Queens and Monsters: A Vampire Shifter Romance (The Blood Falls Book 1)

“You’ll need to dress around five for the ceremony,” Seema said as she fiddled with the train of my gown. It hung on display in my traditional closet. It was white with a high neckline, long sleeves, a low back, and lace on the edges. The train was four feet long.

Antyne Axl really loved clothes and traditions.

“I’ll be right here studying until then.” I felt like I’d read more in the last couple of days than I had all semester, and there was still so much to go.

“Enjoy what you can of the afternoon.” She excused herself. There would be a lot of work ahead of her to prepare for the ceremonies and guests arriving. Originally I pictured a repeat of my first night in the big dining hall, except this time with a crown on my head. And that wasn’t all wrong, I just needed to double everything. Twice as many people, twice the formality, twice the attention.

I mostly put it out of my head because there was nothing I could do about it. I had no control over what happened or even if it happened. Why waste my energy on it? Instead I focused on what I could: learning as much about the Axl house and family as possible. A lot of what I was given was old family history. I now knew more about the Copper, Bronze, and Iron Ages and how families migrated from the Steppes, through Europe, and beyond. The House of Axl traced its lineage from where it diverged with other parts of the family during the Empire of the Hittites. In the following centuries they lived in Eastern and then Western Europe before migrating to North America with the other Houses that lived here today.

I was just finishing up a chapter on the rules of turning humans and the origin of the word Dreg. During the Industrial Revolution there was another war between the Houses and House of Axl decided to add to their number by turning humans and making those that survived into soldiers. They found drunks, criminals, the poor—the dregs of society no one would miss—and turned them whether they agreed or not.

Naturally this led to a backlash from both the human and samhain worlds. The consequences rippled throughout the Houses who felt they had no choice but to lay low until the urban legends died down. The House of Axl was blacklisted. They earned their way back by promising to never turn an unwilling human again.

Well, that’s what the document said. I had a feeling there was a lot more to that story. But it got me thinking about the turned humans living in the dormitory. Other than a few house servants who gave off a similar but not quite as intense cold vibe, I almost never saw them.

And that’s when I had a terrible idea.

 Would anyone really notice if I took a quick tour of the dorms? Maybe, but probably not. Everyone pretty much left me alone. So I reached out to see if there was anyone nearby. All activity was concentrated on tonight’s ceremony. It was the perfect time to do some research.

First I shifted to the outside of the lab where I first spotted the dormitory. Then when I had a view of a nice shadowy spot near a door, I shifted there and waited. The weather was warm, but the shadow of the tree kept me from getting overly hot. The white building looked more like a warehouse with bland white walls and only a few windows. After five minutes I started to think I wasn’t going to learn anything, but a bell clanked and dozens of Dregs streamed outside. Some shifted away while others slowly rambled toward the fields. They looked so tired and sad, almost like zombies, but much more alive.

After the last one trickled out I took a chance and shifted to the door and slipped inside. It was as dark and cool as a warehouse with long linoleum hallways. At the first door I stopped and peered inside. There were two beds, a small table, and a little kitchenette. I kept moving, finding more rooms just like the first. Then I came to a set of double doors with windows. I was able to easily see that it was a cafeteria. Women moved around clearing plates of food.

Every one of them was visibly pregnant.

That was weird, right? Especially because some of them didn’t seem nearly as cold as the others. In fact their energy was as warm as mine. I heard a sound to my left and in a panic, I shifted back to the shade tree. As I waited for my heartbeat to calm I wondered about the women. Dozens of them. Meaning dozens of babies were on the way. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it meant something.

While I was rogue, I decided it was time to explore more of the property. I was only shown very specific sections of the land belonging to the House of Axl, and if I was about to be crowned the heir to all this, I wanted to know more. I shifted my way through the property, passing the office building, the second set of fields, and then beyond a warehouse. I stopped there unsure of exactly what I was looking at.

At first I thought I’d left the property and ended up in a suburban subdivision because there were rows of modern single story family homes, but when I reached out, I sensed samhain there. A lot of samhain.

I shifted back to my room and went to work scanning through the documents on the tablet.

House of Axl: 432 members / 1678 related members.

House property: 150,000 acres

There were more than 432 samhain on this property. And I knew related members could live here, that usually applied to distant cousins and marriages with offspring related to different houses. And with property that large, there was no way I had left the Axl land.

So who was living in those houses?

It seemed like no one used the library for the books. Every shelf was a little dusty and none of the books had signs of wear. No cracked spines, no dog-eared pages, no notes…nothing. It was as if I were the first to open each volume. Such a waste. So far I uncovered a superficial collection of classics from around the world and across the centuries. It wasn’t until I got to the far corner behind the large black leather armchairs that I found anything worth reading.

The leather-bound notebook held handwritten records of the purchase of the Axl land. It even had a map folded into the pages. I spread it out and snapped a picture with my phone, just barely hiding it back away when I heard footsteps approaching, then Presymus—Antyne’s brother—strolled inside. Luckily I hadn’t seen much of him. I wasn’t thrilled I was now stuck alone with him.

“Ah, Rhysa. How are you?” Presymus had an overly confident swagger.

I held up the copy of Alice in Wonderland I snagged before the door opened. “Looking for some new reading material. How are you?”

“No one has updated the book collection in decades. I’m afraid you’ll find it wanting.”

“Not a lot of readers in the house?” I put the book aside.

He took a seat on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other. “Not since Tiynan.”

Did he mean it, or did he bring up my father’s name solely to poke at me? “That’s a shame. Perhaps I’ll work on it.”

He smiled. “A lovely endeavor for the good of the House. How is your mother, by the way?”

I gave Presymus a once over. He was doing everything he possibly could to give off the illusion of confidence and nonchalance, when really his body language said he was faking it all. Especially the way he threw his arm over the back of the sofa and pretended to examine his nails.

“I would think you would have much more knowledge than I when it comes to my mother.”

His gaze moved to my feet and up my body. “Now, now. Are you saying you haven’t made contact?”

“My request was denied. The House of Nala didn’t want to incur the wrath of the House of Axl.” He stared at me, probably waiting to see a crack, for the lie, except there was no lie to tell. When I was sick of having to maintain eye contact, I held up my hands and gave him a look. “What?”

He blinked away, surprised. “Well, there’s nothing to find anyway, Marhysa’s mind is long gone. Her body may live on, but there’s nothing inside. You might as well save yourself the pain of it all. Why get your hopes up?”

I stepped closer. “See? You do know a lot more than me.”

Only his eyes followed me as I moved towards the doors. “If you ever need any help, we’re here to assist our future Lady of the House in any way you require.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

When I got back to my room I found Seema upset. “There you are! Where have you been?”

Shit! I got so caught up in my research I lost track of time. “I’m so sorry. I was in the library. How late am I?”

Her worry disappeared, replaced by a smile. “Just like your father. I can’t count how many times I had to shoo him out of there for dinner. Don’t you worry. You’re only five minutes late.”

Seema set about to dressing me like a “proper Lady of the House of Axl” which apparently included long curls, red nails, red lips, and large earrings. As I thought through my odd conversation with Presymus, I realized the only person I felt close to at all was Seema.

“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“Of course, dear. It’s my great honor.” She kept buttoning the long line of tiny buttons.

“Everyone else is so formal.”

She smiled at me in the mirror. “There used to be warmth in this house. But when your father and Lady Anya were killed…well it changed everything. Perhaps this is the dawning of a new day.”

I froze. “Who is Lady Anya?”

Seema blinked at me in confusion. “Your grandmother, of course. They were both killed at the same time. Didn’t you know that?”

My tongue became so thick in my mouth I could barely swallow down my shock. “No. No one has mentioned her once.” And certainly not that she died with my father.

“Losing his whole family at once broke your grandfather. The House was in mourning for years.”

Why didn’t anyone tell me this? Antyne at the very least. “When did Helena come along?”

Seema pursed her lips. “Fifteen years ago or so. She’s the exact opposite of Lady Anya. I think Lord Axl prefers it that way. I think sometimes he prefers to live in misery.”

There was so much more going on here. I wish someone would just spell it all out in black and white. Was the secrecy because I was an outsider or because everything in this house was built on secrets and lies?

“There,” she said. “You’re ready.”

I blinked at the woman staring back at me. She was someone I knew, but also someone I was just beginning to understand. “Thank you, Seema. Will I see you tonight?”

She gave my shoulder a pat. “I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss this moment. Now, it’s my turn to change. Lord Axl will come for you soon.” She gathered her things and jumped in surprise as she opened my door. “Oh! Miss Louisa. I didn’t expect you.”

“I came to give my private congratulations to Lady Axl.”

“Yes, yes. Of course. Sir Tymothy is doing well. Very well indeed.”

 Who was Sir Tymothy?

“Thank you, Seema.”

The door opened wider and the lithe form of Lou stepped inside. Like me, she was dressed much finer than the night I met her at the House of Wren. Tonight she wore a floor length green gown with red and gold designs. Her earrings and bracelets matched her gown. Her black hair was styled into a swirling bun with gold accents that matched her eyeliner. Her lips were red.

In short, she was a stunning work of art.

“Hello again,” she said as she closed the door.

I sighed with relief. Another friendly face. “I am so glad to see you.”

She inspected my hair and makeup. “You look beautiful. How have you been?”

“It’s a lot but I’m getting by.” My mind whirled through the last few days. I felt like I’d been through weeks.

“They’re kind to you?” She studied me carefully for my answer.

“Yes. I’m not a prisoner but sometimes I feel a little like I’m trapped in this room. Other than that, everyone is polite.”

She smiled a little. “That sounds about right. I can’t stay, but I wanted to let you know I was here so we can meet later.”

“Thank you. I look forward to it.” More of my tension eased away just knowing I had a friend close by.

She moved to the door. “Whatever you do tonight, never let them see you crack. They will eat you alive if they see any opportunity to strike.”