Victoria

Chapter one

I look at the mirror running my hands along my sides. White, I smile to myself at the idea of my kind wearing such a pure color, but mother insisted that I did for Daniel. I wince when the fabric is tightened around my waist and ribs. "Hun I know you don't like corsets but help me help you ok? Now suck it in". Adrian, he was my friend, my guardian, some days I want to kill him others I just want to cry into his shoulder. He was taller then me. He wasn't bulky but you could see muscle under his dark drown skin. He had stubble across his chiseled chin and when he smiled at me his teeth were as white as pearls. He was appointed to me by Mama Diera the sorceress of the Astor blood family.

Our neighbor kingdom. Adrian slides the long white gloves onto my hands and bows slightly. I kiss his head and walk to the door hearing his steps behind me. I hear the crowd from behind the large, dark, maple, door. All I have to stay is I do and kiss my betrothed. I marry him and I will be the new leader of the Gilkes family as well as the Astors and my husband will be inducted into the coven council of our two families. The doors open and all eyes are on me. The smell of blood heavy in the air as I walk down the aisle. They stand and stare. No smiles no sense of joy or happiness. Just eyes scanning me judging me...their future queen. I hault mid step hearing a deep scream as a chained man is forced onto the ground. They slide a silver dagger across his neck and his screams stop. The chain pulls him up and his blood starts to fill the pyramid of wine glasses. The traditional lycan blood sacrafice. They used to use humans but as our empire grew the humans diminished until there were none left. I continued my pathway to him but I still feel a twist in my stomach at the careless act. The harps start to cover the sound of the dripping blood and choked gasp. I walk up to my soon to be husband and the elder starts reading the book of our history. It wasn't the traditional wedding I have always seen by humans. No priest and no bible. It was dark since many of my kind could not go out during the day without falling to their knees, weak. Everyone wore black except me for I was the only one pure since my birth. I could see my reflection in his crystal blue eyes. Pale, skinny, bright red eyes, unlike many in my coven. I kept my long ebony hair down And laid against my shoulder blades. My eyes flicker down when I hear his voice say I do. Not much after I say the same and he presses his lips to mine. I close my eyes and move my lips against his softly. I feel the point of his fangs prick my bottom lip. A bang from the crowd causes Mr to open my eyes. The Astor family flooded into the room guns and knives drawn at my coven. I go to speak but stop as blood starts to drip out of my mouth. I look at my husband and he gives me a sickly sweet smile as he runs his tongue up my neck, collecting the blood that trailed down. He takes a step back and twists the knife in my stomach and pushes it down causing the tip to pierce from the inside to the out of my body. The talon shaped blade was yanked out my body. My eyes start to double and everything goes blurry. I fall against him and rake my nails down his neck before I hit the ground. I lay on my back my eyes staring into the crowd. I hear a roar and see Adrian shift coming after me. A large black panther with fur littered with gold. He jumped through the crowd swiping at anyone who gets in his way. My vision blurs out then back and he's a lot closer dodging bullets and ripping out the throats of anyone who puts their hands on him. Daniel smiles when Adrian gets closer and changes mid jump into the air into a gold tiger with black stripes. My vision starts to go and everything slows down and dims. His claws outstretched to Daniel a roar rumbling through his throat. Even my failing vision wasn't able to catch Daniels' fast hand pull a gun from his inner jacket pocket. When Adrian head was pressed against the gun, he didn't have a chance to wrap his claws or fangs around his neck before a bullet went into his skull. His body dropped heavily onto the floor next to me his eyes lifeless. Blood trinkled from the wound over his eyes and it appeared that in death he was crying from his failure to protect me. Everything finally goes black as I lose consciousness.

Crackling is the first thing I hear when I come to. The pain still abiding in my stomach. I open my eyes and I'm met with a fire close to my face. There were only two there ripping limbs off the dead vampires of my coven tossing them into the fire. I lift my head and slowly turn onto my stomach lifting myself up. My arms shake and give dropping me face first into the dirt. Adrian was next to me alive but still recovering. He was a black cat at the moment. I reach out a shaky hand and pet his head hoping he wakes up Soon. One of them puts a foot against my back and puts his hand under my chin. He didn't get a chance to yank before his body falls into the fire. I look over my shoulder at a man standing over me at 6 feet tall. His chest was bare but the tattoos covered his torso like a shirt made of ink. He jumps over the fire and grabs the other vampire lifting him up in the air. My eyes widen as I watch him rip the vampire in half as it was nothing. He was overmuscled and intimidating. He dropped the body and growled walking over to me. The closer he got I could smell the stench of dog on him. A fucking Lycan just my luck. I bared my fangs at him but stopped when I Noticed he was not only muzzled but collard. He goes to grab me with a hand larger then my face but stopped when a shrill "heel" sounded through out the woods. I sit up and back myself into a tree looking around as a small group of four came from the darkness. "Down". A feminine voice stuck out from the group of men. The werewolf stepped back and a woman walked forward. Her head was shaved but I could tell she was once a red head. I tried to catch her scent but she smelled of a scent I haven't inhaled in a long time. Human they were all human but the dog on steroids.  She stepped up to me and grabbed my chin hard. When the fire illuminated her face I saw a large scar started from the left side on her scalp to the right side on her jaw line. "Not this one...put a collar on her and tie up her hands".