Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell ~ 'Destined Lovers' Book 7

Chapter 8 - It's Gone Awry

Chapter 8 – It's Gone Awry
Alana scrunched her nose at Ville's words as they lay in bed together. "A bite?"

"Yes." Ville replied calmly, his fingers running lightly through her hair until she lifted her head from his shoulder to look him in the eye.

"One bite and little of your blood and, alakazam, I'm one of you?" Alana added, making a face at the word blood.

"Yes." Ville replied again, only this time slightly amused.

"I have to drink blood?"

"My blood-" he began, but she cut him off.

"I don't think it matters whose it is, I have to drink blood..." she scrunched her nose up again. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this..."

"I'm told it becomes quite appetising once you're a vampire." Ville smirked slightly.

"Does it smell different?" Alana bit her lower lip. "Taste different?"

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a smell to you, darling." Ville chuckled. "But now I'm curious...what does it taste like to you? And... why do you know what blood tastes like?"

"What? You've never bitten your own tongue?" Alana asked casually.

"No, never." Ville smirked.

Alana sighed. "Well, I have, and it bloody hurts."

"Nice pun." Ville snickered.

"No, it was dreadful." Alana chuckled with him. "And...I don't know...it's...kind of salty and bitter...I'd imagine it's what rust tastes like. But I never wanted tetanus, so I've never licked a rusty fence."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ville smiled gently as she lay down again. "But blood doesn't taste like that to us, no. it's like..." he trailed off, and Alana was surprised to find him at a loss for words to describe what he was thinking. "I don't know, it's like, you smell it and you want it..."

"Right wordsmith you are!" Alana laughed out loud this time, squealing when he rolled on top of her and began tickling her.

Ville laughed with her, pinning her hands beside her head and leaning down so that his nose rested lightly against hers as he spoke. "Give in?"

"Depends..." Alana giggled. "Do I get a kiss if I do?"

"Of course." Ville replied, bopping his nose with hers with affection.

"Then..." Alana leant up so she could whisper in Ville's ear. "I give in..."

Unfortunately, the initiation of what would have been a lovely morning of tender love making was to be all too soon interrupted by a servant calling through the door to their bedchamber that the Royal Family had received a package from Van Helsing and that the King and Queen awaited their presence in their private drawing room.

"Must we really go so quickly...it cannot be that urgent..." Alana groaned, wanting nothing more than to remain wrapped in Ville's arms and feel his lips pressed against her skin.

"If it's from Van Helsing then it is important we know what he's doing as soon as possible." Ville gave her a lovingly reproachful look, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her left ear. "We can return to this later, love."

Alana leant up and gave Ville a chaste kiss. "Promise?"

"Of course." Ville winked at her as he disentangled himself from her and the sheets. "After all... we have forever."

Alana's smile turned mischievous, but her voice remained sincere. "Promise?"

***

When Ville and Alana finally reached the King and Queen, they found their Majesties staring with great concern at a wooden box resting on a low table in the centre of the room. Ville paused immediately, but Alana stepped forward curiously, a sick, sinking feeling churning away in her stomach when she saw some form of liquid oozing from the box's base.

Alana reached out hesitantly, her breathing quick and shallow as she remembered Van Helsing's threats, and touched the liquid, bringing trembling fingers tipped with red ooze level with her eyes; swallowing thickly as she took a half step back.

Alana couldn't take her eyes off the blood on her fingers. "It's-"

"Blood..." Ville finished for her, pulling her gently back against him so he could hold her as she began to tremble more noticeably. He gestured to two men standing by the door, motioning to the box. "Antony, Jerome, get it open... let our worst fears be met and dealt with."

Alana turned away as the pair moved forward and began ripping nails out of the lid of the box. "I'm not sure I want to see this..."

"We must know if he's made good on his threat." The King murmured sternly.

"If he has he's a tad too soon..." Ville replied to his father with an almost growl.

"Were we not the same with the Hunters a mere century and a half ago?" The Queen quirked a brow at her husband, but no one replied again.

There was a dull thunk of the top of the wooden box being pried open and a foul smell found its way into Alana's nose. With a sound of disgust and then quiet horror, she turned and observed the interior of the box... and the severed head of one of the Vampire Courtiers laying within.

Alana paled; her hand, fingers still soaked with congealing blood, falling limp by her side. "So that's what happens when you decapitate a Vampire..." Alana swallowed thickly at the red sludge surrounding what was left of the decaying head within the box. "...soup..."

"Now, this may be a mere misunderstanding-" the King began slowly, but his son shouted over him.

"This is 'tit for tat'!" Ville boomed over his father. "This we cannot stand for! He has breached the agreement he set with us! Not only that, but he's beheaded Oliver!"

"Such a violent word..." Alana muttered but, as it was mainly to herself as she stared in shock at the near fully decayed head in the box before her, no one seemed to noticed her words.

Ville was still shouting as his father tried to calm him. "He was the chief supporter for cooperation with the new band of Hunters; rounding up the rogue members of our kind-"

"I knew him..." Alana frowned as they kept talking.

"He was our mediator! Our ally, our friend!"

"He spoke up for me when Van Helsing came to the Royal Court..." she murmured agin, but this time Ville heard her.

"What?" Ville's gaze snapped in her direction.

"He did, he spoke up for me against Van Helsing... and now he's dead..." she began to speak faster, terror setting in. "Oh my God he's dead! He spoke up for me and now he's dead!"

"Alana!" Ville spoke over her, one hand on her shoulder and the other making her look up at him. "This is not your fault. Do you understand me?"

"Ville..." Alana's voice shook and she visibly swallowed, her voice coming out as no more than a whisper. "There's still blood on my hand..."