Until Death Do Us Apart

Wakey, Wakey

Dangerous game full of risks, but apparently better than dying.

I’m waiting in the weaponry to be trained. I have 2 months to improve and perfect my skills.

I have to fake it. I have to learn quicker than “slowly” but not “miraculously lightning-speed fast” otherwise it’d be suspicious. I just hope I won’t get too passionate during our lessons. I can get easily carried away.

“What the sudden change?” I ask pretending impatience.

“Let’s say that plans have changed and the wheel of fortune has reversed,” William grumbles.

This is just so typical of you, The Blood Prince, you never say the important. You always mention the background, but not the vital info. It’s not lying, but it feels like it.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I demand.

William glances at me. “You already know, Yara,” he whispers. “I saw your shadow behind the door. If you want to eavesdrop, you need to be more careful,” he smirks.

I stay silent.

“We have two months, so I’ll just skip court necessities. I presume you can walk, observe and think so it won’t be that hard for you to learn it.”

“Hmm,” I just grumble.

“Your biggest problem is fighting and combat skills so from now on we will work only on this one. If you’re not able to defend yourself, you’re useless and I don’t know whether you’ve heard or not, but you don’t want to be useless here,” he smirks while folding his arms.

“Yara,” he barks out and throws a staff in my direction. “Let’s begin!”

He pushes me. Hard. He shows no mercy and I need to watch out and pay 120% of my attention. They do not call him the Blood Prince for no reason. He’s vile, merciless and cunning. He takes advantage of every occasion to hurt me even if just a little. The cherry on the top is that he focuses on my ass. He hits also at the other parts of my body with his weapons, but every time he has the opportunity, he just aims at my ass. (Seriously? this is harassing! Unfortunately, nobody at the Last Place cares). He doesn’t even have to try hard and that drives me crazy. Whatever I do, whatever I strive to do, he knows before I raise my hand or move my leg, and he doesn’t even use his magic.

He has perfected his skills for eternity. Who am I to compare myself with him?

At the end of our lesson, I’m covered with bruises, but there’s luckily no blood. My body hurts as hell.

William releases me to go and have a dinner. I honestly don’t desire to see anybody and anything else except my bed.

“If you don’t eat, Yara, I’ll personally take you there and feed you myself,” he smirks as if he could read my mind.

I know he’s serious and that’s why I obey his order.

I enter the dining room and all eyes are hooked one. Some faces smile, some wishes me the bad, and some don’t care at all. They don’t need to say it out loud. I know how I look. Horrible.

From a princess to a bruised frog.

I sit and eat quietly. I don’t really pay attention to food.

I’m thinking about more important matters.

I need to wake up my power without William’s notice and without his help. I’m the princess after all; magic flows in my veins.

But how do I do that? I’ve never had to do this. In my previous life, my powers awoken with my birth. I didn’t have to do anything special.

I can’t even access or feel my magic. It’s as if something completely blocked it, but I’m not sure whether it’s my doing or somebody else’s. I can’t reach it and it gets on my nerves. Although I don’t need to search for my inclination anymore, I have to figure this out ASAP. There’s one more thing. How will I fool William? He must not find out about me until the time is right.

Too many questions and tasks and so little time and energy.

After eating dinner, I decide to have a shower and get some sleep. I’m exhausted.

I wake up in the middle of the night. There’s just dark and nothing else. I hear somebody scratching my door. AGAIN!

It feels the same as the first time. It creeps me out. My heart beats fast.

Suddenly I hear somebody whisper. The voice is very quiet and I can’t distinguish whether it belongs to a woman or a man.

Vampires suck your ruby vein,

Werewolves chase you through the night,

Faeries dance you to the pain,

Witches hex you, hold you tight.

Mermaids sing you to your death,

Angels crack your little shell,

Ghouls feast on your flesh and breath,

Demons drag you towards Hell.

What the actual ...? This is a very bad joke.

I open the door without thinking, but there is not a living soul. I look around and there’s nothing but utter darkness. Cold wind blows through the half-opened window and plays with my hair.

I look at my door and there are several scratches, not small ones, but long and deep ones.

I won’t stay in my room, not tonight. I put on my combat clothes, take all my weapons and close the door.

I know that this place is guarded better than a fortress. It had to be someone from the inside.

I’m heading to the underground cells. Nobody will look for me there. I’m not that far from my room and I suddenly hear steps. I hide behind the curtains.

“William,” I hear the guards whisper quietly, “come here! You need to see this!”

“What is it this time?” I can’t recognize William’s voice. It’s playful and full of joy, but this suddenly changes. “It wasn’t here the last time we’ve checked the corridor, was it?” he interrogates the men and he’s dead serious.

“No, no such a thing. We saw no one, and we’ve just been here ten minutes ago. Either Yara is sleepwalking and scratching her door, or we have a serious problem,” one of them states.

“These are no ordinary claw marks, just look at them. No, they’re too deep and too big for that,” the other guard whispers in horror. “What does it mean, William?”

“It means Yara is not safe,” William sighs. “This information is not meant for anyone to hear,” he orders. “This is a threat. No student at the academy could do this. Nobody with a mixed blood could do this. No ordinary vampire, werewolf, Fae, demon, witch, ghoul or mermaid. Only the one with a pure blood would be able to do such a thing. Do you see the holes? They’re twice as big as usual. They nearly seem to be like lycan’s.”

Guards are short of their breath.

“This doesn’t make any sense. Why would somebody scratch Yara’s door, but didn’t hurt her? Clearly, he or she would have the strength to do that. Why wait?”

“Clearly,” William hisses, “this is a warning. If that person wanted to hurt Yara, he or she would already do it. But the person didn’t. He wishes to play a game. He aims to deprive her of her confidence. He wants her to be vulnerable. He desires her fear and discomfort.”

“But why?” the guard asks impatiently. “Yara is no one. Why would have just somebody threaten her?”

“There must be something, which we have overlooked,” William announces.

“Do you know her inclination yet?” the other demands.

“No,” William spits violently, but then he calms down. “I will take her blood tomorrow and then I’ll test it and see. Cover this up so that Yara won’t find out.”

“Should we wake her up now?” guards ask unisono.

Oh, no to snad…

“No, she had a rough day and she needs to rest.”

When their conversation is finished, they leave the corridor in the opposite direction.

Selene, Yara, whatever! We need to think!

If he tests my blood and finds out, I’m dead. AGAIN! I’m not ready to face The Pure Blood Prince, not yet.

How about to take somebody’s blood? That could do.

However, William is not naïve.

It must happen casually. I must fool him this time no matter what, and in order to deceive him I need to find different blood which I’m going to give him instead of mine.