The Vampire's Bride

Chapter 5

Iris gripped Jason's hand tightly as they stood in the entrance hall, staring down the main doors. She'd never seen Jason smile so brightly.

Now he looked like a child; barely contained excitement was the only thing on his face.

Iris looked to the doors as they opened, feeling Jason let go of her hand as he rushed to the doors.

Two people stepped into the hall as the guards closed the gates behind them.

Jason hugged the two, laughing. Shouts of joy echoed back to Iris as the crown prince clutched his siblings to him. She stood alone, unsure if she should walk to them or not.

Instead, Jason pulled his siblings to her, taking Iris' hand in his own.

His sister was stunningly beautiful, with long, gorgeous brown hair and dark eyes. Her red dress was sleeveless, flowing around her body like flower petals.

The brother, while not as handsome as Jason, was still attractive. High cheekbones, dark eyes, and scruffy hair made him turn heads.

"Akaylaa, Tobias, this is my fiance," Jason said happily. Akaylaa smiled at Iris warmly and lifted her hand in greeting. "Iris, these are my siblings."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Iris said politely.

"Yes, it is. Good to know my brother has found a girl he likes," Akaylaa said. Her smile was infectious, and Iris found herself slowly returning it.

She realized she was ignoring Tobias and quickly turned to him, freezing as she saw his wide grin possessed long, sharp fangs.

The effect on Jason was immediate.

Iris gasped as he suddenly pulled her to him, his grin vanished into baring his own fangs.

"Tobias," Jason warned, his eyes narrowed. Tobias chuckled slightly and shook his head. The younger prince bit the air between them, smirking. Iris stared at him uneasily as he left the main hall.

She didn't know what to think. Jason had seemed like he adored his siblings until that moment. Had Tobias simply been jesting?

"Iris, if you dont mind, may I speak to my brother alone, please?" Akaylaa asked softly.

Iris found herself looking to Jason for clarification. He pressed his lips to a thin line before nodding. She quickly left his side, returning to her chambers as quickly as she possibly could in her shoes.

The girl slammed the door behind her and removed the cursed things from her feet.

Iris froze as a line of blood slid from her arm, shuddering as she wiped it away. Quickly, she walked to the mirror and turned around.

The blue of the dress was stained scarlet from two growing patches of blood on her back. Her silver eyes widened as she slid the dress from her shoulders, seeing two deep cuts running down her shoulder blades. She had been too shocked from Jason's shift in mood to notice the pain.

Iris quietly took a towel from the edge of the bath and soaked it, hissing as she began to clean out her wounds. Where had they come from? It was as if wings made of thorns were attempting to burst from her back. The girl hunted for bandages, successful in finding a roll underneath bars of soap. She dressed the ugly wounds, her mind in a state of shock and fear. They would not go unnoticed by Madeline. Of course she could always come up with a story, but lying always caused her terrible stress.

Stress was the last thing Iris needed after Xavier's threats and Jason's outburst at Tobias' strange behavior.

She slipped into a robe and sat on her bed, trembling slightly with the sudden chill that overtook her. Pinches like electric shocks ran along her nerves. Iris twitched slghtly and rubbed at her skin, soothing the shocks with a gentle chill.