Chapter 52: 52__Escaping locked rooms

Rogan shook off Zainab’s arm like it was made of crap and pushed open the doors to Aiden’s private room, stalking inside.

With a sigh, he kicked a footstool out of his way and dropped down onto the sofa. “Get Aiden in here, I don’t have time.”

Carefully closing the doors and secretly locking them, the princess walked towards Rogan, stopping just before him. “He’ll be along in a moment.”

Rogan gave her a bored look. “It’s urgent and yet he’s making me wait? I thought he was sick or something.”

Zainab smiled sweetly. “Don't be silly, babe. My brother doesn't get sick anymore, remember? He gets injured, but not sick. The fairy made a spell—”

“Stop wasting my fucking time, princess,” he muttered darkly.

At his words, a different look entered her eyes. A look Rogan had seen in those icy blues before. He tensed.

Oh, not again.

Zainab’s lips parted and she stared down at him with unhidden craving.

“Rogan…”

“Oh, for hell’s sake.”

Looking bizarrely feverish for one with a Gemini soul of ice, she approached him until the bottom of her gown touched the tips of his shoes. “I wish… you’d speak to me roughly like that… and call me ‘Princess’ like that more often.”

Rogan pursed his lips tightly. “Have you gone mad?”

“I wish…” Zainab continued. “You’d use all your royal Vampire charms on me and strip me of my defences until I’m willing to do anything for you!”

Sighing tiredly, Rogan reined in his urges. Control. He needed control.

“I get so cold…” she whispered. “It’s like the ice in my soul also flows in my veins. No man, Rogan… has ever made me feel warm. Not until you! Please… make me feel warm.”

Rogan closed his eyes. He had to control himself. He couldn’t do it!

He couldn’t kill her, she was the princess of Geminor!

Concentrating, he reeled in the murderous thoughts in his mind as well as he could. He had to get out of this room without turning her into ashes. Aiden probably wouldn’t appreciate Rogan smoking his sister.

Getting more desperate and slowly losing her composure, Zainab grabbed the left shoulder of her dress and dragged it down her arm, exposing the richly glowing, caramel tanned flesh of her neck and shoulder. “Here… you can bite me if you want. Isn’t that what Vampires like?”

Rogan scoffed. Vampires? The fucking insult.

He raised a finger, his eyes still closed in concentration and his jaw clenching. “Quiet. I’m trying… *very* hard… to not slit your throat. So shut up.” Figuring that Aiden probably wasn’t coming, he stood, piercing Zainab with a dark look. “Move.”

She looked up at him and, before Rogan could decipher her thoughts, she snatched the glasses off his face. “Let me see your eyes,” she whispered. “And the desire you feel for me.”

Rogan’s hand rose, a green power forming in his palm as his control began to slip. “See this? It’s green, so it won’t kill you. But the more you piss me off, the quicker it turns purple. I said… *move*.”

Zainab bit her lip, her eyes flashing with anger. With fierce determination, she yanked away the other strap of her dress, letting the gown fall to the floor so she could stand nearly naked before him.

“Look at me…” she said, the haughtiness in her voice nearly tangible. “Aren’t I better than that little forest breed you picked up in some ditch?! You, Rogan… you can have me. Please… have me.”

The corner of his top lip twitched with anger as he stared into her eyes. “Forest breed?” With obvious precision, Rogan swept his gaze down the length of her body and returned it to her face. “I have no fucking idea what you think you have to offer. Because I would choose that ‘forest breed’ over any of *this* … any fucking day of the week.”

“W-what—”

Pushing past her, he carelessly threw the power he held in his palm over his shoulder, unbothered when it landed on her head.

It sizzled and sparked and Zainab’s hair immediately caught on fire! Her sharp screams pierced the air, but Rogan kept walking, ripping open the door she had locked and stalking out into the hallway.

Aiden was marching towards the room, his brows drawn together in concern. “Why is Zainab screaming? Rogan, what happened?”

Annoyed, Rogan pointed back at the room he’d just left. “Look, I don’t know what kind of books your little sister has been reading, but she’s horny as hell! Either she’s been possessed by a succubus or you’re keeping too short a leash on her! Get her a goddamn lover, for fuck’s sake!”

Blinking in confusion, Aiden watched Rogan stalk away and hurried to his sister.

“Zainab!”

“Get out, I’m naked!” she screeched.

“Your hair’s on fire!!” Aiden yelled.

“I said, I’m naked!”

“Well, why the fuck are you in naked in the first place?!”

Rogan rolled his eyes as he walked away. He was so done with her bratty ways.

Still. He nodded with pride. He’d been able to curb the urge to break her neck so that was one thing to be glad about.

**********

The girls stood in the room, half sighing in disbelief and half vibrating with rage. The disbelief was mostly made of Maia and Clover, the rage led by Cassidy and Claudia.

“Let me break down that door,” murmured Cassie, her eyes flashing.

“No,” said Cecile, shaking her head. “Let’s not give them anything to use against us and say we lack class and all that jazz.”

Clover pouted, looking down at her gown. “So they… really hate us, huh? We’re just filth to them even if… even if we’re wearing such pretty clothes?”

Cecile took her hand. “No, Clove, they just—”

“They hate our guts, Clove!” said Cassie bluntly. “I knew something like this would happen! The royals of Geminor are never to be trusted! After all, they have the blood of their evil father in their veins! I’m going to wring that little bitch’s neck!”

Gulping at the violent words, Maia went over to the door they entered by and put an ear against it.

“I should fly over her best carriage when she’s shopping, and drop poop on it, in front everyone,” murmured Cecile.

“You’re a strictly nocturnal bird, Cecile,” said Cleo quietly.

Maia gasped. “Guys, there’s someone here.”

They all approached, Cassie raising a fist to bang on the door.

Maia caught it, whispering, “Don’t. It’s probably guards put here to watch us.”

“More reason why I should grind their bones into seasoning powder for my meat,” said Cassie.

Maia shook her head. “No, Cecile is right. It’ll just give the royals more to say.”

“I don’t care, Maia, I just want to rip them all to pieces right now—”

“I know, I know, but…” Maia looked pointedly at Claudia. “Why don’t we try a different method?”

Claudia raised her brows. “What?”

Maia smiled. “In one of my favorite adventure novels, the heroine once charmed her way out of prison. I think… you could do it, Claudia.”

Cecile gasped, looking at Claudia. “Oh, right! I forget that you’re a Gemini seductress.”

Claudia pursed her lips. “I probably could do it.”

Cassie waved at the door. “Go on then. Plan B is that we smash the door down and break their bones.”

Nodding slowly, Claudia put down her little hand bag. “Alright then.”

Cleo crossed her arms. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.”

Cracking her knuckles, Claudia closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, tilting back her head.

Maia watched closely, it being her first time seeing Claudia transform.

It was as magical as a Gemini soul transformation could be. Maia watched as Claudia’s short blonde curls darkened, turning black and lengthening all the way down her back, the curly ringlets bouncing against her bottom.

She raised her arms, running her hands through the hair and Maia saw her nails lengthen, their color becoming a glossy red.

By the time Claudia lowered her head and opened her now sharp, cat-green eyes, she’d turned into a walking seduction.

“Well then…” she purred, her red lips curving into a smile.

Maia’s mouth fell open. The sound of the Seductress’ voice alone was enough to kick-start arousal in anyone who heard it. And that’s why Cleo gently pressed her hands over Maia’s human ears.

“God, she’d be locked up if that was her usual form,” Cecile murmured.

Cassie nodded in agreement as they stared, never failing to become entranced whenever they saw Claudia’s Seductress appear.

The prowling goddess-like woman slowly walked to the doors, placing one graceful hand on it.

“Darling,” she called, her voice dripping with honey. “Won’t you open up for me?”

A little square in the middle of the door slid to the side with a smack, a wide-eyed face appearing in the space as the guard peered into the room. “W-who was th—”

The Seductress tilted her head towards the open square hole, putting herself in his view. The guard’s jaw went slack and he gaped.

Maia thought she saw some drool gather.

“Open up, darling…” the Seductress said, her eyes hypnotizing the poor man.

Swallowing hard, he started to nod. “Y-yes—”

A sudden punch took him out.

The women gasped as the large fist flashed by the little square hole, catching the guard on the jaw and knocking his lights out.

There was a moment of silence and then a pair of red eyes appeared in the square hole.

The Seductress blinked. “Hello, handsome.”

“Hello there, pretty lady,” answered the man. “A Seductress, huh? Exactly my type!”

Cassie frowned, easing Claudia's Seductress aside. “Who the hell are you?”

“Me?” asked the man with a charmingly raised brow. “Well, I’m the sexiest man alive. Who are you?”

“Syre, move,” muttered a dark voice. “Whatever the fuck happened to your shyness?”

The red-eyed man disappeared and then moments later, the door was ripped open. In the doorway stood a shockingly stunning creature, his glowing green eyes staring at them from behind curly, black bangs, but his beauty very obvious even through his veil-like hair.

Cassie slowly stepped back, her eyes widening. “V… Vampires…”

The red-eyed one appeared besides the green-eyed one with a cheerful smile. “Hello, girls,” he greeted. “You can call me Syre.” He nodded at the silent, intimidating one who’d ripped the door open. “He’s Vlad.”

The one called Vlad had no time for pleasantries. Stepping into the room, he stared darkly at the girls. “Which one of you is the human?”