Bound By Blood: The Pureblood Prince

Chapter Twenty-Two

The morning greeted us with crisp, happy birdsong.

My eyes opened against the sunshine that trickled in through the curtains. My first sight was Gabriel, watching me sleepily. I pulled the sheets over my nose, peering at him with one eye. He grinned, blinking slowly.

"Bonjour," he murmured.

"Bonjour," I whispered in poor french, pulling in for a kiss.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I stretched my hands around his back and sighed.

"Are you ready for today?" I whispered against his skin.

"Definitely not." he groaned in reply.

...

I tucked my ring carefully between the pages of The Definitive History of the Modern Vempire before Claire entered the room. She arrived, on the dot as always, but in a flurry of energy. 

"Good morning, Cora! Skies, you missed so much last night!"

"Really?" I muttered, feigning surprise as she gushed about the guard I'd seen her tangled with the night before.

Claire fussed with the knots in my hair at the vanity, having moved on to filling me in on every frivolous interaction I had missed at the party. My eyes had fixed themselves on my reflection in the mirror. I sat up straight, pursing my lips in a serious line. If you just ignored the puffy eyes and the messy hair, I looked like I could be a queen. 

I felt a rush of blood straight to my heart. I tugged at my ring finger, thinking of how much Gabriel loved me. How much he believed in me. How I believed in myself. 

"Cora, will you sit straight, please?" Claire croaked, the patience in her tone dwindling. "I've got a new dress for you, I finished it this morning."

I clasped Claire's hand before she could scurry away, my watery eyes fixed on hers. 

"I have some news." I whispered.

Claire halted in place, and her eyes grew wide. "Miss Cora, you're making me nervous." 

"I'm sorry," I smiled, patting her hand. "Let me just show you."

I went to the book, flipping open the page where my ring hid. I slipped it on, noticing how it felt slightly heavier somehow. I took a deep breath, and turned to Claire.

"Gabriel and I are- well, Gabriel asked but I said yes..."

I stopped babbling, and noticed Claire's eyes transfixed on the ring. She had both of her hands clasped tightly over her mouth, like a muzzle. She leapt toward me and I closed my eyes, bracing for impact.

"You're getting married! To- De Vincent! GABRIEL. Oh, I never thought in all of my days that I'd be handmaiden to a QUEEN."

I groaned, struggling under Claire's iron grip. She pulled away, her claws still tight on my arms.

"Oh! You have to look extra special today. Look at you, you're already glowing! Oh, we have work to do. Come on, let's get this dress on you."

...

The plan was to get Sara alone, tell her we were engaged, and arrange a meeting to announce it. Gabriel swore that everything would go fine, Sara wanted us to be married anyway, the news would make her happy.

I'd taken my breakfast in my room, and barely touched it. Who was I to think that I could marry a Pureblood? What made me better than any other human? The Vempire would never accept a human queen. They'd think I was a joke. Weak. Mortal. Replaceable.