Though winter had not yet settled over the city, there was an icy chill in the air and I pulled my cloak tighter around me as I trudged through the row of stones. The blades of untouched grass were still damp from the dew that had settled there and the dampness was creeping into my boots, freezing my toes. Even the morning sunshine was hidden behind a spread of grey-tinted clouds.

But the icy chill helped to numb my emotions and I slowly fell to my knees, reaching out to trace the golden letters engraved into the slab of granite.

Eliana Cirillo

Her face came back to me in an instant. Her tired, golden eyes, her untamed, aureate hair and the stunning smile that had slowly faded away. I could picture every curve and colour to her face, down to the placement of each eyelash. If I could paint, I would have captured her likeness on a canvas.

Blood, tainted with silver, seeped into the image and I pushed my thoughts deep down again, not daring to recall her cold, broken body. I knew where that path would lead.

Instead, I allowed myself to be consumed by the grief that had built up over the past year, letting it pour out of my shaking body and seep six feet into the earth where her bones lay. Tears streamed out of my glistening eyes. Hands that could fling a knife into the smallest of targets shook violently and lungs that would not protest for hundreds of miles of strain trembled and quivered.

My mother, the one who had been by my side for as long as I could remember, lay six feet below the ground in a coffin fit for a Queen. The same place she had been since twenty seven years ago when I had watched the coffin being lowered into the grave.

"I'm sorry, mother," I whispered. "I wish I could have saved dad. I wish I could have saved you. But I was weak and useless." Pausing as my emotions threatened to tear me apart, I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heartbeat, then continued. "I'm strong now. I'm a warrior, just like father was."

The blurred memory of my father forced its way into my mind and I recalled the way he had picked me up and swung me through the air like I was made of paper. Three days before his death, I had told him that I wanted to be a warrior too. Like the stubborn child I was, I declared I would be the first female warrior in the Lycaon army and no one would stop me. He smiled and said nothing would make him happier. The next day, he was called to fight and never came back.

"I know he would be proud of me. He was so excited when I told him I wanted to be a warrior, he ran out and told all his friends about how I was going to kick their asses one day. They laughed at him and told him a woman could never be a warrior. But that didn't matter to him. He would have fought canine and claw to make it happen."

Wiping the tears trickling down my cheek, I sniffled and leaned forwards to press my forehead against the cool gravestone.

"I miss you. I miss both of you." My jaw was clenched tightly as I spoke, suppressing the urge to scream. "But one day, when my time comes, I will see you again. We will run, play and hunt in Aiónio Dásos alongside father and we will be happy. But, until then, I swear I will keep my promise. I will wait until it is my time."

"Artemis," a voice called from the edge of the graveyard and I found myself choking on words as I struggled to reply.

Slowly, I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my eyes. I reformed my face into the emotionless facade I always wore and I slowly rose to my slightly shaky feet, turning my back to her grave and looking across to the source of the voice. Stood under the stone-arch, which marked the entrance to the Delectus Graveyard, was a tall, muscular man covered in scar tissue.

"I know it is the anniversary of her death, but you need to go and get ready," Fabius told me sympathetically. "You cannot keep the royal family waiting."

Blinking back a tear that was trying to form in my eye, I nodded. "Tell Marcella I will meet them outside the entrance hall in ten minutes."

Fabius was a rigid, well-trained soldier who took his duties as an Agem fully seriously and he barely registered my response before disappearing back to the side of the Lamia Prince. I did not mind, however, as the peace and quiet was exactly what I wanted.

As I walked through the courtyards and gardens that surrounded the main structure of the castle, I ignored the fearful looks from servants and the occasional disdainful looks from the many Lords and Ladies that roamed the castle, begging for attention from the royals. I was an Agem, a personal guard to a member of the royal family, and such close relationships with such infamous people often lead to either fear or jealousy, especially from the high-borns whose only desire was to rise in status.

Walking through the thick wall which separated the main castle from an area set aside for soldiers, I headed straight for the barracks which jutted out from the outer wall of the castle. I had to walk up three flights of stairs to reach the floor reserved only for the eight Agem who lived and served here. There, I found the room Marcella and I shared in which was the stand my armour was stored on as well as a whole chest of silver weapons.

Pulling off my cloak, I lifted the metal armour off the stand, starting with the breastplate which was adorned with hundreds of scratches from its many years of use. Lifting it over my head, I fastened the buckles tightly before reaching for my metal cuffs and the metal plates that protected my legs.

The whole process was therapeutic, taking my mind off of my parents as I concentrated on the buckles and lacings and I took my time to make sure everything was positioned correctly so no knife could be wedged between plates and into my skin and so nothing rubbed. I found myself absentmindedly polishing the armour with a cloth, wiping off the muck from last night's training session and making the metal gleam once again.

Finally, once my sword belt was fastened around my waist, I lifted my scabbard off of its place on the wall, and attached it to the belt, unsheathing the sword to admire how the silver glimmered in the light. The weapon was a thousand years old and had been carried by every one of Princess Octavia's Agems, making it a huge honour to be allowed to wield such a sword.

I returned it to its sheath and quickly scraped my hair into a plait. As I brushed the hair out of my face, my finger grazed the indent in my skin and I shivered. The scar was a reminder of the day my mother died and I hated it. It is why there were no mirrors in this room.

The noise of voices coming from downstairs reminded me that I could not stand in the rooms and reminisce forever and I headed for the stairs. The icy wind made me shiver slightly as I stepped out of the shelter of the barracks and I hurried towards the castle, pulling the fur cloak I had grabbed on my way out tighter around me.

Taking a side entrance to the castle which lead past the kitchens, my stomach rumbled slightly by the smell of raw meat that hung in the air. I had forgotten to eat breakfast this morning, but there was no time to grab any food now.

Walking through a heavy oak door, I stepped into a marble and gold corridor and turned right, the sound of my boots tapping against the floor muffled by the expensive, crimson carpet. As I walked around a corner, I saw Agem Marcella, wearing matching armour to mine, and Lamia Princess Octavia who was dressed in an extravagant, gleaming dress which was layered with hundreds of gold feathers. Not even batting an eyelid at the Princess' dress, I lowered myself into a graceful bow before moving to stand by the princess' side.

"I apologize, your highness, for my lateness," I murmured,

Despite her reputation for being compassionless, the Princess turned and placed her hands on my shoulders, giving me a genuine smile. "You have nothing to apologize for. I know what day it is."

"Thank you." I took a shaky breath, pushing down the thoughts of my mother. "Shall we proceed?"

The Princess turned to Marcella to check that she was ready before nodding to the footmen on either side of the door. They reached over and grabbed the gold door handles, pulling the double doors open and revealing a large hall full of the most powerful men and women in Santorini.

As we walked through the doors and across the entrance hall towards the doors, my eyes flicked from person to person, scouring their body for any concealed weapons as I was trained to do. One woman wore a discreet knife on a necklace, another had one sheathed in a cuff on their wrist. Some of the men had knives hidden within decorative metal features on their suits or even hidden as a hairpin within their long hair. There was no shortage of weapons in this room full of people. But no one was reaching for them, meaning we were relatively safe.

As we reached the three people dressed in the royal colour of red at the end of the hall, every single person lowered themselves into an elegant curtsy or bow and both Marcella and I did the same.

We were bowing to the whole royal family. Lamia Queen Aurelius Domitius Monarchia, Lamia King Maximus Domitius Monarchia, Lamia Prince Thaddeus Domitius Monarchia and Lamia Princess Octavia Domitius Monarchia. Together they were the most powerful family in the world and even apart they were formidable. Everyone respected and feared them.

I turned my head to the side as they each embraced the princess, not listening to the quiet words they whispered in each other's ears, but pretending to be focused on a group of Lords in the corner.

"Today is an important day in this country's prosperous future," the Lamia King's voice echoed across the hall, grabbing the attention of every vampire in here and I returned my focus to them. "We all know of the farms of Belladonna and the silver mines that are stretched across Tierra. The humans say it is for their defence only. They say it is justified because we have fangs and a taste for human blood. But we all know the truth. They are preparing for war, and so we must be prepared to meet them on the battlefield."

He paused to survey the room, taking in the fierce gazes of the vampires as he tried to spot traitors among them. But everyone wore a mask as impenetrable as my own and so he found nothing. So, he politely gestured towards the Lamia Queen for her to continue the speech.

"My daughter, your Lamia Princess, is travelling to the land of the wolves to secure the proposed alliance between our great nation and their own. In doing so, she will risk her life for your prosperous future and for our success on the battlefield. WIth the mutts charging into battle by our side, the Tierrians stand no chance of defeating us."

The whole room was captivated by her voice and silence followed the end of her speech. 

The Lamia Queen was a formidable woman who had a history greater than any other. The oldest vampire still alive, she was the one to unite the seventeen clans into the country of Santorini, build the Santorinian Empire and rule with her iron fist for two thousand years, surviving hundred of wars and assassination attempts. Not only that, but she was fiercely protective of her people, country and her family. The respect she had gained from each and everyone one of them as she made traitors suffer and rewarded those loyal had made her even more beloved than her husband. And, after she executed her own brother for his betrayal, she was greatly feared.

"Si vis pacem para bellum." Her strong voice soared across the room as she spoke in Santorinian, her accent thick with the language. The response was passionate as every nobleman and noblewoman raised their hands to their foreheads and repeated what had been said with their cold voices.

Then, Princess Octavia stepped up to stand between her parents and looked out on the royal court. "I vow to uphold my duty as your Lamia Princess and bring you this alliance." She bowed her head respectfully towards the vampires and then the huge entrance doors were opened behind her.

Marcella and I walked around the royal family and took up positions in the doorway as they said their final goodbyes and I found myself turning to look out onto the courtyard below where an open-top carriage was awaiting us. I took a deep shaky breath, pushing down thoughts of my parents once more and descended the steps.

---

Hello, amazing readers who have kindly decided to check this book out. I am Rebecca, your overexcited author who wants to thank you for choosing to read my work.

This is my first book and one I hope to make into a trilogy, so constructive criticism and feedback would be really appreciated so I can make this book as good as I can possibly get it. Telling me whether something is confusing or if I am repeating myself at any point is especially helpful as I often write a chapter over several days and forget what is in the earlier part.

Also, I thought you might like a little information on the world this is set in. There are four countries, each home to a different species, however, there are no laws to say a species can only live in their own country. Everyone has a promised (if you read werewolf books it is basically a mate), but there are no hybrids as a species traits are inherited like one would inherit eye colour from their parents.

Here is a map of the world.

And here is the family tree of the vampire royal family who rules over Santorini.