The Bastard Prince

3 The work of fate.

Kill the prince who is betrothed to the daughter of the Duke of Marinne, that is all he has to do. Karic thought of nothing else as he made his way to his cottage. It was quite a walk, but he relished the long walk and time since he had to think. The king’s request was more complicated than meets the eye.

He had to kill one person to get his mother released from the dungeons.

But that will never happen, no matter how much he wanted it.

He should want other things, money, possessions, love. But he wanted to see his mother live a better life.

But he knew…she won’t survive. The King’s Oracle told him this. Not many people knew that she came to him. Not even the King himself. But she’s been coming to him ever since he was young. She had a strange interest in him Karic didn’t understand. But he didn’t mind it because she gave him food to eat, and healed his wounds when the beasts the King called sons beat him to a palp.

And she’s told him about his fate. Karic didn’t believe most of what she said, but it gave him hope whenever she talked about it.

 That was one of the reasons he was willing to do the Kings bidding, because it brought him one step closer to what the Oracle told him will happen in his future.

She said that he was fated to rule…to become a king.

The only way he could see that happening was if he killed King Stefan and his entire family, leaving himself as the rightful heir. 

But the Oracle said that’s not the way, because it was King Stefan who will make him a King.  

It sounded ridiculous to Karic, especially because Phillip was next in line. He was even the King’s legitimate son, while he was the son of a slave.

How was he supposed to become a king when all the stakes were against him? Karic had asked himself many times.

Maybe the Oracle was lying to make him feel better about his life.

But then, there were rumours that the Oracle’s predictions were always true. She predicted that he will be born with crescent moon birthmark on his hip. And he has one.

But did that mean he will become a king? Karic didn’t know. All he knew was that he wanted to change his and his mother’s fate.

And if killing some prince will do that then… so be it.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Duke of Marinne’s country house

A scream of horror rends the air making Bella cringe and wince as the sound rips through her sensitive ears. Even though she was a hybrid vampire who can walk in the sun and wasn’t ruled by the thirst for blood she still had the other qualities of a vampire – like sensitive hearing. And ever since they arrived at the Duke of Marinne’s house for her twin brother’s betrothal party she’s been suffering. She wouldn’t be surprised if she couldn’t hear after this. The way Marian, her brother’s intended just screams at the smallest thing, Bella grimaced as the screaming and throwing of things continued for another minute.  

Bella wondered what it is now…did someone wrinkle her very expensive dress.

Marian let lose another one, and this time she sounded like she was getting closer to them.

Dammit not again, Bella groaned staring at her twin brother, who looked unbothered.

“Must you really marry her?” Bella asked getting to her feet to move over to the settee her brother was half lying on. They were whiling away time in another opulent room in the Duke of Marinne’s country house. The Duke’s house was magnificent, it rivalled their own palace back home.

Bella sat down next to her twin brother.  

 Dominic didn’t’ look good.

“You know I have to,” Dominic said without even lifting his head to look at her. He was too weak. “Don’t worry about me. You must focus on scenting you mate. He’ll be here…the seer said so.”

How can he be thinking about that now? Bella internally thought annoyed.   

Bella touched his forehead, feeling for his temperature. He was getting colder, as if death couldn’t help but hang over him.

Oh brother…tears prickled her eyes but she held them in. She’ll cry when she was alone. She didn’t want to make Dominic worry more about her. He had his own life to live, but he was here because of her. 

I don’t think we’re going to make it, Bella thought to herself feeling the passing of time so acutely.

They were both running out of time, but their hybrid curse seemed to be harder on the male vampires. Most of them didn’t take long to succumb before their time run out.

Bella’s heart slammed viciously against her chest. She bit the inside of her mouth to keep from crying as she thought of Dominic dying.

It would be better if they died together at the same time. She didn’t want to live for a few days without her brother, and then die too.

It would be too hard.

“Must I call Micah for you?” Bella asked smoothing her hand over his shocking silver hair. He inherited it from their father, while she took her mother’s black hair. She was even on the darker side – with dark skin, while her brother was lighter. They were such opposites even though they are twin. Bella stared at her brother, her love for him shining through.

She wished she could take away his pain. But she couldn’t.

“Dominic, must I can Micah for you?” she asked again. At least Micah will help him forget for just a little while. Micah was Dominic’s servant. Bella knew he was more than a servant, because her brother sometimes slept with him.

Bella had found out that Dominic loved the attention of other men long ago. He didn’t exactly tell her. She saw him kissing Micah in the gardens of their home one night. She didn’t care who he loves. What she cared about is the sacrifice he was making for her in marrying the Duke’s daughter.

“I’ll go now,” she said giving him a pat on the head. She walked out of the sitting room on unsteady legs.

She closed the door, and leaned against it.

She shook head as the tears return again. She wished they could find another way to save themselves from the curse, so that her brother doesn’t suffer.

But there was no other way…

 It has to be done, she told herself.

She’s been telling herself this, ever since a seer gave them the solution to their hybrid curse. A solution that involved Dominic marrying the Duke of Marinne’s daughter, and her finding her mate…

Prince Dominic and Princess Elizabeth (Bella) of Killengly Isles are the last of their kind. After their parents died the other members of their family succumbed to their hybrid curse one by one as they failed to find their mates in time before reaching the age of 100. Since their father was a full-blooded vampire he could prolong their lives, giving every hybrid some time to find a mate. But he was killed in the wars waged by the Grand King Lionard, and his lanky King Stefan.

Now Dominic and Bella were left with only a few months to live…only eight months.

And that’s one of the reasons why Dominic was desperate. He believed he couldn’t be saved.

“It is my fate to die while saving you,” he’d said the day he decided on this stupid plan, because some seer had a dream.

“You can find your mate,” Bella had said trying to get some sense into him. There was no way she was going to allow him to waste eight months of his life with a woman…when he could at least be with Micah until the end.

Micah wasn’t his mate, but he was something of a comfort to her brother.

But Dominic didn’t believe so. He’d looked at her his eyes shining with tears. “There is no mate out there for me. We’ve lived too long to know that the kind of love I want is not allowed and I am not holding my breath.”

Bella shook her head again as Dominic’s words caused her heart to ache.

No…they’ll find a way.

Bella pushed off the door, and rushed to go and find Micah.

The whole house was buzzing with guests and people preparing for the banquet in a few days. Bella made her way out of the house to the servant’s quarters. The Duke’s house was very big and ostentatious even though it was in the country.

For a man who boasted to hate the aristocratic life, he surely loved to live like one. Or maybe it was to be expected, the Duke had money. And he didn’t spare any, on his daughter or his home. The Duke spoiled her rotten and she got whatever she wanted.

Bella wouldn’t say that she hated Marian, but she wished the seer had another dream about someone else that Dominic could marry, so she could find her mate.

Marian will be hard to live with, once they married. Bella didn’t see her liking the Killengly Isles. Their little island might not be much to outsiders, but to her and her brother, and the humans that live there it was home. She couldn’t wait to go back home.

Bella rounded the house as she headed to the servant quarters. The servant’s quarters were next to the stables. There was a burst of movement there too, as people offloaded trunks, baskets of food and other things as the Duke’s guests arrived. The smell of horses, and waste filled her nose, making her cringe. Her eyes watered.

She closed them, trying very hard not to breathe everything in all at once.           

God, she hated her vampire senses. Sometimes everything around her just became too hard to take in.

 Bella opened her eyes and continued to walk toward the servant quarters. She remembered Micah’s room to be the one at the very end. She ran there, but then tripped from something that had fallen to the ground. She winced in pain as she twisted her ankle.

She gingerly got to her feet and then stopped in her tracks when someone shouted.

“Look out!”

Bella turned towards the stables and saw large horses barreling down at her so fast she could barely move out of the way…even with her vampire speed. One of the horses caught her with its side knocking her to the ground. She groaned as pain radiated through her body, making her disoriented.

“Princess no, get up!” that sounded like Micah. And he was rushing towards her.

Bella looked up to see another horse coming her way. She pushed to her feet unsteadily, as it got closer.

She could feel the impact already before it even hit her, but she was lifted off the ground and crushed to a hard chest in one swoop as if she weighed nothing. She clung to her rescuer, breathing hard as the horse beneath her cantered to a stop.

She clung to him, burying her face into his chest, trying to calm her speeding heart.  

Suddenly his scent hit her, sending her mind into a dizzy spell. Her body turned warm, chasing away the cold that had slowly set in her body.

Joy, excitement and fear mingled inside her…as she couldn’t believe what was happening.   

Could it be? Bella asked herself as she clutched him to her so hard she didn’t want to let go.

“You’re safe,” he whispered above her in a soothing voice that worked its way into her very soul.

Is this him?

Her mate?

Her heart hammered in her chest at the possibility…

The horse beneath her shifted nervously. And he clicked his tongue easily calming it.

Bella shifted in his arms so she could see his face. But before she could she was wretched painfully away from his warmth.

“Go take care of our horses and luggage. Derrick can’t do everything by himself,” an authoritative voice billowed as she was dragged away.

Chaos erupted around her as someone shouted, who was weeping.

“Maximus you fool!”

“Sorry master they got away from me,” he wept.

“The Duke will skin you alive!” the master said.

“Run and make sure you bring them back,” the master commanded.

Bella didn’t even listen to them, she looked around her for him. But a large crowd seemed to have gathered around her and they were all trying to make sure that she was alright. She wanted to shout at them to move, but she couldn’t since they were concerned for her.

“I’m fine,” Bella said looking around for him. But everyone blocked her view.

“Oh princess, your brother is going to kill me for this,” Micah said looking so scared as he fussed over her brushing dust off her clothes. “Lean on me princess, I’ll take you back to the house.”

“Did you see the rider who helped me?” Bella asked Micah as they started to move. Before they could take another step someone blocked their way.

“Allow me princess,” he said, sounding like the authoritative voice that had dismissed the rider. He was handsome and held himself like someone of great importance. He was dressed meticulously. Bella stared at his extended arm. He smiled warmly at her. “Of course. Proper introductions and all. I am prince Phillip of Kantarina. May I?”

Bella had no reason to refuse.

She placed her hand on his arm, and allowed him to guide him towards the house. Micah led the way looking back at them ever so often. She will heal soon, but because of the curse everything in her body has taken to working so slowly.

Bella wasn’t surprised she couldn’t get out of the way of the horses fast enough. The curse was sapping her strength too. She might not be as worse as Dominic. But she could feel it too, time was running out for her.

But maybe…

She turned back towards the stables where the rider might have disappeared to…

Maybe she might have found him…

Her mate.