(Ava) The gates of the castle opened to welcome me, and I entered the formidable structure carefully. Paintings hung about the walls on every side in all of their melancholic beauty, and I couldn’t seem to pull my gaze away from them.

Their ghastliness and morbid nature only made them more alluring, which seemed to be the case for most things around here.

The uneasy feeling in my stomach persisted, so I gladly accepted the waiter’s offered wine glass. As the crowd of people guided me towards the ballroom, I had another glimpse at an extent of magnificence that only the Nightshade Clan would ever be capable of owning.

It occurred to me that these tall walls of stone that held up the castle mirrored the ones that surrounded these royals’ hearts. How lonely it must be to be living in a cold world that you fill with weapons and all things violent, never knowing the true meaning of happiness or love.

So lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice the young woman in front of me until her velvety hair was in my mouth.

“Umph!”

She whipped around to look at me and I was a little awestruck by her beauty. She had olive skin the likes of which I could never achieve, aristocratic features that were framed by dark waves, and eyes the color of honey edged with a deep forest-green.

It took me a second to realize that these eyes were currently narrowed at me.

“Oh!" I swallowed under her thundering gaze. "Forgive me, I, uh, wasn’t looking in front of me."

“Obviously,” she sneered.

I recoiled slightly at her harsh tone. Her glare was very intimidating. But then the harshness faded and was replaced by a bright smile that lit up the whole room.

"No need to look so frightened," she laughed lightly. "I was just messing with you."

I sighed in relief.

“I’m Eleanor Moreno." She extended her hand towards me.

I shook it eagerly.

“Ava Griffin,” I reciprocated the introduction with a happy grin.

My first friend!

I had never been the social type. Most girls in town tended to ignore my presence, and the only friend I ever had was the goldfish my dad got me when I was six.

Back when he hadn't yet drank away the memory of me being his daughter.

I guess he was right about tonight, though. Maybe coming here would do some good. I'd assumed that his insistence that I attend the ball was due to nothing other than the veil of greed that covered his eyes.

A mop of blond hair behind Eleanor caught my attention, and I froze when the vampire started approaching us.

There were some telltale signs that came with vampires, aside from the fangs obviously. Their astonishing good looks, for one, as well as the natural aura of power and dominance that oozes out of them.

The crowd seemed to recognize the blond, and it parted to allow him easy passage. He was walking in our direction with the purpose of a man on a mission.

Eleanor’s face became a mask of indifference as she followed my line of sight. He was a few feet away from us, and I dipped into a curtsy quickly, surprised when Eleanor didn’t do the same.

Is she suicidal?

It’s common knowledge that you must curtsy to any vampire you come across. They were the ruling race, after all.

“I’ll see you later, Ava,” was all she said before gliding away, leaving me alone with the man—the vampire.

I kept my eyes averted and my head down, not knowing how to proceed. Fear and worry coursed through my veins as potential scenarios with this vampire ran through my head. I bit my lip.

“Would you give me the honor of granting me this dance?”

The way he asked made it seem like I had a choice in the matter, but I knew better than that. Vampires always got what they want, to hell with the consequences. So I did what any sane person would do.

I smiled and nodded, still staring at the ground.

Long, slim fingers cupped my chin and tilted my head back to meet his face with a gentle but firm pressure. I found myself falling into fathomless eyes that were a thousand hues of blue with a touch of green radiating within them.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he said. "There's no need to be afraid of me, alright?"

I know it was probably foolish of me, but I couldn't help but feel more at ease. The only things I could find in his expression were kindness and curiosity.

I wasn't one to judge people based on what species they were.

“Alright," I agreed.

The blond smiled widely, revealing dimples.

He offered his hand to me with a playful flourish as “When a Man Loves a Woman” began to play, and he kept a respectful distance away from me when we stood on the dance floor.

“So,” he began cheerfully, “does the pretty lady have a name?”

“Indeed she does, but whether you are deserving of such valuable knowledge is yet to be determined."

He chuckled, turning his head to the side and allowing me a clear view of his impressive jawline.

“Well, my name is Axel Reeves.”

My eyes widened.

A prince.

The Reeves family was the founding family of the Nightshade clan and held in very high esteem amongst all the other vampire clans.

Axel watched my reaction carefully. He looked almost... nervous. Like he was waiting for me to turn and run.

A part of me was tempted to do that, but the other part felt kind of bad for him. The fact that he looked like he was expecting me to be terrified meant that most people probably were.

I smiled tentatively. "I'm Ava."

He visibly relaxed, and I knew I'd made the right choice.

“Ava," he repeated. "Is that short for ‘Avery’ or something?”

“No, it’s just Ava.”

“Well, just Ava--" He lowered me into a dip and laughed when I squealed "--it is a pleasure to meet you.”

The song came to an end, and we, along with all the other couples on the floor, stepped away from each other. The men bowed, the women curtsied, and then most went their separate ways.

Prince Axel and I lingered.

"Are you liking the party so far?" He asked me.

I hesitated. "Um... I'm not really a party person."

"Me neither," he admitted. "Especially not when I'm running around greeting people until I'm blue in the face."

"Your face looks far from blue."

He smiled again. "That's always good to know."

I laughed. "You're the prince. Surely, you can do whatever you want."

"Do whatever I want..." He shook his head in wonder, like it was some foreign concept.

"It's your party," I reminded him. "You should enjoy it however you want."

Prince Axel stared down at me for a heartbeat, then his face lit up. He clamped a hand on my wrist gently and began steering me away with a grin.

“Hey, what the hell are you—” I cut myself off when he raised a finger to his lips in a silencing motion.

We walked through the crowd with ease; they all moved aside and bowed their heads in respect. As soon as we were out of the ballroom and in a less crowded hallway, he came to a halt.

“Close your eyes,” he said distractedly, his gaze roaming the hallway to make sure no one was looking.

“Why?”

“Just trust me.”

I gave him a long look, and I found only earnestness staring back at me. My eyelids fell shut.

Axel’s grip tightened a little on my wrist. There was a gust of wind. Then it was quiet.

The music that had once been so loud that my eardrums felt like they were about to burst was now faint and soft. It wasn’t stuffy anymore with the smell of alcohol and perfume all around me.

I opened my eyes and felt my lips part with surprise. We were standing on a balcony that overlooked a lake.

Even in the dark it was a sight to behold. The surface of the lake reflected the stars in the sky, as well as the lights from the mansion, making it into some sort of shining wonder. Despite the glowing surface, it still had a certain depth to it that made it all the more beautiful.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“Wow,” Axel mimicked, but something about the way he watched me as he said it made me think we weren’t talking about the same thing.

My face heated up, and I was thankful for the dim lighting.

It was so quiet out here, so peaceful. The chirping of the crickets was much more soothing than the obnoxious chatter of everyone inside.

Parties are really not my thing.

“Why’d you bring me here?” I asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the serenity.

He didn’t respond for a bit, so I turned to look at him. In the moonlight his features were soft, angelic almost. The gold of his hair, paleness of his skin, and the brightness of his eyes made him look so innocent.

“You said you're not a party person," Axel said, then he nodded at the view. "This has always been a lot better to me than a party."

I hummed in agreement.

“So, how did we get here? One minute we were in that hallway and the next…”

“I brought you,” he said simply.

“How—”

I was interrupted when the door flew open with a loud bang, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.

“Jaxon…” Axel said exasperatedly, looking over my shoulder.

When I turned around, my jaw dropped. Well, figuratively dropped. The man standing at the door was easily the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes upon, but also the most intimidating.

With his ink black hair, icy blue eyes, and impressive figure, he seemed perfect. The only flaw on his face was his irritated scowl as he pulled a cigarette between his lips.

“Father’s angry,” he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

He must be Axel's older brother--the crown prince of Adorosean.

I really needed to start watching the news more. It was bad to keep running into royals without knowing who the hell they were.

“Jax, you promised you’d behave tonight." Axel frowned. "What the hell did you do this time?”

Jaxon walked closer and rolled his eyes.

“Let’s just say it involves me and a certain lady from the Bloodworth Clan. I’ll spare you the details, brother.” He let out a breath of smoke.

“Jaxon…You know how much this ball means to mother she wanted us to—”

But Jaxon wasn’t listening. His eyes had travelled to me, and I noticed his gaze roam my body from top to bottom. I felt myself flush deeply.

He reached for my hand and lifted it to his lips in a chaste kiss. “And who might this beauty be?”

Axel gave him a warning look.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to please two princes in one night, wouldn’t you, angel? Not many girls get that honor.”

For a moment I was too stunned to react. Then I snatched my hand away from him in disgust and pushed past him, ignoring Axel calling my name.