Vampire Girl

He doesn't look at me at all, but I can tell he's aware of my presence. I know he sees everything I might do before I even do it. This man-beast terrifies me.

"Please allow Miss Spero to see her mother's soul, and then we will be going."

The demon pauses, uncertainty on his face. "If you feel that is wise, Your Highness?"

"Just do it. I'm in a bit of a hurry and must be on with it."

"Of course."

He leads us through more halls stained with the remnants of their last occupants and opens a barred door, the metal hinges creaking loudly in the eerie silence. The room is large, like an underground warehouse, and full of giant cages hanging from the ceiling yet low to the ground. Each has the glowing ethereal form of a human laying on it. There must be hundreds of them, at least. Maybe more.

"She is here," he says, walking to a cage in the middle.

I shuffle forward, my body shaking. I see my mother's soul, leaning against the cold bars. It is transparent, ghostly, but it is her. She looks the same as her body, and I reach to touch her, but my hand finds no purchase.

"She is not here in form," Asher says. "Only in spirit."

"Can I speak with her?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "If she is awoken, she will suffer greatly. My father recently ordered that all souls be kept asleep during their time with us. It used to be standard practice that they remain awake, tortured and in misery. Some demons feed off that pain."

"That's barbaric." My voice trembles just imaging my mother, or anyone, enduring such a nightmarish existence.

"That is likely why the King ended it," Asher says, and I can hear in his voice a softening when he speaks of his father. "He had a change of heart near the end. I still... Never mind."

"What?"

His eyes are dark and heavy. "I still wonder why. Why did an eternal demon change his ways?" He looks at me, his gaze piercing. "What changed his heart?"

We are both silent for a moment, and I turn away, the intensity of his glance overwhelming.

"He should have kept things as they were," says the demon warden.

Asher's eyes widen, and he turns to the warden, grabbing him by the neck. He squeezes, choking the giant, bringing him to his knees. Asher's fangs descend. "You dare speak of your King, of the royal family, that way?"

I watch, amazed. Asher is impressive in his own right, but nothing in bulk compared to the dungeon-beast, and yet, the demon seems terrified of the Prince.

"Apologies, Master. It will not happen again."

"See that it doesn't, or you will suffer a much worse fate than those sorry souls once did."

I turn my attention back to my mother and watch her for a few more moments before Asher puts a hand on my shoulder. "You've seen her. I have fulfilled my promise. We must be going now."

He turns to walk out and I follow him, but as I reach the end of the room, the demon grabs my elbow. I pull away, instant panic filling my veins. His eyeteeth elongate and his pupils dilate, but he doesn't try to bite me. Instead, he leans down to whisper into my ear. "Beware the princes of hell. Not all of them are pleased that you will decide on the next king. Not all of them wish you alive."

Chapter 6

THE SEVEN REALMS OF HELL

"Don't let the pretty baubles fool you, Princess. We are still demons. This is still a dangerous place."

—Fenris Vane

I rush out the door and into the arms of Fen.

The air immediately cools, and I suck in a breath and sag against Fen's chest. He stiffens in surprise and I realize what I'm doing and pull back. "Er... sorry about that. The, uh, guard in there scared me and... " My voice trails and I really have no idea what to say next so I take another step back, but end up bumping into the stone wall behind me. Fenris is still staring at me, his blue eyes pulling me into him as he steps closer. His wolf is by his side and scoots forward with his master, his eyes on us both.

Fen is so close to me now I can smell the wildness that clings to him like a cologne. He inhales deeply, his eyes unreadable, and his eyeteeth elongate. His eyes drop to my neck, and I know I should be scared. A vampire is checking me out like I'm dinner. But I'm not scared. I'm... entranced. A low growl vibrates in his throat as he leans in. "You should be more careful, Princess."

His breath brushes against my neck, sending a chill down my spine. "My name isn't Princess, or girl, it's Ari. Arianna if you want to be formal."

Fen looks at me with a strange expression, like he's trying to figure out what I am.

"Time to go," says Asher from the top of the stairs, once again interrupting something that feels heavy. The wolf, whose name I really must learn soon, reverts into his defensive position.

"Does your wolf basically hate everyone but you?" I ask.

Fen looks down at him. "Usually, yes. You seem to be the exception."

Asher clears his throat. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but Dean is waiting and you know how patient he is."

Fen pulls away from me and turns to face Asher. "Dean can wait as long as needed. I care little for whatever so-called demands he has on his time."

"Be that as it may, we still must go. Unless you two are planning to stay in the dungeon all night?"

I shiver at the thought, and the wolf steps away from Fen to come closer to me, pushing his large head against my leg until I pet him. Both the princes stare at us, open jawed, for several seconds.