Mated To A Vampire-Hunter Princess

Chapter 6

Finally the night had fallen, and I pulled the straps of my boot tight across my ankles with nothing but determination in my mind. 

I had to find that damn vampire tonight so I can have him undo whatever he did to me. 

Every passing second after I accepted Nathan's marriage proposal yesterday had been torturous hell. I had no clue how, but the longer I think about it, the worse I feel. The pain in my stomach would come suddenly like a stab and then my chest would contract painfully every time I think about the duke. 

It had to be Drew. Before I met him and he possessed me with his 'mate bond', I'd been feeling different. I'm going to make him undo it. 

He knew a way, but he refused to tell me yesterday. I was too lenient, but I'm not anymore. 

Grabbing my loaded duty belt, I slipped through my bedroom door as I did every night when I went vampire hunting, ensuring the coast was clear before heading down the hall to my escape route. As always, I ensured that I was out of all the cameras' views as I slipped around every corner and crevices like the pro I am, ensuring I was dodging every guard as I went. 

No one at home knew what I did at night. No one, not even Ruby, was allowed to barge in my room after 7 p.m. unless I personally asked, so I had no issue with the secrecy. No one can know about it either. It is for my safety and theirs. 

It's my duty. And even though I will have to stop soon when I'm married, I will hunt those blood sucking monsters until my very wedding night. 

And one particular vampire had it coming tonight. 

I finally reached the abandoned library door at the far end of the castle, which had an old door that led out back of the castle. It was my siblings' way of getting out before they died, so I thought  it would've been smart to use the same escape route. 

The cool September air almost soothed my snappy nerves, yet it wasn’t helping as much as it used to. I was off my game tonight, which might be dangerous hence why I wasn’t going after any other vampire than the one I needed to see. He messed with me and I couldn’t think straight. 

Reaching my hidden motorcycle, I didn’t even bother to put on my helmet as I roared it to life and sped into town. 

I was aware that I have been hunting vampires for years, yet I have never come across Drew until just now. He had to be good at hiding to hide from me. So finding him could be a problem. Still, I was more than determined. Even if I have to turn the whole island of Consok upside down to find him, then I will. 

He said he was leaving, my subconscious interrupted, reminding me of the note he left yesterday. He said he was leaving me alone, not necessarily leaving. 

Was this a plan of his? To trap me too as he was 'trapped' and torture me? 

He'd be cruel if that was his plan. But then again, he's a vampire. 

The town was  still awake by the time I arrived--the perfect time for the vampire to be hunting for dinner. It was sick. 

The only good thing they did was keep their victims alive. It all makes sense, since no one has ever complained or come to my parents traumatized or scared. The vampires use compulsion to make them forget, and since their bite mark disappears once the bleeding stops, it was like they were never fed from. 

But I believe no human should be food to the undead. Once there was a vampire woman who claimed she did no evil, but I knew better than to believe her. The minute I turn my back, I'd be dead. My brother and sister were too nice. And I won't make the same mistake. 

Just like always, I lurked near the allies where I knew the vampires would feed, ensuring I kept a keen eye on my bracelet to see if it was glowing. 

If Drew is still in town somewhere, he'd more likely be feeding like the others usually do around this time. But to my demise, even after searching every alley, there was no sign of  him. 

I checked every section of town that he would be at, and still no sign of him. My heart squeezed at the very thought that he might've left. Maybe he was far away from Consok and tormenting another girl with this mate crap... 

Sighing, I knew there was no way I could search the whole island, and it was already minutes to ten by the time I gave up. He made me give up--something that was never in my vocabulary. 

But it was only for tonight. I'd have to endure another horrible night of no sleep, but tomorrow I'll get him for sure. That is, if he is even still here. 

Oddly I felt like he was. He couldn't have gone far right? If I 'trapped' him like he intended, he must've still been here. 

I rode slowly on my motorcycle in the direction of home. I was already feeling exhausted from the lack of sleep, hectic searching and heavy self restraint whenever I saw a vampire that wasn’t Drew, but had to keep myself focused on the mission I started. Too bad it was an epic fail. 

Feeling utterly sorry for myself, I pulled up beside an old, almost empty bar where I hoped my identity wouldn’t be exposed, because I really needed a drink. 

The last thing I needed was a news headline saying, 'Princess Amber Spotted at Local Bar After Hours'. My mother would've insisted that I fess up and my security would've been increased, which I cannot afford to happen. 

Still, I could care less at this point. My stomach had grown numb from all the pain, and I felt like I was going crazy with all these Drew thoughts. So a drink was the only thing that I could think about. 

My only advantage is that I looked nothing like 'Princess Amber' when I go out at night, since I surely didn’t dress as a princess. I only hoped it worked in my favour. 

The interior of the bar was dark, almost as if all the lights were blown, and only old drunken men sat here and there. It could surely use some maintenance and even the shelves looked dusty. It was obvious that the people here were regulars, meaning they must've been coming here since the bar was up and in its highest state. It took everything out of me not to turn around, but this is exactly what I needed. 

I walked further into the building, stepping over a few bottles as I went before making my way towards a middle aged woman with a lip piercing and way too many tattoos. She chewed heavily on what I assumed was gum as she watched a show on the tiny TV. 

The stool made a scraping sound as I sat, catching her attention as well as many more people. Still, I kept my head down and rejoiced interiorly when no one spared me more than two seconds of a glance. 

"What can I get'chu?" The woman asked as she turned her attention to me. Her voice was just as boring as her expression, and I had to wipe a splash of spit from my cheek from her gum clopping. 

"Whiskey," I mumbled out, knowing I needed my throat and stomach to burn. Without another word or glance, she nodded and left to pour the drink. 

My mind drifted to Nathan again, and my stomach ached in agony by just the simple thought. I groaned loudly and threw my head in my hands as I waited for the pain to subdue. I hated this damn thing. I hated that I couldn’t find the one person I needed who could make it go away. 

"Here you go sweetheart," the bartender said, sounding more soft and sympathetic as she slid the drink to me. I raised my head to meet her gaze as she lightly patted my hand. "We all have those days. It's on the house." And with that, she winked and trotted away. 

I sighed deeply, knowing I'd use my position to really help this place, but appreciated the ambiance of everything in that moment as I downed the burning liquor. It scorched my soul as it went down, granting me the satisfaction I needed. 

I raised my hand to call over the woman again, but I paused when I saw something that I SHOULD'VE noticed from long before. 

My bracelet. It was glowing. 

Growing on high alert, I peered around the dark bar room, loving that I had 20-20 vision as I searched for anything unusual. Everyone simply looked like either old or middle aged men who made bad decisions in life and drank their misery away. 

But I quickly averted my gaze backwards when I saw something familiar. Or someone rather. 

My breath hitched and I could feel my palms getting sweaty as I watched him. 

It was him. I found him. I found Drew.