Chapter 3

“An intimate setting?” Oriel asked, confused, though his heart felt light with giddy anticipation. He had expected to wait months for Nicolae to find him a mate, not days. And to find out the female Nicolae had chosen had agreed to the arranged ceremony?

He sank onto the bench beside his grandfather to ward off the overwhelming realization that he was going to have a mate. Very soon.

“She is uncomfortable with the idea of an audience,” Nicolae explained as he tossed seeds to the Ichor Knell ravens fluttering by in the gardens. The birds devoured them hungrily. “A timid beauty, I like to call her. Close family only. She does not care for the entire Covaci line to attend the ceremony.”

Oriel was dumbfounded. He didn’t care if only two people attended the ceremony if need be. Elation and disbelief and nervousness churned inside him at the idea of obtaining a mate through an arranged union.

“Who is she?” he couldn’t help but ask eagerly.

“You had me swear I wouldn’t tell you.” Nicolae chuckled. “I plan to uphold my promise. You will find out soon. The ceremony will be held a week from today. No ball to celebrate. No dinner party to congratulate. She doesn’t want the attention.”

Nodding, he tapped his foot anxiously. “She’s timid, then?”

“Something of the sort. Beautiful. Smart. Talented. But I will tell you no more.”

He tapped his foot again, drying his sweating palms on his trousers. But his heart continued its nervous fluttering. In only a week, he would have a mate. He swore to himself he would do everything in his power to secure his mystery maiden’s happiness. No matter who she was. No matter what she looked like. No matter her countenance. He swore to make her feel happy and loved.

“And…she is not offended that I don’t wish to see her face until after the ceremony?”

Nicolae tossed another handful of seeds. “I do not believe so.”

He chewed on his bottom lip as his foot thumped against the ground. “Perhaps I can make a guest list and you can give it to her for approval?”

“A fine idea.”

Not able to hold back his anxious excitement, he stood and bowed to his grandfather, before he materialized into hundreds of small, silver flakes and found himself standing outside the palace only moments later. Materializing was a vampire skill he had honed, receiving instruction from Nicolae himself. At age one hundred and fifty, he had been able to do it. At age two hundred, he had been able to carry passengers, which was uncommon for a vampire his age. However, he preferred flying in his swallow form to materializing.

As he made his way toward the library, he greeted other nobles and friends alike, his impatience growing thinner with each new social obstacle. To his dismay, as he finally entered the library, he found Laurel perusing the bookshelves. But even as he tried skirting around her view, she spotted him and immediately lit up.

“Oriel! I heard you have some very big news.” She smiled slyly. A flush crept up the back of his neck.

“You did? How? And how many people know?”

He worried over the information reaching public ears. What if his mystery maiden became spooked before the ceremony and decided to back out?

“Don’t worry.” She rolled her eyes. “Grandfather swore me to secrecy. Are you looking forward to your ceremony?”

“Yes,” he breathed. “Do you know who she is?”

She shook her head, and they sat together at a desk so he could write out a guest list. His flush remained. He was dying to know who his new mate would be. Could he write to her? Would Nicolae permit it? Would she receive his letter with joy? Would she write back? If he couldn’t see her face, he would settle for her handwriting.

“Our grandfather refused to tell me who your mate would be,” she continued as she leafed through one of her three books currently open in front of her. “But only a week from today! Oriel, this is a big deal.”

“I know.” He grinned as his quill scribbled names on a piece of parchment. Of course, he wanted to invite the twins, Andrei and Livia, his cousins who were both his best friends and notorious for mischief. They were a handful. But they could behave at a ceremony. Or at least he thought.

He added Nicolae, Laurel, and Zachariah but then bit his lip as he pondered whether the list contained too many people. And even more worrisome was he wanted to add more. Of course, he also had to invite Dracula, as their shah was now his kin through Laurel and Zachariah.

He included seven more names to the list before he frowned and crossed them out again. An intimate ceremony should only include those in his closest circle.

There!

He leaned back with a satisfied smile. Six people on the guest list. A half dozen wasn’t too many, was it? He almost suspected an “intimate setting” would more likely include the Diviner, both Oriel and his future mate, and then perhaps parents. But he had no parents, or at least he had no idea where his father was or if he was even alive. And Laurel would never forgive him if he didn’t invite her and Zachariah. Nicolae’s attendance was a given. Surely, his mystery maiden would be satisfied with this?

With her in mind, he began drafting a letter, willing his hand not to shake with eager anticipation. He wasn’t entirely sure what to say. But he wanted to say something. He would be mated to this female for the rest of his life, after all.

Dear Mystery Maiden, I cannot begin to express how much I look forward to our ceremony. I know this is not the most conventional way to obtain a mate for either of us, but you must know I eagerly look forward to meeting you face-to-face for the first time.

I have enclosed a guest list with this letter. As you seem to know, I have an extremely large family. I hope this list finds your satisfaction. Although, if there are too many people still, please inform Nicolae, and I will make adjustments.

Eagerly awaiting your reply, Oriel Covaci

The letter wasn’t too forward, was it? It was still very possible to drive her away before the ceremony even happened if he wasn’t careful.

“You look happy,” Laurel commented teasingly. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”

“Hush,” he said, rolling his eyes as he folded the letter into thirds and stamped it with the Covaci seal. He didn’t want anyone reading the letter other than his future mate. “Just remember that if you seek to embarrass me, I have plenty stored up to embarrass you about in retaliation. Such as when Zachariah ran around with a love bite on his neck only a month before your ceremony.”

She gasped and covered her face with her hands as a deep-red blush filled her cheeks. “I thought no one else saw besides Dracula!”

“Oh, plenty of people saw it.” He grinned triumphantly at his successful attempt to embarrass her. “I must say, I was thoroughly astounded. You didn’t seem like the type.”

“Stop it!” she cried, smacking him hard in the shoulder. He kicked her leg underneath the table, and she pinched his arm so hard he winced.

He rose from the table, and before she managed to hit him again, he pulled her hair and snickered as he dodged out of the way of her attempt to trip him. He saluted to her and quickly ducked out of the library, eager to give his letter to his mystery maiden as soon as possible. At this time of day, Nicolae would probably be in his personal library. There were few things Nicolae loved more than books—a trait Laurel had inherited. In fact, there were several books in Dracula’s personal study Nicolae had been coveting for years.

Sure enough, Oriel found Nicolae, but he wasn’t alone. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he noted the shoulder-length black hair and the deep violet eyes. A Dragomir. Lucian Dragomir, to be precise. What was he doing here?

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Oriel bowed but found it difficult to mask his confusion. He inclined his head to Lucian. “Your Grace.”

Lucian smiled, his fangs showing as he, too, inclined his head to accept the gesture. Many of the Dragomirs always bared their fangs, Lucian among them. “Your grandfather was just telling me about a specific arrangement you have requested.”

Oriel shot Nicolae a glare. “If you tell Dracula next, all of Ichor Knell will be privy to this information.”

Both Nicolae and Lucian chuckled, sharing a look. Nicolae answered. “I plan to tell him the day of the ceremony. You’ve put together a guest list?”

Nodding, he handed the letter to his mystery maiden to Nicolae. “It’s enclosed inside. I tried my best to limit the number of guests. Do you think six people will be too many? I don’t want to overwhelm her.”

“We shall see. Am I to assume the twins are on the list?”

“Yes.” He smirked. “If she can’t handle the twins, then this union will be off to a very rocky start. She seems to know who I am if she’s accepted the proposition. Therefore, she surely must know about the twins.”

Lucian laughed, the sound bellowing deep in his belly. “I don’t think there’s a single soul in all of Ichor Knell who doesn’t know about the twins. They are the only vampire twins to exist to our knowledge, after all.”

Oriel couldn’t help but study His Grace. He was quite a mystery. He had seen him at only a handful of balls and perhaps a couple of feasts. Lucian had ten children to the best of his knowledge, although he didn’t know all of them, nor did he know many of his grandchildren. The Dragomirs usually kept to themselves. A very curious family, indeed.

“You are truly fine with not even knowing who your future mate is until after the ceremony?” Lucian asked, a look of curiosity in his eyes.

“I will love her and care for her no matter who she is.” Oriel’s foot began tapping the ground as he became nervous with anticipation. Perhaps it was time to leave before he could make a nervous fool of himself. “It’s been a pleasure, Your Grace. Grandfather.”

He exited with a bow, quickly becoming a mess of nerves as he sought out the twins. Soon, his future mate would receive his letter, and if he was lucky, he might get a reply.

He ventured into the courtyard only to find it in complete disarray. His eyes widened as he took in the overturned benches, the uprooted shrubs, and the half-dozen barricades made of wood.

“Watch out!” Livia cried, and out of nowhere, a large mass of female tackled him to the ground just as a clod of mud shot over his head. She spit out a mouthful of sod, her blonde braids dangling over her shoulders as she lifted her head over the barricade to glare at her twin. “You oaf! Now I have secured an ally. Together, we will destroy you!”

She clumped together a ball of mud as if it were snow and returned fire, and soon, mud flew in all directions. Oriel shielded his eyes to prevent himself from being blinded.

“You will never win, Liv!” Andrei called back as the air was mud-free for several short moments. Oriel attempted to escape by crawling from the cover of the barricade, but the moment he was in the open, Andrei threw a clump of mud, which hit him directly in the forehead.

“He’s a deserter!” Livia yelled. “Get him!”

He flinched as mud now came from both sides, pelting him in the side, the legs, and he barely managed to shield his head. He scrambled behind a wooden barrier, but it wasn’t large enough to protect him from the attacks. The mud covered him from head to toe.

He growled and grabbed a handful of mud and threw it, watching as it arched through the air and hit Nicolae directly in the shoulder. All remaining mud dropped from his hand as his eyes widened and the mud fight ceased. Just his luck. Laurel didn’t believe he had bad luck, but he did. He truly did.

“Are you quite finished?” Nicolae brushed the mud from his white clothing with a flick of his wrist. “Twins, I will not tolerate the courtyard in such disarray. You will revert it to the way it once was by the end of the day. And Oriel, go get cleaned up. You look like a disaster.”

With a grimace, he watched as his grandfather stepped over a pile of mud and continued on his way.

Andrei and Livia snickered, elbowing each other before Andrei smashed his sister’s face into a heap of sludge. For being just over a hundred, they were incredibly immature. It was any wonder Oriel fit in with them so well.

“I joined the fight at the wrong time,” he muttered to himself. “Perhaps tomorrow will be less eventful.”

“Don’t count on it,” Livia cackled as he made his way to the door leading into the castle.

Brown sludge dripped into his eyes, obscuring his view of the path ahead. Which way led to the nearest washroom? He really couldn’t see much of anything, and he felt guilty for leaving a muddy track wherever he stepped.

“Here,” a soft female voice said, startling him out of his thoughts.

He felt something soft being pressed into his hand, and he recognized it as a cloth. “Thank you.” He wiped his eyes first, but when he glanced toward the female, he found her facing away from him, clutching a lavender shawl around her head as if to conceal her face and hair. Who was she? Certainly not a servant, as she dressed in fine silver clothing with lavender-colored slippers to match her shawl. She even smelled like lavender. He liked the smell a lot. It reminded him of a summer field he’d visited with Laurel years ago.

He shrugged it off and continued wiping the mud from his face. “Honestly, I believe I have rotten luck. You didn’t happen to see, did you?”

“I did.”

“Exactly. Story of my life.” He chuckled, finding humor in his misery. “The twins can make as much mischief as they please, and the moment I do one little thing, I’m the one who gets the blame. Do you think there’s a possibility I might be cursed?”

The female pressed her shawl tighter around herself, leaning away from him as if she wanted to flee. “Perhaps we are all cursed in one way or another.”

He smiled. “Very wise words. Though, I fear I must have done something to anger the gods. I have found myself in a position to have to put the reins in someone else’s hands who has been kissed by the gods himself. Perhaps it will fix my bad luck where it matters.” The cloth was completely muddied, and he sighed as he glanced down at his still-mud-covered clothing. At least he could now see. That counted for something. “I apologize. I have completely soiled your cloth. If I may have your name, I can send it back to you when it’s clean—”

His words trailed off as he watched her turn and flee down the opposite end of the corridor. His brows knitted together in confusion. Had he said something wrong?