However, as I push my venom into him, the anger starts to fade and it is replaced by pure love as visions of Natham and I together start to race through my mind. He clings to my body tightly, his hands down at my waist as I drink from him, taking out the old and making it new. It is a beautiful moment, and a pride I've never known stirs through me as I sire someone for the first time.
Then, his body jerks, taking that thought away from me just as quickly as it had come. Panic rises up in me as he pulls away and begins to tremble violently. "Natham, what's wrong?!" I question quickly and then to almost everyone's shock he doubles over and proceeds to vomit. Within the mixture of food and bile unmistakably resides my venom, smoke rising up from the puddle as the poison evaporates into the ground.
Realization dawns on me as I look up at Natham with wide eyes. "That's...that's impossible," I whisper.
"Not really," Natham speaks, his breathing heavy but the nonchalant tone of his voice is obvious.
I gaze at him carefully before feeling betrayal enter my heart, "You knew...you knew your body would reject it?"
"Not exactly. It's happened before, but I wanted to see if anything had changed over the years. I knew that if I told you the truth straight out, if you found out what Antoinette and I were keeping from you, then you'd never agree to try it. So instead, I pissed you off, you took the bait quite well, I must admit."
My anger was rearing up again but I held it down and gazed only at Natham. "Explain, now."
"Years ago, when Antoinette and I were both children and we weren't so...cruel to each other," I see his eyes flash briefly towards her and a pang of something strange hits my heart...jealousy perhaps? "I managed to convince her to sire me. She had never sired someone before and it's not like we could ask any older vampires for help. We didn't know what we were doing to begin with, so when I got quite sick the first time, we assumed she had done something wrong during the process. It wasn't until the third time around that we realized she wasn't the problem, it was me.
"We couldn't try anymore, her parents were concerned about me being so sick all the time and in all honesty, we were concerned too. There were some moments when I thought death had come for me...but it didn't. Years later, and here I am, thinking that perhaps I can try again, that this time it'll work and I'll change just like every other human. I didn't want to tell you about my history with such things because if you knew it had made me sick in the past then you wouldn't have been willing to try."
Somewhere in the midst of all of that my body had gone numb, and I had sunk to the ground in an elegant plop. My eyes glazed over and my mind zoned in and out, hearing his words, and capturing them, but not truly focusing on what he was saying.
This had been my one chance, my one opportunity to protect him. Now what? He would stay human, which was what I had wanted all along but still...I was fucked, we were fucked.
"Cybil, Cybil can you hear me?" his voice is faint, barely present to my mind. I hear him whisper a curse, before movement flashes in front of my face. Panic is slowly but surely building up in me as my own thoughts get more and more frantic and then to my surprise the taste of blood manages to seep through my crazy thoughts. My fangs slide out and I latch onto Natham's arm, drinking the nectar he has offered. In his other hand, he's holding a pocket knife, and I now understand that he has cut himself for me.
Once my mind returns to the present, I pull away from him. To my surprise, he pulls me back, bringing my forehead against his own and letting out a relieved sigh. "I thought I'd lost you there," he whispers, his love for me shining through.
"You asshole," I grumble and he chuckles, knowing I am no longer angry with him, not really anyway. "You can't keep things like that from me...how did you keep something like that from me?" I question suddenly.
He shrugs, "I guess you just weren't looking for that, so you didn't see it."
I gaze at him for a moment longer before turning my attention to my court and standing up quickly. "If this is going to work I will need the support of you all. We have a ball to prepare for tonight. Evangeline and Lyla, you may assist me in getting ready. Antoinette and Vixen, prep yourselves. As for my boys," I gaze at them with love and they smile back, "You will assist Natham in getting ready." Their eyes go wide suddenly as I place the task upon them. "He cannot look like a human slave anymore, he is to be a prince...my prince."
As I speak these words I see the shock registering clearly upon their faces.
"Cybil," it is Davin that calls out my name, no formalities in front of it, "You wish to take a human for a mate?"
"Who else?" I question, my eyes daring him to challenge me. As I do so, I see something flash in his eyes, pain perhaps, regret? Did Davin have hopes of being my prince, I hope not, for to crush such dreams is not my intent. "Natham is the only one I trust...the only one I would dare have at my side in such a manner," my words are spoken with strength.
"If that is your wish...than we shall fulfill it," Tristan speaks with dignity before taking Natham's hand and leading him away from the gardens. Davin is wary, but he follows after the two men. Darcy looks between Natham and I frantically and I give him a small smile of reassurance. With another boyish grin, he dashes off after the men.
It takes me a moment to regain focus, but once I do I am heading towards my own room, Evangeline and Lyla following closely behind me. They do not speak, and I am not surprised. The two ladies I have chosen are humble, dedicated to me in every way. We waste no time once we reach my room, our preparations will take us quite some time.
I pull out two select pieces for my ladies and once they are dressed and prepared, they began assisting me. Their motions are quick and well practiced and I can't help but wonder who they served while I was away.
"Did you assist someone else in my absence?" I ask aloud while Evangeline combs my hair and Lyla attends to putting paints on my face. They both freeze up and Evangeline even pales a bit.
"Yes, my princess. We were asked to serve in your mother's court while you were away," it is Lyla that answers and now it is my turn to tense up.
"My mother...it's a miracle that you even returned to my service. I can only imagine the sort of horrid things she revealed to you about me," I scoff.
Evangeline slams the brush down on my bureau and both Lyla and I jump in shock. "I don't care what your mother said about you, Lyla and I know the truth and we are devoted to you. Cybil you are our Princess, our best friend. We grew up with you, you're like our sister. We know our Queen, we know how manipulative she can be and we wouldn't dare take her word over yours."
I stare at her in shock, Evangeline has always been the quiet one and this sudden outburst surprises me. The tears that threaten to spill from my eyes also cause a bit of bewilderment to soar through my body. I look down at my feet, refusing to let the two of them see how her words have affected me. "Thank you...to be honest I had thought Natham to be my only true friend. It brings my soul peace to know that you two care for me so much," I admit.
"Good, now that that's settled," instantly she returns to her workings, Evangeline isn't really one to dwell on sympathies.
Once everything has been completed I stand, and gaze into the mirror at myself. Beauty, it was something that not even insanity could take away from me. Turning to my ladies in waiting, I give them a look over as well. With a nod of approval I spin away from them and exit the room, knowing they will follow.
We make our way to the servants quarters quickly, where I arrive at Natham's old room. I can hear him and the other's discussing things so I pause to let them continue their conversation. Eavesdropping is wrong, I know, but I can't help but to listen to Natham's private thoughts.
"Were you all born vampires? Or were any of you human before? If you had been born human, would you give up this life simply for a girl?" he questions and my body goes rigid.
It is Tristan that responds, his answer arrogant and prideful. "Of course, to be a vampire is to be the highest of forms. Why would anyone want to remain human if they had the opportunity, the ability, to become something worth far more?"
Then Darcy speaks, "I must say I agree with Tristan. Love should be an eternal thing, it is such a whimsical and intense feeling. Why limit it? My belief? Humans are incapable of true love anyways, they do not have eternity so they cannot understand loving someone for that long."
"And you, Davin?" Natham questions.
The room is quiet for a moment and then Davin's voice fills the air, "Natham...our Princess is worth far more than your little mind can comprehend. And she is absolutely worth your pitiful human life."
I am shocked, and I can imagine the rest of the room is as well. Davin has never showed such disdain towards humans before, why this outburst now?
"You love her," Natham's voice sounds throughout the room, it is not a question.
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" Davin growls.
"She is our Princess, and she has set her mind to marrying this...creature," Tristan's voice is filled with disgust. "Davin, my friend, you are only setting yourself up for heartbreak."
"I love her, enough to trust her decisions, unlike the rest of you apparently," he scoffs. At this moment I decide enough is enough and I knock on the door quickly. The silence that calls out is almost humorous, I can only imagine the looks on their faces. After a few more seconds the door opens and I see Natham dressed in the colors of royalty, blood red and black. I can't help but smile at him, he looks so handsome.
My own gown is of the same colors, with tight short sleeves and a silk material. There is a lace pattern of black covering the material from head to toe and the gown is floor length, clinging to every curve of my body until it reaches my thighs, upon which it flares a bit. The corset back has been hindering my breathing but I am not bothered by it, I have been raised for this.
I will admit, I find it a bit peculiar that we are matching even though such things were not planned.
"It's like they were meant to be together," Tristan calls out sarcastically. Saying nothing more, and avoiding eye contact with Davin, I take Natham's hand and begin leading him away. The entire group follows behind us, as usual. I do not have to gesture to them, they know my silent signals far too well.
Reaching the dinner hall, I look over at Natham. "Are you ready?" I whisper.
"Of course," he smiles at me and with a nod we walk inside. Mother, Father, and servants are present, but other than that, it is empty of guests yet. Everything is in a whirlwind, people are prepping like mad, and as Natham and I enter with my court behind us, Mother looks up from her plans and lets out a breathtaking smile.
"Ahh, my darlings, I see you've finally arrived, and with your court too," the Queen speaks lovingly and rushes over to appraise Natham and I. "Stunning, absolutely stunning; why Natham, you look like a vampiric Prince, very smart choice in dress my dear Cybil," she praises.
"Thank you Mother," I say kindly, masking my true emotions from her. "I was thinking over what you shared with me today, about making Natham my Prince, and well...I'd love to but..." I let my facial expression change, sadness entering my eyes.
"What? What is it?" Mother asks, placing a finger under my chin and lifting my face up so she can see into my watering eyes.
"Natham is immune to the venom. Look Mother," I hold out his arm. "A fresh bite, you can see the venom stains on his skin, I tried my best, but he purged up the venom. I've never seen such a thing before," I sigh, feigning defeat. "The people...they won't accept a human prince."
To our surprise Mother smiles, then giggles, then it turns into full out laughter. Natham and I both stare at her as if she's gone mad, and truthfully I wouldn't be surprised.. "Oh my dear sweet girl, you haven't read many history books have you, and you're so young, oh child. He's simply a half-breed, we've had many of them in our time," she explains.
"What?" both Natham and I question at the same time.
"What the hell is a half-breed?" Natham chimes in
With a sigh Mother sits down on one of the dining chairs. "Alright children, story time, listen well," she says to the entirety of my court. "Long ago, a young King named Felix fell in love with a beautiful human maiden, and I mean beautiful. Their love flourished and grew until he was sure...he wanted to take her as a Queen. Now the people rejoiced because for many years they had wanted to have a Queen on the throne, and so they didn't care at all about her race, she could easily be turned into a vampire. But after a simple bite, it was revealed that she, in fact, could not be changed. She was immune and the venom only made her sick and caused her to vomit. In anguish and sorrow, King Felix went to his Priests and prayed with them for hours, until finally, they gave him an answer.
"He was told to take his own venom, and split it into small doses. Inject it into her, once every few hours or so, and eventually little changes would occur. And they did. She became paler, faster, stronger, more intelligent, and very brave and bold. Eventually, she could even drink from him and enjoy the taste of his blood. She never came around to hunting humans, but her heart did slow to the normal pace of a vampire. All it takes is a few injections over a few weeks and Natham will be a half-breed. There have been many more of these human types over time. And technically, you can still feed from him for the rest of your life, your feeding cycle would be quite romantic, sharing blood only from each other, ahh the people would go mad with love," Mother lets out a romantic sigh herself and looks up at the blank faces of us all. "Well then, that's settled."
Tristan speaks first, "So Natham will be a half-breed? Do you think the people will approve of having such a...creature," there's that damned word again, "for a prince?"
"A half-breed...it is a bizarre idea," Davin adds.
"The people will approve, most of them know of Half-Breeds, its an accepted species of vampire. It's better than him being a human," Mother answers him and then looks up at Davin. She isn't particularly fond of the Gent, but she doesn't dislike him either. He had been sent to the court by his parents, it happens with many young nobles, and Mother had been warned to be careful around him and to try to instill much better values. Apparently the ones rolling around his head already were not welcome. I see her think about responding, but she decides to ignore him instead. "Nevertheless, the guests will be arriving soon and we must be prepared. Let me tell you all how the night will go. We'll have dinner in the hall, obviously, then we'll move into the Grand Ballroom. During this transition Cybil's court will stay back. You will all be announced as you enter. Then, lastly, Cybil and Natham will enter, and Natham will be announced as the new Prince of the Vampires, something I think the entire Castle has been waiting for."
As she speaks, I take in all of her words, as does Natham and when she is finished we both nod in understanding.
"Very well then...Cybil, I must ask, do you love him?"
"Of course I love Natham, Mother," I answer immediately even though the question has surprised me.
"Well then, good. I've got work to do," and with that she saunters away.
I look over at Natham to see that he looks confused. "What's wrong?"
"Why didn't she ask me the same?"
"Anyone with eyes can see that you love the Princess," it is Davin that answers and I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. "Are you...blushing?" Davin adds and I shake my head quickly.
"Just a bit flushed and nervous," I lie. I can't have them knowing I was listening in on their conversation.
I open my mouth to speak again but before I can say any more words a servant rushes into the room yelling, "My Queen, the guests are arriving!"
The room erupts into life. Servants race to their posts, feeders as well. The band begins playing their sweet and soothing music. Final dishes are placed upon the long buffet table. Chairs are adjusted at the smaller seating tables. With one final nod at my Mother, I lead my court to our section of the room as my parents head to the door to start greeting people. The party has begun.
Author's Note;
Hey there, so as of 2.20.2019 I did some editing to the story and split up the first six chapters, turning them into eleven instead. This is where chapter 6 originally ended in case there's any confusion for those who'd already read all of this!
What do you think of the story so far?
Cybil and Natham have been bought some time before his change but will he be safe in the meantime?
Excited about the upcoming celebration ball for Cybil?
Thank you all so much for reading and don't forget to comment and vote please!