Chapter 89 Arrival.
The morning light, filtered through the grime of our hotel room window. We had woken up early just to make our escape before the vampires finds us. I watched Camille as she moved about the room with a determined look wiping every supposed smell of us. That too is strange, but i didn't point it out. I just kept watching.
It was still a shock to me. For almost a month now, she had been my housemaid. A disaster for a housemaid, but she was my housemaid all the same. But now, she is the princess of the vampires whos being chased by her own people for refusing a union her father wants to force her into.
"Josh, are you ready? We need to move now," Camille whispered drawing me out of my thoughts.
I checked the weight of the silver-tipped dagger I’d tucked into my waistband. Camille had handed it to me earlier to protect myself. Ive never used a knife before or any other weapon, but I gripped it anyway. Unlike Camille I was human, but as I watched her, a strange, possessive ache thrummed in my chest.
I knew she was a vampire. I knew she could probably rip a car door off its hinges. But every instinct I had told me to step in front of her. To protect her. It was a ridiculous thought, yet it was the only thing keeping my legs from shaking as we slipped out of the hotel and into the biting morning air.
I should have been angry. She had effectively detonated my life. My company and my comfortable routine were all gone. But as we hailed a cab, headed for a private airfield to escape the vampires closing in, I realized I didn't care. My old life had been a slow death of board meetings and spreadsheets. This? This was the first time I had ever felt truly alive.
The flight to California was a blur of high-altitude tension. Camille sat rigid in her seat, staring out at the clouds, while I tried to wrap my head around the fact that vampires were real. My mind kept trying to reject it, but then I’d look at the pale curve of her neck and the way her eyes caught the light, and the reality would hit me all over again.
When we finally arrived at her brother's estate hours later, my jaw nearly hit the gravel of the driveway. I had money, but this was something else entirely. It wasn't just a house; it was a castle, tucked behind iron gates and hidden by dense, manicured foliage.
"Holy shit," I muttered, looking up at the beautiful building.
"Stay close," Camille warned as we walked deeper into the place. I tried to ignore the drumming of my heart.
The place was crawling with guards. They stood like statues dressed in black and wearing black sunglasses. I found myself staring at them, wondering if they were like her.
Were they all vampires? Did they have fangs tucked behind those stoic expressions? I felt like a lamb walking into a wolf’s den, and I gripped my bag tighter.
At the main entrance, the guards stepped forward, blocking our path with a synchronized, mechanical precision. They didn't recognize Camille—or they chose not to. Their hands moved toward their weapons, and I felt my pulse skyrocket. I stepped half a pace in front of Camille, my hand hovering near my waist, ready to do something stupid and heroic.
"Let her through!" a voice boomed from the shadows of the arched entryway.
A man stepped out into the light, and for a second, I forgot to breathe. He was strikingly handsome, with features that looked like they’d been carved from marble. But it was his hair that caught me off guard—it was unusually long, flowing down his back like a curtain of dark silk.
"Princess Camille?" The man breathed, his expression shattering into one of pure shock. "You're alive?"
Before she could answer, the man closed the distance and swept her into a powerful hug. I stood there, feeling suddenly very small and very human. A sharp, ugly green monster of jealousy reared its head in my gut. Who was this guy? The way they held each other... it felt intimate. Too intimate. I shifted my weight, glaring at the back of his head, wondering if his long hair would make it easier or harder to tackle him if I had to.
Camille eventually pulled back, her face flushed. "Lysander, it's good to see you again. I'm glad you arrived here safely."
He smiled warmly. "Im glad you also found your way here your highness."
She sighed heavily. "Well I had to. There’s a problem. I have to see Domenic. Immediately."
Lysander’s expression turned solemn. He nodded, but then his eyes flickered to me for the first time. I couldn't understand the color of his eyes. They look brown and red at the same time. He's definitely a vampire.
He looked me up and down, clearly wondering what a human was doing in the princess's company, but he said nothing. He simply turned and gestured for us to follow.
"This way," he said.
I followed behind them, my mind spinning. I wanted to demand to know who he was to her. Was he a bodyguard? A former lover? A cousin?but the oppressive silence of the mansion kept my mouth shut. We climbed a grand staircase and moved down a hallway lined with portraits that seemed to watch our every move.
Lysander stopped at a set of heavy double doors and pushed them open without knocking.
I froze at the entrance, my face heating up instantly. Inside the room, a man—who could only be Domenic had a woman pinned against a desk. They were deeply involved in a passionate kiss.
Lysander cleared his throat and looked away shyly, an uncharacteristic bashfulness crossing his face. Camille, however, stood there with a look of pure amusement, her arms crossed. I just felt awkward, like I’d walked into the wrong bathroom.
Domenic pulled away, his green eyes flashing with a predatory amber light as he glared at the intruders. No one needed to tell me for me to know that this is Domenic Darkshadow, prince of the vampires and also a very powerful man. His stance says it all. The woman, immediately hid her face in the crook of his neck, her cheeks burning a bright pink.
"Lysander," Domenic growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "I believe I told you I wasn't to be disturbed."
He looked ready to snap Lysander’s neck, but then his gaze shifted to the side. He saw Camille and the anger vanished, replaced by a deep, dark frown.
"Camille?" he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Why are you here? You were supposed to be hiding somewhere in the human world and not in my house. How did you even find me?"
Camille stepped forward, a teasing smirk on her lips despite the gravity of our situation. "Is that any way to greet your elder sister, Dom?" She glanced at the woman. "And hello, Kate. You look lovely, as always."
Kate peered out from Domenic’s chest. Her brown eyes were innocent and she looks flustered. She doesn't seem like a vampire. Is she human too?
she gave a shy, hesitant wave and mumbled. "Hi, Camille."
"We have something important to talk about," Camille said, her voice turning sharp and serious.
Domenic straightened his shirt, his protective arm still draped firmly around Kate’s waist. "What is it?."
"Giron found me," Camille said without hesitation and everyone in the room stiffened including Kate.
The name seemed to suck the air out of the room. Domenis's grip on Kate tightened.
"They’re coming, Domenic," Camille continued. "Soon they will find us. We both know we’ve wronged Giron and the Council. They won't stop until we're both punished."
Domenic looked down at Kate. I saw the raw fear in her eyes. How the hell is she involved with these sort of powerful vampires and what's her role in all of this.
Domenic pulled her closer, his expression hardening into something terrifying. "I won't let them have their way," he vowed, his voice vibrating with a terrifying stillness. "I'll kill every last one of them before they get within a mile of this house. Grion should be thankful I spared him last time."
Then, for the first time, his eyes landed on me. He looked at me with the same disdain one might look at a stray cat.
"And who is this?" Domenic asked, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "It seems my sister finally found herself a toy."
Kate glared at him. "Be nice Domenic!"
What the hell! Did he just call me a toy?
"He is not a toy, Domenic!" she snapped, her eyes flashing red. "Josh is a human I want to protect. He saved my life and amost got killed because of me. He's in danger now because of me, so he stays with me!"
Domenic let out a short, bark-like laugh. He looked between Camille and I. His smirk widening like he knew something we don't.
"I see," Domenic murmured, his gaze lingering on me with newfound curiosity. "Your first time in the human world and you've already got someone in trouble."
Kate gave me a sympathetic look. "Sorry, Josh. Domenic is usually a dick. Its nice to meet you."
I smiled at her while Domenic glared. "Careful kitty. Your mouthy attitude might land you in trouble."
She rolled her eyes while Camille made a puking sound. "Don't make me throw up Domenic!"
Domenic smirked, but his expression turned serious again. "Lysander, have the men prepare a room for them. We all need to rest while we can. If Giron is coming, we need to be ready for an attack at any moment."
Camille and I followed Lysander out of the room, and I wondered what my life would be like from now on.