.

And I lifted hands.

Gold light exploded from me — not healing, not burning — judging. I saw each king's sins. Children killed. Villages burned. Humans drained.

"You call me abomination," I whispered, voice echoing with 1000 healers before me. "But you are the abomination. You forgot what blood is for. Blood is for life, not just drinking."

I pushed gold light.

It hit bald king — and his black eyes turned brown. Human brown. For one second, he felt heartbeat after 1000 years.

He fell to knees, crying.

"My heart... my heart beats..."

All seven kings felt it. Human for one second.

Then light vanished.

Silence in Court of Bones.

Bald king looked up at me, tears — real tears — in human brown eyes that quickly turned black again.

"What... are you?" he whispered.

Caspian answered, pulling me to his chest, kissing my gold hair, voice loud for whole Court:

"She is Amara Thorne. Eternal Healer. My wife. Queen of North, South, East, West. And mother of my future heir. And she is under protection of Yoruba Mama. If you touch one hair on her afro, her mother will bring whole Redeemed Church to pray until you all catch fire."

My mama nodded seriously: "I will. I have w******p group. 200 prayer warriors."

The Court stared. At me. At Caspian. At Mama with oil.

For first time in 1000 years, Vampire Court was silent, afraid.

Not of Caspian.

Of a nurse from Surulere and her mama with anointing oil.

Bald king sat back on bone throne, slowly.

"Caspian Thorne... we will... allow your queen. For now. But if she turns another vampire human—"

"She will," Caspian said calmly. "If you mess with Lagos again."

I squeezed his hand. Mama squeezed my other hand.

We three walked out of Court of Bones — king, queen, mama — leaving gold footprints that burned for 100 years after.

Outside Prague Castle, snow fell. But where I stepped, snow melted to flowers.

Caspian whispered to me: "Meam Aeternum, you just made the Court kneel without killing one."

I whispered back: "No. Mama did."

Behind us, Mama was already on phone: "Mama Tunde! Yes, we are alive! These vampire people are rude, no jollof rice here, only blood. Bring stew when we come back!"