The Vampire Prince and His Brat | On Hold

Chapter Three | A Bratty Carriage Journey Part I

Three whole hours.

That was how long it took for her to explode. Not literally, of course, though the small fold-up table between them improvised pretty well – splinters flying as her grip finally broke the flimsy object. Leviathan, to his credit, didn't reach much, stopping only to glance up from the book he was so engrossed in reading. A soft sigh reached her ears, the muted thud of his book snapping shut following soon after. Unflinching blue eyes met her enraged grey ones, neither of them budging an inch in their little staring match.

Kaliana refused to give in. She refused to lose to some egoistical bastard.

"Throwing another temper tantrum, brat?" His head tilted, eyes looking her up and down as she sat opposite him on the red cushions.

Fangs descended in a flash, the points gleaming in the dim lighting from the glassy yellowish orbs above their heads. It was a comforting light, the carriage seeming rather cosy, and had it been another occasion Kaliana would've most likely enjoyed the ride. As it was, it was torture. She was stuck with that smug git of a prince. "Shut up," she hissed, baring her teeth at him. "I don't want to hear another word out of you... It's all your fault in the first place!" He was the reason she'd been ripped away from her home... away from her little corner of solace. She didn't want to go anywhere near the rest of the nobility. They were snakes, the lot of them. She'd learnt that the hard way.

"Says the one born with the Royal Marker in her blood."

She seethed, quiet for a few moments as rage coursed through her, anger rearing its ugly head as her hands curling into fists. "That was genetics."

"My point exactly." He folded his arms, sitting back against the plush red cushioning, crossing one leg over the other as he reappraised her. "It's hardly my fault you were born, and I'd happily correct that mistake if it weren't for the face you're the only one who can provide heirs for the throne." A forced smile curled at his lips, and tears bit at the corners of her eyes at the harshness of those words. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of crying. "Trust me, I get no enjoyment out of this."

Kaliana paused, ignoring the pain in her chest as she mulled over what he'd just said, face reddening both in embarrassment and annoyance when she registered the insults hidden in there. Anger was always easier than sadness for her, so that was what she latched onto. "Did you just call me a mistake?" she demanded, grinding her teeth together as the familiar hot rage surged through her.

"I called your entire existence a mistake. Do try to keep up, would you?" His eyes glinted, fixing on her with a predatory gleam that made her shudder. How could she forget the man opposite her was one of the strongest vampires in the entire kingdom? The mere mention of his name could bring silence to a room. "You're supposed to be the next queen of our kin," he reminded. As if she could forget that fact. "Start acting like it, brat."

She bristled, mouth moving before her brain could stop it. "Stop calling me a brat then." Her eyes met his once more, unflinching, watching in annoyance as a small genuine smile overtook his forced one.

"Well... keep that mettle about you, and you might just be able to survive the court... little brat..." he purred the last two words, ignoring the glare she continued to shoot his way. The smug git was enjoying it, she realised, only able to watch as he chose the return to his book, flicking to the next page without so much as a glance in her direction. He was ignoring her.

Her hands clenched into fists, sharp claws protruding from her fingers, the nails gleaming a black onyx in a mix of the yellow carriage lighting and the moonlight shining through the carriage window. She hated being ignored... like she wasn't worth anything... Her voice came out as a snarl. "Don't ignore me, bastard!"

"Tch." He closed his book again with a light thud, sighing deeply as he smoothly moved out of the way of her sharp claws that swiped past where his neck had been only seconds before. She stumbled forwards, off balance, growling softly as her sharp nails embedded themselves in the wood of the carriage frame. "How many times do I have to tell you?" A hand closed around her arm, a pair of small scissors in the other, and then five seconds later her pointy black claws had been neatly trimmed down to little stubs. "I'm a pure-blood prince, not a bastard."

"Why can't I call you like that which you act?" She folded her arms, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. There were probably too many splinters around for it to be anything but uncomfortable, so she rose to her feet carefully instead. It was probably the only time she'd get to look down at him.

Leviathan tilted his head, a small chuckle escaping his lips, his smile only growing more impish as the carriage jolted. Kaliana stumbled, eyes widening when she tumbled forwards into his lap. "How cute," he murmured, a smirk on his lips as his hand mussed her hair briefly. "It thinks it's smart."

"Did you just call me it?" she hissed, stumbling into action as she tried to pull herself away from him to no avail. Her struggles were feeble, even more so as he clipped her nails on her other hand – depriving her of her last weapons which might've been able to do him a small amount of harm.

He stared down at her, amusement still visible on his face. "Problem?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Mind your language in the future, won't you?" He pulled her closer, seating her neatly on his lap, staring at her as she fumed – she was totally fuming – completely red-faced and utterly irritated out of her mind. "It won't earn you any favours where you're going."

Kaliana scowled. She didn't care what those stuffy aristocrats thought of her, and that was exactly what she told him. "Like I care."

His grip on her tightened ever so slightly. "Would you prefer to be shut away in a secluded section of the palace?" he asked, mouth perilously close to her ear. "Bear in mind, I'd be your only visitor... and believe me, I'd happily do that if you prove to be that much of a nuisance. I won't have you disgracing my name. Politics aren't just fun and games. There are cosmolise in the treacherous waters of court, and if you even give them a glimpse of weakness they'll be on you like they've scented a drop of your blood. You cannot be a weakness here – not as Kaliana Reynard, and most certainly not as the queen. So do try not to be too much of a deadweight..."

He'd carry out his threats. Of that Kaliana was certain... still, it didn't stop her from falling back onto cursing him again. "Fuck you," she snarled, glaring at him and his nonchalant expression.

She wasn't a deadweight. She wasn't useless.

Leviathan sighed, something akin to amusement flashing darkly across his far too perfect face. "How many times do I have to tell you these things?" He shifted in his seat, movement so fast it was a blur to her untrained eyes, and then he was sitting on top of her, nose to nose as he stared down at her. "Here I was trying to keep your virginity intact until after the wedding... but..." He leant down even further, lips brushing against her ear, a hand closing around her neck, firm yet not constricting her airways in the slightest as he held her down. Not that he needed to. He was terrifying. Especially with that smug little smirk of his. "Seeing that expression of yours... I think I've changed my mind..."

She screwed her eyes shut, trembling underneath his piercing stare, wincing as she felt his head move downwards. He was going to bite her neck... She chewed on her bottom lip, hands shaking, but rather than the sharp prick she'd been expecting, she felt warm breath brush against her neck instead.

A small snigger made her eyes crack open, her gaze locking on the laughter written on her fiancé's face, and Kaliana finally realised what was going on only seconds before he spoke.

He was playing with her, the bastard.

"There," he whispered, sitting back, smirk firmly in place on his lips. His stare was faintly predatory and immensely satisfied as he looked down at her. "That shut you up, didn't it?"