Chapter II

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The guards stopped outside of the black carriage, waiting for the man driving it to open the door. He let go of the reigns and hopped down from his pedestal, holding it ajar. The prince and his two guards entered first, the guards holding me practically throwing me in after. I turned to give them a piece of my mind, but the door slammed shut in my face.

"Sit down," the prince commanded, his voice full of authority.

"No," I said stubbornly, but when the carriage lurched to a start, I fell backwards and landed in a seat anyway. I folded my arms and returned Elliot's smug grin with a glare of my own. He sat directly across from me with the prince sitting next to him. Evanon sat on my right.

"Why am I here? What do you want with me?" I demanded, wanting answers. Being taken forcibly from my home was not an everyday occurrence.

"Because you are my Compeer," the prince stated simply, as if it were obvious.

"Your what?"

"My Compeer." He frowned. "My… er…"—he cleared his throat—"mate, I suppose you could say. Unfortunately. Every vampire has one."

"Vampire?" I asked dubiously. He was obviously crazy. Lovely. Now not only was I stuck in a carriage with a sadistic prince, but a sadistic prince that also happened to be insane! Just my luck…

"Yes, vampire." He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Haven't you heard the stories about my kingdom?"

"I've heard that you always win in battle." I scowled. "I suppose that story was true."

Evanon chuckled beside me.

"Why do you think that is so?" he asked.

"Because you have a good military?" I shrugged.

"Yes. A military full of vampires."

"Vampires are just a myth!" I pressed myself against the back of my seat, trying to get as far away from the crazy prince as possible. "And myths aren't true!"

"You should not be so close-minded, human," he said, his voice low with warning. "Maybe I am a myth, but not all myths are entirely false. Your fears, your nightmares; within your darkest fantasies—though you would never permit yourself to believe it—lies a speck of truth."

"You are mad!" I exclaimed, feeling around the wall for the door. It was dark, but his eyes somehow glinted in the low light. I continued to search, hoping for a way to escape.

"Am I?" In the dimness, I saw the outline of him as he tilted his head. Suddenly, there were two small flashes. I squinted, finally discovering that the flashes were his teeth. "I, along with the creatures you fear, am completely real."

That was when I noticed that his canines were longer than they should be, narrowed off at the end by a sharp point. I let out a startled gasp and my hands automatically flew to my throat.

"That's not possible," I breathed, shocked.

"Evidently, it is," he said dryly. "You should learn not to be so blind in the dark. You may end up falling prey to the creatures that lurk in it."

"Michael," Evanon hissed, "You're scaring her!" With that, I let out a breath that I did not realize I had been holding.

"I am only showing her the truth," the prince murmured. "It is best that she knows." Still, he pushed the black curtains aside, letting a startling amount of bright light into the carriage. I squinted against it, shielding my eyes with one hand.

"But it's s-sunny! You c-can't be in the sun! T-The sun b-burns!" I rationalized, spluttering incoherently.

"The sun does not affect us," he responded, looking back at me. He closed the curtain, the carriage becoming dark again.

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"Us?" I asked. The prince was not the only vampire? I looked at Evanon. "You too?" I scooted a little farther away from him.

"And him." He nodded his head towards Elliot. "That's my brother, Elliot. He's older, but only by a year. Or, at least that is was it looks like…" He chuckled to himself as if it were some inside joke. "Your name is Amanda, correct?"

"Y-Yes," I stammered, still a little frightened.

"Very well." Evanon smiled. He, at least, seemed to be very kind. Realizing that nobody else seemed to be as welcoming, I decided to give him a chance.

"And you are Evanon, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"Evanon DuPonte at your service." He grinned at me and pointed at the prince. "And that's—"

"I can speak for myself, thank you!" the prince snapped.

"That's Prince Michael," Evanon said, ignoring the prince's attitude. "Please excuse his poor manners..."

"Enough!" Prince Michael snapped. "If you have already forgotten, I am the prince, and should be treated as such!"

"...And his inability to control his anger," Evanon finished, rolling his eyes at him. "You have been playing that card for hundreds of years. Since we were children!"

The prince scowled at his obvious exaggeration but said nothing.

"I… was told that I am the prince's 'Compeer,' is that the right word for it?" I turned to look at Evanon and saw him nod in the low light. "Well, what is a Compeer?"

"Every vampire has a Compeer," he began. "Usually, it is another vampire, but this time, it's not." He looked thoughtful. "It's strange. I believe this is the first time in our kingdom's history that a vampire is Compeered to a human. The prince, at that!"

"I am never wrong," the prince suddenly murmured to himself. "But how can she be my Compeer?"

"Then maybe you aren't completely insane," I mumbled, still confused. "But that makes absolutely no sense. I've never even met him before. How can I love—"

"Love has nothing to do with it!" Prince Michael looked at me, annoyed. "It is merely a convenience. Two Compeers are simply just compatible with one another," he spat. "They don't have to love each other."

"They usually do," Evanon pointed out.

"Not this time," the prince and I grumbled simultaneously.

Evanon laughed as we looked at each other in surprise.

"But what is a Compeer?" I was still confused

"I told you already," he sighed, running a hand through his blond hair in agitation. "It's like a mate, a partner. You belong to me."

"You said partner, not servant," I replied bitterly.

He muttered something under his breath and Evanon chuckled. It annoyed me that he could hear him and I couldn't.

"Do you have a Compeer?" I asked Evanon, ignoring the prince.

A pained look crossed his face. He sat silently, before quietly saying, "No."

"Oh." I was confused by his sudden change in demeanor.

"Would you mind your own business?" Elliot hissed.

"What? Sorry…" I bit my lip. I didn't realize that this 'Compeer' thing was such a sensitive topic.

"Don't be sorry," Evanon said, trying to act cheerful. "He's just mad that you defeated him."

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