Married to the Vampire King

Chapter One Rain hammered against the broken roof of the little house where Rose lived with her parents. The walls were cracked. The furniture was old. There was barely enough food in the kitchen for the three of them. The small house had once felt warm and safe to Rose, but lately, everything seemed different. The roof leaked whenever it rained, the windows allowed cold air inside, and the old wooden floor creaked whenever someone walked across it. Still, Rose had never complained. She knew her parents were doing everything they could. Rose sat beside the window, watching the storm outside. Lightning flashed across the dark sky, followed by the distant sound of thunder. Rose pulled her arms closer to herself and continued staring through the glass. She was eighteen, with long dark hair and gentle brown eyes. Life had never been kind to her family, but she had always believed that somehow things would get better. She had dreams of having a better life someday. She wanted her parents to stop worrying about money. She wanted her mother to be healthy again. She wanted her father to smile without pretending that everything was fine. Most of all, she wanted her family to stay together. That evening, she was wrong. A loud bang shook the front door. Rose jumped to her feet. Her father froze. Rose looked at him. For a moment, neither of them moved. Her mother slowly stood from her chair. Another bang followed. "Open the door!" a man's voice shouted. Rose's mother immediately grabbed her hand. "Rose, stay behind me." Rose's heart began pounding. She didn't recognize the voice. Her father looked toward the door with fear in his eyes. The door burst open. Three men dressed in black entered the house. Their faces were cold, and the tallest one carried a strange silver cane. Rain blew through the open doorway. Rose stepped backward. She had never seen these men before. Something about them made the little house suddenly feel much smaller. Rose's father stepped forward nervously. "Please," he whispered. "Give me more time." The man with the cane laughed. "You've already had more than enough time." "We're trying to find the money." "Trying?" The man's expression hardened. "Your debt has been growing for months." Rose looked at her father. "Dad... what debt?" Her father couldn't answer. Rose stared at him. She could see the fear on his face. "What are they talking about?" she wanted to ask again, but before she could, the man with the cane moved toward her mother. The man grabbed Rose's mother by the arm. "No!" Rose screamed. Her mother struggled, but the men dragged her toward the door. "Stop!" Rose rushed forward, but her father held her back. "Don't, Rose!" Rose fought against his arms. "Let me go!" Her mother turned toward her. "Rose!" Rose's eyes filled with tears. "Mom!" But the men continued dragging her toward the door. The leader turned around. "You have three days." Rose stared at him in horror. "Three days for what?" The man smiled coldly. "Bring us the money your family owes. If you fail..." He looked at Rose's mother. "...your mother dies." The door slammed shut. For several seconds, nobody spoke. The sound of the rain filled the silence. Rose slowly turned toward her father. "Dad... what have you done?" Her father lowered his head. "I was trying to protect us." "You knew about this?" Tears filled his eyes. "I borrowed money when your mother became sick. I thought I could repay it." "How much?" Her father whispered the amount. Rose's face went pale. It was impossible. Even if they sold everything they owned, they wouldn't have enough. Rose looked around their tiny house. There was almost nothing left to sell. Their old furniture wasn't worth much. The house itself was already in terrible condition. And now her mother was being held by strangers. Three days. Only three days. Rose swallowed hard. "We have to get Mom back." Her father looked at her. "I know." "We'll find the money." He didn't answer. Rose looked at him again. "Dad?" He lowered his eyes. The next morning, Rose's father left the house. He didn't explain where he was going. He only told Rose that he would return. Rose watched him walk away. She stayed by the window for a long time. She kept hoping he would turn around. He didn't. Hours passed. The house felt strangely empty without her mother. Rose tried to keep herself busy. She cleaned the kitchen. She washed the few dishes they had. She checked the cupboards even though she already knew there was almost nothing inside. But no matter what she did, she couldn't stop thinking about her mother. She wondered whether she was frightened. She wondered whether the men were treating her badly. And she wondered if her father would really be able to find the money. The next morning, Rose's father left the house. He returned late that night with a stranger. Rose looked up when the door opened. For a moment, she thought her father had finally found help. Then she saw the man standing beside him. The man standing beside him looked nothing like anyone Rose had ever met. He was tall, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His skin was unusually pale, and his dark eyes seemed almost impossible to look away from. Rose stared at him. There was something unnatural about his presence. The stranger didn't look around the poor house with disgust. He didn't seem surprised by the cracked walls or old furniture. He simply stood there as though he belonged somewhere far more powerful. "My name is Damon Blackwood," he said. Rose stared at him. Damon was one of the richest men in the country. At least, that was what Rose had heard. His name was known everywhere. People talked about his businesses, his wealth, and the enormous estate where he lived. Some people even said Damon Blackwood was a man nobody dared to cross. But there was something strange about him. Something frightening. Rose couldn't explain it. She only knew that when Damon looked at her, she felt as though he was studying something hidden beneath the surface. "I have an offer for your father," Damon said. Rose frowned. "What kind of offer?" Her father looked away. Damon placed a briefcase on the table. The sound of the briefcase touching the old wooden table seemed unusually loud. Inside was enough money to clear the family's debt. Rose's heart stopped. There was more money inside that briefcase than Rose had ever imagined seeing in one place. "Where did you get that?" Damon ignored her question. "Your father has agreed to give me something in exchange." Rose looked at her father. "Dad?" His silence was enough. Rose's heart sank. "What did you give him?" Her father's voice trembled. "You." Rose couldn't breathe. "What?" "Rose, I'm sorry." Her eyes filled with tears. "You sold me?" "I had no choice." "You always have a choice!" Her voice shook with anger. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her own father had made a deal involving her without even asking her. She looked at him, waiting for him to tell her that this was all some terrible misunderstanding. But he said nothing. Damon watched the argument silently. Then he spoke. "You will come to my estate." Rose stared at him. "Why?" "You will become my wife." The room fell silent. Rose shook her head. "No." Damon's expression didn't change. "I am not asking you to love me." "Then what do you want?" For the first time, something strange appeared in his eyes. A flicker of something ancient. Rose noticed it. For the briefest moment, his eyes seemed almost different. Then the feeling disappeared. "You will understand soon enough." Rose didn't understand what he meant. She only knew that her life had changed in a single night. Her mother was being held hostage. Her father had sold her future. And Damon Blackwood—the mysterious billionaire who had paid her family's debt—was hiding a secret. A secret that Rose would soon discover. She didn't know that the man standing in front of her had lived through centuries. She didn't know that the strange coldness surrounding him was not simply because he was rich or powerful. She didn't know that the world she thought she understood was much larger and darker than she had ever imagined. Damon Blackwood wasn't human. He was the Vampire King. And Rose had just become the most important person in his world.