The Vampire Prince's Hybrid Mate

Let the Games Begin

Kara POV

After what felt like the shortest and worst sleep of my entire life, we were forced awake by the sound of Norah’s voice as she wandered to each bed.

“Up time ladies, the Games begin in an hour.”

Next to me, Piper groaned as she rolled out of bed, her hair sticking up at odd angles, but her giant green eyes were on me in moments. They widened as realisation seemed to fill her and sadness enveloped her face.

I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around her. “It is my job to keep you safe, it always has been,” I whispered so low only she would be able to hear me. “And I’m not going to stop now. Not now, not ever.”

Through our embrace, I felt her body shudder as she fought against the tears that I knew would be in her eyes. She didn’t deserve this, and even though Annysia and I weren’t on the best of terms at the moment due to the disagreement about our mate, she was supporting my thoughts.

“We will both get through this, I promise. And then, I will find a way out of this mess without having to breed with anybody.”

I pulled away and she wiped her eyes slowly before grabbing me in a final hug.

“Thankyou.”

“Come on girls,” Norah’s voice interrupted.

I glanced at her to see her holding out two bundles of clothes, one for each of us.

“Your competitors uniform. Quickly, put it on and then you only have a short time to eat before you are escorted out.”

Her gaze flicked behind us to the main door where the two huge vampires from yesterday, Gabriel and Ezekiel, stood waiting and watching. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought they were statues.

I glanced at Piper who held a bundle of clothes in a dark forest green. My bundle consisted of entirely black. How odd. Norah must have picked up on my thought process, for she answered by unasked question.

“To tell you apart, dear,” she said solemnly. “Green for Daniel and black for Dominik.”

I wanted to shudder. Of course, my mate had to have black as his colour choice for the clothing. Was it symbolic of his nature? Just like our red attire that we have sported since arriving here. It was a constant reminder that at any moment we could go from competitor to food.

I shook my head. I needed to stop referring to him as my mate, that is not what he was, nor would he ever be. I had to draw a clear line in my mind between him and anything else. He was not my mate.

I turned my back to Piper and changed out of the red and into the black. It consisted of a simple, form fitting black t-shirt, what looked like black jeans, but were actually a very thick, stretchy and elastane material, black hiking boots and a black and grey jacket. I even had black socks and underwear. The inside of the jacket was lined with fleece and when zipped up cocooned me in warmth.

So, they are dressing us up warm, Annysia commented, her first words since she shut me out yesterday.

Seems that way.

I glanced over at Piper who was zipping her jacket up. Her clothes looked exactly like mine apart from the difference in colour which was obvious. They would definitively be able to tell the two groups apart.

My eyes scanned the room to see the others in different stages of dress. Jo looked extremely pale as she pulled on her military looking boots. She met my gaze and gave me a tight smile. Raven was talking animatedly with another woman with short spiky red hair. They were both dressed entirely in black. They both stopped talking and looked at me identical sneers on their faces to which I simply raised my brow. I wasn’t going to be intimidated by her. 

Annysia growled in my mind. She agreed.

After playing with my breakfast for half an hour and consuming barely any of it due to the unease in the pit of my stomach, we were all called to assemble in front of Gabriel and Ezekiel. They watched us with narrowed eyes, but their faces were masks, void of any emotion.

I reached out to touch the cloak that my magic held in place, hiding my scent and any indication of what I truly was. I was rewarded with the continuous thrum of my magic pulsing against my palm. It was still in place.

Norah stood between the two of them, her mouth a tight line and her wispy hair seemed as frazzled as her motions. I wasn’t sure whether she looked like she wanted to cry or throw up.

“Ladies,” she choked out, her voice thick with her emotion. “I wish each and every one of you the best of luck.” She glanced to the stoic vampires beside her, her movements nervous. “Remember what you are fighting for.”

I blinked rapidly. What an odd thing to say. I looked sideways at Piper who was giving me a similar look to how I felt. Confused. How could I forget what I was fighting for? It sickened me to the stomach just thinking about it.

The two vampires turned and led us along the same path as before. The female vampire opened up the door leading out into the arena, and I heard a simultaneous gasp from everyone around me. My own hand flew to my mouth in shock.

The stands surrounding the arena were filled with hundreds and thousands of vampires. The array of blonde hair and white skin flashed in the sunlight but that wasn’t what shocked everyone. 

Where the arena before had been a huge empty space, it was now filled with a forest. Huge tree soared towards the sky and the further my eyes scanned along the tree line, the darker it appeared to become, meaning that it got thicker and denser further in.

What were the vampires playing at?

Before us stood the King and the two princes. The King wore a large purple cloak, and his icy blonde hair was slicked backwards as he greeted us with a small smile. I could feel his eyes burning holes in me as he scanned the women.

The princes were dressed in sleek suits that were similar to our own in style but looked far less practical. Fur lined their cloaks which looked to be made out of a rich material. I wanted to laugh at the irony of it all, as the younger prince’s clothing was in a similar colour to that of Piper’s clothing and my m-.

I cut the thought off. I couldn’t continue thinking of his as my mate. The first opportunity I got, I would be rejecting him.

The older prince was wearing all black. I tried my best to avoid looking at his perfect face, with his tousled hair that my fingers desired so badly to run through, or his chiselled jaw which my lips wanted to run along.

I held in the shiver as I felt my stomach twist. Not in fear, but in desire. The mate bond was strong. My parents had warned me that being a hybrid would strengthen the draw of the mate bond, but I couldn’t have expected anything like this. My whole body was drawn to him, aching for his touch.

My eyes finally lifted to his, only to find him staring intensely at me, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher. His lip was curled up, and I got the impression that he felt the bond too, but in a completely different way to me.

My cheeks burned as I dropped my gaze.

Shit!

The King finally spoke, drawing my eyes to him. My mind on the other hand stayed firmly on his son.

“Welcome all. Today marks a tremendous occasion where these human women begin their fight for the right to breed with my sons.”

A huge cheer erupted from the crowd, the sound roaring and intense. It washed over me, and I noticed a few women around me pale under all the noise.

The King held up his hands, ceasing the crowd. “Round 1 will test your courage and strength. Being with a vampire is especially dangerous, and often can become the targets of attacks from other species. I need to know that you will be able to protect yourself and my future grandchild well enough until assistance can come.”

A dark smile touched the King’s lips and the younger Prince seemed to pale as the King spoke. 

Whatever was in this forest was dangerous.

My heartbeat picked up, my mind working to focus. I could feel Annysia holding back her strength, waiting for the moment when I would need to call on her. There was no doubt in my mind that I would need her.

“The first fifteen women from each group that make it through to the other end of the forest will proceed to the next round.”

My stomach flipped. Be one of the first fifteen, I could do that.

Piper and I had discussed in whispers this morning that we needed to aim for the middle of the pack. If we finished on top, it would be suspicious and the last thing we wanted to do was be near the end of each round. Middle was best and middle was safest. Less people looking at us and thinking too long and hard about how we have survived each round.

We had also discussed the need to use our magic or our wolves and agreed that it was only a last resort – we couldn’t risk it unless our lives were in danger.

“But beware ladies, not everything in the forest is as it seems. Stay on course, use your courage and beware the creatures that lurk in the dark,” the King warned, the dark smile still playing on his lips. “For those that get in your way might be more human than you think.”

His words gave me a horrible feeling that crawled along my skin and sheltered in my heart.

I took a deep breath as the King and the Princes stepped aside.

I barely had time to look around before a loud horn sounded as the King’s final words floated through the air as the women took off running.

“Let the Games Begin!”