Vampire King Chapter 24

CA Letter From the King
Emory
+25 BONUS
It’s almost dinner time. But I’m not going back to the dining room today. I haven’t been told by King Kane that it’s okay for me to s*** again. Maybe I need his permission. Maybe I don’t.
I figure, if he wants me to know I should be there, he can come and tell me. And if he realizes he wants me there after dinner has started, well, he can send someone for me. I’ll just tell them I’m not feeling well.
Either that, or I will show up at dinner wearing my baggy T-shirt and joggers.
For most of the day, I’ve sat in the reading area with a book on my lap not looking at the words. Nellie asked me if I wanted to go to the library. She says it’s spectacular, with hundreds of thousands of books, and plenty of comfy areas to sit and read a book. There’s even a loft with a lovely view out the window of the lake on the east side of the castle.
It did sound nice, but I’m not going anywhere. If my job now is to hang around the castle until the king or one of his noble people is ready to feed on me, then that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ll stay in my room and wait. I’m not doing anything wrong this way. And if I was still in the feeders’ dungeon, I’d be doing the same thing. At least then I’d have other feeders to speak to.
My mind goes over everything Rainer said to me earlier in the day, and I hope he’s right. I wish I could confide in Nellie, but I would feel so s**d telling her what happened after the conversation we had yesterday. It’s better if I just keep this to myself.
I wonder if Kane will ever apologize. I doubt it. He will probably just find another feeder, another woman that he wants to have sex with. It would probably be better than coming to me to say that he’s sorry.
With nothing to do, I am wondering how Lola is and wishing that I could see her, hear her voice. I am second guessing all of my choices in this world. I am wondering if Opal has a shoe print on her face and how she will get back at me for the way I embarrassed her yesterday.
My thoughts are interrupted when I notice a bright red piece of paper lying on the floor near the door.
It catches me off guard. How long has it been lying there? I don’t remember seeing it when I walked over here an hour or so ago, but then, I wasn’t really looking at the floor. Nellie and Helga cleaned up after lunch and then left a few hours ago, saying they’d bring me dinner later, so if it had been lying there when they were in here, they would’ve picked it up, right?
I wonder if one of them dropped it when they left, but I don’t even know if they went out this door or the one that leads to their room.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I go over to pick it up.
It’s a note.
Handwritten with thick black ink, it’s short and to the point. I take it back over to where I was sitting and drop down next to my book to read it over.
“Dearest Emory,
Please meet me in the library in the loft at 3:00 AM. I want to make last night up to you.”
K.”
A Letter From the Mana
Puzzled, I turn the paper over and over again. That’s it. That’s all it says. It makes no sense to me. Why would he leave me a note instead of just telling me what he wants me to do? It’s not like Kane is the sort of person to beat around the bush.
It is possible he’s chosen to do it this way as part of his grand gesture to show me that he’s sorry? I don’t know, but the situation seems a little strange to me. And why 3 00 in the morning?
I have no idea what to think of any of it, but I’m so absorbed in trying to figure it out, I don’t hear Helga and Nellie come in until Nellie’s voice says, “What you got there, dear?”
I nearly jump out of my skin. Turning around, I see her approaching from behind me, peering over the couch.
Hastily, I shove the paper into my book. “Oh, uh, just a bookmark,” I tell her. I don’t think it’s any of her business what it is. I don’t even know if I’m going to go. What would the king do then, if I didn’t show up to his invitation?
I stand up and walk over to where Helga is setting my dinner up. “That smells good,” I tell
“Pork chops, potatoes, and mixed vegetables,” Helga announces.
“With apple pie for dessert!” Nellie smiles at me. “With whipped cream!”
I can’t help but smile back at her. She’s trying to make me feel better, and I do appreciate it. “I’ll just go wash my hands,” I say and head to the restroom.
When I come back a few moments later, Nellie has my book in her hands. I narrow my gaze at her, but I don’t ask. Was she reading the note?
She sets the book on the coffee table and picks up a throw pillow to fluff it. “Just tidying up, dear,” she says with a smile that looks a bit guilty to me.
I nod and head to the table to enjoy my dinner. As awful as I’ve felt for most of the day today, I am hungry. I decide to enjoy my food and not worry about Kane for now.
The maids clean while I eat, and when I’m done, they take the tray away. “Will there be anything else?”
Nellie asks me
I shake my head. “No. I’ll probably just read a little and then go to bed early.”
She nods, but I see doubt in her eyes. It’s like she can see right through me. “All right, dear. Let us know if you need anything. Otherwise… goodnight. And… stay safe.” She gives me a pointed look, and I have to wonder if she thinks there’s something going on.
But then, I managed to get myself into trouble without even leaving my room the day before, so maybe she doesn’t need to know about the note to warn me to stay safe. I’m pretty sure they’ve figured out by now that I’m not actually on my period. I haven’t used any other pads today. I’m not about to cut myself in a castle full of vampires just to fake my period.
Once they are gone, I do try to read for a bit longer, but I can’t stop thinking about the note. Am I going to go? Why does he want me to go? What’s going to happen when I get there? If he apologizes, will I forgive hima
I’m pretty sure I know the answer to that last question, but that doesn’t mean I should be so fast to
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A Letter From the
forgive and forget. He put me through a lot of pain for absolutely no reason. All he needed to do was ask a simple question and/or give a simple explanation.
A couple of hours after the maids leave, I decide to go to bed, leaving it to fate. If I fall asleep and manage to wake up in the middle of the night in time to get ready and go to the library, then I will take it that the Moon Goddess has this in store for my life.
If I sleep right through, then I will know that I am not meant to go.
And if I cannot sleep at all and just lie there for hours staring at the calling, feeling like a tortured soul, then I will get up in time to get dressed and head to the library.
With the moonlight reflecting off of the white ceiling of my room, I do finally fall asleep, but not for long. and when I wake up and glance at the clock, I see that it’s 2:12.
That gives me plenty of time to get up, get dressed, and go to the library to see what it is that King Kane
wants.
in start getting ready. I shower Sighing, I push the blankets off of my legs and head to the bathroom quickly, put my hair up in a twist with a gold clip I find in one of the drawers, and put on some still not that good at it, but I’m getting better.
makeup. I’m
I put on some nice lacy blue lingerie and then go to the closet to pick out a dress. I find a black one and decide that it will look nice on me, and I can manage the zipper by myself, not that I would mind having Kane unzip me again. I decide on some black heels that have no straps that are easy to get in and out of When I am finally all ready to go, I head to the library with about five minutes to spare. I’m not exactly sure which way it is at first, but then I see a landmark that Rainer pointed out to me, and I turn that way. My heels are loud on the marble tile as I walk through the dark, deserted hallways.
I reach the library door and pull it open, peeking my head inside.
The room is huge, and I can’t help but gasp at how beautiful it is. Even with the lights off, I can see most everything as the moonlight pours in through a giant, circular skylight in the top of the room, with crystal cut glass that creates dancing prisms that bounce off the walls and bookshelves. A huge crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of the room as well, catching the light and casting rainbows off the other surfaces.
The bookshelves reach all the way to the ceiling, which has to be at least three stories high. The fine wooden carvings remind me of my door. The place smells like paper and book glue, which invites me in.
Walking across the room, I see all sorts of cozy places to curl up with a book-Nellie was right. The seating options are endless, some by fireplaces, others near windows with lovely outside views, and I can’t picture a more amazing place could ever exist.
I see the ladder that leads up to the loft. I can only imagine how amazing that place must be based on how the rest of the room charms me. I don’t sense that Kane is here just yet, but I have to think he must be coming soon,
With my heels on, I have to be careful as I ascend the ladder. I take it slowly, keeping my dress gathered out of the way as well.
At the top, I step onto a solid wooden floor with a railing that almost reaches my waist. The view of the library is nice, but when I turn to look out the window, I can see the lake sparkling in the moonlight, and it
A Letter From the King
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truly is one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever taken in.
The loft has a few seating choices, including a couch and a chaise lounge. The books up here look to be well loved as the covers are worn and the binding doesn’t appear to be solid. I can only imagine how many people have called this their special place over the centuries.
The sound of someone climbing the ladder has my heart sk**ing a beat and my throat restricting in anticipation. But even before I see a head pop above the surface of the floor, I know something is wrong.
I don’t have to see the man’s face to know that it isn’t Kane. Instinctively, I back away from the ladder. But it’s the only way up or down except for a long jump to the library floor below. I pray it’s a friend, someone I can trust, someone who’s just come to tell me the king is running late.
And then, he steps onto the loft floor, and my worst fears are staring me in the face.
“Hello, feeder,” he growls.
I have to be strong and brave, so I look him right in the eye and say, “Hello, Your Majesty.”