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She could kill me. I didn’t want to die. Quite the opposite. With each passing second, I found the need to run away getting more and more overwhelming. The need to live was a hard thing to ignore.

But somehow, I knew that even if I asked, she still wouldn’t do it. The little mouse had her fair share of chances, and each time it ended up with my fangs in her throat or her hands between my legs.

So where is she?

But the hours ticked by, each second getting me closer and closer to the time when I would be walking down the aisle, and she wasn’t there.

I had nothing else to do but stay near that window and watch as the hundreds of staff prepared my wedding for me. It wouldn’t be until sunset, but I could see them setting up right outside my window, and in my panic, I couldn’t stop watching them.

Their hands were full. Some carrying expensive clothes, some carrying flowers. It was a bit comical watching how panicked they were whenIwas the one getting married. But my guess was that Father didn’t want them preparing for the wedding until the actual wedding day.

Krae forbid that his throne room be occupied by something other than himself for even a day.

That was where the wedding would be held. It was a beautiful place for it, and I was grateful it was not in the cathedral where my mother passed instead.

The large crystal windows behind Father’s throne would let the setting sun shine through and make for the perfect photo opportunity. But to get there, I had to walk down a bloodred carpet that spanned from the front of the palace to deep inside, with members of the family lining up along the way to see their late queen’s daughter as she was handed off to another family.

I could imagine the headlines now.

Two of the most powerful vampire families finally united!

Princess Aurelia finally getting married off to the handsome Prince Icas!

They would never dare write anything bad about us—not with the amount of money my father gave them. But that didn’t mean that we still didn’t have to perfect our image.

The weight of it all was heavy on my shoulders. The longer I watched them, the harder it became to breathe. It became worse when I realized how low in the sky the sun had fallen.

I’ve been standing here staring at them for god knows how long and not even trying to get the fuck out of here?

The realization of just how much my own uselessness was about to fuck me over hit me like a truck.

There I was, waiting for someone who would never show. Someone whose entire job was to kill me. What did I fucking expect from her?

If she wouldn’t come to me, I would fucking make her.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I stormed to the door, ready to demand that she come see me, but as soon as I opened it, I came face-to-face with not one buttwoguards.

Both of them turned to look at me with blank expressions. They weren’t human. For the first time, Father decided to give me vampire guards instead of the normal human ones.

Shit.He knew I would get cold feet. Humans I could fight off easily, but vampires?

“Go get the silver-haired guard,” I ordered them. “I’m thirsty.”

The one on the right looked at the one on the left, but neither responded.Fuck. Think of something, Aurelia!

“Ignoring me?” I asked with a huff and placed my arms on their chests, ready to push them out of my way. I needed to get out of the room. “Useless?—”

They both reached out, their hands capturing my wrists in a bruising grip. I looked up at them in shock. Not once had Father’s guards dared to hurt me. Father was different, he could do whatever he wanted, but never anyone under him. It was an insult to his and my standing.

“Don’t you fucking tou?—”

“Your father’s orders,” the one on the left said, and with ease, they pushed me back into the room and slammed my door shut. The sound of it was such a shock that it was almost enough to silence me.Almost.

“We will let you out when it’s time for the wedding,” the other added, his voice muffled by the door.

I kicked the door, my foot causing the thick wood to dent. But it wasn’t enough. Not to break it down or to give me a chance to escape.

“I haven’t had anything to drink. You want me to starve?”