Katherine Wilcox's life takes a nosedive when she embarks on a family trip that is supposed to bring their estranged family together. She soon finds herself in the castle of vampires, betrothed to their Prince with no means to escape and realizes that she is nothing more than a pawn in the centuries old cold war between the brothers, who happened to fall in love with the same woman.
As the dark and dirty secrets of the past unveil itself, it’s up to Katherine to figure a way out or to succumb to their scheme.
CHAPTER - 1
The storm raged shooting daggers of snow in every other
direction. A mere truck stood no chance against nature at an ungodly hour of the night. It was one hell of a winter where the nights were long and the days were short. The long road that snaked between the two mountains was now hidden from the view.
Two figures exited the truck when it couldn't move ahead. The tires and the hood were almost covered by the snow.
"We need to find a shelter for the night," one of the men yelled over his shoulder as he proceeded towards the back of the truck, maneuvering through the snow that swallowed their legs up to their knees.
"We are in the middle of nowhere. I can hardly see anything," the other man replied.
"We should've come when the weather is not this harsh. Now, we are stranded. What do we do?" The first one asked.
"I don't think hiking the mountain is a very good idea at this moment, Charlie." The second man, reasoned.
"We can't stay in the truck either. We have to keep moving. You know what our commander said. We need to reach our destination any cost," Charlie argued.
Archie, the second man grunted, but kept quiet as they retrieved the huge cylinders from the back of the truck. "This shit is so heavy," he grumbled as he helped Charlie load them onto his back and tightened the straps around his waist and the shoulders.
"Well, what did you expect?" Charlie shot back and helped Archie secure the cylinders against his back.
After grabbing a few more things from the truck, they walked around and stood at the front of the truck, trying to get a good look at their surroundings. Charlie pulled out his compass and adjusted his snow goggles before pulling the mask up to cover his nose.
"We're almost there," he announced. "We need to walk five miles North and then, three miles West to reach this place we're looking for."
"Eight miles?! You're kidding, right?" Archie exclaimed. "Come on, Charlie. We could die out here!"
"Shut it, Archie!" Charlie rolled his eyes behind the goggles. "You happen to forget that you're not human anymore. You're a freaking vampire for God sake, just behave like one."
Archie scoffed and followed Charlie, who trekked North without another word.
An hour or two has passed and they were still trekking. The snow-clad path seemed endless as Charlie weaved in and out of the trees. Archie stumbled behind Charlie, barely avoiding the low tree branches that assaulted them without an ounce of mercy.
The more they climbed the mountain the storm became harsher. Archie huffed and bent down, his breathing became labored as his limbs ached. He was a newly turned vampire and was getting used to his new abilities. This was the first task he was entrusted with and he wanted to finish it at any cost.
Vampires were usually strong creatures. Charlie once told him they were no match for the pureblood vampires. This was the most extreme situation Archie had faced so far and he wondered why his strength faltered, unlike their commander who was the strongest of all.
No matter how good their endurance skills were, they got exhausted every now and then, if they were pushed beyond their limits. This was one such occasion, to Archie and Charlie.
"I wonder how they even manage to live in a place like this," Archie mused when he noticed Charlie has taken a break.
"They live in a cave several feet inside this mountain," his voice strained as he tried to catch his breath.
It was the first time for Charlie and Archie. The team that normally ran the chores for the ten-member coven that resided in this secluded area was out of town on business and they were not scheduled to visit until the winter has passed
However, their commander had received information and he'd been on them the moment he read it. He handed them a traditional message scroll and told them he trusted them with a matter that requires immediate attention. They were not to stop or rest until they reached the coven.
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