The Vampire Prince graduates High School (Book 3)

Escape

I paced around the room, my temples pounding. The Purists could come back at any moment. I had no hope of fighting them off or escaping. Unfortunately, sticking with Lady Hargrave was the only way out. Her bodyguards were somewhere around here. If we could get to them, that was a big IF.

In the corner, Lady Hargrave fell into a fit of coughing. With her in this state, we wouldn't get too far. I couldn't rely on her vampire powers to get us out.

I walked back to her and knelt. "Do you know the way out of here?"

She glanced at me. "Why? Thinking of leaving me here?" she wheezed.

"The thought crossed my mind," I retorted. "Answer the question."

Lady Hargrave looked away. "Yes. I know the way out."

My blood boiled. "So, you just happened to end up attacked by a vampire hate group," I said. "You coincidently bumped into them, huh?"

She gave me a look. "I don't have to justify myself to you. But if you must know, I'm here on business."

"Business," I muttered, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Right. Do you have a cellphone?"

"No, my assistant has it."

"Do you know where-?" I began.

"We're the only ones here," Lady Hargrave interrupted.

"How convenient," I muttered. "So, how were you planning on leaving after conducting your business?"

Lady Hargrave hesitated. "This was unplanned."

"How far are we from the exit?" I asked.

"Two floors," she replied.

Floors? Where exactly did the mafia take me?

"And that's where your guards are?" I prompt.

She closed her eyes, her body shuddering. "Maybe," she said, weakly. "I don't know if they're alive."

"What do the Purists want with you?"

"I am the Crown Prince's mother," she said, as if talking to a child. "I'm a good bargaining chip."

I crossed my arms. "What do they want to trade you for?"

Lady Hargrave rolled her eyes. "Why would I know that? They obviously want to use me to gain power."

"They're no different from the Extremists," I said. "They both have something against vampires."

Lady Hargrave made a noise in the back of her throat. "I think not," she snapped. "These Purists hate all vampires and want to see them gone."

"The Extremists attacked vampires too," I reminded her.

"Only those sympathetic to humans," she clarified.

The way she said it - she was so sure about it.

"That doesn't make it any better," I snapped. "No one should force their opinions on anyone else. They're the selfish ones."

"That isn't how a fiancé to the Crown Prince should act."

"I'm not going to cater to anyone," I told her.

"You won't last long," she said. "To succeed, you have to give up something."

"Well I won't," I told her stubbornly. "I'm going to say what I believe and if people don't like it then, so what? I'm not going to change who I am. That's no better than letting your enemies win."

We heard voices outside the door. I hid behind the boxes and held my breath. We needed to move. The longer we stayed here, the higher the chance the Purists had to find us. As the voices faded, I breathed a sigh of relief.