Chapter One
Prince Leo Romanov glanced over his hand of cards at the ogre sitting next to him and flashed a dimpled grin. A sheen of sweat had coated the ogre’s green skin and he was currently rubbing an oversized fist in one of his beady little black eyes. Dark stringy hair fell across his face. His two equally ugly brothers, who took up the remaining seats around the poker table, had already thrown their cards on the green in disgust.
“Ready to fold, my man?” Leo asked with a hearty laugh and a slap on the ogre’s back.
The ogre grunted and sniffed. He glanced greedily at the large stack of money in the middle of the table. They’d been playing since nine o’clock last night. The first rays of the morning sun had already begun to peek through the dirty windows of the abandoned blood bank building they’d utilized for their game night.
Attempting to stifle a laugh, Leo ran a hand through his closely cropped blond hair and coughed into his elbow. Although already thirty-years-old by the time his grandfather had changed him to a vampire some seven hundred years ago, he’d maintained a boyish look with a clean shaven chin, dimpled cheeks, and an easy smile. It was a look that worked for him, both in the dating world and around the poker table. The monsters of the night always underestimated him. He had no trouble holding his own when it came to gambling.
And he usually won.
“I’ll call your bluff,” the ogre announced in a grating voice, pursing his plump green lips in determination. He laid his hand down on the table and revealed six cards from the suit of hearts. “Flush. Beat that, bat wings.”
His brothers grunted their approval, shifting excitedly in their seats. Leo stared wide-eyed at the cards. It was a decent hand. Better than he’d expected out of the creature who seemed too dumb to tie his own shoes. Maybe he’d underestimated the ogres and their determination to win.
“That’s a great hand there, Earl.” Leo nodded slowly. “Really great. I didn’t see that one coming.”
Earl snorted and reached out his long arms to encircle the pot of cash.
“Not so fast.” Leo tapped him on the shoulder and grinned, showing off his dimples. “I may not have seen that one coming, but I always prepare for the worst. And in this case, I’m happy to say that four of a kind beats a flush.”
He splayed his hand out on the table, where four adoring queens stared up at him. It took a whole ten seconds for the ogres to react. Their green skin turned purple as their hands tightened into fists. Earl let out a bellow and threw his chair across the room.
“Better luck next time, boys?” Leo smiled as he raked the cash into a canvas bag he’d pulled from his pocket.
It used to be that he’d host his poker games at the castle in one of the lower rooms. But ever since his brother, Viktor, had inherited the role of the vampire king in the hidden supernatural kingdom of Monstrana three years ago, they’d been expressly forbidden. So what if his poker buddies were a little shady? And so what if more than a few of them had ended in fights that needed to be broken up by palace guards? It kept life exciting.
And goodness knows, a vampire with seven hundred years under his belt needed to keep finding ways to make life exciting. Otherwise, he might find himself one random morning slipping off his magical protective ring and waltzing out into the sun’s deadly rays.
Goodbye dull world.
He owed it to himself to stay active. His brother would appreciate his efforts one day. After all, even Viktor’s lovely wife, Cate, couldn’t seem to keep him from becoming a total bore. It was up to Leo. This family would incinerate without him.
“You cheated, somehow.”
Leo looked up to see Earl pointing one of his stubby little fingers in his direction. He blinked and frowned. Call him any name under the sun, but never call Leo a cheater. It wasn’t in his nature.
“Now, Earl, don’t be a sore loser.” He shouldered the bag that had grown significantly heavier. “You’ll have a chance to win back your money next month. I think I’ll invite the imps to play with us, as well.”
Frustration wrinkled Earl’s brow. His brothers grunted at his side and elbowed him until he got in Leo’s face and snarled. “Give us back our money.”
Leo winced against the acrid scent of blood and putrid flesh coming from the ogre’s mouth. Someone needed to move up their next dentist appointment.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He looked down at the watch on his wrist and inhaled sharply. “Oh, look at the time. The crown werewolf princess of Monstrana is getting married today. They’ll be expecting me back at the castle. Better fly!”
He made it about two steps before a giant hand clasped his shoulder tight and threw him toward the ground. Twisting his body in mid-air, Leo managed to keep his footing. A large green fist flew at the left side of his face. He ducked and rolled, the money bag jingling at his side. A large black boot followed his retreat and landed squarely in his side.
“That’s our father’s money,” Earl grunted. “If you don’t give it back, he’ll come after you.”
Leo coughed and felt his broken ribs. So much for diplomacy. He’d be lucky to get out of there before the ogres killed him. Luckily for him, he really did always prepare for the worst.
“Rodrigo!”
There was the sound of shattering glass and then suddenly the empty building filled with light. The sun’s rays flowed freely through the now broken windows, right onto the ogre’s sensitive flesh.
Earl and his brothers grunted and covered their eyes from the sudden harsh glare. They struck out
with their other hands in an attempt to catch him, but ended up entangled in a battle among themselves, slapping, punching, and kicking their fleshy siblings. Leo bit his bottom lip in laughter and quietly ran toward the exit. That should keep them distracted for a while. Ogres were too dumb to catch a vampire.
“Excellent idea, Rod,” Leo said to a black cat sitting outside the abandoned building. It had a white patch on its chest and vivid green eyes.
The cat licked his paw and gave him a careless flick of an ear. “When will you ever learn, sire?”
Leo laughed and plucked the cat from the ground. He’d won the cat-like spirit guide in a poker match five years ago. It was illegal to trade in supernatural creatures, but the black market didn’t care about Monstranian law. He’d freed the poor mangy guy, expecting to never see him again, and instead found a loyal assistant. Rodrigo had gotten him out of his share of tough spots. They were definitely more than even at this point.
“When will you learn how to let loose a little, Rodrigo?” Leo jogged toward the sleek black Buell motorcycle he’d hidden behind a row of overgrown bushes. “You’re getting to be as bad as my brother.”
“I take that as the highest of compliments, sire.” Rodrigo squirmed at his side. “And can’t you invest in something with four wheels for a change? Must I be relegated to forever cleaning bugs out of my fur because of your barbaric choice of travel?”
Leo swung his leg over the bike and chuckled. Rodrigo liked to complain, but he was more than protected sitting behind the prince on the bike. Besides, there was nothing quite as thrilling as having the wind blow over your face after a long night’s work.
“What I could use right now is a good draught of Type O blood and a refreshing nap,” he said as the bike started with a pleasing rumble.
“What you could use right now is a shower and a bit of cologne.” Rodrigo wrinkled his cat nose. “You reek of ogres. And I do believe your grandmother has invited five vampiresses to the royal wedding in the hopes of capturing your interest with one of them. She expects you to be there to greet them today and you’re already late. Although, it is my humble opinion that she is wasting her time.”
“Ah, Rodrigo, you know me so well.” Leo grinned and kicked up the bike stand.
He would’ve thought that matching Viktor up with his perfect eternal mate would appease their grandmother for at least a century, but no, she was more determined than ever to see her youngest grandson anchored down by a partner. As if Leo would ever settle down. He liked his freedom. And a woman would only ruin his fun.
A tremendous roar came from the old blood bank. The ogres must’ve finally realized he’d escaped. Leo grimaced at Rodrigo, although his amber eyes flashed with humor.
“Guess we’d better get out of here.”
Rodrigo blinked at him impassively. “Yes, it seems that would be for the best. I can’t wait to hear what your brother has to say about this escapade.”
Leo groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was tell his brother about another poker game gone wrong, but since he was already late to the royal function, there would no doubt be interrogations as to his whereabouts last night. And as good as Leo’s poker face was, his ability to lie to his brother was just about zero. Might as well spill the truth and hope for the best.
“Hold on tight, Rod.” Leo grinned and flashed a set of white fangs. “Things are about to get bumpy.”
They sped off down the street in a cloud of motorcycle fumes and flying fur.
Chapter Two
Eina followed her elder sisters through the maze of ocean tunnels they inhabited deep within the Bering Sea. Her aqua colored tail flashed, the large scales reflecting what little light made it this far into the dark waters. Mermaids joined them at every corner as they headed for the main gallery carved into the rocky bottom of the sea.
Anticipation hung in the cold water, tasting like sweet salt on Eina’s tongue. She flipped her long, silky black hair over her shoulder and swam faster, eager to begin that evening’s briefings. Her sisters had been gearing up for a big political move on their Monstranian neighbors. The kind that would announce their presence to the supernatural world and their demand for a seat at the table.
“Welcome, sisters of Aestus.” Loriella, the eldest of the mermaids, greeted them as they swam into the cavernous basin and took their places. She had long, flowing brunette hair tinged with silver. The scales of her tail held the slightest shade of ruby red. The soft, youthful curves of her face didn’t reveal her advanced age of over five hundred years. “I’m glad you could join us.”
Eina folded her hands and tried to force herself to wade in place. Her dark brown eyes darted from sister to sister and a pink blush colored her high cheekbones.