Chapter 2

Ava’s POV:

The gates of the castle opened to welcome me, and I entered the formidable structure carefully. Paintings hung about the walls on every side in all of their melancholic beauty, and I couldn’t seem to pull my gaze away from them. Their ghastliness and morbid nature only made them more alluring, which seemed to be the case for most things around here.

The uneasy feeling in my stomach persisted, so I gladly accepted the waiter’s offered wine glass. As the crowd of people guided me towards the ballroom, I had another glimpse at an extent of magnificence that only the Nightshade Clan would ever be capable of owning.

It occurred to me that these tall walls of stone that held up the castle mirrored the ones that surrounded these royals’ hearts. How lonely it must be to be living in a cold world that is filled with weapons and all things violent, never knowing the true meaning of happiness or love.

So lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice the young woman in front of me until her velvety hair was in my mouth.

“Umph!”

She whipped around to look at me and I was a little awestruck by her beauty. She had olive skin the likes of which I could never achieve, aristocratic features that were framed by dark waves, and eyes the color of honey edged with a deep forest green. It took me a second to realize that these eyes were currently narrowed at me.

“Oh! Forgive me, I uh wasn’t looking in front of me,” I stuttered nervously as she continued to give me a thunderous glare.

“Obviously,” She sneered.

I recoiled slightly at her harsh tone. Her glare was very intimidating. But then the harshness faded and was replaced by a bright smile that lit up the whole room.

“No need to look so frightened. I was just messing with you,” she laughed lightly.

I sighed in relief.

“I’m Eleanor Moreno,” She introduced herself whilst extending her hand towards me.

I shook it eagerly.

“Ava Griffin,” I reciprocated the introduction with a happy grin.

My first friend! I guess dad was right; maybe coming here tonight would do some good. I had never been the social type and most girls in town tended to ignore my presence anyway. The only friend I ever had was the goldfish my dad got me when I was six.

A mop of blond hair behind Eleanor caught my attention, and I froze when the vampire started approaching us. There were some telltale signs that came with vampires, aside from the fangs obviously. Their astonishing good looks for one, as well as the natural aura of power and dominance that oozes out of them. The crowd seemed to recognize the blond and parted slightly to allow him easy passage. He was walking in our direction with such purpose that one might think he was going to save a life.

Eleanor’s face became a mask of indifference as she followed my line of sight. He was a few feet away from us and I dipped into a curtsy quickly, surprised when Eleanor didn’t do the same and shook her head at me instead. Is she suicidal? It’s common knowledge that you must curtsy to any vampire you come across.

“I’ll see you later, Ava,” Was all she said before gliding away, leaving me alone with the man— the vampire.

I kept my eyes averted and my head down, not knowing how to proceed. He stared after her curiously for a moment. Fear and worry coursed through my veins as potential scenarios with this vampire ran through my head. I bit my lip.

“Would you give me the honor of granting me this dance?”

The way he asked made it seem like I had a choice in the matter, but I knew better than that. Vampires always get what they want, to hell with the consequences. So I did what any sane person would do.

I smiled and nodded, still staring at the ground.

Long, slim fingers cupped my chin and tilted my head back to meet his face with a gentle but firm pressure. I found myself falling into fathomless eyes that were a thousand hues of blue with a touch of green radiating within them.

“There’s no need to be afraid of me. Relax,” he said calmly.

My mind felt instantly at ease. All previous worries or fears were forgotten and I was suddenly relaxed.

“There’s no need to be afraid,” I repeated automatically.

The blond smiled widely, revealing his dimples.

“Shall we?”

He offered his hand to me with a playful flourish as “When a Man Loves a Woman” began to play and couples made their way to the dance floor eagerly. The vampire and I stood a respectful distance away from each other. He had one of his hands on my waist and the other in my right hand, leaving my left hand to find its way to his shoulder. He was rather tall, so I had to crane my neck to look up at him from my meager height of 5 '5.

“So,” he began cheerfully, “does the pretty lady have a name?”

“Indeed she does, but whether you are deserving of such valuable knowledge is yet to be determined,” I responded.

He chuckled, turning his head to the side and allowing me a clear view of his impressive jawline.

“Well, perhaps you’ll be more comfortable with sharing after I have introduced myself.”

He twirled me around twice before he continued.

“I’m Axel Reeves.”

My eyes widened to the size of saucers. He was a prince; arguably one of the most powerful men in the world. The Reeves family was the founding family of the Nightshade clan and held in very high esteem amongst all the other vampire clans. He watched my reaction carefully.

There was a small part of me that was screaming to get away from this dangerous man, but it couldn’t seem to break through the numbing calmness I was feeling. So, instead of running away, I returned the introduction.

“Ava. Is that short for ‘Avery’ or something?”

“No, it’s just Ava.”

“Well, just Ava,” he started, lowering me into a dip and laughing when I squealed, “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The song came to an end and we, along with all the other couples on the floor, stepped away from each other. The men bowed, the women curtsied, and then most went their separate ways. Prince Axel, however, seemed to have other plans. Before I had even managed to take a step off the dance floor, he clamped a hand on my wrist gently and began steering me out with a grin.

“Hey, what the hell are you—” I cut myself when he raised a finger to his lips and shushed me.

We walked through the crowd with ease; they all moved aside and bowed their heads in respect. As soon as we were out of the ballroom and in a less crowded hallway he wrapped his arm around my waist.

“Close your eyes,” he mumbled distractedly, his gaze roaming the hallway as he ducked his head every few seconds.

“Why?” I asked with furrowed brows.

“Just trust me.”

I gave him a long look. There was still the nagging voice in the back of my head telling me— screaming at me not to trust him, not to go with him, but I was too relaxed to bother thinking about why. My eyelids fell shut. Axel’s grip tightened and there was a gust of wind. Then it was quiet.

The music that had once been so loud that my eardrums felt like they were about to burst was now faint and soft. It wasn’t stuffy anymore with the smell of alcohol all around me. I opened my eyes and felt my lips part with surprise.

We were standing on a balcony that overlooked the lake. Even in the dark, it was a sight to behold. The surface of the lake reflected the stars in the sky, as well as the lights from the mansion, making it into some sort of shining wonder. Despite the glowing surface, it still had a certain depth to it that made it all the more beautiful.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“Wow,” Axel mimicked, but something about the way he said it made me think we weren’t talking about the same thing.

I felt my face heat up and I was thankful for the dim lighting. It was so quiet, so peaceful. The chirping of the crickets was much better than the obnoxious chatter of everyone inside. Parties are really not my thing.

“Why’d you bring me here?” I spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the serenity.

He didn’t respond for a bit, so I turned to look at him. In the moonlight, his features were soft, angelic almost. The gold of his hair, the paleness of his skin, and the brightness of his eyes made him look so innocent.

“You seemed like you could use a minute away from all of that,” The prince said finally, dimples on display.

I hummed in response.

“So, how did we get here? One minute we were in that hallway and the next…”

“I brought you,” he said simply.

“But—”

I was interrupted when the door flew open with a loud bang, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.

“Jaxon…” Axel said exasperatedly, looking over my shoulder.

When I turned around, my jaw dropped. Well, figuratively dropped. The man standing at the door was easily the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes upon, but also the most intimidating. With his ink-black hair, icy blue eyes, and impressive figure, he seemed perfect. The only flaw on his face was his irritated scowl as he pulled a cigarette between his lips.

“Father’s angry,” he muttered to Axel, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Jax, I thought you promised you’d behave tonight. What the hell did you do this time?” The blond responded with a frown.

Jaxon walked closer to Axel and rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just say it involves me and a certain lady from the Bloodworth Clan. I’ll spare you the details, brother,” He sneered, blowing smoke in Axel’s face.

Brother?

“Jaxon.. you know how much this ball means to Mother she wanted us to—”

But Jaxon wasn’t listening. His eyes had traveled to me in the midst of his brother’s speaking and I noticed his gaze roam my body from top to bottom. I felt myself flush deeply.

“And who might this beauty be?”

He reached for my hand and lifted it to his lips in a chaste kiss. Axel glared at him warningly.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to please two princes in one night, wouldn’t you, angel? Not many girls get that honor.”

I snatched my hand away from him in disgust and pushed past him, ignoring Axel calling my name.