Royal Palace of Port Cressida
His Majesty King Casper I
Nothing could have prepared me for the sweet ecstasy of seeing my beloved bride for the first time.
I watched her from the safety of the bulletproof SUV.
In the act of defiance, she had chained herself to the railings of her late grandparent's community centre. I watched in silent admiration as she stood up to the demolition crew, trying to destroy her family's legacy.
She was fierce but human. The chains around her arms were causing her pain. I could see dark purple bruises forming on her soft golden brown skin. It took everything in me not to jump out of the car and remove the chains from her body.
It was every male's dream to find their fated one, and it pained me to see my mate injured and in distress. I wanted to go to her and kiss every one of those bruises better, but she was human. She would not recognise me as her mate. Instead, she would view me as a psychopathic creep.
After speaking to my sister-in-law, Mia, I decided it was best to court Sophie like a human. There would be no midnight wedding or traumatic human-to-vampire conversion. Instead, it would be civil, genteel, straight from, in Mia's words, a Bridgeton novel. Although my thoughts were closer to Fifty Shades of Grey, seeing her soft curves bound to the railing.
I bit back a groan as I imagined the perfection of our first night together. I wanted to spend hours memorising every inch of her. I needed to make up for the years we had been apart. But, all good things come to those who wait.
If Nico's plan works, then in a few months, she will be ready to accept my marriage proposal. Then, I would need to explain my position as King and, more importantly, her position as Queen.
There was going to be a lot for her to take on board.
I watched Nico talking to Sophie and felt my stomach drop as her eyebrows drew together in concern.
"She's not happy," I said out loud.
My only other companion in the car was Jacques, my best friend and right-hand man. Jacques gazed at his phone, swiping left and right through profile pictures of beautiful vampire women.
He half-cocked his head towards the window and replied, "She smells a rat - a big fat stinky vampire rat."
I clutched at my chest, feeling physical pain at the thought of losing her again.
"She probably thinks I'm a rich pervert that wants to buy his way into her pants," I replied.
"But, isn't that what you are doing?"
I shot him a withering look and replied, "It's nothing like that. Sophie is my heart, my twin flame, my-"
Jacques rolled his eyes and snapped, "Could you please stop? I hate this lovey-dovey bullshit. When Luc and Mia got together, I thought that my wingman days were over. But here I am, helping chase your mysterious dream girl."
His flippant attitude grated against me. He had no idea what it was like to finally find the one.
"Mark my word, Jacques. One day, you will fall in love, and your whole world will fall apart and reassemble in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, your whole universe will revolve around that one person. You will not be able to sleep, feed, or think straight until she is in your arms because that is the only place where you know she is truly safe. And on that day -"
"Hell will freeze over, and pigs will fly out of my vampire butt."
"Please take this seriously. Sophie will be my Queen one day."
Jacques rolled his eyes and switched his attention back to his dating app.
I stared longingly out the window at Sophie.
"I want to speak to her," I sighed.
"And break Nico, the great matchmaker's, plan? He has been planning tonight's dinner for weeks. He had a nervous breakdown when the florist told him that they wouldn't be able to include white roses in the flower arrangements for tonight. I never thought that beneath that cold-blooded exterior was the heart of a romantic."
"Nico is hoping a wedding might stabilise the Kingdom. Ever since the incident with Luc, people have doubted my family's ability to lead. They have said about my bloodline and how it is tainted," I explained.
"Luc did burn down half the city."
"I thought over time people would be able to move on. But I've never seen the protesting this bad. Nico reported that fifty people were arrested yesterday night in Old Town. Each week the unrest seems to grow."
I couldn't blame the people for doubting me because they were right - there was something very wrong with my bloodline.
Our family was unique in possessing some of the most extraordinary abilities known to vampire-kind. But there was one ability which was more madness than a gift. It ran through my family tree like a black poisonous vein, popping up every few generations. My brother Luc is cursed with madness, and two years ago, he came close to destroying us all.
Nico thought a wedding would pacify the people and end a painful chapter in our city's history.
"This has to work. The city cannot carry on like this," I sighed.
"Well, that shit stain of a cousin of yours doesn't help. I bet he was behind last night's protest. The man is itching for your throne."
My cousin Rudolph was next in line to the throne since my brother had given up his claim. Rudolph was from my father's side - the side that was unaffected by the madness. Some people felt Rudolph was a safer bet, but the reality was that he was weak.
"If Rudolph is behind these protests, he denies everything. Nico spoke with him last night. He pretended to be shocked by last night's protest."
"What the hell was Nico talking about with that grease weasel?"
"Rudolph is getting married, and he wants his fiancée to be one of Sophie's ladies in waiting."
"How did he find out about Sophie?"
"Court rumours, probably. I think my cousin is trying to slip his feet under the table in case his plan to steal my crown doesn't pay off - but right now, he is the least of my concerns. Right now, she is the most important person in my life."
"How sweet," Jacques said and pretended to wretch.
I rolled my eyes at him. His time would come soon enough, and he would finally know how it felt to be genuinely in love.
My eyes wandered back to Sophie. I watched her say goodbye to Nico.
My heart tightened as Nico started to walk back to the car. Any second he would get back into the car, and we would drive away.
I couldn't leave her, not after I had just found her.
I began reaching for the car door handle when I felt Jacques' hand grab my shoulder.
"Come on, buddy. You'll see her tonight. If you go out there, Nico will kill you."
"Jacques, I can feel my heart breaking again..."
My voice trailed off as Nico got into the car.
"She's weary, but she has agreed to join you for dinner," He said before ordering the driver to head back to the town apartment.
"Was she happy that the community centre will be saved?"
"Hard to tell. Sophie probably thinks you're a rich pervert trying to get into her pants. You will need to be on your best behaviour tonight, and don't mention anything about your family or your time in jail."
Jacques nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that is not first-date conversation material. Keep it light and charming. If she is your mate, you should have natural chemistry with her. All family skeletons in the closet can wait until after the wedding."
"Thanks for your advice, Captain Obvious," I groaned.
For the past week, I heard nothing but dating advice from people. Even my brother Luc had called me twice to offer advice about 'courting ladies' - his words were not mine.
It was sweet that people were thinking of me, but I was fed up with waiting. I wanted to be with her now.
I watched her until we drove around the corner, and she disappeared from sight. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that all I needed to do was be patient for the next few hours. Then Sophie and I could finally start our forever.