Page 3 of Tempted By the Vampire Prince

“Absolutely not.”

“But I can help!” he argued, following me toward the balustrade.

My next words came out unexpectedly harsh. “I don’t need your help.” When I saw him deflate, I regretted losing my temper. “Adrien, I…” He just stared back at me. “Wait here.”

“Fine,” Adrien said, crossing his arms.

He’d said fine. He hadn’t said he’d stay. I knew he was going to chase after me the second I left. I fixed him with a look that had once silenced pirates. “When an Allard gives someone his word…”

“He is beholden to it,” Adrien recited, with a roll of his eyes. “I know, Papa.”

I stared at him for a moment longer, willing him to mean it and hoping that I was raising the kind of man who kept his word because the hallmark of being a vampire was keeping your vow. To your family. To your people. And to the peace we swore to protect.

I swung over the balcony railing and dropped three stories, landing in the saltwater gardens that stretched between the house and the harbor. Water splashed up my legs and filled my boots while a rush of adrenaline filled my veins.

I drank in the change in scenery. Lanterns marking the garden path swayed in the breeze like fireflies. Frogs sang their mating song. The fragrant scent of salt roses filled my nose. Music and conversation from the ball drifted through the open windows. It struck me that this was the first time I’d been out here in years.

Through the glass, I recognized a few faces, including my nephew, Severin, dressed in his finery. I was supposed to be there. Smiling and being seen by the nobility and wealthy merchants. It was expected of me.

“Mama!” the woman in the harbor called out again.

The longer I hesitated, the closer she came to danger. I cursed under my breath. Severin was never going to let me hear the end of this.

My muscles coiled into action, and I was off, racing through ponds choked with red water lilies. The lanterns blurred to streaks of gold at the edges of my vision as I raced by.

The festival had spilled out of Old Town and down to the harbor, the way it always did on nights like this. Vendors pushed carts through the crowds while children held sparklers: laughter and the smell of stuffed oysters thick in the salt air. The celebration was loud and crowded, making it hard to keep her in my sights.

When I reached the sea wall, I realized she’d gone too far. The water was already up to her shoulders, and the harbor currents were turning with the tide. If she didn’t come back now, the rip would take her straight out.

Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted, “Stop!”

The crowd around me turned. A woman beside me grabbed her husband’s arm. I heard her whisper, asking, ‘Isn’t that the Sea Lord?’

He squinted and said, ‘Can’t be. The Duke never leaves Château du Mer.’

A remark I found offensive, considering I was standing right there.

The woman in the water hadn’t heard me shouting for her to stop. She kept trudging on further and further into the dark bay.

I looked at her, then at the sea of faces gathered around me. It would cause a scandal the likes I’d never known before if I raced in after her. But if I did nothing, she would surely drown.

Come back, I thought, willing her to stop this, and wishing I had my brother’s talent of speaking inside minds. Turn around.

The tide yanked her sideways, sending her arms flailing, just as I knew it would, and I couldn’t hesitate any longer. I undid the gold buttons on my jacket, shrugging out of it quickly, then pulled the pin from my cravat. I handed both to the nearest woman. “If you would be so kind as to hold these for me.”

She didn’t have the chance to respond before I vaulted over the low stone wall separating the quay from the harbor and sprinted through the low tide. Cool water surged around my legs, rising to my waist in seconds.

Sea gulls shrieked overhead. People gasped as they watched. I kept my focus trained on her. I wasn’t going to let this woman drown in my harbor. But before I could get to her, she vanished beneath the black water. Damn. I dove in. Salt burned my eyes as I swam toward where she’d gone under.

The harbor was dark beneath the surface, but I could see her. The shape of her body. The way her skirts fanned out around her like the petals of some drowned flower. How her hair framed her face as if it had a life of its own.

Then I saw something I couldn’t explain. The current wasn’t acting like a current at all. It was swirling and bubbling beneath her feet as if the water was trying to hold her up. Dark magick, perhaps. A spell? Though I’d never heard of dark magick manipulating water before.

It gave her just enough lift to get her head above the surface. I swam hard and reached her in a few more strokes. We collided in a tangle of limbs. She screamed when I caught her beneath the arms, holding her so the current wouldn’t drag her away.

We were close enough that I could feel the frantic beat of her heart through the fabric of her dress. Close enough to smell the faint trace of perfume clinging to her skin. Bitter orange and fresh fig, mixed with the muskiness of cloves. The scent was warm and rich. I drew in another breath, enjoying it.

Until it awakened my bloodlust.