Queen of Ashes │ Season 1 │The Journey

11 │Leander

The Vampire Prince's movement was fast. It was a matter of minutes for him to run from one side of the forest to the other. He was sniffing the air, looking for the perfect prey. Since the encounter with Freya, he knew that his thirst would grow exponentially. He had no time to waste—he needed to feed.

It was stupid to start this intimate moment with her, and pointless. She was his brother's bride for fuck's sake—not a woman he could easily tease, hug, or... caress.

Why was it so hard for him to avoid her though? He should be focused on the task, limit the number of conversations, and stay professional. Stay his brother's commander-in-chief—a stoic, calculative, and realistic man in charge of the whole vampire army. Now—simply escorting the young lady through the road she would never have to travel again.

No matter how much he tried, he couldn't be that reasonable man with her though. Something in this woman was whispering to his very soul, calling to him, and awakening feelings he thought were long buried.

It's so easy to trust you... She had said. Well, for him being with her was easy. So easy, it was too tempting. Too dangerous.

He couldn't be more wrong with his speculations. He was prepared for a human doll—a princess careless, spoiled, and demanding. Instead, he met Freya, and she was everything but. Even his disdain toward their race in general didn't have any power when it came to that woman. She was life in the purest form. She was sunshine and sunset. She was perfectly imperfect.

And she was destined for his fucking brother. Leander couldn't stop his scowl thinking what that fact entailed.

Freya was to become his human breeder—the part of a prophecy stating she was the one and only to give Cassius his long-needed heir. And Leander hadn't fully considered this until now, but after getting to know the woman, he realized how fucked up this entire mission was. How fucked up kind of future it gave her.

Glancing through the bushes, he spotted a roe deer. Perfect. That would do. Not waiting any longer he set off and attacked. Poor animal didn't have the chance to avoid contact. Destined to surrender... Exposed to the perfect predator—the most dangerous and effective of them all. The vampire. No living thing could escape them.

In a matter of seconds, his fangs met with the animal's artery. Warm liquid filled his throat, causing an involuntary moan from the man. He had fed the day before but a short temptation from earlier caused his needs to grow despite his liking. He was not in his senses to approach Freya like that. That couldn't happen again. What if he eventually lost control and did something he could only regret later, like... kissing her? That woman had a genuine gift of confusing his morals.

He could tell himself that it was only a matter of a sense of duty, but he knew better... Even if the sense of duty could somehow explain his need to watch over her, it couldn't explain the warmth spreading inside him at the mere look she gave him. It certainly couldn't explain the undoubtful chemistry seeming to grow between them.

Ah, the chemistry. A curious little thing he managed to catch at the very first moment his eyes met hers. That freaking great hall... He heard her heartbeat, then. Fast and furious. Had started to beat this way just when he met her gaze. He couldn't stop his eyes from a slow exploration of her whole figure wrapped beautifully in that tight-fitted green dress.

Somehow, he had also started to care for this woman. He wished her well. However insanely it sounded, she got comfy in some long-forgotten space in his heart that seemed to quietly tell him to let her. He couldn't be the man she should be scared of. She had a lot of them ahead. The Vampire Prince made then a promise to himself, that no matter what, he would not be a reason of her damnation.