Page 5 of Vampires of Eden

“Lord Cherrington,” my mother’s voice sings, charming and unaffected. “Will you please excuse us for a moment?” Like the most elegant of swans, she unfolds her body from the couch, stands, then walks around to link my arm in hers. “I need a moment with his highness. Regarding your request, I’m certain that something can be arranged. Perhaps evening cocktails?”

“That would be lovely,” he grins, pleased. “I will certainly look forward to it.”

She flashes a winsome smile while scrunching her nose, then urges me away and through the vaporous den. By the time we reach the door, I’m so damn nervous that I can barely swallow. It feels like my throat is stuffed with sand.

God… not Lord Cherrington.

Haven’t I suffered enough?

CHAPTER 2

Alexander

The butler swings the door open. In the hallway, Raphael starts and stands at attention, blinking and perplexed as his eyes dart between me and my mother.

When the door to the study shuts and we’re shrouded in the muffled silence of the corridor, I steel myself and take a deep breath.

“Mother, I?—”

“¿Por qué te quieres ir? ¿Que te pasa?” She whisper shouts as she unlinks our arms and sets her hands on her hips, scrutinizing. Waiting.

Why are you trying to leave? What’s the problem?When she drops the snobbish Eden dialect and switches to her native tongue, it’s never a good sign. I take a breath and respond in earnest. “No me siento bien, quiero irme a casa.”

“What do you mean you don’tfeelwell?” she asks, incredulous. “You’re a purebred vampire, Alejandro. Where could you possibly be sick?” Exasperated, she scans my body in a melodramatic fashion.

Raphael chimes in. “Es una expresión común que se utilizan los humanos en las películas. It’s a generalized expression.” He didn’t speak Spanish when he first joined our household,but he’s studied his ass off over the years. “You know Alexander watches a lot of movies and?—”

“Raphael.” My mother frowns. “Cállate.”

“Perdón.”

Where am I sick… in my chest, maybe? In my heart and head? Her question is rhetorical, so I keep my mouth shut.

“What has gotten into you lately? You think you’re too busy for Lord Cherrington?” She shakes her head. “Ay, que vergüenza. This is how you treat a prominent member of our society who’s taken interest in you?”

“Madre,” I plead. “Lord Cherrington is more than a hundred-and-fifty-years older than me.”

She shrugs. “So what? He’s a long-standing member of the Royal Order and he’s an appropriate choice given your pedigree. He has excellent connections and is willing to make averygenerous offer to recoup the loss of your dowry. If he decides to pursue you seriously, I would strongly advise you to accept his advances. You’re not in a position to have strict preferences anymore. Not after this… this disaster with the Blakeley arrangement. You’ve done this to yourself.”

Rubbing my forehead, it feels like my soul is oozing out of my body. Like my chest is collapsing in on itself from this suffocating environment. The weight of antagonistic and insensitive sneers from alleged friends. Now, I’m expected to sit and play nice with a vampire that’s old enough to be my father?

“Llévalo a casa.”

I lift my head, blinking in surprise. The words were directed at Raphael behind me. I glance over my shoulder.

Take him home.

“Sí, mi señora,” Raphael confirms, smiling.

Mother addresses me with a stony expression. “I’ll tell Lord Cherrington that you want to meet him next week, somewhere private. Choose a place in town and communicate the details with his primary manservant. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mother,” I say, sighing.

“Don’t forget, you also have a lunch date at the house tomorrow with Lady Batista. Despite everything, vampires are falling over themselves to arrange marriage meetings with you, so your reputation is still intact, thank God. It’s a wonderful thing, Alejandro. Don’t ruin this.”

They want me because securing a prince from a Royal House of Eden as a mate elevates their status and gives them indirect access to the Governing Board. Like a parrot on my shoulder or a fly buzzing near my ear.

Is that wonderful?