Vampire Seekers

Chapter Thirteen

The car ride to the Ashling Park shopping district is a tense one. Maria feels like asking their driver to stop the car and letting her out so the two brooding vampires can deal with whatever bullshit they have going on. Emily clear was right.

They were talking about more than shopping earlier.

"So Em." Maria says, "Are we sticking together in this plan of yours or have Willow and the Princess got plans of their own?"

Please, Maria thinks to herself, let them have their day trip planned.

Emily shrugs, "How should I know Vel decided to tag along and her friend just popped up out of nowhere. But I think together. Right Vel?" Emily leans forward to look across Maria and Willow to Velika who inclines her head.

"Mother seems to think it would be outrageous for me to wear a suit I have worn previously when I might meet my mate." Velika scowls, with hands clasped in her lap she twiddles her thumbs, the only thing she can do to fight the urge to reach for Maria's hand.

How had Willow manged to wedge herself between Velika and her human. "I need a new suit, but I of course need someone who will tell me, truthfully, if its adequate or one hell of a suit. I do after all have a great ass. Or so I am told."

Maria shakes her head, "I'm never going to live that down am I Princess?"

"Velika." The Princess corrects, because while Princess is what she might be to everyone else Maria is not everyone. "You call Emily by her name. Call me by mine."

"I. Are you sure?" Maria questions, trying to think if she has ever called Velika by her name, if she had it would have been a slip of the tongue, but this? "Em is my friend. Even without that ridiculous gold collar associates of the royal family wear most people know that I am her friend. You are - you are the Princess. The future queen."

"And to you I am Velika." The Princess persists.

"Velika." Gosh, does that sounds strange. Funny, it didn't seem odd when they were inside The Last Drop.

Velika gives her an approving nod. That is one step forward, at least in Velika's eyes, to Willow it is amusing. At this rate they will get together by the end of the century - just a short seventy years or so from now.

The car slows to a stop and Maria can just about make out the figures of the guards taking formation outside of the tinted windows. "How many guards do we need? I mean the Princess - Velika. Is a badass warrior."

Velika gives her a warm smile. "Thank you, but when two out of three heirs to the throne travel together precautions are made." Velika explains, but in truth she requested more guards for the safety of her human mate, something that she will not leave any room for error.

There are three vampires in this car that would make it out of any incident mostly unscathed, but Maria is not one of the three.

"My sister the kill joy." Emily states, rolling her bright blue eyes. "Assassination attempts in this day and age are very unlikely.

The car doors open on either side and Emily is the first to exit, she waits at the side for Maria to slide across and climb out of the car. Velika exits on the other side with Willow right behind her.

"I think today will be such fun." Willow tells Velika whilst linking the vampire princesses arm, "There is so much I would like to do here."

"You are a bad influence." Velika scolds, but Willow is too busy staring at Velika's human mate.

"My uncle is the blood king, I was never going to turn out to be a saint, but don't worry Vel as soon as you admit what I know, that you know, that I know, I will back off." Willow promises, "Until then-" Willow shrugs.