The Vampire King's Cursed Bride

The night I discovered that my entire life had been built upon a lie began with a broken glass, a frightened grandmother, and a moon that looked as though someone had poured an ocean of blood across the sky.

I had always believed my life was ordinary, even though ordinary had never been particularly kind to me. I lived in a small village surrounded by thick forests, where the houses were old, the roads became muddy whenever it rained, and people preferred whispering about their neighbours rather than minding their own business. My mother had died when I was very young, and my father was someone I had never met, so my grandmother, Evelyn Vale, had raised me and my younger brother, Daniel, with whatever little money she could earn from selling vegetables in the village market.

Although we struggled financially, I had never considered myself unfortunate. My grandmother loved us, Daniel made me laugh even when there was nothing to eat, and I had learned to appreciate the little happiness life offered. I was convinced that my future would involve finding a decent job, taking care of my brother, and eventually leaving our miserable little house for somewhere better.

I never imagined that my eighteenth birthday would become the beginning of a nightmare.

"Seraphina, are you listening to me?"

My grandmother's voice interrupted my thoughts as I stirred the soup on the cooking stove.

"Yes, Grandma," I answered with a smile. "You have reminded me at least five times that I should not forget to buy Daniel's medicine tomorrow."

She did not smile.

Instead, she stood near the window, staring at the darkening sky with an expression that made my stomach tighten.

"Come away from that window," I told her. "It's getting cold."

She slowly turned towards me, but her attention seemed to be somewhere else entirely.

"Do you know what tonight is?"

I laughed softly. "My birthday, unless you have forgotten."

"Not just your birthday, child."

Before I could ask what she meant, the glass in her hand slipped and shattered against the floor.

I immediately dropped the wooden spoon.

"Grandma! Are you hurt?"

She barely seemed to notice the broken pieces around her feet. Her eyes were fixed on the enormous red moon rising above the trees, and her lips moved silently as though she were repeating a prayer.

Then she grabbed my shoulders.

"Seraphina, I need you to listen very carefully. Whatever happens tonight, you must never remove the necklace you are wearing."

I looked down at the small silver necklace resting against my chest. It had belonged to my mother, and my grandmother had given it to me when I was a child, telling me that I should treasure it because it was the only thing my mother had left behind.

"Why would I remove it?"

"Because it protects you."

I frowned.

"Protects me from what?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but three heavy knocks suddenly shook the front door.

We both turned.

A man's voice came from outside.

"Open the door, Seraphina Vale."

My grandmother's fingers tightened around my arm.

"Do not answer him."

Another knock followed, louder than the first.

"We know you are inside, little princess."

My heart began beating faster.

Princess?

I had never met anyone who knew my family well enough to call me that.

"Grandma, who is outside?"

She slowly backed away from the door.

"Someone who should never have discovered where we were hiding."

Before I could demand an explanation, a loud crash came from the back of the house. The kitchen window shattered, sending broken glass across the floor, and a cold wind rushed into the room.

My grandmother pushed me behind her.

"Run upstairs and lock yourself in your room."

"I'm not leaving you here."

"Seraphina, please!"

The desperation in her voice frightened me more than the mysterious visitors. I had seen my grandmother angry, disappointed, and even sick, but I had never seen her look so terrified.

The front door suddenly burst open.

Four men dressed in black entered the house. Their clothes were spotless despite the muddy village roads, and their faces were unusually pale. One of them lifted his head, revealing eyes that seemed to shine red in the darkness.

I stumbled backwards.

"What are they?" I whispered.

The tallest man smiled, exposing two unusually sharp teeth.

"Where is the girl?"

My grandmother stepped forward.

"You have no right to enter my home."

"Your protection ended eighteen years ago, Evelyn. The council has waited long enough."

I stared at my grandmother.

They knew her name.

Before I could understand what was happening, she raised her hand and shouted a strange word. A flash of golden light exploded through the room, throwing the men against the walls.

I screamed.

My grandmother turned towards me, her breathing uneven.

"Take the necklace and go to the old chapel beyond the eastern forest. Find the man who carries the black crown. He will know what to do."

"What man? Grandma, you're frightening me!"

She held my face between her hands.

"Your mother made me promise to keep you safe until your eighteenth birthday. I have done everything I could, but the time has come for you to learn the truth."

A shadow moved behind her.

"Your father was not human, Seraphina. He was the king of the vampires."

I shook my head.

"No. That's impossible."

"Your father was King Alaric Blackthorn, and you are his last living heir."

My mind refused to accept the words. I had grown up believing my father had died before I was born, and now my grandmother was telling me that he had been a vampire king.

Another explosion shook the house.

She pushed me towards the back door.

"Go! And whatever happens, never allow the royal blood court to take you alive!"

I wanted to argue, to demand answers, and to drag her away with me, but another masked man appeared in the doorway. My grandmother turned towards him, giving me the final opportunity to escape.

I ran.

The cold night air struck my face as I crossed the garden and disappeared into the forest. I could hear shouting behind me, followed by the sound of something heavy crashing against the walls of our little home.

I did not stop.

Branches scratched my arms, and sharp stones cut my feet as I hurried through the darkness. Several times, I stumbled over exposed tree roots, but the fear of being captured kept pushing me forward.

I had no idea whether my grandmother was still alive.

I did not know where Daniel was.

And I certainly did not understand why anyone would hunt an ordinary village girl.

After what felt like an eternity, I reached a narrow path leading towards an abandoned chapel. My grandmother had described it many times when telling stories about the old village, but I had never visited it because everyone claimed the place was haunted.

A strange noise came from behind me.

I stopped.

Someone was following me.

"Seraphina!"

The voice was male, deep, and frighteningly calm.

I turned and saw a tall stranger standing between two enormous trees. He wore a long black coat, and his dark hair fell loosely across his forehead. His face was strikingly handsome, but his crimson eyes glowed beneath the moonlight in a way that made my body instinctively move backwards.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

He ignored my question and stared at the necklace around my neck.

"Where did you get that?"

"It's mine. Stay away from me."

His expression changed.

"That necklace belonged to Queen Isadora."

I swallowed.

"I don't know any queen."

The stranger took one step towards me, and I noticed something strange about him. His skin was unusually pale, and although the night was freezing, he did not appear to feel the cold.

"My name is Damon Blackthorn," he said. "I am the king of the Northern Vampire Kingdom."

I stared at him.

"Vampires aren't real."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Then perhaps you can explain why your blood is calling to every vampire within a hundred miles."

Before I could respond, the necklace against my chest began glowing. A sharp pain travelled through my body, and I dropped to my knees as a strange warmth spread beneath my skin.

Damon immediately approached me.

"Don't touch me!" I cried.

He stopped, but his eyes remained fixed on the glowing gemstone.

"Impossible," he whispered.

"What is happening to me?"

He looked at me with an expression I could not understand.

"Your royal blood has awakened."

A distant howl echoed through the forest.

Damon turned sharply towards the sound, and his expression became cold.

Several figures emerged between the trees, their red eyes shining like burning coals. They wore black armour decorated with a silver crown, and their leader carried a long sword.

The man smiled when he saw me.

"Your Majesty, what a pleasant surprise. We have finally found the missing princess."

Damon moved in front of me.

"Leave."

The man bowed mockingly.

"The council requests that you surrender the girl immediately. The prophecy must be fulfilled before the next full moon."

"She is under my protection."

"Your protection means nothing against the council's command."

Damon's eyes turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"Then the council should have sent someone stronger."

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

A scream tore through the forest, and one of the armoured vampires crashed against a tree. I watched in horror as Damon appeared behind another attacker, moving so quickly that my eyes could barely follow him.

The remaining creatures surrounded him.

Their leader raised his sword.

"The cursed bride belongs to the throne!"

Damon suddenly turned towards me.

For one brief moment, our eyes met, and I saw something unexpected in his expression.

Fear.

Not fear of the creatures attacking him, but fear of what might happen to me.

Then he looked back at the leader.

"Touch her, and I will burn your entire kingdom to the ground."

The vampire laughed.

"You cannot protect her forever, Damon. You know what happens when the king discovers the truth about his bride."

My heart stopped.

Bride?

I had never met this man before, yet everyone seemed to know something about my future except me.

Damon returned to my side, his coat moving in the wind as he offered me his hand.

"Seraphina, we must leave now."

I stared at his outstretched hand.

"Why does everyone keep calling me a princess? What is this cursed bride prophecy? And why do you know my name?"

His expression darkened.

"Because your father was my closest friend, and because the night you were born, I made a promise that I have spent eighteen years trying to forget."

He glanced towards the approaching vampires.

Then he lowered his voice.

"There is something else you need to know. Your mother did not die from an illness, as you were told. She was murdered because she refused to surrender you."

The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet.

Before I could ask who had murdered her, Damon pulled me close and wrapped his coat around my shoulders.

"Welcome to the world you were born to inherit, Princess Seraphina."

And as the blood moon watched over the forest, I realised that escaping my village had not saved me from danger.

It had only brought me closer to the monster who might know the truth about my family-and the terrible secret hidden inside my own blood.