Volumes of the Vemreaux Complete Collection: A Dystopian Adventure Trilogy, page 112
“Really? Then this costume must be very convincing. I keep waiting to trip and fall on my face or something. Then everyone will see I’m not their princess.” She spoke the last word as if it offended her.
“Let them think you’re a princess.” Then he pulled her flush to him and whispered, brushing his lips against her ear. “They don’t know you like I do, little Wayward.” Sam wanted to bite her bare shoulder, to suck on her lower lip, but remembered they were not alone. If the siblings had been going out of their way to add value to her, he would not undo it by attempting to undress her on the dance floor. He did not want other men thinking they could try for such feats. Instead, he cupped her chin, stroking her jaw with his thumb as he kissed her, turning unhurriedly to the music. Their lips moved slowly, reverently, and with such devotion to their unfathomable connection that those who could not tear their eyes away from the tender moment looked down respectfully. Sam touched her as if she was breakable, a delicate flower to be cherished and treasured instead of cast aside after one encounter. He left her breathless, along with many others who watched him adore her from a distance.
To cap it all and truly seal her as off-the-market, Liam called over the banister to her once the song ended. “Hey, Blue! Bring your boyfriend up here and grab a drink with us.”
Sam shot Liam a grateful look, knowing that if the uppercrust crowd gathered here tonight saw she was taken by the infamous playboy, word would travel fast. He led Blue up the stairs and past one of Everest’s guards. Liam offered Sam a drink, reaching behind the bar to the private selection reserved for the royals. He pulled out a bottle of thick blood and one of absinthe, which Sam declined. “I’m on duty, dumbass.”
Blue stared at the maroon liquid, her many lessons from Vemreaux Studies and basic science flooding back to her. She stifled a gasp when she spotted hints of coagulation in the syrupy body fluid. It was unfiltered blood. Live, fresh blood, which was illegal.
“Oh, so drinking’s off limits, but making out with your charge is fair game?” Liam pretended to pout. “And Daniel hasn’t tried a thing all night. What’s your secret, Baby Blue?”
“I let Suzette dress me.” She motioned to the short and fancy frock Suzette made for her the day before.
Liam frowned, looking down at his pants. “See, I tried that, and nothing. Daniel won’t give me the time of day.”
Everest spoke up from his makeshift throne. “It’s quarter of midnight, Li.”
“Well, what do you know? It’s working already.” Liam kissed Blue’s cheek and motioned to the bar. “You want a soda?”
“Would you get your own girlfriend?” Sam’s mood turned foul. “I hope that’s the last time I have to tell you or Killy to stop kissing my girl.”
Liam blinked, and then came back at Sam with a smile. “See, now you made it all awkward. Later tonight when Blue and I are having raucous and wild sex, she won’t want to kiss me because of you putting that in her head. Thanks a lot, mate.” He turned to Blue, who blushed. “Drink?”
“What are you having?” Blue inquired. “And don’t tease Sam like that.”
“Rum and Coke.”
“Can I try it?” She peered into the glass suspiciously.
“No!” both Liam and Sam exclaimed. Liam softened. “I don’t like to share. I’ll make you one of your own. One with better Coke-to-rum proportions.”
“Look at you, tending bar,” Blue teased. “Baird will be so proud to learn his talents are genetic.”
Liam filled her glass up with pop, glancing at Sam uncomfortably before sending a slight splash of rum into the mix. He handed it to her guiltily, wondering if alcohol was the best thing for someone so pure…and lethal. He was sure Baird would not beat him up. Pretty sure.
The two watched her take a sip, wince at the carbonation and set down the glass. “I’ll be right back, Sam.” Blue purposefully walked over to Everest, nodding to his guard politely. Now that she stood in front of him, she realized how intimidating he was in this kind of environment. She felt as if she was approaching a throne and should bow. “C-Could I speak with you, your majesty?”
Everest pressed a finger to his lips as he watched the odd creature with a coy smile. “But, of course.”
Blue glanced around at his guards and the people who watched her every move. “In private? Would that be possible?”
Everest eyed her a moment before answering, taking in her unpolished stance and lovely face. “Anything for the throne of Europe. Right this way, mi’lady.” He rose, waving off his guards. The Prince of the World stroked her elbow, leading her with his feather touch to the private cabin behind the bar.
Sam met them at the door, opening it for her with wide eyes, ignoring the chime that announced someone entering.
She smiled to reassure Sam and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I have to take care of something. Could you give me a minute or two?”
“Of course. I’ll be right here if you need me.” Dozens of questions flashed across his eyes, but he kept his mouth shut, allowing her to have some control over the night. His unease grew as he shut his girlfriend in the cabin with the Prince of the World, eyeing Liam with daggers. “How much liquid courage did you put in there, Li?” Sam manned his post outside the cabin, trying to control the alarm of dread he felt.
25
Everest Sinclair
Everest Sinclair was curious, but always the picture of ease. He glided to a white vinyl sofa built into the wall and sat leisurely, gazing at the princess with the hint of a tease on his lips.
Blue stood in the center of the room awkwardly, unsure of how to begin now that they were alone.
“You seem nervous, Princess. Surely you had some sort of plan when you asked me back here, other than stirring up gossip of our fornicating, of course.”
“I am, and I do.” She winced. “Sorry about that. I didn’t factor that in. I don’t want to cause any problems for you or make people think…things.”
He waved off her apology. “Not at all.” Being seen in his chambers with a princess only did good things for his questionable reputation.
She squared her shoulders and faced him, willing herself not to dissolve into Grettel in front of the powerful man. “Frederick told me about your offer for…for marriage.”
Everest’s cool eyes hardened for a second, then softened to their usual unruffled black. “I see. How very bold of you to tell me your answer to my face. I respect directness more than most.” He crossed one leg over the other, folding his hands over his knee. “You’re a pretty little bird. The Boniface Blue Jay, in the flesh without her feathers or crown. Quite a prize.”
“Thank you?” she questioned, unsure of the compliment. “Um, anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for your offer and for thinking of me. I can’t believe someone like me’s even on your radar. Seems like a bit of a fluke.”
“A European?” Everest cocked his head to the side, his jet black spiky hair perfectly styled.
She threw him a withering look, evoking a smirk from the prince. “No. A Wayward. You know what I am.”
“I know what they told you you were, yes. Now you’re the lost princess, found by the kindest man I’ve ever known. Quite a charmed life you lead.”
Blue tried not to scoff. “Anyway, it was nice of you to include me in the offer, is all. Thanks for being polite to me.”
Everest took in her features, calculating her wary expression and gait that was anything but regal. “And have you given the matter any thought?”
“I have. Being that this is only the second time I’ve even met you, I hope you’re not too offended when I tell you that I’m not right for marriage to anyone, not just you. I’m with Sam, and that’s not going to change.”
His scrutiny made her squirm. He enjoyed her discomfort, a butterfly struggling against his net. So beautiful. Everest’s eyes narrowed, observing her carefully. “You could still keep Sam if you were to walk down the aisle with me. I’m not looking for a conventional marriage. Just something to pacify my father. A business arrangement of sorts. I’ve found it’s best not to argue with the king once his mind’s made up.”
Blue bit her lip, hoping she learned enough diplomacy from Frederick to field this conversation. “I understand. And maybe that’ll be enough for me someday, but right now, I’m still too new to this world. I can only handle one man in my life, and some days, not even that. I don’t know if you realized it, but my new brothers are kind of a handful. My blood brothers are like, six handfuls.” She shook her head. “I’m still too Wayward for marriage. It only became a legal possibility for me, like, two months ago. I’d do you more harm than good. And Liam likes you, so I wouldn’t want to do that to one of his friends. Be more harm than good, that is.”
“So that’s a ‘no’ for now, if I’m to understand you correctly?” When Blue nodded, Everest patted the seat next to him. He surprised her by reaching out to hold her hand, as if they did this sort of thing all the time. “I wish you and Sam every happiness, darling. Thank you for letting me know directly. I do grow weary of the runaround.”
“I am sorry, for what it’s worth. I can see your dad probably means well, but it can’t make you all that happy.”
“I’m surrounded by wealth, love. What gives you the impression I’m not leaping for joy on a daily basis?” His sly smile tried to seduce the seriousness away from her expression, but he could tell she saw right through him.
Blue lost her hold on subtlety. “Your eyes. Your throne out there. You threw a party, but you don’t let yourself be part of it.”
“Oh, I assure you, I plan on partaking plenty later on.”
“I don’t mean drugs. I wish you could enjoy your life. Get your hands dirty in it. Makes me sad to see you sitting all alone when you went to the trouble to put together such a nice evening. I’ve never been on a boat before. It’s surreal.”
“Calling my yacht a mere boat cuts me to the quick, love. It would be like calling you only pretty, when the truth is you’re exquisite. Through and through, darling.” Everest tried to smile, but it did not touch his eyes. “And I’m fine. Perhaps I prefer being alone.”
“No, you don’t. Some people do, but you don’t. I can see it when you look at –”
“Don’t say it,” he warned, all pretense of a lax persona gone. “Please.”
“Okay. I won’t say it.” Blue squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry you’re lonely.”
“Thank you,” he choked out, his cool demeanor compromised beyond repair. “I can see why Pan is so taken with you. Had no idea the bird what changed him so drastically was the Boniface Blue Jay.”
“Sam did the changing all on his own. I just got to be there to watch it happen.”
“Well, I certainly meant no disrespect to Sam or your relationship. I’ve never begrudged Pan anything.”
Blue laughed, the sound sparking between them, reigniting Everest’s forgotten smile. “Lucky for you, I have no idea when I’m being disrespected out here. If only they could’ve seen me shoveling scratch, they wouldn’t look at me like they do. Like I’m anyone to watch.”
Everest ran his thumb over the back of her hand, marveling at the scratchy skin. “Well, then let me tell you a little secret, darling. You set the tone. Walk out of here with your head high, and they’ll think whatever your eyes tell them. Don’t worry, the crown gets lighter over time.” He moved to one of the drawers built into the wall and pulled out a pen and paper, scribbling a series of numbers. “And in case that doesn’t happen soon enough, here I am.” He handed her his phone number. “You’ll want to keep that private.”
“Yes, sir.” Blue flinched. “I mean, yes, Prince Everest. I mean, yes, your majesty. I’m sorry.” She shook her head at her slip. “I sound like an idiot.”
Everest laughed. The motion made him look younger as he forsook his controlled deportment. “My mates call me Ever, and I think that’s what we are now. Especially after our wild tryst in here.”
Blue stammered. “I-I’m so sorry about that. I didn’t know that’s what this room meant. I just didn’t want to talk about your private things with so many people listening. It’s nobody’s business but yours.”
“I appreciate your discretion. See? You’re a good princess already. We should get you a scepter, first thing,” he teased. “Come now, darling. Let’s face the music.” Everest opened the cabin door, greeting a tight-lipped Sam with an apologetic smile. “Just business,” he assured his friend.
“I know my girl.” Sam tried not to sound defensive as he pulled Blue to his side.
“And I do apologize for my father’s offer to your girlfriend. I had no idea she was spoken for. You’ve kept her such a secret.”
“What offer?” Sam asked, looking down at Blue, who hid in his shirt.
“We can talk about it later,” Blue assured him. “It was a misunderstanding. That’s what I was doing in there. Just straightening it out.” She hoped Sam would leave it at that for the time being. “Would you dance with me?”
“You want to dance?” Sam shook his head at her, unable to let go of his suspicions. “Must be real bad if you’re willing to dance to avoid telling me. See you, E. And hey, how about no more taking my girl into your sex dungeon?”
Everest bowed his head in what he hoped was a contrite manner. “Absolutely. The next time I take your girl, I’ll do so in a plush hotel with plenty of niceties.”
“I need new friends,” Sam muttered. He escorted Blue down the stairs and whirled her to the music, taking care not to push her limited skills too far.
“I’m not keeping anything from you,” she promised. “It only just happened today, and it’s not a big deal. Like I said. Misunderstanding. I’ll explain everything when we get home. I was going to tell you when we were in our room, but I got distracted.”
Sam offered what he hoped looked like an unaffected smirk as they swayed. “You seem to be under the impression that I don’t trust you. I do. You say you need to talk to Ever? That’s fine. You’re allowed to talk to people. I like when you talk to people. I want you to know my friends.”
“Wow. Look at you, growing up.”
“Don’t spread that around. Bad for my image.” Sam spun her out, and then brought her back to him forcefully.
When the song ended, Sam led them back to Liam so he could keep an eye on the prince. Daniel was a satisfactory guard, but only a friend could cut Liam off with any authority. Daniel and Lucas left Sam with Killian, Liam and Blue up on the secluded second floor so they could do another sweep of the crowd down on the main deck.
Blue leaned over the banister, observing the people mingling below as she sipped at her drink, which was mostly pop. Suzette shined as she always did, flitting from circle to circle with a grin. Liam guffawed at something droll Everest said. Everest finally forsook his place of prestige and detachment to enjoy a conversation or two. Sam chatted with a few of Everest’s guards he knew, always introducing her as his girlfriend. Blue smiled blandly through it all, judging that though she still did not fit into his world, she at least was not hampering or hurting him.
Killian stood next to her on the heated balcony reserved for the royals, a drink in his hand. “That’s not blood, is it?” Blue asked quietly in lieu of a greeting.
He was taken aback. “Of course not. You know Dad forbade us drinking the stuff again after…after what we saw. Why would you ask me that?”
“Smile,” Blue instructed. “Just keep smiling. There’s a bottle of blood behind the bar. Liam picked it up, and it’s not filtered.”
Killian’s fake grin faltered. “What are you talking about?”
“Ever has live blood in the liquor cabinet. It’s too thick, and I could spot a little coagulation. It’s unfiltered, live fresh blood straight from a person, not farmed.”
“Are you sure?”
“Happy face, Killian,” she reminded him. “Ask Everest to make you a drink. Would you be able to tell the difference if you drank it?”
“Purified blood from the stuff we saw gushing out of those O-bloods in the video? Of course. What we drink has flavoring in it, vitamins, tons of other things to thin it out. I’ve tasted my own blood before, and it’s completely different than the filtered stuff.” Killian leaned in to speak more quietly. “Drinking live blood is against the law. I don’t even know where he’d get the stuff if it’s type-O. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I’m not turning him in. I just want to know how far this thing goes. If Everest is getting live blood fresh from the factory, that’s a pretty clear sign that the king’s not just aware of the problem, but he’s probably one of the people pulling the strings. Just ask him for a drink. I would do it, but he’d never give me blood because I’m not changed.” She batted her cerulean eyes at him to illustrate her point.
“Alright, Blue.” Killian downed his gin and tonic, wincing at the burn he had not indulged in for quite some time. He turned around with a charming smile and walked over to his brother and the prince. “Hey Ever, I need a boost. You got O-Negative back there?”
Ever glanced around, then put his arm around Killian and led him over to the bar, keeping his voice low. “For anyone else, I’ve got O-Negative. For you? First night out in a long time? I’ve got something better. We dock soon, but go easy on this.” Everest poured him a little gin, dry vermouth, plopped in an orange peel, then reached into the special cabinet reserved for the royals. He kept the bottle low as he poured, but Killian peeked over the bar and saw what Blue had. Thick ribbons of unfiltered, fresh live blood streaked down as Everest poured a shot into the drink. The princes exchanged smiles and pleasantries before Killian took a sip, loathing himself as he did.
The taste was like nothing Killian had experienced since the change, and he could not pretend to hold onto his morals. Cinnamon, orange, salt and something deeper slathered over his tongue, awakening the dulled sense in a way he was unprepared for. “Whoa! What is this?” Killian examined the drink before taking another sip. The myriad of flavors swirled across his palate deliciously, and Killian forgot his mission.
