Winter

"Winter," a voice sings. The female voice keeps repeating my name again and again, as I open my eyes. The sound is different from the childlike, female voice I’m used to hearing. I recognise the voice straight away as I glance over to see Elissa. Dressed in the usual white dress and this time wearing a long, white cloak. She is standing next to me, close enough for me to reach out and touch her, but I can’t move my hands. She points in front of me, and I look where she is looking.

We are in a park, and a woman is walking through it, pushing a black pushchair with its hood down. There's a little toddler in it, but I can't see her, just her white trousers and her pink shoes sticking out the end of it. The woman is wearing jeans and a black coat. A man is walking next to her, his arm around her waist as he looks at her with love. The man seems so familiar too, with light-brown hair and pale-green eyes. The woman has short, brown hair, a slim build, and is about my height with bright-blue eyes. She stops at a bench and sits down, the man sits next to her. The baby is facing me, a few steps away from us, but I don't look at her as I stare at the woman. She seems so familiar to me.

"I have to tell you something," she says to the man. Her voice is so soothing, and I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere before.

"Yes?" he asks. 

"You know I'm different," she says gently. 

"We don't speak about that, you promised not to use your powers," he replies in a heated tone.

"And I haven't. It's not safe for our baby to be around us. You know what you are, and what I am," she replies, her tone careful and controlled.

"Where can we take her, Isa?" he asks her.

"You have to take her. I can't," she says, her face filled with tears.

"No," he whispers, reaching over to wipe them away.

"He has found me, you’re human, so he won't find you with her," she says, and he shakes his head.

He looks at the baby before replying. "That's why you brought us here?" he waves a hand around the empty park. I look around, wondering what he’s talking about.

"Yes, I have to go back alone," she replies, and he takes her head in his hands.

"He will kill you. I love you, Isa, I can't let you," he starts and shakes his head.

"It's me or her. Just keep her away from my kind," she tells him,

"What of the prophecy?”

"We always knew it was her," she whispers quietly.

I block out what they are saying to look at the baby. She looks around two, with dark-brown hair clinging to her heart- shaped face. 

"Remember what I am showing you. You need to understand your past before you can save your future," Elissa whispers into my mind.

"Why do you always talk in riddles? What are you showing me?" I demand as I look at the little child.

"Your family," she whispers as I look back at the baby, and she opens her bright-blue eyes. 

Blue eyes I’ve seen a million times in the mirror.

I open my eyes with a jump, as I throw my covers off and get out of the empty bed. That couldn't have been me. My mother wasn't there, and I don't know who that guy was. I have a few photos of my father, and he doesn't look like him. 

No, it's not true.

The door opens and Wyatt comes through it, shutting it behind him. "Hey, I had to check something and didn’t want to wake you," he tells me. Wyatt looks at me as I run my hand through my sweat-filled hair, my whole body is still shaking.

“Bad dream?” he asks.

"I'm going to shower," I say and walk straight to the bathroom, knowing he’s watching me the whole time.

Only, I open the wrong door, and it's a massive walk-in closet with clothes lining each side. Ah well, I needed a change of clothes. I ignore all the other clothes when I see my bag on the floor and pull out some jeans and a blue top. I get some clean underwear out, too, before opening the other door and finding the bathroom. I don't even look at Wyatt, but I hear his chuckle.

"She can't go to see a king looking like she has been pulled through a bush backwards, Wyatt," Alex’s voice comes through the closed bathroom door as I turn the hair dryer off after a long shower. The shower is amazing and kind of like a waterfall. There is even a dressing table in here, with everything a girl could need. I look at myself closely in the mirror, noticing again how my hair doesn't need straightening anymore. My eyelashes are so long and black now. My face just looks more refined.

"She won't!" Wyatt defends me.

I walk out with a glare at my best friend which stops when I see what she and Wyatt are wearing. She’s dressed in a black dress that shows off her back and goes high up her neck at the front. It falls to the ground and looks stunning with her long, red hair. My mouth drops open when I see Wyatt stood in a black suit. His hair is gelled to the side and his suit stretches across his chest. When I finally meet his gaze, my body tingles in excitement at how he’s looking at me. Memories of him on top of me last night flood my mind, and my face heats up.

“Always jeans,” Alex says with a slight tut and draw's my attention towards her. A thankful distraction from the extremely hot vampire I’m mated to.

"What am I supposed to wear then?" I ask Alex and look down at my jeans which have a small hole in the knee. I don’t look that bad, but compared to them I look a little weird.

Alex just shakes her head at me and opens the wardrobe. Whoever went shopping for me went overboard. The closet is full of dresses, smart trouser suits, and little tops.

"Out of all the things in here, you chose this?" She points at my outfit.

"I like jeans," I reply dryly as she grabs my hand, and pulls me into the room. Alex shuts the door, leaving Wyatt on the other side.

"The vampires are old school here, they all dress in cocktail dresses, and the men are in suits. That’s why Wyatt is in one. You don't need to stand out any more than you already are going to, Win," she tells me. I sit on the small cushioned bench in the room.

"You’re right, this is just a lot to take in," I mumble. I think that’s the understatement of the year.

"I get it, but Drake told me all about the prophecy last night.” She stops to look at me, her face is scared–an emotion I rarely see on Alex.

“I want you alive at the end of this," she tells me and turns back to the dresses.

"I will be," I reply as Alex slides the dresses along the rail. There are around twenty different dresses, all of them long and look like designer makes. The vampires don’t have a problem with money, but it makes me uncomfortable.

"You are a lucky bitch, you know that, right?" Alex says as she looks at a dark-blue dress.

"In what way?" I ask her.

"Imagine all the hot sex you’re going to have with those four hot princes," she says, and it makes me laugh. 

"I haven't got my head around being with any of them yet, let alone all four," I mumble out eventually, but she hears me.

"I would ride them all like a pony if I were you, have you seen them?" she replies, and I laugh.

"I know you would."

"Ah it’s a shame my heart is only made for one guy, but I know yours isn't. You already love all those men, even if you don't know it yet," she replies. I don't think on her words because I don't like how right she likely is. Well, for at least two of them. Atti and Dabriel are growing on me too.

“I have something for you,” she pulls out a small vial. It’s filled with a glowing purple liquid. “It's a contraceptive herb from the angels. It will stop any little Winter's running around.”

“Thanks, do I just drink it?” I ask.

“Yep. Drake gets it for me, and I asked him to get you one. You don’t need to thank me, I don’t want to be an auntie yet,” she winks at me, and I drink the vial. It tastes like a fizzy drink.

"I had a dream last night," I mumble as she pushes the blue dress away and pulls out a long, red one.

"A bad one?" she asks and stops to look at me. She knows how messed up I can get over my dreams. When I was thirteen I had a terrible dream: a woman I couldn’t see was being held down by big, blue men. They were just shadows, but there were two of them, they changed as I watched into men and then shadows again. The dream was terrifying as I watched them kill the woman, they pulled some white and blue light out of her. When I woke up, I was screaming at the bottom of the garden. I must have walked out of the house in my dreams, Alex ran out and pulled me inside the house. She covered for me when my mum came running down the stairs and found us in the kitchen. We were lucky my mum believed the story that I saw a mouse when I got up to get water.  I couldn’t sleep for days after that dream, and every time I closed my eyes I saw the brown-haired women on the ground. The weird thing is that Isa looked like the woman from that dream. I can’t remember it anymore, but there was something familiar about her.

"No, not really. I was a toddler, but I wasn't with mum or dad." I tell her, and she raises an eyebrow at me.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Someone else was my mother and father. I don't get it, my dreams are becoming more real, and with everything going on, I’m worrying that they aren’t just dreams anymore. Elissa said they were my family."

"Maybe they are just dreams," Alex suggests.

"Yeah, and maybe vampires don’t exist," I say sarcastically, and Alex comes over to me with a simple, white dress. It has two silver rings that hold it up on the shoulders, and it looks like it stops below the knees with a slight slit because of the tight fit. It's posh and sexy at the same time. I’m a little worried this is going to show off my not so flat stomach and curves, but it looks my size.

"You know, whatever happens, your mother loves you, and I love you. Don't worry too much about a dream you can't change," Alex tells me as she puts a hand on my shoulder. 

"Thanks, and I love you too," I say, and she grins as I stand up and take the dress off her. I quickly change and do a twirl for Alex, and she nods. I glance at myself in the full-length mirror, the dress is tight around my hips, but it has slight waves. It looks good and hides the proof of my chocolate addiction. We walk out of Wyatt’s room and find him with Drake in the corridor. Wyatt looks at my dress closely before taking my hand and pulling me gently to his side. Drake is dressed similarly to Wyatt, and it’s the most dressed up I’ve ever seen him.

"You may dress Winter whenever, Alex," he says.

"I told you so," she laughs. The door to the left of ours opens and Leigha walks out. She looks every bit the vampire in a tight, black dress, it stops mid-thigh and covers her arms. The top half is open to show her shoulders. When she turns to shut the door, I see her mark on her shoulder. Its looks a little like a bird, made up of dozens of swirls. It covers the top of her arm and over her shoulder, where the birds head rests.

“Let’s hurry, I want to get this stupid thing off,” Leigha crosses her arms and walks ahead of us. I glance at Alex, who is trying not to laugh.

Drake wraps a hand around Alex’s waist, and they walk after Leigha. We follow them down an endless number of corridors and stairs. Weirdly, we manage not to pass anyone else. The place reminds me of a haunted castle of one of those ghost shows because the dated corridors are quiet and mainly dark, apart from the small, wall lights.

"Where is everyone?" I ask Wyatt.

"The humans use back passages, and the vampires are all called to court to meet you," he replies.

"Oh, no pressure," I respond. I have to remember to thank Alex later for dressing me. I couldn’t turn up in front of hundreds of vampires wearing jeans with a hole in them. They would never take me seriously.

"None at all. They will love you," he replies. Our eyes lock together for a second before we both turn to see where we’re going. I only needed that second glance to fill myself with a false sense of safety, a safety I only feel at Wyatt’s side.

“Does the king have a mate?” I ask.

“He has turned ten female humans, but he never calls any of them a mate. They usually die when he gets bored of them and doesn’t let them feed on any other vampire or himself. They may wear his mark, but he has no respect for them. That was my mother’s title,” Wyatt says with little emotion in his words.

“I didn’t realise you could turn more than one person,” I say.

“It’s not advised, but yes, you could turn endless numbers. Most people see it as an insult to do that. Sometimes the turned don’t survive, or they go a little mad,” he tells me. It's a scary thought that his kind could just go around turning people.

We walk up to large, stone doors, with three guards standing outside looking at us. Three have dark skin and black eyes that match their uniforms. The red crown is stitched over their hearts, and they put their fists to their hearts as they bow.

"Open the doors," Wyatt says, and they quickly do as he asks. I didn't feel him use his power, but he makes you want to do as he says anyway. I have to remember he is a prince here.

The door swings open to the throne room. Hundreds of eyes stare at me from their seats on both sides of a long path towards the throne. I don't look at them as my gaze hits the famous vampire king. He looks like Wyatt, with his light-blond hair, but his has a bit of grey on the roots. He has a big build like his son, filling out the gold throne he sits on. The king is wearing a black suit, a few buttons are undone on his shirt, and he looks casual compared to the vampires in the room. Next to him, on the left, are four vampires seated next to each other in small gold chairs and a long wooden table stretched out in front of them. Harold is the first I see and then an older, stern- looking woman with short, grey hair, and she gives me a slightly distasteful look as our eyes meet. The other two are familiar, the one with the red crown tattooed on his head smirks at me. The seat next to him has the common, greasy- haired man he was with when he came to get me from Wyatt months ago, who also is looking very happy. I try to ignore the three wine glasses full of a dark-red liquid. I know its blood, but I’m going to pretend its wine. Yep, it’s wine.

I press closer to Wyatt as we walk, and he squeezes my hand once in support.  I glance around the room, seeing all the vampires. They look like they’re waiting for a supermodel contest as not one of them is bad looking. It’s intimidating because they are all stick thin, pale, and mainly blonde. There are a few dark-haired people in the crowd but not many. I catch a glance of a little boy in the seats, his white hair standing out compared to the light-blondes in the room. He looks around Freddy’s age, and he smiles at me. I pull my gaze away as we get to the end of the path. The massive, gold throne stands on its own at the front of the room, and it’s made of solid gold by the looks of it. It’s big enough to put the queen of England’s throne to shame. There are four large, glazed-glass windows behind the throne; they have a red tint in them, making the room almost seem like it’s glowing red.

The king stands up, his thick, red crown shining in the light from the large windows. Though, the king is difficult to look away from, I feel drawn to look at the crown. The top looks made out of smooth thorns, and has four large red stones encased inside it. I can sense its power from where I am standing. It's like my insides are telling me there’s something different about the crown. 

"My son has returned and with a human mate," he says, looking happy, but it's clear it's an act. His fake eyes meet mine like he knows what I'm thinking as Wyatt stops before the three steps that separate us from where the king is standing. You wouldn't think he was evil. In fact, he almost looks like an average guy. One you would expect to pass on a street as he goes to his nine-to-five job at an office. Except he is the monster under the bed, instead.

"Father, this is Winter Masters," Wyatt says respectively and slightly bows his head.

"Winter. Come here," the king holds out his hand. Wyatt’s grip tightens on my hand as I try to let go to move forward, and the king laughs.

"You are not letting me near your new mate. I don't blame you son. I only wish to greet her." He laughs, and the crowd of vampires laughs with him. 

"Fine," Wyatt says and lifts my hand to place a kiss on it before he steps back next to Alex and Drake. Leigha is standing at my side, and she bows before stepping back. I walk toward the King, and he offers me a hand. I place my hand in his, and a wave of sickness fills my body. I quickly pull my hand away, and the feeling goes away.

"Winter. You look so familiar to me," he says, and he moves closer as I take a step back.

"We haven't met," I reply, making him laugh. 

"I'm sure we haven't," he replies staring down at me. He is as tall as Wyatt which makes him far more intimidating as I look up to meet his eyes. 

"Oops, wrong timing," Atti’s voice says behind me, and I turn to see him walking down the middle of the Throne room. Atti looks every bit the prince, he told me he is. Wearing a black shirt, and black trousers under a long black cloak that hits the floor. A small black crown sits on his head, and his hair has been cut shorter. It now hits his eyebrows and is a lot shorter at the sides. It suits him. I nearly trip when I see the white and black tigers that walk next to him.  Atti is extremely tall, and these tigers are half his size. The white one has white and grey striped fur, a tail made of sharp looking spikes mixed in with soft fur. It has two massive teeth that make it seem like a Sabertooth tiger. The black one is a little smaller, with large eyes and bigger ears. A shiny coat covers its whole body, with large black spikes running from its neck to the end of its tail. They both have bright grey eyes, just like Atti’s grey eyes. Atti moves between Drake and Alex as they step aside. He stops next to Wyatt. 

"My Queen has sent me, we have things to discuss." Atti bows slightly.

"You are welcome witch prince," the king replies with an amused look in my direction.

“Looking as hot as ever Winter. Seriously, the dirty things I’m thinking of doing to you in that dress,” Atti says in my mind, and I cough to hide my shocked laugh.

I move slightly away as the king moves closer to me and takes my hand again. The sickness is overwhelming, and I can just barely stand up, as he offers my hand to Atti, "May I introduce Winter Masters. My son’s new mate and our new princess."

Atti takes my hand and presses a little kiss on the back of it before he lets go. A look of disgust fills his face for a second as he looks at me. He hides the emotion so quickly that I can't be sure it was there.

"A human mate?" he asks Wyatt, who moves closer to me and pulls me to him. 

"Careful, witch," Wyatt spits out. If I didn’t know better, I would be convinced these two hated each other. It’s a little upsetting to see, and weird to watch. I guess they must have had years of perfecting it.

"Boys, now, now. You are starting to sound like his dead father and me," the king points at Atti, and a feral-sounding growl comes from the white tiger as Atti stands straighter than before.

"Be careful. You are not my king, and you will not speak of my father like that," Atti warns. The king just nods, a calculating look on his face as he returns to his throne. I move to stand next to Wyatt, who holds my hand.

"Come here, human," he says, and I think he means me until I see a girl around seventeen running across the room from where she was standing by the wall. Her clothes look worn and stitched in many places. Her hair is pulled up in a tight bun, her skin is pale, but she is still gorgeous, though way too thin. The king pulls her roughly onto his lap the minute she gets near and bites her neck. She moans in pleasure, but her voice withers away as the king feeds from her. I watch in horror as he feeds, my hands crawling into Wyatt’s arm as he holds me to him. No one does anything as he kills the girl, and her body falls the ground.

"Does your mate need a feed?" the king asks as he steps over the body. I stare at her empty eyes, feeling my anger rising beyond control. 

“Winter I know Love, I know. Your eyes are changing, and I need you to be strong. The king is a bastard but strong with many secrets. We can’t just kill him, the vampires would avenge him, and they love him.”

Atti must have noticed how upset and angry I am, as he whispers in my head, and I turn to him to see him shaking his head a little, and I close my eyes. 

"No. Winter developed a new power, and we will be using the training rooms to work on it," Wyatt replies.

“Ah, what power does our princess have?” the king asks.

“My mate can move thing with her mind, a form of telekinesis. Much like my uncle had, if I remember.”

“Yes, a compelling gift indeed,” the king says, but I keep my eyes on the floor. 

"You’d best teach our new princess how to fight and use her powers. I expect to see you at the council meetings,” he tells Wyatt.

"Yes, father." 

I open my eyes, just to see the king smiling at me. An evil smile. 

“Miss Leigha Sokolov, what a beautiful vampire you have turned into. My council will be finding mates for you soon,” he says, and Leigha steps to my side.

“As you wish, my king,” she bows her head and glances at me when she turns around. The panic on her face is enough to let me know she needs this deal as much as I’m going to.

“I always expected Wyatt to take you for a mate, perhaps when he is bored of this one,” the king waves a hand at me.

Wyatt doesn’t say anything but squeezes my hand so tightly I’m scared it’s going to snap off. Leigha’s eyes meet mine, and she only looks down.

I quickly put my eyes to the ground as I feel a wave of dizziness.

Wyatt turns with me by his side and walks out the throne room with Alex and Drake following us. Leigha stays near my side, and I look back at the girl’s body on the floor in front of the big, gold throne. Such a waste of a short life, she is so pretty, and the king had no regard for her life. Like she didn’t matter, when she did. I don’t think I'll ever forget her empty, blue eyes.

“Look away, this can’t be changed, Love,” Atti whispers in my mind, and I turn away as Wyatt walks us out the door.