I detest the cruel vampire king. Now I’m forced to marry him.

Once upon a time we were together, until our love turned into hatred.

Now our arranged marriage is supposed to unite our families.

But if he expects me to be a good little bride, he’s sorely mistaken.

He believes he owns me, but I refuse to be his pet.

So he’s decided to have fun breaking me as punishment for disobeying him.

I’ll make his life a living hell until he calls off the wedding.

I’ll be the bride from hell he’s begging for.

His obsessive behavior enrages me, and his cruelty pisses me off.

But he’s got me trapped in his castle, and somehow in our forced togetherness…

I glimpse the man that I fell for and ran from all those years ago.

I want to kiss his curse away and let him take what I’ve never given to a man before.

Will I give him my innocence willingly?

Four Vampire Kings rule their lands with an iron fist. But their dark hearts are cursed, and only one thing can lift their curse: To find love. But their cruelty has ensured that the mates who can heal them hate them with a vengeance…

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BLLODLETTING

Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)

There's a crack in the mirror and a bloodstain on the bed

There's a crack in the mirror and a bloodstain on the bed

Oh, you were a vampire and, baby, I'm a walking dead

Oh, you were a vampire and, baby, I'm a walking dead

I got the ways and means to New Orleans

I'm going down by the river where it's warm and green

I'm gonna have a drink and walk around

I got a lot to think about, oh yeah

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah

There's a rocking chair by the window, down the hall

I hear something there, in the shadow down the hall

Oh, you where a vampire and now I am nothing at all

Oh, you where a vampire and now I am nothing at all

I got the ways and means to New Orleans

I'm going down by the river where it's warm and green

I'm gonna have a drink and walk around

I got a lot to think about, oh yeah

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah, ha-ha-ha

They used to dance in the garden

In the middle of the night

Dancin' out in the garden

In the middle of the night

Oh, you were a vampire and I may never see the light

Oh, you were a vampire and I may never see the light

I got the ways and means to New Orleans

I'm going down by the river where it's warm and green

I'm gonna have a drink and walk around

I got a lot to think about

II got the ways and means to New Orleans

I'm going down by the river where it's warm and green

I'm gonna have a drink and walk around

I got a lot to think about, oh yeah

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah (oh, yeah)

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah (yeah)

Oh, yeah (oh-oh)

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah (yeah)

Oh, yeah

Ianora had always known that her fate was to be married off to a king, prince, or man of noble birth. That was the fate of most princesses, whether they were interested in marriage or not.

For years, she had dreamed of being paired with one of the few eligible and handsome kings who ruled the other kingdoms within Elysium, either neighboring her parent's lands or far across the world. She would get to travel, and he would woo her with gifts and sweet nothings. Finally, he would propose to her, and she would be unable to say no because she would have been utterly in love with the man.

The reality of her situation was not at all like her fantasies had been.

Certainly, she had played the fantasies up in her head for the last ninety-five years of her vampiric life, attending balls and feasts across the kingdoms. She had played to the affections of several princes and kings, making them all chase after her while her options stayed open—until her parents decided who her match would be, or until her heart decided for them.

But during her many years toying with men, making them fall for her, one king had long staked a claim on her. A man who Ianora was certain only wished her harm.

Ianora sat at the vanity, the plush seat shifting beneath her weight. She couldn't help but squirm as she prepared to face her future husband, a man who, under no uncertain terms, did she want to marry.

Because though, once upon a dream, they had been in love with each other, going to him now would reveal a world of lies and pain that Ianora did not want to dig up.

She stared deep into her own pale gray eyes as the servant behind her brushed her long, blonde locks with care and braided them into a crown. Ianora saw no hint of the fear or worry in her heart reflecting at her, but she didn’t know for certain she could face Castor and the cruel man he'd become in the decades since she'd last seen him.

Thirty-four years, eight months, and twelve days, to be precise.

"There, you're ready. What do you think?" the servant asked, drawing Ianora from her thoughts.

She blinked at her appearance, the perfect makeup and hair, the long, silver, and gold dress that suited her hair and eyes.

"Too pretty," Ianora sighed. "But it will have to do."

Rising from her seat, Ianora carried herself from her temporary lodgings in her brother's castle down the worn stone steps of the tower toward the grand hall where they would all be waiting for her. Her brothers and some of their wives—but not her parents.

She had not invited them, for they were responsible for striking the deal with King Castor, a deal that could not be revoked no matter how much magical support Ianora employed. For whatever reason, Castor wanted this marriage to go through so badly that he secured a contract that no magic could unbind. At least none that Ianora and her family's considerable resources could find.

It was her brother, Elijah, and his wife, Esmeralda, who spent much of the last three weeks slaving away on Ianora's behalf, researching spells in dusty tomes to break the spell that compelled Ianora to marry Castor.

The deal was not on pain of death, for she as a vampire was already dead, but far worse: if the wedding did not go through—or presumably, if Castor himself did not call it off—she would be cursed just like him. Stripped of her immortality, she would be exiled to the human world to live out the rest of her days and forever doomed to endure a slow, excruciating death as a human.

It was the standard agreement for a royal wedding contract: severe enough consequences for backing down that both parties had to be certain before proceeding with the agreement. And in turn, Elysium royal weddings had high follow-through rates. Only a few contracts had been broken in hundreds of years.

Ianora would not be one of them. If there was anything she valued more than her luxurious lifestyle, it was having the immortality and youth to enjoy those luxuries forever.

The thought of being banished and forced to leave the only home she had ever known was enough to make Ianora's stomach churn with dread. But Castor had added an extra clause to the contract to hit home how well he knew her, despite all the years that had passed. With her exile, none of her family would ever be able to visit her in the human realm, either. She would be alone and isolated, forever.

Assuming she didn't die of some inane human disease before she died of a natural human lifespan.

To live the rest of her life without seeing any of her brothers again would be the true curse, A torture more painful than any physical pain she could imagine. Though she had spent less time with her brothers over the past few years because they finally all found their mates and took the Seats of Power owed to them by birthright, they were all beloved to her for different reasons.

She wanted to believe that if any of them had heard of the arrangement struck between Castor and their parents, they would have stood to stop it in its tracks. They all knew how much she despised Castor, and none of them liked him, either. There was history between their families ... and not the history that had once been good, like between Castor and Ianora.

Instead, Ianora, and her brothers, were only made aware of the arrangement on the eve that all the kings, except for King Sinnegard of the fae realm Gaivalon, and their father, King Castor of Rainada, had been cursed.

Cursed for being enemies of the Eroch bloodline.

Ianora vividly recalled the panic on her mother's face when she explained what had happened to the other kingdoms, and then casually threw in Ianora's fate at the same time. For almost a century, her mother had been a champion of women's rights within Elysium, taking them out of the stone age and into a world where women were now often respected, at least in positions of power. How dare she turn around and let her only daughter get sold like a common chattel to a man she couldn't stand anymore?

Whatever her reasons, whatever her father's reasons, Ianora hoped it had been worth it. Because, for this, they were dead to her. She would never speak to them again.

Her brothers were her only family now.

Ianora glided down the steps toward the grand chamber, the massive doors swinging open upon her approach. Inside, her assembled brothers and their wives hushed when she entered.

The uncomfortable silence told her all she needed to know about the situation, but she didn't sever her last thread of hope just yet. She prayed some miracle had manifested in the previous twelve hours that would save her from this fate.

"Well?" she prompted. "Have you discovered anything?"

Elijah's chair slid away from the table, and he stood to face her, his red eyes alight with sorrow. "I am sorry, dearest sister. We've tried everything possible to reverse the blood bargain, but it is beyond our power. Even when we combine our strengths... it's not enough without the correct components to dispel the spell cast. King Castor must have gone through significant effort to ensure this could not be undone."

Ianora stared at him, refusing to react. She had known it would come to this, each day passing feeling more like a death sentence. "I see," she said at last. "Then I suppose it is time for me to meet my husband."

Five other chairs pushed out; one by one, her brothers Aleister, Xavier, and Nikolas came to offer their condolences, love, and strength. Aleister's wife, Lila, and Nikolas' wife, Tatiana, also came to give her hugs and wishes of strength.

Tatiana squeezed Ianora's shoulders. "I wish I had known it was King Castor behind the assassination attempts far sooner. Had I been able to connect the dots ... perhaps your family could have stopped this marriage from happening long before the curse fell upon Elysium."

"I know you've only done your best for us. Thank you, Tatiana," Ianora said. "There is no point in dwelling on the 'what ifs' and assigning blame anywhere other than where it belongs. Firmly on King Castor's shoulders." A small smile grew on her lips. "And my parents. I don't know what they were thinking."

"You could always ask them, you know," Xavier suggested. "I see no reason for them to deny you the truth of why they decided to wed you to him without your consent. Surely there must be a good reason for such a drastic measure?"

"You would think, but mother and father have decided they would rather never speak to me again than tell me the truth. That is their choice. I hope it was worth it."

"It could be as simple as an attempt to heal old wounds between our families," Nikolas suggested. His gray eyes studied Ianora. Of all her brothers, she suspected he knew the most about the real story of what had happened between Ianora and Castor thirty-four years ago. "They wouldn't have known about King Castor's plans until it was too late."

"If only."

Ianora's stomach clenched with worry that Nikolas would reveal to their brothers her role in that history, but thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. Ianora didn't want to consider how her parents' plan to marry her to Castor could be a four-decade too late attempt to make up for previous erroneous ways.

Had they talked to her, they would have known it was too little, too late. “The simplest truth is that King Castor played them. As he has played us all by being passive these past few decades," Elijah said. "We misunderstood his docile nature for an attempt to let bygones be bygones. When he was secretly planning our annihilation in the background, he would not have been satisfied until he humiliated and killed all of us."

"Instead," Ianora sighed, "I am the only one humiliated on our family's behalf."

"I would take your place gladly, sister, were I able to." Aleister placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It is my duty as your eldest brother to protect you, and I have woefully failed you."

"It's not your fault. It's ..."Minewas what she wanted to say, but there was no use trying to explain the sick feeling in her gut that Castor had been planning this for a very, very long time. "Well, there is no point in drawing this out any longer. It is time for my departure."

Ianora steeled herself. She had been pushing this moment back for weeks, as long as she could reasonably manage. But with only a week left before the designated wedding date, she had no choice but to go to King Castor's palace in Pheazar.

It was all for the best at this point, anyway. If Elijah and Esmeralda's magic couldn't help her, then the only way Ianora could save herself was by convincing Castor himself to nullify the agreement. The only way to do that was by trying to show him what an unsuitable bride she was.

Oh, how she would have fun finding creative and horrible ways to show him just how much she despised him for forcing this fate upon her. Only the worst scheme would convince him to let her go, so she would go at him swinging from the moment she entered his castle.

She turned to Elijah. "Elijah? If you would do the honors?"

"Of course, sister."

He snapped his fingers, and an orb of blood red and black energy manifested in the air in front of them. Ianora's eyes widened slightly at the sudden appearance of the portal. After having lived with her brother for almost a hundred years, she had never believed that he would truly unlock the magical abilities hidden in his blood. But as it turned out, finding his mate had been the key to unlocking the true extent of his power.

And as he had only married Esmeralda earlier that year, his power was growing daily. If anything, perhaps she could cling to the hope that, if she was forced to go through with the wedding, maybe one day Elijah's power could grow to the point that he could break the marriage pact.

The portal expanded and winked open, revealing a mirror-like surface of fluctuating red and black light. Ianora wished to glimpse the castle beyond for any sign of comfort, but all she saw was the unforgiving reflection of blackness and despair.

Elijah stood beside her. His fists remained clenched at his sides. "I'm sorry it's come to this. I assure you, I won't stop trying to find a way to stop this. Until the day I die, I will search for a way to free you from this.

She hugged him one last time. "Thank you for trying, dear brother. The greatest boon of immortality is the patience of our vengeance. King Castor will pay for this, I am sure, one way or another. If anything, I wish I had more time to bask in yours and Esmeralda's happiness, but it seems fate has other plans for me."

On her other side, Esmeralda's brown curls and light-filled eyes came into view. "You are strong, Ianora. If anyone can handle this, it's you. Remember, the king is cursed. He cannot harm you himself, or by proxy, whether he wants to or not. You will be safe from physical harm ... but guard your heart and mind at all costs, especially if you intend to break free of him in the future."

Ianora nodded and positioned herself in front of the portal. Her bodyguard, Elan, stood beside her with his long silver sword at his waist. He was a handsome man who, when she was a girl, she had fancied running away with during a brief period where she'd wanted to be anything but a princess. But he was a man of duty, sworn to protect her and her family, and protect her he had, regardless of the personal cost to himself.

She had a sense she would need Elan's support and guidance when she went to Pheazar, home of King Castor, the man who had conspired against her family. It was a wicked and cruel twist of fate that his treachery had only been revealed after the deal for Ianora's marriage to him had been solidified.

And yet, when Ianora thought of the worst matches she could be given, King Castor was not even close to the top. She had, long ago, had a brush with the worst fate she could have had.

If she could not convince Castor to release her, then perhaps, somewhere in his dark, cursed heart, she could find the love that had once flourished between them. But Ianora had never fancied herself lucky before and now was no exception.