Chapter 12 The Prisoner
An excerpt from The Violet Series Book 1: The Water Nymph’s Tale.
Bonnie was busy checking the route schedules when Clyde walked in. She looked up at him.
“Oh, there you are. I was wondering, how can you stand it that Violet is off by herself?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think she needs some freedom. Exploring Mars will help her learn more about the colony that my parents help to build.”
She smiled. “I miss her.”
“So do I, but my parents would have let her go exploring as well. They let me start this business.”
“Without complaints or worries?”
“I don’t know about that. They never complained directly to me. They both encouraged me to go for it. I think they were more worried about Frank.”
She sighed. “There wasn’t anything any of you could have done.”
“I know.”
“Everything looks good on this end. What about the new routes?”
“The Snowstorm sounds willing to be our first spaceship to travel around the solar system to visit the other colonies.”
“Oh, a regular passenger route… sounds exciting.”
He nodded. “Would you like to help me finish up the negotiations with them?”
“Sure.” She looked at him and bit her lip.
He checked over the routes on his tablet. Then he looked up at her. “You’re the best partner I could ask for.”
She smiled. “I’m glad we’re partners.”
He smiled. “Good. Wait…”
“What?”
He stepped closer to her. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve been biting your lips again. I wish I could kiss them to ease the pain…” He half closed his eyes. He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t do anything like that.” He stepped back.
She gaped at him. “Violet knows.”
He sat down across from her. “Is that why she kept giggling after she saw us?”
She nodded. She stood up and walked over to him. She leaned down to him as he stared. They both closed their eyes and their lips touched.
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“I’m so glad I found you. So, are you enjoying your stay so far?” Victor asked of his guest.
“Who are you? Why am I here? What is going on? What do you want with me?” Antoni gaped at Victor.
Victor wrinkled his nose. “It’s really very simple. I need a lure to get the water nymphs to my lair and you’re it. Now, you will stay here in this room.” He ran off to another part of the castle, leaving Antoni alone in the dungeon for the night.
Antoni laid down on his back, but couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about his dead relatives and friends on Eris. Nor could he stop thinking about Violet. She looked strange. She was a true friend to him.
He sat up. “Wait a minute, Violet doesn’t know any other water nymphs! Victor, your plan may not work out the way you want it to!” He slammed his fist into the cold, damp slab he was sitting on. “Ow!” He shook his hand and rubbed it with his other one. “Great, no one is coming, Antoni. How are you going to get out of this mess? Hmm? I’ll probably have to die. Well, then I could join my dead family and friends. I guess that wouldn’t be so bad.”
He laid back down. “But what about Violet? She’ll probably miss you… You could just tell her how you feel about her. No, what would be the point? Wouldn’t she just die like everyone else? Perhaps…”
Eventually he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
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“Victor, who is the guest you’re keeping in the dungeon?”
“Ursula, my love, he is friend to a half human half water nymph.”
“Oh, they can mate?”
“Apparently.”
“Tabitha was half water nymph as well.”
“But she’s not human at all.”
“True. Her father is a werecat.”
Both vampires shuddered.
“I hope you don’t forget to give him some food. We can’t have our prey go hungry. You know they don’t taste as good.”
“Right. The servants should take care of that. In the meantime, you and I have some pleasure to attend to.”
“Yes, we do.”
As the torches in the bedroom burned out, the vampires slipped out of their clothes and slipped into each others’ arms and into the bed.
