Kidnapped By The Vampire Prince

Father!” Vincent called, stepping into the lounge.

Joel pushed me in after him, shutting the door behind us. My gaze swept across the room. A gigantic fireplace that held a blazing fire was against the furthest wall, and around it were a few rouge, Victorian styled chairs. On either side of the fireplace was a tall, wide window-pained window. Paintings of very handsome men and beautiful women lined the other walls, and an immense bookshelf took up half of the wall to my right. But there was something missing…

The King .

As if on some kind of cue, as soon as I thought those words a pair of hands grasped onto my shoulders. Without warning, I was spun around, and pressed against the wall. Piercing emerald eyes- exactly like Sebastian’s- gazed into my own, amusement flickering in them. The man pinning me against the wall grinned, revealing sharp, snowy canines. My breath caught in my throat and my heart stopped, standing immobile in the grasp of this vampire.

“Is this bring-your-father-dinner day?” he inquired, bringing his head closer to me. “How marvelous.”

“S-stop it!” I cried, finally finding my voice. “Let me go!”

Vincent’s gaze met mine and I sent him a pleading look. He rolled his eyes, looking extremely annoyed. “Father, cut it out.”

Father? The vampire pinning me to the wall abruptly pulled away, his dark hair falling into his face. I stared at him in disbelief. This man was the King? He barely looked ten years older than me!

“Vivi, you really like to ruin my fun, don’t you?” he complained, turning to face his son.

Vincent scowled at him. “Don’t call me Vivi.”

“Your mom does.”

“She’s different.”

The King placed a hand on his heart. “Ouch… Emily, dear, you can move away from the wall now.”

Once again I found myself looking into emerald eyes. The King grinned at me, showing his fangs to me once again. I pressed myself harder to the wall, my heart rate spiking again. That swept the grin right off his face. He turned to Vincent, crossing his arms.

“What did you do, Vince?”

Vincent clenched his fists. “Why do you always think I did something?”

“Well you are the trouble child…”

“Actually, Emily is afraid of vampires, Your Majesty,” Joel interjected, sending me a cheeky smile. “Apparently since she was a child.”

The King turned back to me, looking interested. “Really now? That’s going to be a hassle. But you know what they say, right?”

I slowly shook my head, not sure whether he was talking to me or not.

“The only way to get over your fears is to face them head on. So when you’re out of here, you won’t be scared anymore!”

“Out of here?” I echoed. “Isn’t there a chance I might not be able to go home?”

The King smiled widely. “And so she speaks! What a pleasant voice! Like doves cooing!”

Vincent snorted, rolling his eyes while I flushed in embarrassment. From Joel’s earlier words and Vincent’s actions, I assumed the King was going to be an unpleasant person. It was relaxing to know he didn’t seem that bad… But he did seem kind of un-king like.

“I’m King Solomon Rutherford, like the late King Solomon of Israel. Except this is America… But I do have the wise part down,” he told me with a wink. “You can’t be King without knowing anything. Right, Vivi?”

Vincent glared at his father. “I wouldn’t know, father. I’m not going to be King.”

Solomon frowned. “Even if you’re not the heir, you still need to know how to rule.”

“I don’t want to be King either, so I’m fine,” Vincent snapped. “Sebastian has it handled.”

I peered at Vincent from around the King curiously. It didn’t occur to me that Vincent or Sebastian could be the heir to the… kingdom, or whatever vampires had. Wasn’t Vincent at least the tiniest bit upset he wouldn’t become King? A grimace crossed my face. What was I thinking? I didn’t care how Vincent felt. What I cared about was whether or not I was going home.

Joel coughed, breaking the silence. “Your Majesty, if you would be so kind as to excuse me. The human has to eat at some point.”

My head snapped to Joel. Food? When was the last time I’d eaten? For the first time, I was aware of just how hungry I felt. The empty feeling in my stomach felt uncomfortable now.

“You may go,” Solomon responded, shooing Joel with his hands. “Pull out some dried fruit for our anemic friend as well.”

Finally allowing myself to push away from the wall, I tried to relax my stance. Solomon didn’t seem like the person who would hurt me. “Er, Your Majesty…” The words felt awkward coming off my tongue.

“Call me Solomon,” he responded with a polite smile. “I am not your King.”

I suddenly felt extremely shy. “A-about me going home… Is there any possible way that I can go home sooner?”

His expression fell quickly. “Emily…”

“I know you have a court system and all, but while that’s all fine and dandy my parents are probably worried sick!” I babbled, giving him a desperate look. “I can’t wait a week! I need to go home now!”

Solomon pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, but we can’t allow you to go home-”

“But-”

“However,” he continued forcefully, cutting me off, “there is something we can do about your parents. You’ll have to consent to it though first.”

Ignoring the anger that was beginning to boil in me, I gave him a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“Memory altercation.”

The words hung heavy in the air. Vincent drifted off towards the fireplace, looking extremely bored. I stared at Solomon blankly. Memory altercation? “What does that mean?” I finally inquired.

“Sebastian can go to your house and alter your parents minds so that they think you’re at your Aunt’s house for the week.”

My eyebrows furrowed together. “My aunts live in California…”

“It stops them from worrying, doesn’t it? I hate to make you choose something, but it’s either that or having them worry about you for a week straight. They could think you were kidnapped, or murdered. And then when you come back there will be questions and police investigations and-”

I held up my hand. “No, I get it…”

Solomon frowned. “I’m sorry you were pulled into this mess… Vincent-”

“It’s not my fault,” Vincent growled at the same time I said, “It’s not his fault.”

He glanced at me in surprise, his eyes widening the fraction of an inch. I stared back at him for a moment before abruptly looking away, turning back to the King. His eyes searched mine for a moment while I stayed silent.

I knew I didn’t have a choice. If I had to stay here, I had to stay here. There was no point in making my parents worry unnecessarily. But if they could alter their minds so that they think I’m with my aunt, couldn’t they also change them so they didn’t know they had a daughter? What if the courts decided it was best just to kill me? Or force me to become one of… I shuddered at the thought.

“I can’t trust vampires,” I stated boldly, causing the King to look at me in alarm. “I’ve been terrified of them since I was little. So…” My voice cracked and I had to pause for a moment, waiting until I had it under control. “Please, if there’s a chance that I won’t be able to go home, tell me. I want to know now.”

Vincent unexpectedly appeared at my side. I jumped violently, taking a step away from him. He followed, giving me an impatient look. “Look, stupid. You’re going home in a week. We aren’t keeping you here for any longer than you are supposed to. To hell if we do because you’re still my responsibility and I don’t want you here as much as you don’t want to be here!”

My eyes were unable to pull themselves away from Vincent’s grim face. He narrowed his eyes, backing away from me. I relaxed my stance, trying to calm my heart. If I was going to stay here, I needed to get used to these vampires as soon as possible.

“Do you want Sebastian to go to your parents?” Solomon asked in a quiet voice.

“Yes.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Good choice, Emily. I promise that while you are here no one will hurt you. Vincent will do his all to keep you safe.”

Vincent gave his father a sour look. “Of course.”

“I’ll have someone set up a guest room for you… And as for clothing, I’ll tell Sebastian to bring along some of your things. After all, you did go on vacation for a week,” Solomon prattled, furrowing his eyebrows together. “If you want anything else, you should tell him…”

I bit my lip and kept my gaze on the floor. An overwhelming desire to cry had come out of the blue. It was only a week. One week with vampires… I clenched my fist to stop my hand from shaking. There was nothing to be scared of. The Queen and King were very amiable people, as well as Sebastian and Fiona. Joel didn’t seem that dangerous either and Vincent… As if he knew I was thinking about him, his sapphire eyes turned to me. I stared back, my breath catching in my throat for the second time. I wasn’t sure what to make of Vincent yet.

“I’m going out,” he declared abruptly. “See you later, Father.”

“Vivi!” Solomon called as Vincent suddenly disappeared from my view. He let out a small sigh, shaking his head. “That boy…”

I stood stock-still in front of the King, an awkward silence filling the air. To make things worse, my stomach let out an obnoxious growl. Blushing furiously, I twisted my head away from Solomon.

He chuckled. “Joel will be back momentarily. He’ll show you to the kitchen.”

“Okay,” I mumbled.

“Emily?”

“Yeah?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Remember, you’re not a captive,” Solomon told me. “We won’t hurt you. You can have free run of the manor. Please don’t think badly of us because of this…”

My mouth went dry. Please don’t think badly of us . Don’t think badly of my kidnappers? Was that even possible? Yes , a voice in the back of my mind stated. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

“I won’t,” I promised, letting out my breath. “It’s only for a week, right? I can handle it as long as my parents don’t worry.”

Solomon beamed at me. “Good girl!” he cried, slapping my back.

I stumbled forwards, nearly falling over my feet. A stinging pain crossed my back and I winced, putting my hand to it. “Ow…”

“Sorry!” Solomon apologized quickly. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine,” I told him, letting out a huff of air. “No problem…” I would have to get used to this. “You know, you’re not very king like.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. “Wait, I didn’t mean-”

He chuckled deeply, cutting me off. “Don’t worry about it. It seems were even now. You’re correct, compared to my father, my grandfather, and all the kings before, I’m

not King like. But I don’t want to rule the kingdom as a dictator. I want to rule as… for lack of better words, an elder brother.”

I almost snorted. Almost . If they king knew my older brother, he wouldn’t want to govern like that.

There was a knock on the door and Joel appeared in the room again, bowing to the King. “A meal is ready for Emily now.”

Solomon nodded. “Very well. Emily, please enjoy your stay. Don’t hesitate to come talk to me or Luella if you need anything.”

“Um, thanks,” I responded, a bit taken aback by his easygoingness.

Joel flashed to my side, shooting me a suave smile. “You ready?”

“Sure…”

Together we left the lounge, heading down the dimly lit hallways again. This time I paid attentions to the twists and turns we took. Joel kept his distance from me, unlike earlier when he was within touching distance. I smiled at the gesture.

“If you want, after you’re done eating I can show you around a bit,” Joel offered, glancing at me. “Unless you’re more comfortable going around by yourself. Or if you just want to retire to your room.”

“I… I’d like it if you showed me around,” I responded, swallowing nervously. Joel was a nice guy. If I could get used to being here, we could even be friends. I just had to swallow my silly fear.

Joel grinned widely. “Sure! Now I’m not a great cook, so all I could so is cook you some canned soup.”

I gave him a questioning look. “Vampires eat human food?”

“Duh,” he responded in a sarcastic tone. “We can’t survive on just blood. That’s just stupid.”

“Well sorry for being uninformed.”

“Apology accepted.”

I gave him a flat look. “So for the next week am I going to have to live off can soup or what?”

“Vivi is a very good cook,” Joel told me. “Make him make you something. Or you can get one of the kitchen help to do it.”

“Kitchen help?”

“The cooks,” he clarified. “They’re off tonight, but they’ll be back tomorrow. I’m sure if you request something they can make it.”

I nodded slowly. “Okay…”

“So what’s with the sudden change in attitude?” Joel asked, suddenly changing the topic. “You were all ‘ah, vampires!’ and now you’re pretty calm.”

A wry smile crossed my face. “I figure I’m wrong about vampires. You guys are nothing like the movies.”

Joel made a face. “No, we’re not. But Emily, you’d do well to remember there are vampires out there like that.”

“There are?”

“Yeah. Really dangerous ones.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Oh.”

Joel sent me a gentle smile. “But forget about that. The kitchen is through here.” He pushed open a large, swinging door, ushering me inside.

The smell of chicken noodle soup filled the air, and my stomach rumbled again. Joel smirked and I blushed, awkwardly standing by the door as he went over to a pot on the stove. After a moment he motioned for me to sit at the table that was against the far wall. I did as he said, taking a seat on the high stools.

“Bon appétit,” Joel commented, placing a porcelain bowl full of soup in front of me. “Enjoy, because I’m not making you anything else until dinner.”

I blinked at him. “What time is it?”

“Around noon,” he informed me. “Sunday, if you’re curious…”

I stared down at my soup, frowning. It hadn’t even been one day since I arrived at the manor. If this was what one day felt like, what would one week feel like? An unpleasant feeling spread through my chest. Guess I was going to find out.