An arranged marriage with a vampire prince.
I was wrong.
Nothing could have ever equipped me for this moment. No portrait could ever do this male justice. No artist could accurately depict the aura of absolute strength that surrounded this imposing male. Every single line of his face, every inch of his body, was the definition of perfection.
Two enormous, jet-black wings extended from his back, curved like those of a bat, filling the dark space behind him. He was a head taller than the other two, his skin a shade paler than my perpetual tan, and his black hair hung ruggedly around his face. An obsidian crown was perched on his head, slightly askew.
He didn’t need the marker of royalty. Power emanated from him.
I inhaled sharply as his black, storm-filled eyes—a marker of his kind—met mine. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Entire worlds were made and destroyed as we stared at each other. My heart ceased beating. My lungs forgot how to breathe. Moving was impossible.
The winged male I was going to marry raised a brow, tilting his head ever so slightly.
And then he…
Frowned.