Compeer

Chapter II

The guards stopped outside of the black carriage, waiting for the man driving it to open the door. He let go of the reigns and hopped down from his pedestal, holding it ajar. The prince and his two guards entered first, the guards holding me practically throwing me in after. I turned to give them a piece of my mind, but the door slammed shut in my face.

"Sit down," the prince commanded, his voice full of authority.

"No," I said stubbornly, but when the carriage lurched to a start, I fell backwards and landed in a seat anyway. I folded my arms and returned Elliot's smug grin with a glare of my own. He sat directly across from me with the prince sitting next to him. Evanon sat on my right.

"Why am I here? What do you want with me?" I demanded, wanting answers. Being taken forcibly from my home was not an everyday occurrence.

"Because you are my Compeer," the prince stated simply, as if it were obvious.

"Your what?"

"My Compeer." He frowned. "My… er…"—he cleared his throat—"mate, I suppose you could say. Unfortunately. Every vampire has one."

"Vampire?" I asked dubiously. He was obviously crazy. Lovely. Now not only was I stuck in a carriage with a sadistic prince, but a sadistic prince that also happened to be insane! Just my luck…

"Yes, vampire." He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Haven't you heard the stories about my kingdom?"

"I've heard that you always win in battle." I scowled. "I suppose that story was true."

Evanon chuckled beside me.

"Why do you think that is so?" he asked.

"Because you have a good military?" I shrugged.

"Yes. A military full of vampires."

"Vampires are just a myth!" I pressed myself against the back of my seat, trying to get as far away from the crazy prince as possible. "And myths aren't true!"

"You should not be so close-minded, human," he said, his voice low with warning. "Maybe I am a myth, but not all myths are entirely false. Your fears, your nightmares; within your darkest fantasies—though you would never permit yourself to believe it—lies a speck of truth."

"You are mad!" I exclaimed, feeling around the wall for the door. It was dark, but his eyes somehow glinted in the low light. I continued to search, hoping for a way to escape.

"Am I?" In the dimness, I saw the outline of him as he tilted his head. Suddenly, there were two small flashes. I squinted, finally discovering that the flashes were his teeth. "I, along with the creatures you fear, am completely real."

That was when I noticed that his canines were longer than they should be, narrowed off at the end by a sharp point. I let out a startled gasp and my hands automatically flew to my throat.

"That's not possible," I breathed, shocked.

"Evidently, it is," he said dryly. "You should learn not to be so blind in the dark. You may end up falling prey to the creatures that lurk in it."

"Michael," Evanon hissed, "You're scaring her!" With that, I let out a breath that I did not realize I had been holding.

"I am only showing her the truth," the prince murmured. "It is best that she knows." Still, he pushed the black curtains aside, letting a startling amount of bright light into the carriage. I squinted against it, shielding my eyes with one hand.

"But it's s-sunny! You c-can't be in the sun! T-The sun b-burns!" I rationalized, spluttering incoherently.

"The sun does not affect us," he responded, looking back at me. He closed the curtain, the carriage becoming dark again.