Prince Vampire Read online

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Prince Vampire

  ISBN 9781419920653

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Prince Vampire Copyright © 2009 Amarinda Jones

  Edited by Helen Woodall

  Cover art by Syneca

  Electronic book Publication May 2009

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Prince Vampire

  Amarinda Jones

  Dedication

  To the dreamers—there is a hero out there for you. I know it.

  And to the true believers in all things vampire—thank you.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following word marks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

  Prologue

  Prince Valdemar’s hand stroked his long, thick shaft as the water ran down his body. His cock jumped with tension as he fisted it and milked it slowly, his head flung back, his long hair sleek and wet against his body. The loud groan that wrenched from his lips was one of pure and utter aggravation.

  Aureliann O’Neal turned the page of the book and sighed. She could picture so clearly in her mind the sight of the naked prince as he fisted his penis in the shower to remove tensions within. Her own fingers moved down under her panties to between her legs to massage her clit as she read on, visualizing in her mind the wet sheen of the taut muscles of ass and shoulders. She knew of his frustration. It was spelled out very clearly in the pages of The Vampire’s Kiss. Aureliann had the same feelings. It was a longing to find true love. The hunger for that one person who knew your needs like no other. No book had ever made her feel so lonely and needy before.

  “Where is she?” His hand pumped faster and his powerful thigh muscles clenched as he looked for release. “I cannot go on without her.”

  “Oh boy, I am here just waiting for you, my lord.” Aureliann’s hand moved faster as she spread her legs farther apart. She was so hot and wet that she knew it would take nothing to make her come. “If only I had you.” She wanted to feel his hands on her body and his cock surging hard within her. It was something she knew she could not have but then the best dreams always were.

  Valdemar growled in frustration as a milky jet shot forth from his cock and disappeared in the water. He shook and shuddered as he pumped his shaft dry. His despair could be heard throughout the land.

  “Oh what a waste,” she moaned as she came under her own hand. Aureliann knew all about despair and need. “Please bring me Prince Valdemar.”

  “Please bring her to me.”

  “Snap.” If only life was a book.

  * * * * *

  “You are being called,” the older man said as he looked into the green eyes of his prince. “You have to leave.”

  “How can I leave things as they are, Thomas?” Valdemar could hear the call. It stirred his blood and the need to answer was overwhelming. His beloved cried out to him and his heart beat rapidly in response. She needs me and I long for her. I must go to her. Valdemar sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his hair. Yet how could he leave his homeland in a state of turmoil? Did he follow his heart to find his true love or stay and do as honor had decreed for thousands of years?

  “How can you not go to her?” Thomas Gwyddein had no doubt in his face. “We both know how long you have craved this moment.”

  “Forever.” Or so it seemed, and Valdemar could hardly believe he was about to find her. But he was worried about Thomas. While it was true he was a survivor, he was ninety years old and placing added burdens on his shoulders was wrong. “You are in danger.”

  Thomas shrugged. “I would be whether you were here or not. Your cousin will not hurt me.”

  That was true. He suspected Victor secretly feared the older man. “Victor wants to kill me.” It no longer pained Valdemar say that. Once they had been close but the control of a kingdom had ended that.

  “He has always wanted what he cannot have.”

  “The throne?” Valdemar did not understand his cousin’s lust for power. “I care not for it.” There were more important things in life than the weight of royalty hanging on your brow.

  Thomas smiled a soft smile of understanding. “I know but your people need you.”

  “All the more reason not to leave.” But how can I not go to her? It would be like denying himself oxygen.

  “And leave the love of your life in danger?” Thomas shook his head at the idea. “You know if Victor finds out about her first she may not survive.” They both knew of the family history. When a true love called to you it was impossible not to answer. “You have found each other as we always knew you would. Go to her, make her yours and keep her safe.”

  “Victor.” There was only one person to protect her from.

  “Yes, he will want her too.”

  Valdemar slammed his fist on a nearby table. “He cannot have her. I will not allow it.”

  “Then you know what you must do.” Thomas reached over and covered Valdemar’s hand with his own. “You must bond by midnight on the day you meet or you will die and the kingdom will collapse under Victor’s rule. You must taste her blood by nightfall of that day or all is lost. You need her love to guide and strengthen you in the dark days that will come to our land.”

  “She will be mine. It cannot be any other way.” It was not a question of if she would be. It was fact. True love was meant to be and nothing could hold it back.

  “Not even a kingdom,” Thomas said, guessing his thoughts. He pushed at the prince’s arm. “Go now but remember they are not like us. She will not understand at first. She will most likely try to resist you. But she loves you already. The book has made it so.”

  “Aureliann,” Valdemar sighed. “I am coming for you, my lovely.”

  Chapter One

  “Nope, I don’t get it.” The blonde woman shook her head and handed the book back to her friend. “It’s just not that good.”

  Aureliann O’Neal looked at her in surprise. This book meant everything to her. How could Zoe not feel the same intense feelings she did? Her hands tingled just touching the book.

  “Really?” She looked down at the glossy cover. The Vampire’s Kiss was the most exciting book Aureliann had read in a long time. And the cover model with his beautiful green eyes, luscious mouth and long, auburn hair was so hot she wanted to lick every inch of his half-naked body. There was something about him that made her hot and shivery and she had no idea why. Maybe the drought in her sex life was to blame, yet Aurelian
n knew she could have any man she wanted. But I don’t want just anyone. I want him. “You read page thirty-two and you felt nothing?” How could that be possible? Aureliann knew the book word for word but then she had read the book seven times in the last week. And I still want to read it again. It was almost like living it with the character herself.

  Zoe shrugged her shoulders. “Aureliann, it’s just a book about a weird guy.”

  What? How dare Zoe say that? Did she even read the book? “Who is not only a vampire but a prince,” Aureliann pointed out, wondering why she cared whether her best friend liked the book or not. She had never worried in the past. So why now? Because this book is different. This was a story that was so real it almost jumped off the pages and dragged her in. She felt like she knew Prince Valdemar.

  “So?”

  “So?” Aureliann repeated, dumbfounded at Zoe’s response. She had lain awake at night wishing for the book’s hero prince to come to her. That’s what his quest was. To thwart evil and find the love of his life. Sigh. He was exactly the man she wanted. And yes, he was a vampire but Aureliann knew after reading the book there were different types of vampires and Valdemar was not inherently evil. There was something about him that spoke to her more than any other fictional character ever had. “It’s romantic and passionate.”

  “And bloody,” Zoe added.

  “Prince Valdemar only sucks the blood of bad guys. He never attacks the innocent and not all vampires are bad.” The need to defend a paperback hero was maybe a little weird but Aureliann felt a fierce loyalty for him and would not have anyone think ill of her prince. My prince?

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What?” Okay, Zoe thought she was nuts. Maybe I am but I don’t care. Aureliann had not cared for anyone or anything for the longest time, since her brother had died. This book mattered to her. She clutched it to her heart and felt a surge of heat through her veins.

  “It’s a book, Aureliann. It’s not real.”

  “I know that.” I wish it was. I want Prince Valdemar. She knew Zoe would think she’d flipped if she said that out loud. “I still think it’s a great book.”

  “It is not. Your prince has an evil cousin, a demented old mentor and a kingdom under threat. It’s so bloody soap opera-ish. You can see any of that every day after five o’clock on the television.”

  Aureliann sighed. “You just hate romance.”

  Zoe shook her head. “No, I’d love it if the guy was real and wasn’t a vampire.” She looked puzzled. “How is being a vampire even sexy anyway? And why doesn’t he cut his hair? That’s so eighties. Besides he’s not even a real vampire. Everyone knows they have midnight black hair and jet black eyes. Your prince has long auburn hair and green eyes for God’s sake.”

  Aureliann ignored her friend’s eye roll and looked down at the cover of the book. A man stood before the background of a gothic castle. His chest was bare and muscular, his long hair tied behind his back. His whole being suggested a wild sexy strength that made her want to sigh and curl up into a ball of blissful contentment at his feet.

  “Because he’s a lost soul wanting to do good but he has to fight his nature and his environment.” Prince Valdemar wanted more in his life, however he was held back by tradition and responsibilities. Surely she wasn’t the only one who understood that. “And I think long hair, especially auburn, is sexy on some men.”

  “Why do you care whether I like it or not?”

  “Because it’s a fantastic story that should be read.” It called to her like no other book ever had. After reading it, Aureliann had been so stirred that she had wanted to see if it was just she who had such strong feelings for a vampire who was looking for his soul mate and would know her when she called to him. None of it was real of course but it did not stop her calling his name each night.

  “If it’s that fantastic then why can you purchase it on any discount table in Brisbane? See?” Zoe pointed to the bar code that had been cut out.

  “You don’t get it.” Was Aureliann caught up in some fantasy world that was easier than living her own dreary life? Probably. There was nothing in her life to get excited about. Just work and home. No man had ever appealed to her like Prince Valdemar had. And I want him. I love him. It was crazy but it was the truth.

  “I get that you’re in love with a fairytale prince who is a freak.”

  “He is not!” Aureliann snapped then stiffened for a moment when she realized she was so caught up in a fictional character that she was prepared to fight her best friend over it. What the hell is wrong with me?

  Zoe blew out a sigh. “Aureliann, you are my best friend and I feel I can say this to you—you’re insane. Now snap out of it and go and find a flesh and blood man.” She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. “Hell, his name is Prince Valdemar and he’s a vampire from a book for crying out loud. He’s not real.”

  Aureliann knew there was no point trying to discuss the book with her friend. It was impossible to explain what she felt for this book and the hero. It felt real to her, like she knew this character as well as herself.

  “You need a man—an actual, three-dimensional man who you can have a nice, sinus-clearing hard fuck with. That’d sort you out. Your hormones need flesh and blood, not a paper man—oh pardon me—vampire.” Zoe rolled her eyes in exasperation.

  Aureliann looked down at the darkly handsome face on the front cover of The Vampire’s Kiss. The thing was, Zoe was right. But she didn’t want just any man. Aureliann wanted a fairytale prince. She wanted Prince Valdemar.

  Am I losing my mind?

  Chapter Two

  “Oh. My. God. It’s him. The prince, er, cover model.” Aureliann nearly choked on the french fry in her mouth. This was the man she had been talking about only yesterday with Zoe. The bag dropped from her suddenly nerveless fingers, sending french fries scattering everywhere as she watched the man walk into the laundromat. She swallowed hard. Who would have thought it? A cover model coming in to wash his skivvies on an early Sunday morning. To think if I had not decided to do the laundry today I would have missed this.

  What the hell was he doing in a laundromat let alone one in a strip mall in the western suburbs of Brisbane on a Saturday afternoon? It was hardly a glamorous place. Damn he looked good. Tall, wild and sexy. Oh and that hair. Long and sleek and tied back with what looked like a leather thong. Aureliann looked down at the cover of The Vampire’s Kiss on the seat beside her. She carried it everywhere, even to do the laundry. Yeah that was Prince Valdemar all right. Her eyes snapped open wide as he headed in her direction. Holy crap. He was walking straight toward her. Her whole body tensed in shock and anticipation. Look in lust or pretend not to notice? She had dreamed so many dreams of this man that she no longer knew what reality was. Please don’t let me dribble.

  “Hello.”

  Aureliann closed her eyes for a moment and savored that warm, smooth chocolate voice. She felt an instant wetness between her legs in response to that one word. I just know I will have an orgasm if he speaks a whole sentence. When she looked back into his eyes, the feeling of intense attraction made her want to throw herself against his body and never let go.

  “I…er, um, don’t have change for the machines.” Realistically Aureliann knew that was the only reason he would approach her. She was no raving beauty. Only a raving lunatic in love with an imaginary man. Or maybe not so imaginary. She shook her head. Snap out of it. He’s a guy who posed for a photo shoot for money. He is not Prince Valdemar. Aureliann licked her lips, hoping no drool was visible. Zoe was right. She needed a nice, hard fuck to snap her out of her obsession with Prince Valdemar. Despite the beauty of this man, he wasn’t it. Aureliann knew sex with him would ruin her for other men.

  He smiled. “I don’t want change.”

  Be still my heart. “Oh?” Aureliann felt like she was drowning under that smile. She could feel the interested gaze of the other laundromat patrons on them. This beat watching their washing tumbling in the suds and doing cros
sword puzzles as they waited.

  “I want you.” He held out his hand toward her.

  Aureliann made an unattractive, tortured, gagging sound of disbelief. “You want what?” The surprise of his words made her drop her purse to the floor. He actually sounded like he meant it. Half of her wanted to scream hallelujah and the other half told her to snap out of it. Men like him did not pursue women like her. His type preferred bony-assed, stick-thin models, not women with love handles and large asses.

  He bent down and picked her purse up. “You heard me.” He handed it to her.

  When his hand touched hers, Aureliann felt a jolt of awareness shoot through her. Oh boy, oh boy.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “I am Prince Valdemar and I have crossed dimensions to be with you.”

  Aureliann snorted. “Of course you have.”

  Although he had only glimpsed her in his dreams, Aureliann was everything Valdemar knew she would be. The delightful shape of her mouth made him want to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless. Valdemar was prepared for the voluptuous redhead’s surprise. He knew this first meeting would not be easy yet even with her cynicism, he saw recognition mixed with disbelief in her eyes.

  Aureliann held up the book. “Is this a case of life imitating art? Do you pick up women this way?” Her voice was full of sarcasm. “’Cause I’m not that desperate.”

  Valdemar smiled. He would have expected no less than this woman to challenge him. Thomas’ words came back to him. Go now but remember they are not like us. She will not understand at first. She will most likely try to resist you. That was okay. Valdemar had waited forever for this moment and he would put up with whatever suspicion and confusion he had to in order to be with Aureliann.