Vlad clenched his hand into a fist, a fine mist of blood spattered across his tattooed skin like a Jackson Pollock. Normally the scent of approaching death filled him with a heady sense of power, but at the moment, murderous tension flooded his muscles. He had a rule about being interrupted when he was conducting… business, and the intruding vampire was seconds away from joining the bleeding victim on the chair.
“What?” His tone was cold as death, as bitter as ash, as sharp as a blade. He didn’t need to raise his voice. He didn’t need to shout. Power slipped off his tongue with a single word, and he felt the vampire at his back recoil.
“It’s your son.”
“What about my son?” Vlad turned around, lifting his tattooed hand to his lips and licking the man’s blood from the skull inked on his pale skin. It tasted of fear. He loved it when they were afraid.
“We received news he’s getting married,” the vampire said.
“And you interrupted me for that?” Vlad stepped forward, his fangs aching to sink into flesh and feel the life drain out of this vampire for interrupting an interrogation for something as trivial as a wedding. He and Gabriel weren’t close. Too many decades separated them, and the boy’s mother had been a problematic vampire. He should’ve never entertained the woman’s advances, but she’d coveted Vlad’s power as head of the Vampires and sank her teeth in hard. He’d fallen fast, only to discover her treachery when it was nearly too late, and her mutiny had cost him dearly. In the end, he’d been forced to kill her. She’d never loved him. He’d been foolish to fall for her charms, and she’d used his infatuation to ruin him. Only she underestimated just how powerful one of the oldest vampires in existence could be, especially when angered. There was a reason Vlad ruled the night with an iron fist, a reason all vampires bowed to his reign. He was a god among the devils, and Gabriel’s vengeful mother had learned the hard way what kind of man she’d so ruthlessly betrayed. Her death had left Gabriel to his care, and he’d done what he could to raise the boy right, to forge a worthy heir to his empire, but his son took too much after his mother. Vlad tried to instill reason into Gabriel, tried to explain that his mom had been a vicious vampire bent on destroying their race, but defiance ran deep in the boy’s veins. Over the decades, they’d reached a peace Vlad hoped would morph into a genuine bond, but for now, it seemed his own offspring didn’t deem him deserving of hearing the news from his own lips.
“Normally I wouldn’t, but it’s not so much his wedding that’s concerning, but his choice of bride,” the vampire said, shrinking further into the shadows. “His fiancé isn’t a vampire… she’s a witch.”
Vlad’s body froze impossibly still. He didn’t breathe. He didn’t blink. It was as if he was stone, a powerful statuecarved of marble, and it was a terrifying sight to behold. One that heralded death.
“I wouldn’t have brought this to you if the information wasn’t confirmed,” the vampire blurted, stepping further away. The distance wouldn’t save him, but instinct demanded he flee Vlad’s wrath. “Gabriel plans to marry a witch.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Vlad said, his cold voice as sharp as ice. “He would never betray our kind.”
Vampires and witches had been mortal enemies for centuries, each race clamoring for dominance over Halloween. War and bloodshed filled their histories, and it wasn’t until Vlad seized power from the previous tyrannical leader that the races achieved a ceasefire. Tenuous peace settled between them, and while Vlad hadn’t conceded control of Halloween to the enemy, his blood on the treaty ensured the brutality had paused. The unprecedented murders of his predecessor’s reign slowed drastically, and while both sides were thankful that the carnage had waned, neither side took pleasure in peace. They both searched for any escape from the truce, but marrying the enemy was akin to staking his father in the heart.
“We didn’t believe the rumors at first, which is why we didn’t bring it to your attention, but it’s been confirmed,” the vampire continued. “Your son’s wedding is this weekend, and he plans to marry a witch.”
“Without telling me?” Vlad clenched his fist so hard, the tattooed skull on his hand contorted.
“He knows you would never approve of his marriage,” the vampire said, his voice soft, as if it might soothe Vlad’s anger. “The entire affair is being kept quiet. It’s only by accident that we learned of his intentions.”
“Is he doing this to spite me? Does he hate me this much that he would stoop so low to marry one of them?”
“Rumoris, he loves her, and there have been whispers of their marriage solidifying the peace.”
“And how is my son marrying a witch supposed to end the conflict between our races when none of my efforts could?” Vlad stepped into the solitary ring of light, fresh blood peppering his skin like freckles from the job he’d been so inconveniently interrupted from.
“Because she isn’t just a witch,” the vampire said. “He’s marrying Belladonna. Your enemy’s only daughter and sole heir to the coven.”
“This is it.” Belladonna smoothed her hands over the silky white fabric. “This is my wedding dress.”
A chorus of squeals erupted from the couch to her left, and she glanced at her best friends with a smile bright enough to rival the sun.
“I kind of hate you,” Juniper said as she rose from the luxury cushion and captured two of the champagne glasses from the table. “You’re going to be much prettier than I was on my wedding day.” She handed Belladonna the sparkling wine as Hazel joined them before the mirror. “Don’t you just hate her? It should be illegal to be this pretty and this lucky.”
“I say we hex her and be done with it,” Hazel smirked.
“I can’t take you two anywhere.” Belladonna rolled her eyes as she sipped the champagne, careful not to spill on the exquisite gown.
“But you love us, anyway,” Juniper said, throwing an arm over her shoulders. “Plus, you would’ve never been able to pull off a wedding this quickly without us. I don’t know what you were thinking trying to get married this fast.”
“I was thinking that Gabriel’s a vampire, and most wouldprefer we didn’t take this step toward peace,” Belladonna said. “I won’t let anything stop this.”
“But you love him?” Hazel asked. “You aren’t doing this for the coven, right?”
“Do you really think I would marry a vampire for the coven?” She stared at her friend with an accusatory glare. “This is something that’s never been done, and I wouldn’t sacrifice my chances at happiness just to make our parents stop fighting.”
“She has a point,” Juniper said. “When her mom found out, I thought she was going to lock Bella in a dungeon and destroy the key.”
“I thought my mom was going to kill me,” Belladonna laughed. “There’s a reason she’s the coven leader. She’s terrifying.”
“Amen to that,” Juniper and Hazel said in unison, toasting their glasses before drinking the last of their champagne.
