Blood Prince (Heir of the Blood Curse) Read online

  All sounds and movement ceased outside of the Seer’s tent. Toviah’s concentration faltered and the effects of the alcohol heightened his inability to focus. Toviah watched the Seer wave his hands over the crystal ball and touch various objects on the table, while chanting in a language Toviah had never heard before. He stopped abruptly, eyes intent on the crystal ball, watching, analysing the swirling charcoal smoke which had appeared in the once clear ball.

  “What do you see?” Toviah whispered. Afraid to speak too loudly, at the chance of someone eavesdropping outside the tent.

  “Tsk.” The Seer held up a finger to hush Toviah.

  Toviah sat bemused and allowed the Seer to work his magic. He knew this was nonsense, it was all part of the theatrics of Carnevale. Even so, Toviah decided to play along and wait for his future to be told.

  “I see death.” The Seer locked eyes with Toviah, a sheer look of horror washed over his features.

  Toviah sat up and cleared his throat. “What else do you see?”

  “I see evil arriving on the night of the Blood Moon, my Prince.” The Seer’s hands hovered over the crystal ball.

  “Anything else?” Toviah relaxed back into his chair. Momentarily he had been convinced of the Seer’s words being true. Now he knew the Seer was clever and played on the events that were known to be feared.

  “It is unclear, but I fear for your life. The life you lead now. All will change on the night of the Blood Moon.” He focused on the ball.

  “I fear for my life too. My mother is forcing my hand and I am in love with another. This is nothing new you tell me.”

  “It is not your mother, my Prince. It is a dark being, it’s shadowy edges fade into the night,” the Seer whispered.

  Toviah stood. “Thank you Seer. Your prophecies shall serve me well.”

  “Please, my Prince, be vigilant over the next few days. This is not said lightly, it is the truth I speak,” the Seer pleaded.

  “I must get back to the one I loathe,” Toviah sighed.

  “Wait.” The Seer grabbed Toviah’s hand. “I have something for you.”

  Toviah watched as the Seer knelt behind the table and produced a blood red rose, it’s stem full of thorns. “Give this rose to your lovely lady out there.”

  “Thank you.” Toviah bowed and left the tent with the rose in hand and headed to the bar in search of his cousin.

  “Toviah, over here.” Bastian waved. “You shouldn’t have.” Bastian pointed to the rose.

  “I need a drink.” Toviah rolled his eyes. He placed the rose on the bar and waited for his drink.

  “So, what did the teller of fortunes say?” Bastian asked.

  “That my cousin is a pain in my rear,” Toviah laughed.

  “I could have told you that.” Bastian stole Toviah’s drink the barman had just delivered and drank it down in one go. “See, your future is coming true.”

  “Funny.” He let out a very royal snort.

  “Here she comes,” Bastian whispered.

  A gentle arm snaked around the back of his waist, he did not need to turn to see who it was. “Oh, my Prince, you got me a rose.” Veronica picked the rose up, closed her eyes and smelled it before tracing it over her lips and down over her ample breasts.

  “No, it was for my mother.” Toviah snatched it out of her hand, pricking his finger with one of the sharp thorns, he dropped the rose in reaction to the pain. A small bead of blood had appeared at the puncture site and as Toviah watched the red bead slowly grow, Veronica took his hand in hers.

  “My Prince, you are hurt.” She looked up at him through her long lashes.

  “I’m fine.”

  Veronica stepped closer to Toviah, he was now trapped between her and the bar pressing into his back.

  “Let me kiss it better for you.” She smiled.

  “It’s fine,” Toviah protested but Veronica held his hand in a firm grip.

  “Here.” Without taking her eyes off him, Veronica licked the blood and slowly inched his whole finger into her mouth. Her warm tongue swirled around it and she sucked hard before sliding it back out between her ruby lips. “All fixed, my Prince.”

  Toviah swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He needed to push back the urges that had suddenly washed over him. “I must go.” He escaped her grip and fled without looking back.

  Chapter Four

  Toviah stood looking out over the Grand Canal, his thoughts kept creeping back to Veronica and her sultry lips. He knew better than to allow anything further to develop with her, but he could not get her out of his thoughts. He had been hiding in the unused rooms of the palace most of the afternoon and early night, avoiding Veronica and the rest of the guests. The Puppet’s Lunch had turned into dinner, and all the guests were busy enjoying the activities.

  “Where have you been hiding?” Bastian approached Toviah and offered him a drink.

  “Here and there.” Toviah sipped his port.

  “Avoiding that lovely young lady, are we?”

  “You could say that.” The curve of his mouth serious.

  “Your face when she licked your blood was priceless. I wish I was an artist, so I could paint it for you,” Bastian laughed.

  “You seem to be laughing at my expense a lot lately.” Toviah grinned back at his cousin.

  “Only you could get yourself into these situations. Trouble seems to follow you without the assistance of me.”

  “What can I say? Trouble is my real name.” Toviah drank the entire contents of his glass in one go. .

  “You can’t stay out here all night,” Bastian said.

  “I can try.”

  “Come back down and have some food at least.”

  “You sound like my mother.”

  “I’m just looking out for you. I mean, you will need your energy to keep up with that Veronica,” Bastian teased.

  Toviah punched Bastian in the shoulder causing him to spill his drink. The two cousins burst into fits of laughter before Bastian grabbed Toviah by the arm and dragged him to back to the dinner.

  The evening wore on into the early hours of the morning. Toviah managed to avoid Veronica all night, and he was glad he hadn’t bumped into her because he was not sure if he would be able to resist her.

  “I’m turning in for the night,” Bastian announced as he rose from the table.

  “I’ll see you at the Masked Parade in San Marco.” Toviah nodded and watched Bastian as he retreated towards the exit.

  Toviah sat with his port and wondered what his Elisabetta was up to. He had not seen her for over a day and his heart longed for her smooth, milky skin. A mischievous thought crossed his mind and at once he left the ballroom in a rush.

  Toviah borrowed one of the guest’s gondolas, he knew no one would miss it, and made it to his loves residence without seeing another soul on the canals. Toviah tied his gondola in the adjacent canal so as not to draw attention in the early light of the morning. He scurried with excitement until he reached Elisabetta’s window and wondered how on earth he would make it up to the second floor. He found a small stone and threw it at her window and waited. Not a movement in sight. He threw another stone, this time the noise was loud and cracked into the night. Toviah froze when he saw a light shine through her window.

  “My love,” Toviah called.

  Elisabetta peered through her window until her eyes met his, she shook her head and disappeared from sight.

  Toviah was about ready to leave when he heard a click and the opening of a door.

  “Come inside you crazy fool,” Elisabetta whispered.

  Toviah hurried to the door, his lips crashed against hers. She tasted of honey and stolen dreams, like an angel in moonlight.

  “Come inside before someone sees you.” Elisabetta pulled him in by his shirt.

  “Are you alone?” His eyes gleamed.

  “Yes.”

  “Good,” he growled, threw her over his shoulder and carried her up to her room. Her giggles and squeals echoing down
the stairs. He placed her gently on her bed before closing the door behind him.

  “What are you doing here at such an hour?”

  “I needed to see you,” he replied. His eyes lingered on her mouth.

  “I’m glad you’re here but you are very fortunate that no one else was home. We could have been caught.”

  “Hush my love.” Toviah placed his finger on her lips and knelt between her legs. He ran his hands up her thighs, causing goose bumps to appear on her milky skin and pulled her against him.

  “What am I going to do with you?” Elisabetta smiled. Her fingers grabbed a hold of his hair and she pulled his lips against hers.

  “You can keep doing this to me,” Toviah breathed against her neck, tracing his tongue up to her earlobe. “Or this.” He bit her ear gently and she yelped with excitement. “Shhh my love, or you will wake the neighbourhood.”

  “Stop doing these things and I will keep quiet,” she giggled.

  “Stop doing what things?” He took her nipple in his mouth and lightly grazed his teeth over it before gently biting it.

  Elisabetta squealed and scrambled to the head of the bed. “How do you expect me to stay quiet when you tease me in such ways,” she giggled.

  Toviah climbed up onto the bed and crawled towards her, his need for her intensified the closer he got. He grabbed her foot and pulled her under him. “My love. My world. My universe.” He kissed her eagerly and she responded in the same manner.

  Elisabetta pulled Toviah’s shirt over his head and ran her fingernails down his muscled back. “I missed you yesterday morning. Don’t stay away again.” Her eyes pleading.

  “Never again,” he whispered against her lips as his fingers slid inside of her.

  “Toviah,” she moaned against him.

  .. .

  Toviah woke to a loud clank and the sound of shuffling footsteps. The light streaming from the window meant it was well into the day, he and his love must have slept for most part of the morning.

  “Elisabetta,” he whispered into her ear.

  Elisabetta stirred and rolled into him. “Let me sleep a little longer.”

  “Are you expecting someone this morning?” Toviah’s eyes never left the closed door.

  “No, why do you ask?”

  “Shh, listen.” Toviah held his finger to his lips.

  The sound of opening cupboards and the rustling in drawers made Toviah’s skin crawl. He knew deep in his stomach that someone was downstairs uninvited and was rummaging through Elisabetta’s family’s belongings.

  “I’m going to go see who it is.” Toviah sat up.

  “No don’t. They will leave soon enough.” Elisabetta held the sheets up to her chin as she sat up.

  “What if they decide to come up here?” Toviah kissed her cheek before he jumped up and put his pants on. He crept to the door and carefully opened it without a sound. He took one last look at his love before slipping through the door and shutting it behind him.

  Toviah peered over the balcony but only saw shadows of the unwanted guest moving about in the downstairs room. With careful steps, he managed to descend the stairs without sound and make it into the front room of the house. The cloying scent of tobacco and mint caught in his lungs, a scent he was familiar with but could not place. He stood still and listened to determine his next move, when the intruder bolted past him and out the front door. At once Toviah was after him, but the intruder was nowhere to be seen. Passers by smirked at him and bowed and Toviah froze, he had run out the house without his shirt and mask. How foolish, he thought, but played along with the passers-by and curtsied. Toviah waited until there was not a soul in sight before he escaped back inside.

  “Did anyone see you come back inside?” A furrow had formed between his love’s worried eyes.

  “Of course not. Our secret is safe.” Toviah pulled her into him and kissed between her eyes.

  “Did you catch sight of the intruder?” Elisabetta asked.

  “No.”

  “I wonder what they wanted? What were they looking for?” Elisabetta worried.

  “I wish I knew,” Toviah answered. A feeling of dread sat heavy in his heart.

  “You must leave through the back.” Elisabetta held his shirt and mask up to him.

  “I will not leave you here alone, it is unsafe. What if they decide to come back and no one is here with you?”

  “I will go visit my father at his stall and help him until the end of day,” she replied.

  “Go before the towns people start to talk of how they saw their Prince, half-dressed and standing for no apparent reason in the street.” She smiled.

  “I’m sure some of them won’t complain.” Toviah wiggled his eyebrows.

  “You are such a clown.” She shook her head.

  “Venezia’s clown at your beck and call.” He bowed.

  Elisabetta grinned at him before he grabbed her by the hands and pulled her into his chest and kissed her until he was sure the taste of her was imprinted on his lips. “I love you like the stars love the moon on a cloudless night. I love you more than you know.”

  “I love you more than you know,” she repeated, and tip toed to give him one last kiss before pushing him out the back door.

  Toviah made it back to the gondola and rowed himself home. The day was well and truly in full swing, the Royal staff busy with their work, not one of them paying him any attention. He had a few minutes before he had to leave for the Masked Parade in San Marco, just enough time to freshen up and change his attire before Bastian came knocking on his door.

  “Come in,” Toviah called.

  “Well look at us, dressed identical. Good choice of mask and costume my brother.” Bastian pointed out.

  “It’s too late to change now.” Toviah shrugged, adjusting his bronze fox mask.

  “Where were you all morning? Queen mother was searching for you.”

  “I got distracted across town.”

  “Distracted?” Bastian raised an eyebrow.

  Toviah nodded before he headed out the door with Bastian. The two Princes strolled to the piazza just down from the palace. San Marco was a magnificent sight, with colourful flags and marques set up for the parade.

  “It is only a few days into Carnevale and I am tired of it already,” Toviah sighed as he took his seat in the Royal box. It had the best view of the parade and was sheltered from the glaring sun. Some of the other noble families had their positions dotted around the piazza, and Toviah noted that Veronica’s was right next to his.

  “You need to relax. Where did the old Toviah go? You used to be so much fun,” Bastian quipped.

  “I would also like to know. If you find him, tell him I’m looking for him.” He grinned just as their drinks arrived.

  “Thank you, my friend. Please keep them coming. This old man here, needs some fun today,” Bastian told the server.

  “You’re a comedian,” Toviah replied.

  “Just drink your drink and enjoy the festivities.”

  Toviah watched as the square filled with eager spectators, the Masked Parade was famous for attracting people from all over the country. He was sure the Roman Emperor Francis and his wife Empress Allegra were attending the parade, they had missed the last few years but assured Queen mother they would not miss another. Their stand was directly across the piazza, decorated eloquently with their Kingdom’s colours. Toviah thought it was a farce, their nobility on such display. All the other stands were merely tent like fixtures compared to their ridiculous spectacle.

  “My Prince.” A whisper came from behind the stand.

  Toviah turned in his seat to see the Seer peeking up through the drapery.

  “My Prince, you must listen. You are in danger,” he continued.

  “You must not say such things out loud.” Toviah’s eyes flashed, he stood up and climbed over the back of the stand to come face to face with the withered old man.

  “I’m sorry, my Prince but I had to come and inform you. I could not ignore the
prophecy that came to me.”

  “What have you seen? Tell me quick and be on your way,” Toviah huffed in annoyance. This was getting too much to bear.

  “The dark one. She is near. I have brought a little potion for you to give to the one you loathe, as I am certain the one you have is sitting in your drawer in your room.” The Seer blinked.

  Toviah was taken back. How did the Seer know where he hid his potion?

  “I know more than you can imagine my Prince. Not just of you, of most of the nobles in the city.”

  “Tell me your news then.” Toviah looked around to ensure another soul was not within ear shot.

  The Seer held the parcel out to Toviah. “Here take it my Prince. Those who we think are delectable are not in the slightest. Pour this in their drink and watch them whither.”

  Toviah took the parcel and merely blinked when the Seer disappeared before his eyes. Toviah looked around, perplexed at the vanishing of the old man. He unwrapped the parcel, sitting snuggly in the cloth was a small vile of dark liquid. Toviah’s heart thudded. He did not understand the Seer’s rhyme and decided to stow the small vile in his pocket, ignoring the silly old man’s warning. Toviah climbed back up to take his seat only to notice Veronica chatting with Bastian.

  “Good day.” Veronica curtsied.

  Toviah nodded in response and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. His unwanted desire for her intensified each time she was near.

  “If I’m not mistaken, one would think you are avoiding me.” Veronica winked.

  “Now, why would I do such a thing Countess?” Toviah smiled.

  “You tell me, my Prince.”

  “Would you like to join us in our stand to watch the parade?” Toviah asked before he could stop himself.

  “It would be an honour.” Veronica’s eyes sparkled with lust.

  “Move over Bastian, the Countess needs your seat.” Toviah pushed at his cousin’s shoulder playfully.

  Bastian hesitantly stood up and moved to the seat at the back, unsure of what had become of Toviah. “Has the heat and port affected you more than it should have?” Bastian whispered into Toviah’s ear.