4__ Kamilla, Queen of Onyx?
Kamilla eyed Damon as he stood before her. She squirmed on the sofa, clutching her hands together.
The little table before her held an empty plate. Kamilla wouldn’t have eaten if it hadn’t been for the fact that she was nearly extinct from hunger.
She still couldn’t believe how the King had just dismissed her! Like she was nothing but fluff on his coat. He’d waved his hand and told Damon to “take her away”.
Huh! Kamilla scoffed. The cheek of him. The minute she got a chance, she would chop off his bat wings!
“Cursing the King in your head isn’t going to help,” said Damon.
Kamilla looked stunned. “You… you can read minds?”
Oh, no. Now she didn’t even have the privacy of thoughts? What kind of world was this?!
Damon’s mouth quirked up on one side. “No, but I can definitely read facial expressions and yours is murderous.”
Kamilla sat back in relief. She was free to curse them all she wanted. Thank God for small mercies.
“Maybe you should accept this,” said Damon quietly. “Don’t fight Viktor, it won’t gain you anything but pain. Accept it, accept him.”
She scoffed and crossed her arms. “Forget it!”
Damon sighed and pushed his hands into his pockets.
Kamilla glanced up at him. “Why are you sighing?” she questioned with a raised brow. “I’m the one who’s being held prisoner. I don’t even know how my mom is! She doesn’t even know that I’ve been kidnapped!”
He merely rocked back on his heels as Kamilla groaned and rolled into a ball on the large sofa.
“She’ll never know where my bones will be buried!” she whispered, pale-faced.
Damon tilted his head at her. “Your bones? Do you intend to die?”
She scrambled to an upright position and looked at him with narrowed eyes, “No, but I don’t think your precious King will give me a choice before he feeds me to his pet dragon!”
The room darkened. Kamilla gasped in awareness. Shit. He was here. She felt him.
“The only pet dragon I have at the moment,” said Viktor. “Is you.”
Kamilla looked up with a retort, but the words froze in her throat. He emerged out of thin air, his tall, muscled figure attired in a black suit.
Damon’s head automatically inclined in a small bow.
She stared at Viktor, vaguely hoping that her mouth was at least closed. His suit jacket hung open, a black cotton shirt covering his chest. She was staring at the exposed portion of chest at the triangular neck of the shirt when Viktor strode up to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face.
Kamilla jumped, startled. She looked sharply up at him. Damn, she’d been caught staring. Oh, the embarrassment.
“A little longer and you might have drooled,” stated Viktor coolly.
Kamilla didn’t even try to stop the scowl that curved her lip. “When are you going to let me go?” she demanded.
Anger flashed in his eyes, but Viktor quickly composed himself.
“Do not make me repeat myself,” he said in a voice as dark and dangerous as midnight. Kamilla trembled. “This is your home and you’re not leaving. Ask me that question again and I swear, I’ll hang you from Witcher’s.”
Kamilla gasped. “Hang me?” Her hands went to her throat and she gulped. “So you do plan to kill me.”
Viktor rolled his eyes. “I won’t kill you. But, I promise, the minute you find yourself dangling at the sharp end of Witcher’s cliff by your underwear, you’ll wish you were dead.”
She shrunk into the sofa glaring up at him. She hated this. She hated it with a passion! She felt like a little kid, being pushed around back in mid-school, surrounded by bullies who called her names, called her an alien, called her a witch, called her possessed for her pale skin, and bright green eyes.
Kamilla closed her eyes and swallowed. She had never fit in with humans. No bloody wonder.
“Eradicate those thoughts immediately,” Viktor suddenly ordered.
Kamilla opened her eyes and looked up at him. Oh, no.
“Shit. You can read thoughts, can’t you? Being the Vampire King and all?”
Viktor looked bored. “I can feel your energy, little one. Including the depressing garbage you just allowed to enter your little head. As long as we’re connected, make sure you keep all such thoughts from your mind, understand?”
Kamilla couldn’t believe him! “I have freedom of thought—”
“Yeah, sure,” Viktor waved her words away like they mattered no more than a dead leaf. Kamilla bit her lip in fury. “We leave in an hour, go and get yourself prepared.”
She blinked. “What? W-where….? I don’t have anything! Your goons—”
“You will be taken to your chambers where everything has been prepared for you.” He smiled slowly and Kamilla thought she heard herself sigh in awe. Although she hoped she sure as hell hadn’t! “If you complain, fight or terrorize any of your servants, I won’t hesitate to hang you from Witcher’s.”
With that, he spun on his heel and disappeared before her eyes.
Kamilla scoffed. “Don’t you people actually use doors around here?!”
The air felt charged with electricity. Or maybe Kamilla was just about to pass out from the tightness of the corset around her bosom.
Her body was covered in a long, black dress, as sexy and provocative as a black dress could be.
She hadn’t believed it was her staring back at her in the mirror when two female servants were done with her. She looked… like a woman. A strong, dangerous woman. Kamilla let her lips curve, the scarlet red color amazing against her pale skin. Her hair fell down her back in thick, sexy curls.
She looked like a mixture of Snow White and the evil step-mother, both in one.
She glanced back as the large black carriage rode away. Kamilla once more shook her head in wonder. She couldn’t believe they didn’t use cars in the Onyx Kingdom. Who didn’t use cars these days?!
Before her was a gigantic, elegant mansion, its crystal windows glowing with gold light from inside. There was a hum of conversation, music, and clinking glasses. Kamilla gulped. This was going to be horrible. She didn't want to be at a freaking ball!
The doors opened and Damon stood there, looking dashing in a deep burgundy suit.
He bowed. “You look amazing, Kamilla.”
She rolled her eyes self-consciously. He took her hand and led her up the stairs and into the stunning hall.
The minute she appeared in the doorway, a hush fell over the huge room. Kamilla stared at the multitude of guests, most wearing black or maroon, red or navy. They were all beautiful people. Breath-taking, really.
“Where’s the King?” Kamilla murmured flatly. When she got no response, she glanced to her side, but Damon wasn’t there.
He’d disappeared. Kamilla’s heart kicked up in panic. How could he leave her when she didn’t know these people?!
She dragged in a breath and after a full minute, took a shaky step further into the room.
She felt all their eyes on her, studying her curiously. The attention was heavy and Kamilla wanted nothing more than to turn and run out. She gulped, her hands turning into fists at her sides as she walked further into the room.
“That’s the queen?” she heard a mocking whisper before somebody giggled.
“Looks terrified, doesn’t she? She’ll never last.”
Kamilla stopped walking. She didn’t need to hear that. She didn’t need to accept their mockery and scorn.
Just when she’d made her mind up to turn on her heel and walk right out, he appeared.
Like a dream, he emerged before her, walking towards her out of a swirl of dark energy.
“Viktor.”
Kamilla didn’t even register the calm that filled her heart. His eyes were glowing green as he took in her appearance, studying the dramatic change.
With a devastatingly gorgeous smile, he took her hand.
“Kamilla.”
She stared at him and he turned to the room. In a moment, they’d moved. Kamilla gasped, looking down at her feet that were now firmly planted on the front stage.
She gaped at the two golden thrones on the black stage.
Like actual thrones!
The crowd murmured and Viktor silenced them with a raised hand.
Silence fell over the room and all eyes focused on them. Kamilla's heart thumped. What were these Vampires going to do to her?
He looked at her. “Onyx,” he said. “Welcome your Queen. Kamilla.”
Kamilla stared in shock as every person in the ballroom, bowed their head to her. “Our Queen,” was the unanimous greeting.
Viktor took her hand and, holding her gaze, kissed it. Her fingertips tingled and the rest of her body followed. When he raised his head, his eyes were glowing so hard, Kamilla felt it in her own.
Quickly coming back to her senses, she pulled her hand out of his and watched him smirk.
In a few moments, the party had continued, but Kamilla didn’t miss that everyone’s eyes stayed on her.
She stayed behind Viktor, terrified out of her mind, quietly nodding as people greeted her. What would happen now? Since the whole kingdom knew about her, if she ran, would they all chase her? A groan escaped her and she closed her eyes in frustration. Just the thought of being on the run with a whole kingdom of Vampires after her was exhausting.
She should have refused to come along.
Suddenly, the air shifted. Kamilla felt cold.
“Now, why would such a beautiful queen look so sad?”
Kamilla tensed. The voice was a stranger’s. Slowly, she turned around. The first thing that hit her was his eyes. They were bizarre. Pitch black, they were. And deep, as though they held an entire galaxy. The man was again, startlingly handsome. Kamilla didn’t know what to do so she raised a hand and awkwardly waved.
He chuckled. “Let me introduce myself,” He bowed and Kamilla took the chance to glance back at Viktor, but he wasn’t there. She gulped. The man rose. The black of his eyes seemed to swirl and Kamilla could not help but stare into it. He smiled a devilishly handsome smile and she shuddered. “My name… is Rogan.”
Kamilla nodded. “P-pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
The man tilted his head, his golden blonde hair falling over one brow.
“Is it?”
Kamilla frowned. “Sorry?”
“I said, ‘is it?’” Kamilla couldn’t help but stare at him. He grinned. “Oh, little Kamilla, so far from home. Stuck in Onyx, stuck with a Vampire.”
Kamilla took a step away from the stranger, but he only drew closer. “I think I should go—”
“Perhaps, you shouldn’t.” He smiled. “What if I said that… I could get you out of here?”