Chapter 5 The Scent of Obsession

The enormous ballroom exploded into noises. People were talking all at once. I could see the door now, oh sweet escape, only for strong steel-like arms to wrap around my waist. I should have known that escape was impossible. How could I have thought to run from a vampire?

"Silence." He roared. His voice carried throughout the entire ballroom. Then, he picked me up and dumped me on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Every eye, human and vampire, was fixed on Lord Alistair Valerius and me, the unknown girl hidden under a thick veil.

I was shaking, but I forced myself to remain perfectly still. Shane's frantic warnings echoed in my head. Do not draw the Lord's eye. I had done the one thing I was absolutely forbidden to do.

When we reached Lena's parents, he dropped me down.

"Shane Hale," Alistair repeated, his voice deep and demanding. "I asked who this female is. I will not ask a third time."

Shane stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. "My Lord, she is only Lena, a distant cousin who arrived to visit. She is of no consequence. Please, she is not intended for presentation."

"Consequence is determined by me, human," Alistair stated simply. He didn't look angry, he had a completely straight face and I wondered if anything ever really got to him. He reached out and with a singular, fluid motion, lifted the thick lace veil from my face.

The bright, artificial light of the ballroom hit my eyes. I blinked, momentarily blinded. For the first time, I saw Alistair very clearly and the sight was devastating. I was seconds away from swooning in awe. He was more perfectly formed than anyone I had ever seen but that wasn't what was pressing. It was the fierce hunger in his golden eyes. Yes. His eyes were a bright golden colour.

He didn't really look at my face, he looked at my throat again then took another deep whiff, letting out a low growl. I would really like to know why he keeps sniffing me. Do I smell?

"A distant cousin?" Alistair pulled back and scoffed, looking at Shane. "Her blood sings louder than any human I have smelled in four years. You hid her, Hale. Why?"

Irina stepped forward, desperate to save the situation. "My Lord, she was ill as a child. She is fragile. My eldest, Alice, is strong and beautiful. She is the proper offering-"

Alistair silenced her with a look of pure disdain. He turned back to me. His expression changed, softening slightly.

"What is your name, female?" he asked.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

"She does not speak much, My Lord," Shane tried to cover. "She is just a simple girl."

Alistair ignored them all. He placed his hand lightly on my cheek and a shiver went through my body.

"Speak your name," he commanded, his voice low.

"Lena," I managed to whisper, my voice shaking.

He smiled, a slight, slow curve of his lips that was genuinely alarming. "Lena. You are mine now. Your scent... it is unlike anything in this territory."

I finally found my courage, fueled by my previous lifetime of suffering under unfair authority. "I refuse to be claimed, Lord Valerius," I said, my voice barely a squeak, but firm enough to be heard in the deathly quiet room. "I am not property."

The small sound echoed. A few people gasped audibly. I felt Irina seize up next to me, probably terrified on my behalf.

Alistair stared at me. For a moment, I thought I had sealed my fate, that he would strike me down or command the guards to drag me away.

Instead, he threw back his head and laughed. It wasn't a kind laugh. It was a dark and frightening sound.

"Refuse?" he repeated, still laughing. "You are bold, human. But refusal is not an option here. You have appealed to me, female. That means you belong to the Valerius line now."

He signaled to the tall, stern vampire standing beside him.

"Commander Axel," Alistair commanded, his voice returning to its authoritative tone. "Arrange immediately for her transfer to the palace. She will be installed in the Consort's Wing by dawn. She is my new Consort. Ensure she is guarded by a full cadre of loyalists. We wouldn't want her running off now, would we?"

Axel bowed immediately. "No, My Lord."

The news sent a shockwave through the room. A Consort. He had chosen the plain, hidden daughter over the beautiful, presented ones.

Shane fell to his knees. "My Lord, please! We are honored but she is too frail! She is not fit for the role! We beg you, take Alice! Alice would make a better Consort!"

Alistair looked down at Shane like he was gum beneath his shoe. "You hide the one that appeals to me and then offer a substitute? Your foolishness is astonishing, Hale. You will be compensated for your sacrifice and then you will be silent. You will not approach her again unless commanded."

He didn't wait for a response. He looked at me one last time then turned away.

"Axel, ensure all these arrangements are made. Now," he commanded, then he went out of the ballroom. The woman beside him who must be Queen Mother Mira, followed silently behind him after running an appraising eyes all over me.

I don't think I passed her brief appraisal.

I was left standing in the center of the hall feeling exposed and completely doomed. Irina was sobbing, half out of shock and half out of bitter disappointment that Alice had been passed over. Alice, meanwhile, was staring at me with pure envy and anger.

Commander Axel approached me. He was a mountain of muscle and armor. He wasn't smiling. Shocker.

"Lady Lena," he said, his voice flat. "Please accompany me now. Any resistance will be seen as an act of treason against the Valerius Lord and will be dealt with severely."

I knew I couldn't fight him. Logic won out. Survival depended on moving forward. I was just exchanging one prison (the Hale manor) for a far more dangerous one (the Lord's palace).

Axel placed a firm hand on my back and steered me away from the upset Hales.

"Where are we going?" I asked Axel, my voice small.

"To your new life, Lady Lena," he replied, his eyes never leaving the crowd. "The Lord demands you move in by dawn." He paused, looking down at me. "He has never chosen a Consort before. You should be honored. But you should also be very, very careful."

The warning was clear.