The Vampire's Bride

Chapter 6

Iris was aware of a gentle heat along her back as she woke. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find herself in her bed.

She froze as she remembered the previous events, remembering seeing the shadowed wings emerging from her back. Her hand flew to her back to find it freshly bandaged. Iris sat up in a panic, only to be caught by a warm hand. She gasped and looked to see Jason sitting on the bed next to her.

"You are damn lucky that I'm the one who found you," he muttered, making her lie back down.

"H-how did you get in here?" Iris asked uneasily.

Jason looked back at the tapestry to the left of her fireplace and cleared his throat.

"Our rooms are connected. I heard... I... I smelled your blood and thought that Tobias had gotten to you," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

Iris stared at him uneasily and held her arms. How much had he seen? Her wings were gone now, but if he had seen them, he had something he could use against her. Not that she thought Jason would do anything of the sort.

"Why didn't you tell me what you were?"

A chill shot down her spin as he turned his eyes to her, dead seriousness in his brown eyes. Iris found herself struggling to talk, to even think as the prince leaned closer to her.

"I didn't know. I... I don't know," she whispered out quietly. "I thought I was... human."

"Is your father human?" Jason asked curiously. Iris shrugged helplessly abd looked at her hands. Alex barely spoke to her about anything. However, his appearance never changed from as it appeared to her as a child. He retained his look of youth, but claimed to be tired easily.

"I'm not sure," Iris admitted.

Jason nodded and took her hand in his gently, resting his chin on her fingers.

"And you have absolutely no idea who your mother was?" He asked her. Iris shook her head sadly and glanced away from him. Jason breathed out, making her shiver as his warm breath slid over her skin. "This stays between us, Iris. We'll work it out."

"Am I worth such trouble?" She asked the crown prince, looking back to him. "Surely it would be easier to kill me."

"Why would I do that? You're my fiance," Jason said, kissing her hand. "I'm going to keep you safe. I'm going to protect your secret."

Iris smiled slightly and put her free hand over his.

"Thank you," she said. He smiled and tilted his head slightly.

"I rebandaged your back. You did a terrible job before," Jason told her. Iris froze and took her hands back, feeling the bandages along her back, stomach, and breasts. Her cheeks flushed red and she found herself glaring at him.

"Did you look?" Iris asked accusingly. Jason's eyes widened slightly and the man shook his head vigorously.

"No, I swear to you, I didn't," he protested, and the girl relaxed. She watched as Jason released a breath. His eyes shifted to the clock on the wall, and Iris saw that it read four thirty. "You don't have to go tonight, if you don't want to."

"To the celebration of your siblings' return?" She asked, gaining a nod in response. "What kind of guest would I be if I didn't go?"

"An ill guest. Are you up to dancing?" The prince asked, concerned. Iris paused and blushed deeply.

"I don't know how to," she admitted. Jason nodded slightly, reaching over to brush a stray strand of her hair from her face.

"I can lead then. And later I'll teach you myself," he said. She watched a small smile play on his lips and found herself unable to refuse returning it. Jason shifted on the bed next to her, staring out the window.