Alyssa I come from a long line of vampires. I'm the princess of the darkness, who longs to walk in the sun, but I keep to the shadows since the beautiful glimmering light would kill me. Walking out at night isn't a problem, though. And tonight, my heart clenched too much to stick around after dinner. As usual, my father wouldn't leave me alone—I left as soon as he preached about my duties as the princess. My father thinks he can control me, which has inspired me to climb out through my bedroom window more often these days. Fresh air is needed when you have spent decades in a house with more rules than you can count on one hand. Hunching my shoulders, I duck under a tree branch to keep walking through the magical forest. Blue lights are dancing in the air; we call them will-o-wisps. My mother has told me to stay away from them—she claims they love to collect lost souls; meanwhile, my grandma says they are here to lead us to our fate. Fate, that

AlyssaMaze has left the castle together with my grandmother, and it feels so empty without them! My father isn't talking with me since I rejected Fabian for the billionth time, and my mother is her usual snarky tea-drinking self. Nose in the air, eyes half-closed whenever I catch sight of her delicate frame. It's as if she can never relax, not even around the ghosts of the castle.Sighing, I kick myself up from bed while still wearing my nightgown, it's white and old, but my grandmother gave it to me. So I guess wearing it makes it feel as if she never left.And wearing it isn't that wrong. There is a spell that blocks out the sun on our castle grounds—it's eternal night here.I walk out of my room, stopping in the window once I see a horse carriage standing in the courtyard. Dread immediately covers my mouth like death's hand, and I stand there, paralyzed as I witness Fabian set foot outside. Not a sound dares escape my lips. I'm terrified he will

AlyssaI don't know what I expected the castle's inside to look like, but this wasn't it. This place looks like a bordello!A red carpet covers the floor, and expensive lamps hang from the ceiling, ornamented with diamonds and other gemstones from different parts of the world.Couches are covering the walls, each one velvet red, and the candles positioned on every table give this place that ultimate touch of sex—it wouldn't surprise me if Azrael claimed he was a pimp. I'm expecting an escort to jump out at every corner!"Are you coming?" Azrael asks playfully as I hesitantly follow him up a staircase."This isn't really what I expected this place to look like,"Azrael chuckles. "Not as fancy as your castle, princess?"I glare at him, which earns me yet another chuckle. He leads me further into his cave, and it gets weirder by the minute.The other floor got way too many rooms for a castle. Music is sounding behind a close

Alyssa Entering the maze was a different kind of mindfuck—the lush, green walls made of bushes straightened higher as we walked in, and now I'm almost convinced I could climb them to reach the sky. "I don't like this place," Sleepy says. "I can't believe I agreed on this," An eerie howl sound in the distance, and Sleepy immediately hides under my red hair. I resist the urge to laugh. When I met him, Sleepy had such an attitude that it surprises me to see him act like such a scaredy-cat. I clear my throat to draw Sleepy's attention. I'm still fighting that inner urge to pick him up like a toy. Although small, his presence now burns at the side of my neck. "Can you fly above the walls and look where we are going? I don't want to walk around in circles," The fairy peeps out from under my hair with a grimace. "Azrael's spell would shoot me down from the sky in an instant. I can fly in here, but only as far as the walls can reach," "Huh," I

AzraelShowing emotions or even flashing someone a smile is something I try to refrain from doing. It could result in the other person dying. Falling for an angel without them loving you back will slowly crumble your heart to dust, kill you from the inside out in the most excruciating way possible.Therefore, I try to act like a heartless bastard and never carry a smile.It makes me miserable, but I've been telling myself that finding my mate is the cure, my savior, and blessing from this bitter lifestyle. Once the mating ritual is completed, the angelic charm will wear off, and people will no longer die when they fall in love with me—I think it's a cruel way for destiny to make sure an angel always picks their mate.But I have a big problem.Alyssa.Sighing, I trace the tip of my thumb down her back. My other hand is cupped under her, holding her fiercely as I stroll down the road. The feelings I have for the vampire are rising within