The Gala Read online

  Vampire Royals 2: The Gala

  Leigh Walker

  CMG Publishing

  Copyright © 2018 by Leigh Walker.

  Published by CMG Publishing.

  Cover by Melody Simmons.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions. V.7.7.2018.

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  Contents

  1. Begin Again

  2. A Montage I’d Love To Forget

  3. What Four Weeks Of Hell Look Like

  4. Only Human

  5. A Change Of Scenery

  6. I Need Every Waking Hour With You

  7. My Friends They Are So Beautiful

  8. Got Nothing On You

  9. A Bit Of A Stiff

  10. Fever Pitch

  11. Wings Wouldn’t Help You

  12. Take A Chance On Me

  13. Confidences

  14. Over My Head

  15. Don’t Let It Fool You

  16. Beastly

  17. Bring It On

  18. Take A Bow

  19. One Lonely Star

  20. Hanging On

  21. Fire I Can Spark

  22. Games

  23. Save Yourself

  24. Both Sides Now

  25. The Face Of You

  26. Caught Between Two Worlds

  27. How To Save A Life

  28. Crash To The Other Shore

  29. Another Country

  30. The Royal Gala

  Vampire Royals 3: The Finale

  Afterword

  Also by Leigh Walker

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Begin Again

  There was a knock on my door. “Miss? Good morning, rise and shine!” My head maid, Evangeline, stuck her pretty face into the room. She took one look at me, and her brow furrowed in surprise. “You’re already up?”

  I shrugged. “I can’t sleep.”

  She grinned. “Excited about the prince’s return?”

  My cheeks heated. “No.” Yes.

  “I’ll just go and fetch the twins. We’ll get your tea ready. Then maybe we can pick out a special dress?”

  I looked down at the plain navy frock I’d selected. “Um… Okay?”

  She nodded and was gone in an instant, leaving me alone with the tortuous quiet of my room and the rioting thoughts in my brain.

  I paced, waiting for her to return with Bria and Bettina, the identical twins who were my other maids. Their pleasant chatter would fill the void. The palace had been quiet, too quiet, these past few days. His Royal Highness, Prince Dallas Black, Crown Prince of the United Settlements, had been gone all week. He’d been traveling with his advisors and guards. Without Dallas, the palace seemed empty and cold.

  Evangeline was right. I couldn’t wait to see him.

  In addition to the prince’s absence, fifteen more girls had been cut and sent home from the Pageant, the nationally televised competition in which I was currently a contestant. The Pageant was one-third beauty competition, one-third dating show, and one-third survival boot camp.

  I should explain.

  Two young women from each settlement had been chosen to participate in the contest. We were “invited,” but participation was mandatory. Fifty of us had been brought to the palace, where the king, queen and prince lived. The royal family had conquered the settlements five years ago. We did not say “no” to them.

  We didn’t dare.

  Each girl was given our own room and our own maids. The royal family gave us beautiful clothes to wear. We had our hair and makeup done daily. We attended lessons all day, every day, on etiquette, manners, and all sorts of things.

  We were given delicious food to eat. Oh, the food! Biscuits and scones and waffles for breakfast. And butter—real butter! Salads, fresh fruits and savory meats for lunch. Succulent roasts, seafood, and potatoes for dinner. Chocolate cake, red velvet cupcakes with cream-cheese frosting and any kind of tart you could imagine for dessert.

  My mouth watered just thinking about it, and I wasn’t alone. After living on rations for the past five years, all of the contestants were positively giddy about the food.

  Our days were filled with meals and lessons, and our every move was filmed for the reality show that followed the competition. Episodes chronicling the girls’ lives at the palace were aired weekly, so that the people in the settlements could follow along and root for their favorites.

  Thirty girls had already been cut. I was one of remaining twenty, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For those of us left, there was one goal: to win. The champion would become engaged to the dashing, charming prince, Dallas Black. After a royal wedding, she would become the princess of the settlements—and one day, she’d become queen.

  But this summary—the same one peddled to the people of the settlements—made the Pageant sound grand and slightly romantic. The truth was quite a bit more complicated than that.

  I’d omitted certain pertinent facts, certain deadly, pertinent facts.

  The prince was a vampire.

  His parents were vampires.

  They didn’t eat food. They ate…humans.

  For instance? My first night at the palace, the queen had bit Eve, the other girl from my settlement, and drained her dry. Now Eve was a vampire.

  Since I’d come to the palace, I’d learned that some vampires could control themselves around humans. Others, like the queen, could not. Some vampires could move about in the sunlight. Others would fry. Some vampires, like Eve, had the ability to telepathically speak inside a person’s brain. I was still learning all the rules. It was complicated, but if I wanted to stay alive, I’d best pay attention.

  The vampire royals had come from the North and conquered the settlements with the Black Guard, their vampire army. Since they’d conquered us, we’d survived on government-supplied rations. We no longer had cell phones, computers or cars. We still had television, though. So the royals could ply us with their propaganda.

  My father and older brother had gone off five years ago to fight against them—along with many other human men—and never came home. The human rebel army was still out there. They’d attacked the palace as recently as last week.

  On top of all this? The prince had hinted at other threats to the settlements. He’d also mentioned something about other types of vampires and werewolves and…

  Stop it, Gwyn.

  I rested my forehead against the cool glass of my window, willing the sun to rise higher. During the day, I was busy—busy learning which fork to use at a formal dinner, busy dipping a pen into ink and learning to write polished cursive with flourishes, busy learning how to curtsy without falling on my face.

  I liked having my days full because when I was trying to identify the salad fork, I could hide from the truth: I’d fallen for the prince—the vampire prince.

  This was also complicated by certain pertinent facts, including, but not limited to, the nineteen other girls living at the palace. Based on the way they all sighed and fluttered their lashes every time the prince was near, they’d also fallen for him and wanted to marry him.

  And then there was the whole, you know, vampire thing. And the fact that Dallas had told me I smelled quite delicious, which I think meant he wanted to bite me. My thoughts kept wandering, wondering what else he might like to do to me…

  The door burst open, and my maids swept in. Evangeline, tall and blonde, led the way. Close on her heels were the twins, Bria and Bettina, their coffee-colored skin flushed and their alm
ond-shaped eyes glittering with excitement.

  But Bria stopped in her tracks. She took one look at me and frowned. She headed straight for my wardrobe.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “I think you know,” she scolded. Her ponytail swung in her wake, highlighting the blue ribbon she always wore so people could tell her apart from her sister. “There is no way you’re wearing that wretched dress today. Who wears navy-blue cotton to a royal reunion?”

  I sighed, looking down and smoothing my modest dress. “There’s no reunion planned. I don’t even know if I’ll see the prince today.”

  “Of course you will. You’re his favorite! Everyone says so.” Bria tore through my closet, dismissing a dozen dresses until she found one she liked. She pulled out a gauzy blue gown that looked suspiciously low cut.

  “I don’t know about that one.”

  “Just try it!” Bria handed it to me and unzipped the dress I was wearing without further ado.

  I’d learned there was no use in arguing.

  I stepped into the new gown, and Bria pulled it up. Bria and her sister, Bettina, ogled me, clapping their hands and squealing in unison.

  “Just gorgeous!”

  “You are stunning, my lady!”

  Evangeline finished pouring my tea and had a look. “Oh, miss, it’s very becoming. Come and see.”

  They ushered me to the full-length mirror, and my jaw dropped when I saw my reflection. The dress was gorgeous but very revealing. The top was low-cut and skintight. It showed off my pale skin and curves. The skirt skimmed me, blue chiffon billowing in soft waves to the floor.

  “It’s lovely, but…” I tried to pull up the bodice to no avail. “Isn’t there more to it somewhere?”

  “No, that’s everything.” Bria grinned. “I adore it.”

  I cleared my throat. “I’m not sure that it’s, ah, appropriate.”

  “But the prince will love it,” Bria whined. “And that Tamara’s worn things much more brazen.” She sniffed.

  Tamara was one of the other remaining contestants from a prominent family from Settlement 11. Some of the other girls whispered that she was favored to win the competition. Tall, with a statuesque build and long raven hair, she had no problem flaunting her many enviable assets—much to the chagrin of my maids and many of the other girls.

  “Tamara and I have different…er, styles.” I coughed. The fact was, Tamara would strut around the palace in a string bikini morning, noon and night if it were allowed. “I think it’s a good thing.”

  Evangeline laughed behind her hand, and Bria went back to the wardrobe. She selected a pretty tangerine-colored frock with a more modest neckline. “What about this one?” She sounded dejected.

  “I love that dress. It’s perfect. As for this one”—I fingered the layers of the skirt—“I’ll save it for a special occasion. You’re right about the prince. I think he’d be partial to this.”

  Mollified, Bria helped me change. Then she forced me into a chair and started brushing the snarls out of my long, thick hair. “I’m going to make your hair shine. The prince will go wild.”

  “We don’t need to make him wild, exactly,” I said through gritted teeth, as she worked out a particularly difficult snarl. A wild vampire might be dangerous.

  But the thought of Dallas being excited to see me kicked up my heart rate. I forced my mind to quiet as my cheeks heated. Ridiculous. Just the talk of his return to the palace had me needing to fan myself.

  Bria mumbled something under her breath, which sounded suspiciously like, “Oh, yes we do.”

  I pretended to be above the conversation and ignored her, simultaneously and secretly willing my hormones to calm down.

  Bettina set a heavy crate full of makeup on a nearby table and grinned at me. “Don’t let my sister get under your skin. She wants you to shine, is all.” She took out a tub of some sparkly gold substance and dipped a poufy makeup brush into it.

  She dabbed it onto my nose. “Speaking of shining…”

  I closed my eyes and let them finish with my hair and makeup. Back home, my normal beauty routine consisted of brushing my teeth and throwing my hair up into a messy bun. The twins shuddered whenever I told them that, so I gleefully reminded them frequently.

  Bria worked through all the snarls then fluffed and smoothed my hair. Bettina slathered on what seemed like ten layers of makeup while Evangeline tidied and dusted the room, humming under her breath.

  “Ladies.” I opened my eyes. “If I haven’t said it lately, I want you to know I appreciate how well you take care of me.” I missed my mother and younger siblings terribly, but the maids had become my second family. They fussed over me and scolded me like I was one of their own.

  Bettina swatted me on the nose with the poufy brush. “It’s our pleasure, miss. We love having you and the other girls at the palace. The competition’s brought a whole new life to this place.”

  “And you thank us often.” Evangeline smiled at me kindly then added another log to the fire.

  Bria finished with my hair then leaned down to grin at me. “And there’s no one we’d rather serve. You’re our favorite too, you know.”

  There was a knock at the door. Evangeline answered it. “Yes?”

  “His Royal Highness, Prince Dallas Black, Crown Prince of the United Settlements, is here,” the guard announced.

  The four of us looked at each other, shocked. The twins sprang into action, putting away the makeup and brushes in a frenzy. Bria gave my hair one last insistent fluff.

  “Yes, of course. Just a moment.” Evangeline eyed the room then, declaring it fit for the prince, swept to the side and stood at attention. Bria winked at me as she and Bettina joined her in their customary positions at her side.

  I stood and smoothed my dress. My hands shook. He’s here. Nervous excitement thrummed through me, but fear lurked beneath.

  I was afraid. Afraid of just how much I’ve missed him.

  In a few short weeks, the prince had become awfully important to me, and I meant “awful” literally. It was awful thinking about him all day, every day, tossing and turning at night, wondering if he was okay, wondering if he was thinking about me… It was both awful and wonderful to be so consumed.

  But oh, my God, I’d gone soft over him.

  I pushed the rampant thoughts to the side as Dallas strode into the room, looking as if he’d come in from a long ride. His cheeks were flushed, and his hair was a bit wild. He smelled of the outdoors.

  He smiled at my maids and greeted each of them. “Evangeline. Bria. Bettina.” His kindness and attention to the staff was just one of the things I admired about him.

  My maids curtsied then righted themselves, looking as if they now needed to fan themselves.

  The prince turned his dark-eyed gaze to me, and I sucked in a deep breath. It had only been a few days, but I was still struck by how tall and handsome he was. My eyes raked over his pale skin, square jaw, and broad shoulders.

  I exhaled and shakily curtsied, praying I didn’t faint. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Your Highness.”

  He bowed. “My lady.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you back so early.”

  Dallas favored me with a large smile, his dimple springing forth in all its glory. “I’m afraid I couldn’t bear to stay away much longer.”

  I thought I heard the twins sigh. Evangeline gave them each a filthy look then quickly composed her features.

  “How was your trip? Everything went well, I hope?”

  His smile disappeared. “It went as well as I could expect. How has the palace been?”

  “Fine. Everything’s been running smoothly. Tariq’s got us learning about fork tines.” Tariq was the royal emissary. He was largely in charge of the Pageant—a fact he never let any of us forget.

  Dallas chuckled, relaxing again. “Ah, Tariq and his forks.”

  The prince took a step toward me, and my heart pounded. I desperately hoped he couldn’t see it flutter against
the thin material of my dress. “I missed you, Gwyneth.”

  I took a steadying breath. “I missed you too, Dallas.”

  A guard stepped through the door. “Your Highness, I’ve just had word. They’re ready for you.”

  Dallas nodded then turned back to me, his gaze burning. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. I need to meet with my court and update them with news from my travels.”

  I tried not to appear crestfallen that he was already leaving. “Of course. Thank you for coming to see me.”

  He grinned. “My pleasure.”

  I took a quick step toward him. “Are you sure everything’s all right?” Rebels had recently attacked the palace, and I worried that they planned more onslaughts.

  He reached for my hand and squeezed it. “It will be. And you have my word that I’ll keep you and the others safe. We’ll talk more of it later.”

  I wasn’t worried about my safety, and I had about a million more questions, but the guards waited outside the door. “Okay.”

  He released me. “I’ll come see you as soon as I can.”

  With another bow, the prince was gone, his cape trailing after him.

  And I just stood there, heart thudding in his wake.

  Chapter 2

  A Montage I’d Love To Forget

  Even though another fifteen girls had been cut and sent home, you’d never know it from the high-pitched ruckus coming from the common room.

  “The prince is back! I saw the guard riding in with the banners this morning!” gushed one young woman to her friend.