He grunted a response, muttering under his breath about incorrigible females and choices as he stomped towards the door. It closed behind him moments later.
A beat passed before Julieta came to stand in front of me.
“Miss Luna,” she whispered.
I sighed. “Yes?”
“You… you… he’s avampire.”
“I know.” That much was abundantly clear. I leaned against the cold stone wall as I met Julieta’s gaze. “I married him, didn’t I?”
“And you told him what to do.”
Julieta sounded like she was going into shock. I didn’t blame her. It was shocking.
A crazed, disbelieving laugh left my lips. “I know.”
What had gotten into me? Before this wedding, I wouldneverhave talked back to anyone, let alone a vampire prince. Being here in Eleyta was changing me.
“He didn’t kill you,” my maid said, her eyes wide.
“Again, Julieta.I. Know. That surprised me as well.”
At this point, it seemed as though I might actually survive in this frozen land.
Julieta stared at me for a long moment before moving to the side table. She fiddled with the tray, filling a cup with a dark brown steaming liquid.
She seemed to be picking her words carefully as she extended the cup towards me. “The prince, he’s…”
“A lot.” I accepted the cup from Julieta, enjoying the warmth of the liquid as it seeped through the porcelain. “Although he doesn’t seem to be that bad. This past week, he’s been kind, and when the priest—”
A sharp and sudden pain started in my stomach, and my words cut off in a gasp. At first, it felt like someone jabbed a needle into my belly, but soon, agony exploded from that point. Pain spread through my entire body. My lungs tightened and my heart pounded faster and faster. I cried out, and my fingers spasmed. The cup fell to the floor, smashing, as black spots filled my vision.
Sagging against the wall, I gasped as three Julietas appeared in my vision. All of them had furrowed brows and wide eyes as they asked, “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t answer. My head throbbed against my skull. My stomach twisted in a knot. It felt like my body was burning up from the inside out. My knees shook and my legs could not hold my weight. Tightening to the point of pain, my lungs struggled to work properly.
“Can’t… breathe,” I gasped as I collapsed.
The three Julietas screamed, and the sound was sharp enough to shatter glass. My entire body curled in on itself as tremors wracked through me, and I moaned. Hands landed on my shoulders, feeling like shards of ice as they pressed my too-sensitive skin.
“Miss Luna, what’s wrong?” the Julietas asked in unison.
How could I explain the sensation of my entire body feeling like it was being repeatedly stabbed from the inside out? In the end, words failed me. My eyes slipped shut as I tried and failed to block out the pain. The door banged open, and I whimpered as the agony worsened.
“Help us, please!” Julieta cried out.
At least now there was just one of her.
“What happened?” a gruff male voice asked from the door.
“She cried out and collapsed!” my maid sobbed as rough hands landed on me.
I moaned, protesting the harsh treatment as my head pounded against my skull. Every breath felt like it was going to be my last. What was happening to me?
“Look at me, Princess,” the gruff voice demanded.
Groaning, I rolled on the floor. Clutching my stomach, I forced my eyes to open. A red-headed vampire was crouched before me, his fangs on full display.