The Vampires of Anarchy 2

Island Prince

Brash young drifter Jude Taylor travels to Anarchy, an all-male

resort for vampires, to take a job as a blood servant to the

powerful Prince Marius of Styria. Each night, he goes to the

prince’s bedroom and offers him both his body and his blood.

Marius soon finds himself falling for Jude, who touches his long-

still heart and arouses his cold body in a way no other human has

for hundreds of years.

When Jude begins to feel the same, though, he faces a terrible

dilemma. Vampire politics have reached a boiling point, and

Marius has no idea that Jude has been recruited by a secret cabal

to assassinate him. If they succeed, no one in the human world

will be safe from their bloodlust. Yet Jude knows he must follow

through with his mission to kill the vampire he has grown to love

or forfeit his own life.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 26,512 words

ISLAND PRINCE

The Vampires of Anarchy 2

Cassandra Pierce

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

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www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

ISLAND PRINCE
Copyright © 2012 by Cassandra Pierce
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-699-7

First E-book Publication: June 2012

Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
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express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Island Prince by Cassandra Pierce
from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also,
thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or
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The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying
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This is Cassandra Pierce’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please
respect Ms. Pierce’s right to earn a living from her work.

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DEDICATION

For my dear friends and fellow authors, Diana Sheridan and

Hanna Hart. And, as always, many thanks to my fabulous beta reader,
also a terrific Siren author, Rachel Clark.

ISLAND PRINCE

The Vampires of Anarchy 2

CASSANDRA PIERCE

Chapter 1

Jude sat with three other humans on a bench in the center of the

motorboat while two vampires leaned against the rails. Arms crossed,
they regarded their charges with smug but stern expressions. A third
vampire perched at the controls, steering the boat into the night.

“Do they think we’re going to throw ourselves overboard?” Jude

whispered to the guy beside him, an expatriate Londoner who had
introduced himself as Hayden. The third passenger, who looked
Greek or Italian, had said nothing during the whole trip. Jude assumed
he didn’t speak English.

Hayden shrugged, his eyes scanning the dark waves surging

around them. “I’m sure it’s happened before.”

“They forget we’re here voluntarily.”
“Maybe at first. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone freaked at the

last minute.”

“Well, it won’t be me,” Jude scoffed, detecting a veiled challenge

in the comment. “I’m in this for the duration.”

“I heard it happened once,” the third passenger broke in, speaking

with a heavy accent. “The moment the man saw the island, he flung
himself into the sea, food for sharks.” He grinned and made a
gobbling motion with his hand, mimicking shark jaws. The vampires,

Island Prince

lounging against the rail returned his smile and nudged one another.
“He was never seen again.”

“So you can talk,” Hayden said, scrutinizing him. “We

wondered.”

“Yes. I am Ari. I wait because I think my English is not so perfect.

I come from Corfu originally.”

“In that case, nice to meet you,” Jude replied. “And don’t worry

about your English. I’ll bet plenty of the vamps speak it on the island.
You’ll improve in no time.”

“Just don’t let this bloke teach you all kinds of crude American

slang.” Hayden pointed his thumb at Jude, who sensed he was only
half kidding. “You know what they say about England and the
States—two countries divided by a common language.”

“Yes, I see.”Ari nodded, though Jude doubted he’d understood

much of what Hayden had said, and probably nothing of his sarcasm.

Turning his head, Jude watched the lights of Anarchy come into

view through the spray and mist. The coast of Greece had long ago
vanished from sight. No one spoke as the boat moved closer, though
their vampire escorts exchanged a few whispers. Despite Hayden’s
bravado, Jude sensed he was growing almost as nervous as Ari, who
made no effort to hide his jitters.

By contrast, and somewhat to his own surprise, Jude felt an almost

unnatural calm descend over him as they headed for the lantern-
strewn wharf, where another group of vampires waited to help them
land. Maybe that was just because, unlike the other two humans, he
had nothing left to lose.

When they reached the resort, Jude and his two fellow mortals

disembarked and walked single file along the wooden dock to the
main building, carrying their duffel bags of belongings. Their vampire
escorts accompanied them, one in front and one behind. This would
be their last chance to dive off and make a break for it, Jude thought
as he gazed down into the water. Eerie shadows seemed to crisscross
in the murky depths beneath him, and before long something large

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and light flashed by and vanished under the dock. Shuddering, he
decided they’d all be better off taking their chances with the
vampires.

As they moved toward the front entrance, Jude glanced up at the

row of windows on the top floor, presumably guests’ rooms. From
one of them, a figure stood and watched them, his arms spread and his
broad-shouldered frame leaning against the glass. Jude squinted,
trying to make out more details, but the figure abruptly withdrew
from sight and left the curtains rocking in his wake.

The vampires led them into a small waiting area and gestured for

the three of them to take seats on a sofa in the corner. Another
vampire came through the door a moment later. He had the
appearance of a man in his late twenties, and his manner was pleasant
and casual. His accent sounded American.

“Welcome to Anarchy,” he said, looking at each of them in turn.

“I’m Ethan Collier, the concierge. I guess I’ll be helping you get
adjusted to your new jobs here.”

One of the vampires who had accompanied them on the boat

gestured toward Hayden and Ari. “These two will be part of your
staff.” Grinning, he turned and pointed at Jude. “This one’s a blood
servant, so you won’t need to show him around. He’ll be spending
most of his time in one place.”

“I see.” Ethan went a shade paler than he already was. “Well,

then…I guess you two can come with me.”

Jude watched him shepherd Hayden and Ari out of the room,

presumably to begin their training as human employees of Anarchy.

“I take it you don’t get a lot of applications for blood servants,” he

said, offering the vampires a wry smile of his own.

“We generally don’t cater to royalty,” one of the escorts said,

prompting his much taller associate to shoot him a chastising look.
“Anyway, that’s none of your concern. You haven’t even been
accepted yet, so I’d mind my manners if I were you.”

“My acceptance won’t be a problem. I can guarantee you that.”

Island Prince

He didn’t flinch when the two vampires exchanged dark glances

and then turned to stare at him in unison. Finally a door at the back of
the room opened.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” the taller one said. “Go

ahead in.”

Stepping through, he found himself in an elegant office,

surrounded by three new vampires. One sat behind an enormous desk,
dressed casually in a white shirt and linen jacket, his brown hair
tousled, as though he were prone to raking his fingers through it. The
second, whose hair was a somewhat startling shade of red, occupied a
chair beside the desk. His black jeans and short-sleeved Hawaiian
shirt contrasted with the conservative dark suit worn by the third
vampire, who remained standing with his thick arms crossed and his
eyes narrowed in suspicion. The lapel of his jacket prominently
displayed the resort’s security emblem

The man behind the desk spoke first.
“I am Simon McAffrey, the owner of both this island and this

resort,” the vampire said. He nodded to the man on the left and then
the one on the right. “This is Izzo, manager of guest services, and
Luka, my security chief.”

“By guest services, he means head bartender,” Izzo broke in with

a grin. “Call it what you want, I’m the guy who keeps things running
smoothly around here.”

“Is that so?” Luka asked, raising a sleek, silvery brow.
Izzo turned an almost worshipful gaze toward his muscle-strapped

colleague. “Oh, yes. Trust me, this is one place where you don’t want
the guests to get thirsty.”

“I suppose the nomenclature isn’t important.” McAffrey cleared

his throat to regain their attention. “But speaking of thirst, let us
return to the matter at hand. My associates and I will interview you. If
you are found suitable, you will begin your duties immediately. If you
are not, we will return you safely to the mainland, but we must wipe

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all traces of your experiences here from your memory. Are you ready
to proceed?”

“Yes,” Jude said, keeping his voice level and affecting a touch of

bravado he no longer felt. I understand, and I’m ready.”

“I believe your documents are in order,” McAffrey said, flipping

through a folder that contained Jude’s blood typing report, a medical
certificate signed by a vampire doctor in Athens, and written
references from two wealthy vampires in Germany and Italy. “It
appears you are in excellent physical and mental health, and both your
former companions attest that you are compliant and attentive.”

“I gave them no reason to think otherwise,” Jude said as Luka

raised his upper lip in a smile that was part sneer.

McAffrey set the sheaf of papers aside. “We get a number of

applications from young men wishing to enter service with us—such
as the two who arrived with you on the ferry—but few desire to
become a vampire’s blood servant. So tell us how you came to choose
this path.”

“It started when I spent a year hitchhiking around Europe,” Jude

answered. “One night a man seduced me. That was nothing new—but
his biting me was. I loved it. Afterward, I couldn’t get enough. All I
wanted to do was go to the next vampire and experience it all over
again.”

“What happened to that first relationship?” Izzo sounded

genuinely curious.

“It didn’t work out.” Jude shrugged. “Pretty soon I met another

vampire—then another—and then another. It was all a matter of
knowing where to look. I quickly discovered that I know instinctively
how to please vampires. I enjoy letting them take my blood. And they
enjoy taking it from me.”

“It is an addiction for some people,” Luka said with a nod toward

McAffrey. “I suppose you learned how to let them drink from
different places on your body?”

Island Prince

“That’s right. Different places, different amounts. I’ve done it all,

believe me. And I enjoyed every minute.”

“Never suffered any ill effects?” McAffrey asked.
“Sure I did.” Jude shrugged. “A few mishaps come with the

territory. Luckily, I’m strong enough that I always recovered. Now I
know how to prevent them from taking too much. And as I’m sure
you know, over time the vampire enzymes can actually strengthen the
human constitution. Appears to have worked for me.”

“We’ll need to…ah…see some proof, of course,” Luka said. He

leaned against the desk in a relaxed pose, the corners of his mouth
tilting in amusement.

Relaxing, Jude returned his smile. He’d known this part of the

interview process would arrive, and it didn’t worry him at all. Boldly
he stripped himself to the skin, kicking off his sandals and tossing
aside his jeans, T-shirt, and Jockey shorts. He stood before the three
of them, showing off the tiny scars on his thighs, shoulders, and neck.

For a moment, Jude wondered if they would attack him. They

managed to control themselves, but the lines on their faces showed
how much effort it cost them. He couldn’t resist tormenting them a bit
by flexing his well-toned arms and tilting his hips.

“As my paperwork will confirm, I’m in prime physical condition,”

he told them proudly. “I maintain myself by jogging and swimming
every day.”

“Plenty of opportunity for that,” McAffrey said, swallowing. “We

don’t enter the water, as a rule, and like the other humans, you’ll be
free to do anything you please during the day. At night, though, you
will be expected to serve your assigned guest exclusively—and fully.
I take it you are prepared to deal with all the implications.”

“Yes. It’s what I want.” Jude let one hand stray down his front and

drift over his cock. He was already half hard, and he knew the three of
them noticed.

“In that case, I just have one final question,” McAffrey said.

“Given all that you’ve told us, why do you want to serve at Anarchy?

Cassandra Pierce

You could have stayed in Europe and, by the sound of things, find any
number of affluent vampires to support you. What exactly are you
seeking here?”

Licking his lips, Jude stroked himself to a full erection in a matter

of seconds. He saw Izzo’s eyes widen, while Luka betrayed a flash of
fangs. “That’s actually quite easy to answer. You’re right that I could
find plenty of lovers back on the mainland—everything from sketchy
types who hang around in clubs wearing leather pants to titled guys
with villas and Ferraris. But a crowned head of the vampire world?
How could anyone pass up a challenge like that? Not to mention that
he’s probably in a position to reward me financially if I can handle his
needs.” He tightened his fingers. “Believe me—none of my other
vampire lovers has ever complained about my ability to handle
anything.”

“Very well, then.” McAffrey nodded at Luka. “Have you any

objection?”

“None.” Luka folded his arms. “As long as our new employee

understands his obligations.”

“I do,” Jude promised.
Next, McAffrey looked at Izzo, who shrugged his agreement. “I

think the guests will like him.”

“Remember, we aren’t worried about the guests in general in this

case. Only one particular guest.” McAffrey steepled his fingers and
pressed the tips together until they turned stark white. “What Luka
alludes to is the fact that our visiting prince is used to having the
power of life and death over both humans and vampires, and he
exercises his power freely. He understands that we do not permit our
guests to injure our human staff

here at Anarchy.

However…accidents do sometimes happen. You must be prepared.”

“I am.” Jude nodded, making his cock grow a little harder still.

Once again, they all noticed, and Jude smiled. He may have been a
naked and helpless human surrounded by three predators, but he had
power over them and he enjoyed it. The prince would understand that

Island Prince

soon enough, too. “I told you…I look at it as a challenge. And no
challenge is worth taking if the stakes are anything less than life and
death.”

McAffrey reached behind his desk and tossed Jude a bundle of

cloth. When Jude unrolled it, he found a black silk robe, the chest
emblazoned with a bloodred A in a circle—the Anarchy logo.

“Put that on,” he said. “We’ll take care of your luggage. It’s time

to meet your new master. We’ve kept him waiting long enough.”

Jude shrugged into the robe. He tied it loosely, letting his hard

cock show through the flaps of the cloth. They wouldn’t dare touch
him now, he knew. He was meant for a man who could buy and sell
them, even kill them, many times over.

“I’ll take him up,” said Luka, gesturing for him to follow. “Come

on.”

They stepped into an elevator. Luka waited until the doors slid

shut before he gave Jude a discreet nod. “You did well. What you did
to yourself to distract them from their questions…a nice touch.”

“Thanks, but I do have one question of my own,” Jude said.

“What if the prince takes one look at me and doesn’t want me? What
if I’m not his type?”

“Trust me. You will please him immensely.” Luka smiled. This

time he did show his fangs. “You won’t let him down—just as you
won’t let the rest of us down. You were chosen for a reason, young
human.”

They got out at the top floor of the resort—the very floor from

which Jude had seen the man looking down earlier—and proceeded
toward a room in the middle of the hall. A tall, stern-faced vampire
stood guard with a scowl on his craggy face. He wore a sort of
uniform, black turtleneck and trousers with a red sash across the
chest. His thinning dark hair was tied in a small knot at the nape of his
neck.

“Hello, Yves,” Luka said, stepping past him to rap on the door.

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“Enter,” commanded a loud, confident voice. They did. Yves

followed them inside.

The man still stood by the window, where Jude had first spotted

him. When he turned, Jude caught his breath.

Though he’d seen paintings of Prince Marius—no photographs, of

course—none of them had done his beauty justice. Inky hair curled
over his forehead and trailed down to touch his shoulders. His floor-
length robe was the color of blood, the stitching aglitter with fine gold
threads. Jude figured that single article of clothing cost more than
every item in own his wardrobe put together.

“Here is the man you will serve,” Luka said, breaking the silence.

“Prince Marius Karnstein.”

“You may leave us, Luka,” the prince said. “You, too, Yves.”
“Are you certain, my prince?” Yves asked with a touch of

resentment.

“Yes. That is my order. Go to the bar and feed. Return half an

hour before dawn.”

“Very well.” Scowling, Yves bent briefly at the waist. Then he

turned and slouched off down the hall.

“Be sure and let us know if you require anything further, my

prince,” Luka said, preparing to follow. He, too, offered a small bow.

“I assure you I shall. Now go.”
Jude didn’t look around to watch Luka depart, but he heard the

click of the door and saw the prince’s expression soften as his
attention focused on Jude.

“Luka has chosen well on my behalf. You know why you are

here?”

“Yes, prince,” Jude said. He heard a tremor in his own voice, and

hated himself for betraying even that much emotion. But the prince
was physically stunning. He couldn’t deny that, whatever else he
knew about the man.

“Call me Marius,” the prince said. “You and I will get to know

one another quite intimately in a very short time.”

Island Prince

The insistence on informality surprised Jude. But perhaps it was a

trick. “Yes, your—er, Marius,” he said in a tentative voice.

“Good. You must give yourself to me of your own free will. I

insist on that, too.”

“I do. Simon McAffrey and the others already interviewed me.

They seemed satisfied with my answers.”

“Very well. Then I suppose I must be satisfied, too. After all, I did

authorize them to act on my behalf in securing your services.”

“So I understand,” Jude said. “That Yves guy seemed less sure

about me.”

“Yves has served me for many years—and by that I mean

centuries. Not to worry, though. Some bottled blood from the bar will
soothe his temperament.”

“But you’ll get the real thing.”
The prince’s mouth thinned. “Yes. That is my birthright.”
“Of course.”
Marius took a few steps backward and stretched out on the bed.

He motioned for Jude to follow him. Jude noticed a tiny ceramic jar
on the nightstand beside the bed. He had a good idea what that was
for. “Stand there,” he said, indicating his right side. Jude obeyed,
automatically reaching for the sash of his robe.

“Wait.” Marius’s voice stilled his hand. “No need to rush. We

have all night.”

“True,” Jude agreed.
The prince leaned forward and stroked long, sensuous fingers

down the front of Jude’s own far less elegant robe. He paused to
caress the mound between Jude’s legs. Jude felt his cock stir under the
sleek fabric, rising to meet the prince’s touch.

“Now,” the prince said, dropping his hand and nodding,

“undress.”

Cassandra Pierce

Chapter 2

Willingly Jude shed his robe. He wanted Marius to see his body.

To admire it.

“Yes,” Marius said, stroking a hand over Jude’s chest, down his

hips, and into the crisp patch of golden-brown curls between his taut
thighs. “You are just as I expected. Warm. Strong. Alive.”

“That’s the point, isn’t it?” Jude sucked in a calming breath as the

prince’s graceful fingers crept down his shaft and moved over his
cockhead, almost as though he were playing an instrument. Yet his
deft movements coaxed emotion from Jude, not music. “My job is to
give you some of my life force.”

“True.” The prince nodded sadly and dropped Jude’s cock.

“Vampires live forever, yet we must constantly steal life from the
living to go on. It seems unfair somehow. Yet survival pushes us on.”

Jude barked out a wry laugh. “Trust me, I know about putting

survival first.”

“I believe you.” Marius’s clear eyes, dark green like a winter sea,

focused on Jude’s face. “Tell me your name.”

“Jude Taylor.”
“You are American.”
“That’s right.”
“You have traveled a long distance to become my blood servant.

Why?”

Jude shrugged and shifted a little on his bare feet. “I guess it was

destiny.”

“Yes. Perhaps so,” Marius said. Had the prince detected the

tremor of insincerity in his voice?

Island Prince

Marius moved aside and patted the bed next to him. Jude stretched

out, rubbing his naked body against the prince’s clothed one. His
fingers went to the ornate gold buttons of the soft dressing gown and
undid them one at a time. The prince did not object, and soon he was
as naked as Jude. Jude let his gaze drift down Marius’s slender, long-
limbed frame. It lingered on the space between his legs.

“Does my paleness disturb you?” Marius asked, still watching

Jude’s eyes.

“No,” he said. In fact, Marius’s body reminded him of a Greek

statue made of cool white marble and then polished to perfection. His
long, graceful cock rested in a soft nest of fine black hair. Jude began
to understand the prince’s apparent arrogance. Anyone so exceptional
had a right to be at least somewhat conceited. “I think you
are…perfection.”

To his surprise, Marius laughed, opening his lips until Jude could

clearly see his shiny white fangs. Instead of feeling afraid, he began to
wonder what it would be like when they finally sank deep into his
flesh.

“I would like to talk to you, get to know you,” said Marius when

he recovered his composure. “But first, I must feed. I am weak. I
arrived on the island very late last night and have not nourished
myself since.”

“I understand.” Jude lay on his back and opened his limbs in a

passive position, one he had learned drove vampires wild with the
combined promise of blood and dominance. “Bite me anywhere you
like.”

Marius traced the scars from the old bites dotting Jude’s shoulders

and neck. “You have fed many others in the past.”

Usually, Jude was proud of his marks, as he had been when he had

shown them to McAffrey and his employees. This time, a hot glow
suffused his face and chest. “Yes. I’m not new at this. I thought you
knew.”

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“These scars were not made by nobility, or anyone with any

breeding at all.” Marius scowled. “These are the marks of
commoners. Crude peasants. They care nothing for the damage they
cause with their base practices. They have neither appreciation nor
respect for beauty.”

“Are there different ways to bite?” Jude was surprised, both by

Marius’s reaction to the scars and by the fact that he considered Jude
beautiful. Another rush of blood flooded his cock. Marius noticed,
and his outrage gave way to a gentler expression.

“But of course,” he assured Jude. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
Turning onto his side, Marius bent his head and reached out again

to hold the base of Jude’s cock between his thumb and forefingers.
Soon he sheathed Jude’s throbbing erection in his mouth. Jude
shuddered as every nerve in his body responded to the touch of those
frosty lips and delicate fingers. The prince had been right. This was
something none of his other vampire lovers had ever done to or for
him. They had always gone straight for his blood, and not too gently,
either.

His pleasure grew as the prince sucked him in long, slow strokes,

taking his cock deep inside his cool mouth and then letting it slide
back up the flat of his tongue. Though his mind was hazy, Jude
remembered that the vampire didn’t need to breathe, which probably
made deep-throating him much easier. Whatever the case, Jude wasn’t
about to complain. The sensation of his hot shaft slithering along and
then past that chilly tongue felt bizarre, to be sure, but wonderful.

It didn’t take long for his groin to heat up and his nuts to tighten.

Just when Jude was about to come, Marius withdrew his mouth,
turned his head, and bit down on the crease of his thigh.

He drank from Jude with obvious enjoyment, but at a deliberate,

even elegant pace that spoke of patience and restraint. With every
flick of his tongue, the vampire’s flesh warmed and filled out, his
mouth growing moister and more sensitive against the gash his fangs
had created.

Island Prince

As the blood ebbed from his veins, Jude found himself transported

to a white-hot state of altered consciousness. He’d never experienced
a drug trip, or even a bout of extreme drunkenness, but he figured this
must be similar. Drifting, he closed his eyes and imagined himself
sinking into a warm, impossibly deep pool. The blue-green water, the
same color as Marius’s eyes, glittered around him and caressed every
inch of his bare skin as he plummeted lower into its depths.

Eventually his downward progress stopped. Jude’s dream-self

drifted along the bottom of the pool for a while, and then he began
treading water to buoy himself up. Soon he was swimming up toward
a glossy night sky filled with bright, winking stars. He could see the
reflections of their pale fire glinting on the surface of the water.

When he resurfaced, Marius was waiting for him, crouching

naked at the mouth of the pool. He reached down and helped him out,
his strong fingers gripping Jude’s wrists. Jude went limp and felt his
body slide from the water.

When he opened his eyes, he realized Marius really was holding

him close. The dull ache in his thigh had almost disappeared.

“Thank you,” Marius whispered, licking his lips. They now

looked full and pink, and his cheeks held a healthy tint. “Your blood
is sweet—perhaps the sweetest I have ever tasted.”

Again Jude found himself surprised. Everything he had been told

about Marius had led him to believe the feeding would be impersonal,
perhaps even painful or sadistic. He certainly didn’t expect anything
like gratitude from his new master. Yet Marius seemed sincere in his
appreciation.

“Now we can talk,” the prince said, stretching out and propping

himself up on one arm. He took Jude’s hand and placed it on his
abdomen, easing Jude’s fingers toward his cock. Marius was hard
now, his fleshy dome swelling like a ripening plum.

“Of course, my prince. Whatever you wish,” Jude said.
“I told you—Call me Marius.”

Cassandra Pierce

“Right. Sorry.” Jude shook his head. He had no idea how to

address a prince, especially one from an earlier century. In history
classes, he’d heard stories of people being beheaded or worse, for
failing to display proper deference. He had no intention of becoming a
member of that unfortunate group, but this particular royal was
turning out to be nothing like what he’d expected.

Long fingers pressed down on Jude’s, urging him to slide them

around Marius’s shaft. Jude could sense his own transferred warmth,
spreading into the prince’s flesh. It turned him on more than he cared
to admit.

“Where are you from?” Marius asked. “I don’t mean America, but

a more specific location.”

“I was born in New York state,” Jude said. “I don’t think of

myself as being from there, though. I’ve moved around Europe for a
couple of years now.”

“You had a…thirst for travel?” The prince smiled at his own joke.
“More like I wanted to escape. My early life wasn’t what you’d

call cushy. I’ve been independent since I was seventeen.”

“Oh?” Marius’s silky dark brows lifted with genuine interest.

“What happened to your family?”

Jude shrugged, his throat tightening. He wasn’t sure what

compelled him to keep talking, much less to tell the truth when a
made-up tale would have sufficed. Perhaps Marius was hypnotizing
him. Nevertheless, he pushed on.

“Well, I don’t really have a family—not in the way you mean, at

least. I’m not sure who my parents were—and to be honest, I don’t
care. I bounced around in the foster care system until I won a
scholarship to college. I attended classes for a while and then, one
day, I just walked away from the ivory tower and decided not to
return…not to college, and not to the United States, either. I ended up
bumming my way through various youth hostels in France, Germany,
and Italy. Finally I wound up here.”

“And on your journey, you found vampires.”

Island Prince

“Yes, although I understand they exist in America, too.”
Marius smiled. “They certainly do. I visited America once,

perhaps a century ago. I have not felt any real need to go back.”

“I guess Americans are basically the same whatever subspecies

they happen to belong to.”

“I am not sure I would go quite that far.” His fingertips, much

more supple now, traced a tender line down the center of Jude’s chest.
He shivered with pleasure. “You seem unique to me.”

“I’ve never been like other people. Maybe part of that is because I

always knew I liked guys. Not having parents is sort of liberating in a
way—no one ever pressured me to behave in a certain way or to hide
who I really was. Maybe no one cared enough, but I don’t think the
reason matters. I have no regrets.”

“You do seem remarkably self-assured. How old are you?”

Marius asked next.

“Twenty-three,” Jude replied. He wondered if it would be proper

to ask Marius his age, considering some vampires were testy about
such things, but luckily the prince saved him the trouble.

“Twenty-three,” he repeated wistfully. “I myself have spent no

less than 277 years wandering this sorry planet. I was thirty-two when
I changed, but already I felt as though I had lived a hundred years.
Does that surprise you?”

“Not really. I met one vampire once who claimed he’d been

turned in the Middle Ages. You would never have known it to look at
him or talk to him. He seemed modern in every way…though he did
have kind of a cruel streak, looking back on it.”

Marius arched his hips a bit, nuzzling his cock deeper into Jude’s

fist. At the same time, he moved his hand so it rested on Jude’s right
thigh. His touch, much warmer now, sent an almost overpowering
thrill through Jude’s body.

“How different the world was then,” the prince mused. “Earlier

ages could be merciless, true enough. But there was also a certain raw

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beauty in the simplicity, and even the barbarity, of the human race in
its infancy. This technological age will never see its like again.”

Jude found himself interested in Marius’s perspective. He had first

been drawn to vampires, though of course he hadn’t known what they
were at the time, because of his fascination with history. Their vivid
accounts of the past had appealed to his curiosity. He hadn’t realized
until too late that their often-lurid descriptions had come from their
eyewitness experiences, never mind their participation, in some
unsavory events.

“I suspect I would’ve been burned at the stake pretty fast if I’d

lived in those times,” Jude said, only half joking. “For one thing, I
heard it was dangerous to like guys back then.”

Marius’s expression turned grim. “My position in society made

things a bit easier for me, I confess. Later, as a vampire, I was
afforded additional freedoms the humans around me could never
share. Yet knowing such injustice existed always saddened me. I
suppose we should be grateful that society, in general, has evolved.”

“Yeah. I am. I kind of like electricity, too.”
“We managed well enough without it. And I assure you, Jude

Taylor, if you had lived in a more savage era, I would have made it
my personal goal to ensure that you stayed far away from fires and
stakes.”

“Thanks,” Jude said. Marius seemed sincere, but it occurred to

Jude that he was actually expressing regret for the terrible
punishments he had meted out to his inferiors over the years. He
reminded himself not to fall for Marius’s hypocrisy.

Luckily, Marius seemed to move on to other interests. His hand

applied additional pressure on Jude’s leg, and before Jude knew it, he
had rolled him over onto his stomach and knelt between his legs.
Marius placed his knee in the middle of Jude’s thighs, easing them
apart, and guided his cock to rest against the small of Jude’s back.
Jude shivered with excitement when Marius picked up the small jar
from the night table and slathered some sort of oily lube in his crack.

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“I want you,” Marius said, his voice growing husky. “Not just

your blood. Your flesh, too. Your mind. Your emotions. All of you.”

“Go ahead,” Jude rasped, his own throat constricting with lust.

“That’s why I’m here. I’m yours to enjoy…in any way you see fit.”

Somewhat roughly, Marius pulled his cock free of Jude’s grasp,

rolled him onto his back, and settled his full weight on top of him.
The prince’s wintry gaze probed Jude’s so intently that Jude felt an
almost physical pressure invade his head. His rigid cock prodded
Jude’s groin, making Jude just as hard as he was.

“I won’t take you against your will! You must want me, too. Tell

me you do—and don’t lie to me. I’ll be able to tell.”

He could—of that Jude had no doubt. “I’m not lying,” Jude

replied without hesitation. “I do want you.”

Damn it, he did. He wanted this vampire with every fiber of his

being and every wisp of his nebulous soul, assuming he even had one
anymore.

Marius’s face relaxed into a smile. Rolling Jude back over, he

replaced his cock in the groove of his ass, wedging it more firmly this
time.

“The oil will help,” he said. “It has a warming effect, too, which

will obviously prove beneficial in my case.”

Then he pushed his way in, one delicious inch at a time. Jude felt

hard vampire cock fill him, rubbing his sensitive inner channel raw as
it slid deeper. Just when he thought he couldn’t take any more, the
rasp of Marius’s pubes tickled the base of his backbone. The fullness
inside him, not to mention the forbidden nature of being so
completely mastered, made his balls quiver with the need for release.

Now buried in Jude’s ass, Marius leaned down and fastened his

mouth to the back of Jude’s neck. Jude started a bit, worried that
Marius was going to bite him again. Such practices were dangerous,
since a vampire’s need sometimes got stronger after the first feeding.
Jude suspected more than a few donors had been accidentally drained

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to the point of no return when a partner failed to control his renewed
thirst.

However, he would not be one of them—at least not tonight. As it

turned out, Marius did not bite him. Instead, he covered Jude’s neck
and shoulders with a series of the most sensual kisses Jude had ever
experienced. That sensation, combined with the urgent, staccato
movement of the prince’s cock in his ass, pushed Jude over the edge.
He barely had time to grip his own cock and pull on it a few times
before he spewed a load of cream and fell flat on the bed, twitching.

Marius extracted himself slowly. He had not come, but of course

vampires never did. How could they, when they were not human in
any real sense of the word? However rich, handsome, and seductive
they might be, he reminded himself, in essence they were little more
than reanimated corpses.

Instead, Marius demonstrated his pleasure by stroking the length

of Jude’s back until he fell into a peaceful swoon. Though he didn’t
mean to, Jude soon found himself drifting off again, his body seeming
to sink into that same warm, bottomless pool of healing water.

He awoke to see Marius climbing out of bed. The room looked

gray, and Jude suspected dawn was coming up on them fast.

When he saw Jude looking at him, Marius paused and bent down

to embrace his new servant. “I must go now. Yves is waiting for me
outside the door,” he said. Jude didn’t bother to ask how the prince
knew. His vampiric hearing could probably pick up the sounds of the
bodyguard’s footsteps coming up the hallway. “I must prepare to
shield myself from the sunlight.”

“Where do you go?” Jude asked sleepily.
“To a safe place. Better if you don’t know. Rest assured, though, I

will return to you as soon as the sun is gone.”

Before he straightened up again, Marius tilted his head and kissed

Jude full on the mouth. Jude felt the slightest brush of fangs over his
lips, and the much more obvious sweep of Marius’s long cock against
his midsection.

Island Prince

“Stay,” he said as the prince tugged away with obvious reluctance.

“Take me again. You know I want you to.”

A low, sexy laugh rumbled in Marius’s chest. “And you know I

would like that,” he said. “Alas, you would not like the way I would
look if I allowed the first rays of the sun to catch me while I dallied
here with you. You would find yourself joined with a burnt husk in
the shape of a man.”

Stepping back, the prince retrieved his dressing gown and slipped

into it without ever taking his eyes off Jude’s relaxed body, still
tangled in the bed sheets. Even from across the room, the prince’s
desire burned his skin. Strangely, Jude didn’t think he’d ever felt so
content, or so safe.

It was all an illusion, he reminded himself as the prince left the

room. In reality, he was anything but safe. As a vampire, Marius was
probably able to sense the general direction of his thoughts, though
thankfully not the specific details. If Marius knew the truth, he would
tear Jude’s head from his body in an instant—provided he was feeling
more merciful than the barbarian ancestors he had spoken of.

Not that Jude could blame him. In spite of everything, Marius

didn’t seem like a bad sort at all. He was handsome, attentive, and
skilled in bed. Presumably the survival instinct burned as strong in the
prince as it did in any living thing.

What a shame he would soon have to die.

Cassandra Pierce

Chapter 3

Jude slept for a long time. No one bothered him or even came to

check on him. Serving the powerful did have its perks, apparently.

He got up, showered in the adjoining bathroom, and slung his new

resort-issued robe over his shoulder. He walked naked down the hall,
knowing he wouldn’t encounter any vampires in the daylight, his
mood buoyed by his own daring.

On the ground floor, he heard the murmur of some of the other

human members of the staff sharing breakfast and presumably talking
about the previous night’s events. He couldn’t hear enough to make
out any specific words, and he wasn’t interested in joining the
conversation anyway. Instead, he continued on through the double
doors that led outside, across a broad and sun-kissed veranda, and out
onto the beach.

Tossing his robe aside, he waded into the shallows of the ocean

and stretched his limbs as far as his muscles would allow, luxuriating
in the combination of warm sunlight and crisp sea breeze that
fluttered over his bare flesh. Jude’s cock stirred, responding to the
caress of the wind and his relaxed mental state.

Sucking in a breath, he sprinted a few steps forward and plunged

full-length into the water. He swam with strong, rapid strokes,
stretching his body and inhaling the salty scent. Briefly he imagined
what it might have been like to be Leander, urged by his raging
hormones to cross the Hellespont, or even Odysseus, fighting the
churning waves orchestrated by an angry Poseidon in a desperate
effort to return home.

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Gradually, he realized he wasn’t alone. He sensed a presence,

followed by a flash of movement in the water off to his right.
Suddenly nervous, Jude stopped swimming and looked around. In his
eagerness to enjoy the water, he hadn’t given much thought to the
possible dangers. No doubt vampires weren’t the only predators who
called the island home.

Relief loosened his muscles when he made out the shape of the

newcomer, which was undeniably human. At first, he assumed
another mortal staff member had headed out for a morning splash, just
as he had. When the strange young man popped his head above from
the waves and swam an easy circle around him, though, he began to
question that assumption. He caught only a brief glimpse of the oddly
elongated face, translucent white skin, and large, almost impossibly
blue eyes, but what he saw seemed inconsistent with any variant of
humanity he’d ever encountered before. Were there such things as
aquatic vampires?

“Hey! You!” he shouted. The mysterious figure turned and

plunged back under the waves. Jude followed, pumping his arms and
legs to catch up, but pursuing this particular swimmer was like
chasing a torpedo. He was about to give up when the stranger
surfaced again. A burst of high-pitched, almost eerie laughter traveled
across the surface.

“Impressive moves,” Jude called to him, though of course he had

no way of knowing if the guy spoke English. If not, he had a
smattering of French, Italian, and Greek, thanks to his travels through
Europe. “It’s like you were born in the water.”

The laughter jingled in his ears again. The stranger pushed his

hand forward, sending spray against Jude’s chest. Then he darted off.
Even if they didn’t speak the same language, Jude recognized a
challenge when he saw one.

They began an impromptu race, zipping through the sea, heading

toward the sun and away from the resort. Jude enjoyed pushing

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himself to his limits, but his challenger outclassed him in both ability
and speed.

Finally, Jude slowed to a stop and floated, treading the warm

water and looking around. His new friend, however, had disappeared.

Left alone, for the first time Jude realized how far he’d traveled.

Anarchy itself remained little more than a speck, almost like a
dollhouse off in the distance, and the water felt a good deal less warm
and refreshing now than when he’d started out. Worse, the little tugs
on his muscles suggested that the current was beginning to conquer
his strength. Though he hadn’t reached the point of exhaustion, he
knew it wasn’t far off.

The curses he uttered he directed toward himself. He should have

taken it more slowly after being fed on. Already he could feel his
limbs cramping up, the pull of the tide drawing him farther from
shore.

While he struggled to keep himself afloat, a medium-sized wave

hit him full in the face. Salty water invaded his mouth, causing him to
choke and gasp for breath. Another cramp hit his midsection, and
Jude felt himself go under. By the time he fought his way back to the
surface, his body pulsed in agony and his lungs burned with the need
for air.

Helplessly he looked toward the shore. It seemed even farther

away now, and he knew his buckling limbs would never carry him
that far. Calling for help wouldn’t do any good, either. No one would
hear.

So maybe this was his end. Maybe he didn’t deserve any better.

His only goal had been to get his freedom back, and he didn’t care if
that meant trading the life of Prince Marius for his own. Was he being
punished for his selfishness?

Exhaustion overtook him as a fresh and even more powerful

current closed in around him. The more he tried to right himself, the
less control he seemed to have over the direction he was traveling.
Sinking fast, he wondered if he would ever see the sky again.

Island Prince

Underwater, a bizarre hallucination played out before his open

eyes. Jude imagined a ring of pale, almost ghostly faces around him,
and graceful, webbed hands covered his body and pushed him
upward. He drew in a grateful breath when his head broke the surface.
The sensation of being held up faded, and he looked around just in
time to catch a glimpse of many long, pale limbs that seemed to glow
as they paddled rapidly away.

Fish, he thought. Or dolphins. Maybe he was dreaming—one last

flare of his fevered brain before it died. Had he already drowned?

Next he felt a different sort of pressure—a powerful wave surging

up around him. Its force lifted him above the surface, a bed of
bubbling seafoam supporting his body. Once again, he grew
convinced he was fantasizing when the swell sped him forward,
hurtling him headfirst across the sea.

What peculiar contortions the human mind was capable of as it

careened toward oblivion. He’d never predicted his last thought
would involve riding a wave like a surfer…or that his subconscious
would conjure a hot blond guy swimming alongside him. Maybe he
was an angel—not that Jude expected to be allowed, much less
escorted, into anything resembling heaven.

At least death didn’t hurt the way as he’d always imagined. Or so

he thought until a ferocious impact and a jarring pain rocked his
frame in quick succession.

Slowly, the kaleidoscope of colors contracting in front of his eyes

rearranged itself into shapes and shades he recognized—blue sky,
brown sand, green sea. And, most dazzling of all, he saw the peachy-
pale skin and sun-bright blond hair of a delicate and thoroughly naked
young man crouching beside him.

Jude propped himself on his elbows and spit out a mouthful of

seawater. The foul taste brought him to his senses.

“I take it I’m not dead,” he observed, looking around. He was

back on the island, though not quite in the same spot where he’d
started. He could see the resort behind a row of scruffy trees.

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“No,” the blond man replied. His sensitive lips curved in an

innocent grin. “You are most certainly still among the living.” His
accent wasn’t quite British, nor was it quite American, either. Jude
surmised he had learned to speak the language in a classroom.

“What happened to me?” Jude scowled, struggling to piece

together the details. “I remember swimming out pretty far. There was
this guy out in the water….”

“That was Zopyros. He’s a bit of a joker. You made the mistake of

taking him seriously, and you went out too far.”

Jude nodded. “Right. And that’s where things get kind of fuzzy.

You saved me somehow.”

“You are new here,” the blond guy said, changing the subject.
“Yup. I just arrived last night. Guess I’m making up for lost time.”
“And you are human, obviously.”
“Right again. You don’t see too many vampires swimming first

thing in the morning.” Jude laughed wryly. Feeling stronger, he
pushed himself up into a sitting position.

The younger man raised a soft golden brow and nodded, missing

Jude’s attempt at humor. “You are here to serve the vampires.”

“Isn’t that what all humans do on this island?” Jude became

curious. His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the new guy. He saw no
evidence of bite marks on the smooth skin of his shoulders and throat.
“Isn’t that what you do?”

“I do not serve vampires, no—at least, not in the sense you refer

to. I do love one of them, however.”

This time Jude’s brows lifted. “Your lover is a vampire?”
“Yes.” The young man seemed unconcerned. “Is that so hard to

believe on an island full of them?”

“Well, I’m sure there are some gorgeous ones at Anarchy,” Jude

conceded. “But as far as having an actual relationship with a
vampire—well, I didn’t think they’d consider it. Most of them
consider humans too far beneath them.”

Island Prince

“Ah, that is the difference,” the guy said, grinning. “I am not

exactly human, you see.”

Jumping to his feet, he ran down the beach and split the waves in

a graceful dive. With a flick of his body, as though his whole lanky
frame were a fish’s tail, he darted underneath the water and was gone.
Jude looked around for him, wondering if he ought to be worried.
When the guy didn’t reappear, he got up and wandered along the
shore until he found his robe. Donning it, he headed for the breakfast
area where he’d heard voices earlier.

Hayden and Ari stood in the kitchen with two other men, all of

them drinking strong Turkish coffee. Its seductive aroma teased
Jude’s nostrils. He was grateful when one of the guys handed him a
cup. They watched him drink, but no one spoke to him. Jude decided
to jump in first.

“I just saw something kind of strange out in the water,” he said.

“A guy swimming—actually, I don’t even know if you could call it
swimming. He just moved with the water, like some kind of human
fish. I followed him out as far as I could…and then suddenly I was
back on the sand again. Another guy was on the beach. He claimed he
wasn’t human, but he sure wasn’t a vampire, either.”

Hayden and Ari said nothing, but the other two men laughed. “So

you’ve met Raphael,” one of them, who stood by the stove wearing
only a skimpy, blue bathing suit, said. “He was telling the truth. He
isn’t human. And he isn’t a vampire.”

“What does that mean?” Hayden asked, frowning. “I mean, what

else is there?”

“Plenty.” The fourth guy, this one with black, spiky hair and a

sexy growth of stubble on his chin, nodded with authority. “Once you
open your eyes and your mind to the possibilities, you will find they
are virtually endless. In Raphael’s case, he’s some sort of Greek
merman—his lover, Ethan, says his race is called daimones. They’ve
lived in the ocean for millions of years, though there aren’t many left.
A colony of them swims right off the coast of this island.”

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“That’s nuts,” Hayden protested. “Who could believe such a

story? It’s impossible.”

“No more than working at a vampire resort as a walking blood

bank,” the man in the blue bathing suit observed.

“We’d never have known about them, either, if Raphael hadn’t

washed up on the beach during a storm last year,” the spiky-haired
guy said. “But you, know, they’re not a bad lot. Simon worked out
some kind of a deal with them. He makes sure no one bothers them,
and they sort of patrol the water. We don’t want random fishing boats
or island tours landing here, after all, either trespassing or by
accident.”

“At one point it felt like I was riding on this huge wave that just

lifted me out of the water,” Jude recalled. “You think these daimone
things did that, too?”

Spiky Hair nodded. “You bet. They can do all kinds of stuff when

it comes to the sea. Good or bad. That’s why we try to stay on their
good side.”

“Let’s just hope Ethan and Raphael never break up,” Blue Bathing

Suit put in.

Spiky Hair laughed. “Speaking of hot couples, how was your first

night with the prince? We were all wondering.”

“I’m afraid that’s privileged information,” Jude said.
“You can get haughty if you like,” Blue Bathing Suit grumbled,

his face clouding, “but we all know what’s going on.”

“What do you mean by that?”
“He means we don’t get many blood servants around here,” Spiky

Hair said. “Even the other vampires frown on the practice these days.
If your boy weren’t royalty, he’d have to stick to the bottled stuff,
same as the others.”

“And plenty of the vamps have a problem with that, too.” Blue

Bathing Suit jabbed his coffee cup in the air toward Jude.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t judge,” Ari spoke up for the first time. He

looked a little nervous, and probably not just because he was afraid

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his accent wouldn’t be understood. “I heard they take only what they
need.”

“Yeah, until they decide they need a little more.”
“I wouldn’t let one of them take my blood,” Hayden put in with a

touch of anger. “Waiting on them is one thing. Having sex with them,
under certain conditions, I don’t have a problem with. But I draw the
line at being a living food source.”

“Exactly. I don’t begrudge any guy his fetish either. The trouble is

if one vamp is getting it, friends or not, the other ones start to feel
they’re entitled to the same. Some of the guys here—guests and staff
alike—wouldn’t have a huge problem with turning us from paid
employees into slaves. And I won’t be a slave.”

Jude’s jaw clenched. None of them had the slightest idea what

they were talking about, or why he was really here. But for now, he
had a role to play.

“I’m sorry if my presence here has caused all of you so much

offense. I’ll try to keep to myself so I don’t inadvertently offend
anyone’s political sensibilities.”

Banging down his coffee cup, he strode from the room. The four

men watched him go in silence. When they thought he had gone out
of earshot, they began to speak again in low voices. This time Jude
made out a few words, like “prince,” “disgusting,” and “dangerous.”

Yes, he was doing something dangerous, all right. Those fools

didn’t even have a clue how close to death he probably was already.

* * * *

He occupied himself in the weight room, working out in the

nude—an ancient Greek tradition, after all—and then floating in the
hot tub, until, through the plate glass windows, he saw the sun begin
to descend. Before long, he knew, the resort would come alive—if
that were the right word—with newly awakened vampires. Hungry
vampires.

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Climbing out of the hot tub, he grabbed his robe, the only thing

he’d worn all day. Jude hurried back to the room he’d woken up in.
Discarding the robe, he stretched out on the bed and began to tug at
his own cock. He looked forward to seeing Marius again.

Before long, as expected, he heard a key in the door. The

bodyguard, Yves, walked in first, carrying a covered tray. Jude didn’t
bother to cover himself up. Yves had no apparent reaction to seeing
him naked and in a compromising position, his legs spread and his
stiff cock in his hand. Instead, he pointed to the tray and withdrew.
Jude opened it to find a glass and a decanter containing something
that looked like orange juice. He sniffed it and set it aside.

A moment later, Prince Marius himself entered the room. He was

fully dressed this time, in an expensive-looking, black silk shirt with
gold cuff links and tight black pants that hugged his lean hips like a
second skin. Instinctively, Jude started to get up a sign of respect, but
the prince waved him back into place.

“No,” he said, keeping his hand raised in the air between them.

“Stay as you were. In fact, continue.”

“If that’s what you want,” Jude managed to choke out. He’d been

close to coming already. A few more movements of his fists, and he
came hard, hot cream dripping over and between his clenched fingers.
Marius watched with fascination.

“It has been centuries since I could indulge in that simple

pleasure,” Marius said with a sigh. “Yet when I watch you…I
remember so clearly how it felt. How delightful it was. To feel my
body bursting inside me. I do miss life sometimes.”

“Well, I can do this for you any time,” Jude said. “I won’t deny

I’ve had a lot of practice, and I’m pretty good at it.”

“Of that I have no doubt.” Marius undid his gold cuff links and

tossed them onto the nightstand with a clink. He began to unbutton his
shirt while Jude reached for the button at the top of his fly. Marius
knelt on the bed as he peeled away his own shirt and allowed Jude to
tug his pants down around his knees. A moment later he kicked them

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off and crawled on top of Jude. Jude arched his body into Marius’s,
offering his heat to the vampire’s cold flesh.

“Are you ready?” Marius asked, fangs plainly visible behind his

pale lips. Jude could see a muscle twitching in the prince’s forehead
as he struggled to control himself.

“Yes,” Jude whispered. “I’ve been ready all day.”

Cassandra Pierce

Chapter 4

With a moan of pleasure, Marius bit into Jude’s flesh. His fangs

sank into a tender spot halfway between Jude’s ear and shoulder. A
burst of pain gave way to a peaceful high, caused by the heady
combination of the vampire enzymes and human endorphin release.
This time, Jude struggled not to fade out. He wanted to experience
every moment of the vampire’s body, pressed against his, coming
back to life.

After extracting his fangs and sealing Jude’s wound with his

tongue, Marius applied some lube from the jar, lifted Jude’s legs
around his waist, and tilted his body. The prince entered him with a
single push. This time, Jude did close his eyes and drift, overcome by
the intense sensations. Meanwhile, he reached down and started to tug
at his own cock. Noticing, Marius gently moved his hand away and
took over that duty himself. While he plunged in and out of Jude, he
stroked his cock to a mind-blowing explosion.

Afterward, Marius lay beside him and watched him rest. Reaching

over to the nightstand, he lifted the silver lid off the tray.

“I notice you didn’t drink what I sent you.”
Jude propped himself up on the pillows. “I wasn’t sure what it

was. I try not to take any chances.”

Marius poured him a glass and handed it to him. “Nothing more

than an energy drink. I believe it will help you recover from the blood
loss. Completely harmless, I assure you.” He held the glass toward
Jude. “Please try it.”

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A tentative sip revealed a sweet concoction tasting vaguely of

nectarines. Jude downed it while the prince watched, and he was
relieved to experience no ill effects afterward.

After he’d finished and set the glass down, Marius stood and

pulled on his clothes. He returned to the bed with his shirt and pants
still undone and leaned over to kiss Jude. “Come downstairs with me
for a while,” he said. “I haven’t had much of a holiday so far, and I
would like to experience some of the resort’s amenities.”

“Sure,” Jude started to get up, but Marius held out a hand to stop

him.

“That was an invitation, not an order. Accompany me only if you

wish to.”

“I do,” Jude said, surprised to find himself looking forward to an

outing with Marius. On the other hand, staying indoors had a certain
appeal, too. “But aren’t you worried about…you know…walking
around in the open?” Until the confrontation in the kitchen, Jude
hadn’t realized that he and Marius weren’t exactly the most popular
guests at Anarchy. He wondered if Marius knew.

“We needn’t worry about our safety. Yves will accompany us.”
“He’s outside the room right now, isn’t he? Don’t you find that

kind of…unnerving? To never be truly alone?”

“Yves is here because I have powerful enemies, as any man in my

position does.” Marius sighed and raked a hand through his inky hair.
“Yet, if I had my own way, things would be different. That’s why I
want to offer you choices. Because I didn’t always have them.”
Standing, he tucked in his shirt, buttoned his pants up, and held out
his hand. “Come down to the beach with me. I have heard much about
this practice called moonbathing. I am eager to try it out.”

Jude got up and put on his robe once again. How long had it been

since he’d worn real clothes? Still, he kind of liked the freedom of
wearing a single loose garment he could whisk off at any moment.

They walked down to the ground level, Yves following a step

behind. Jude felt self-conscious about having him so close and yet not

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speaking to him, but Marius seemed to accept the arrangement as
perfectly normal.

In the bar downstairs, a good-sized crowd had already gathered to

party. Human staff members, including the two Jude had encountered
in the kitchen, walked around holding up trays of liquid refreshment.
Marius waved away more than one offer of bottled blood as they
made their way across the room.

As they were about to turn the corner, someone stepped in front of

them. “Are you enjoying yourself, Prince Marius?” Simon McAffrey
asked.

“I admit I haven’t seen much of your resort yet. I hope to change

that now. We were on our way to moonbathe,” Marius said.

“It’s early. Come and sit for a moment.” Before Marius had a

chance to object, Simon steered him and Jude toward the bar. The
red-haired man from the interview greeted them from behind the
counter. He held out a bottle to Marius, who shook his head.

“I knew you two would get along,” he said with a wink at Jude. “I

have a sixth sense about relationships.”

“Except when it comes to your own, you mean,” Simon teased

him. Izzo didn’t respond, though. He was too busy watching Luka
strut across the room to join them.

“Good to see you,” he said, nodding toward Marius and eyeing

Jude like a cook examining a fresh slab of meat. “I take it everything
is proceeding smoothly?”

“Quite so,” Marius said, while Jude struggled not to blush.
“By the way, a few hours ago I received a message that your

cousins will be arriving soon,” Simon said. “Luka had made special
arrangements to make them welcome, as have I. Your gathering
should be a great success.”

“Thank you, though I wish I could be happier to see my relatives.”
“Everyone feels that way, human or vampire.” Simon laughed.

“Running a family of royals is probably a lot like running a resort.
You never know what’s brewing under the surface.”

Island Prince

Marius nodded—a bit sadly, Jude thought. “All too true.”
“Still, we do what we must to get along. Have to keep peace in the

valley and so on.” Simon accepted a bottle of blood from Izzo,
popped the top, and offered them a mock toast. “Enjoy your
moonbath. I recommend you use the private pavilion on the eastern
side of the beach. It’s quiet there, and the view of the sea is terrific.”

“Thank you,” Marius said. With Yves close behind, they slipped

through the crowd and exited a set of French doors that led outside.
Jude found himself in the same spot he’d been in that morning, but
the beach looked far different tonight. All around them, vampires
lounged alone and in pairs or groups, lying on towels and lawn chairs.
Many of them had bottles of blood stuck in the sand beside them. No
one paid them the slightest attention, though Jude was sure he heard a
few whispered comments as they passed.

They headed to the more secluded area McAffrey had mentioned.

There they found a small wooden structure, consisting of an enclosed
cabin and a small deck that extended almost to the edge of the surf.

Yves preceded them up the three steps that led to the structure. He

bent and spread a blanket over the wooden surface and then stepped
back onto the sand. From there, he continued to watch from a discreet
distance.

Marius pulled off his shirt and shoes and stretched out on the

blanket. He motioned for Jude to join him. The deck proved perfect
for lounging under the open sky.

“So who are these people who are coming?” Jude asked, still

troubled by what he had heard from McAffrey. “Are they really your
cousins?”

“I’m surprised Luka didn’t explain it to you already,” Marius said,

lifting a brow. “When you…ah…applied for your current position.”

“I didn’t hear anything about a family reunion. All I knew was

that an important vampire was coming to the resort and he needed
someone to provide some special services.”

Cassandra Pierce

“Well, I would say you have certainly provided them. As far as

the family reunion, I suppose that is accurate in a way, but there is
more to it. My cousins and I—and in some cases the family
relationship is quite distant indeed—are the last remaining royals of
the vampire world. Every five years, we meet at some prearranged
location in order to maintain our family bonds and discuss any
pressing vampire business. Occasionally, it falls to me to administer
justice or settle some dispute that has arisen among my kinsmen—not
an unusual occurrence, I am sorry to say, but perhaps inevitable when
wealthy and self-centered men interact.”

“Really?” Though Jude wasn’t quite as clueless as he pretended,

he was genuinely interested in the details. “Who are they, exactly?”

“The best way I can think of to describe them is to call them the

last remnants of a world that no longer exists.” The prince’s
expression turned melancholy as he gazed out at the sea. “At one
time, as you know, each country was ruled by a crowned head. Then
came you Americans, and your experiments in democracy, which
ultimately led to the destruction of most every remaining monarchy.
What do you think happened to all of those displaced sovereigns?
They could hardly walk away from the privileges and power they and
their ancestors had held for so long.”

Jude scowled. “They became vampires?”
“Exactly. And so their petty struggles continue on into the future,

perhaps into eternity. Many have been killed off, either through their
own carelessness or plots against them, but my own principality in
Styria has remained relatively untouched. For a hundred years I have
retained supremacy over the few territories my squabbling relatives
still rule. It is largely thanks to me that the human world knows little
or nothing of their existence.”

“You’re their leader, in other words.”
“I suppose that is a reasonable approximation of what I do. Some

might say I am more of an enforcer, though only those who disagree
with my policies describe me that way.”

Island Prince

“And those are the enemies you spoke of? The ones Yves is

supposed to protect you from?”

The prince nodded. “My basis of rule is that vampires must be

civilized...more civilized than humans often are, in fact. The sort of
creature you see in movies, soulless killers consumed by bloodlust—
well, things were like that once, at least in selected cases. I put an end
to such lawlessness.”

“And some vampires don’t like it,” Jude said with sudden

comprehension. “Does that include your cousins?”

“No doubt.” Marius shrugged. “There are always a few in any

population who would prefer to live as savages. It is the nature of
both humans and vampires. After all, they were once part of the same
group.” He shrugged and settled back on the blanket. “Simon
McAffrey sees things as I do—he has always been a most enlightened
man, at least for an English pirate.” Briefly he closed his eyes. “It’s
working. I can feel the moon’s rays sinking into my skin. It’s not
quite as comforting as sunlight, but it is gratifying nonetheless.”

The shift in topic caught Jude off guard. He felt Marius’s hand

slide over his, and his throat tightened. “Do you miss the sun?”

“In all honesty, so many years have passed since I’ve seen or felt

it that I can scarcely remember what it was like. However, I have
learned to take pleasure where I can and not waste time worrying
about what is gone for good.” He turned to look at Jude, and his eyes
glowed so intensely that Jude flinched. “I know what you’re
wondering—whether it was my choice to become what I am, or
whether I was tricked or forced into it.”

“True,” Jude admitted, unnerved by the intimacy between them.

Even before, when their bodies had been joined together, he hadn’t
felt so intense a connection. He swallowed. “I was wondering how it
happened. I didn’t want to ask.”

“You may ask me whatever you like. Whether I am able to answer

is another matter. In this case I will gratify your curiosity. I was
coaxed into my present existence by a man I cared for deeply. At first,

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I was furious with him. But now, looking back with a wiser and more
experienced perspective, I think he cared for me, too, in his own way.
I have forgiven him, and now I must take from his misguided gift
whatever it offers, and give what remains of my life whatever
meaning I can.”

“And where is he now? The man who turned you?” To his

surprise, a touch of jealousy prickled in his chest. No—he had to fight
such emotion. It would only make things harder. He had his orders.

“He was destroyed, as it happens,” Marius said with obvious

sadness. “After I left him, he chose his next companion most
unwisely. He paid a high price.”

“Oh.” Jude decided not to pursue the topic anymore. Their

discussion, however interesting, was making Marius unhappy, and it
had engaged emotions of his own that he felt were better left
undisturbed.

The two rested side by side, looking at the water and the vampires

around them. Jude saw Raphael and Ethan, his vampire lover, walking
along the water’s edge in bathing suits, holding hands. Jude imagined
the two had just come from an interlude together. The beauty of their
closeness mesmerized him.

Marius, attuned to Jude’s gaze and no doubt his emotions,

followed the line of his sight to the couple. “Do you know them?”

“Ethan works for Simon McAffrey. I met Raphael this morning. I

heard a strange rumor about him.”

“I did as well. I could hardly credit the story, but McAffrey insists

it’s true.”

“You mean that he’s some kind of sea sprite?” Jude ventured.
“Yes. Apparently those Greek myths weren’t simply the products

of ancient imaginations after all.”

They both watched as the two men stopped, turned to one another,

and kissed impulsively and passionately at the water’s edge.

Jude felt Marius’s palm sliding up his knee, then his thigh,

slipping under the hem of his robe and closing gently around his shaft.

Island Prince

Jude half closed his eyes and exhaled heavily as the prince began a
slow, stroking motion that had him hard in no time.

When he was about to come, a shadow fell across the blanket.

Jude looked up, expecting Yves. Instead, he saw Luka. Yves stood
beside him, looking grim and suspicious as always. Discreetly,
Marius let his hand drop to the ground.

“I see you’ve chosen the perfect spot to catch some rays,” Luka

said with a friendly smile Jude found revoltingly fake. “You left the
bar before I could ask if I could do something to make your stay more
agreeable.”

“If I think of anything, I assure you that will be the case.”

Marius’s manner turned frosty, unmistakably that of the superior
dismissing a servant. Luka’s jaw tightened. “For now, I am enjoying
my conversation with Jude.”

Luka’s smirk returned. His gaze dropped to Jude’s middle, and

Jude knew he had figured out what had been going on. “Yes.
Speaking of your blood servant, might I borrow him for twenty
minutes or so? Simon feels we should conduct a brief physical
examination to be sure his… contributions…have not harmed him. I
will personally deliver him back to you as soon as we are finished.”

“No matter.” Marius waved at him in annoyance. “You may send

him to the room. I had hoped we would have some peace out here, but
I see that is not to be the case.”

Luka led Jude away, his hand resting on the shoulder of the robe.

Jude felt his pulse increase as they headed back inside and down a
short hallway, and Luka’s fingers tightened as they entered a small,
dark room at the end of the hall. Jude steeled himself just as Luka
shoved him hard against the wall the moment the door closed.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself with him,” Luka grumbled.
“Isn’t that the point?” Jude shot back, rubbing his elbow where it

impacted the wall. “I hope you haven’t put a bruise there. Prince
Marius won’t like that. He’s not crazy about my scars as it is.”

Cassandra Pierce

“You will have more than a bruise if you allow your emotions to

interfere with carrying out your duty. As for what Prince Marius likes,
that is of no concern to me. In a few days, it won’t be of any concern
even to him.”

“I understand what you want,” Jude retorted, “but I’ve only been

here a day. You said yourself we can’t rush things.”

Luka’s voice sank to an angry growl. “I’m not talking about

rushing things. I’m talking about playing your role. A role you readily
agreed to.”

“You didn’t tell me everything, though. All this business with

these cousins, for one thing.”

Jude grunted when Luka pushed him up against the wall again,

planting his forearm squarely on top of Jude’s throat. “Simon’s other
guests are none of your concern. You have one vampire to serve, and
I expect you to attend him exclusively. By the time his cousins arrive,
he is to trust you completely—he must be addicted to your company,
your mind, and your blood. You do remember that part of the
agreement, I hope.”

“Y–yes.” Jude coughed and rubbed his throat when Luka released

him and stepped away.

“I must admit, you’ve done bit better than I expected. Still, don’t

make the mistake of thinking you are indispensable to me, however
Prince Perfect might feel.”

“I won’t.” Jude’s voice was thick with misery.
“Admittedly, the man can be quite charming when he wants to

be.” Satisfied, Luka stepped back and straightened the sleeves of his
jacket. “But if you find your resolve weakening, consider something.
Marius is over a hundred years old. How many blood servants do you
think he’s had in all that time? What do you suppose happened to
them?”

Jude frowned. Oddly, that particular question had never occurred

to him. With obvious delight, Luka dragged his first two fingers
slowly across his own throat.

Island Prince

“Drained and discarded,” he said, and then he laughed at Jude’s

shocked expression. “Yet you would find that a kinder fate than the
one I have planned for you should you disappoint me.”

Crossing the room, he motioned for someone to enter. Jude was

surprised to find himself looking at Hayden, who wore a modified
version of Luka’s security uniform. Hayden, in turn, raised an amused
brow at Jude’s robe, which had fallen half open again. Hastily he tied
it shut.

Luka turned to Hayden. “The blood servant and I have concluded

our business. Take him back to his master.”

* * * *

Back at the room, Marius was waiting in the bed, his clothes

folded on the nightstand. He welcomed Jude into his arms and drew
him close. Jude heard his own pulse echo against the prince’s lifeless
chest, and found himself surprised at the strength of the feelings that
surged in his living heart. Seeing Marius filled him with a sense of
peace and familiarity he found totally unexpected.

“We should have stayed here all along,” he said. “The beach was

enjoyable, but this resort is unfortunately populated by barbarians. I
intend to speak to Simon about his security officials and their
complete lack of deference.”

“It won’t do any good,” Jude said. He tried not to let his

expression change as he sternly reminded himself that he was here
with Marius for a reason. Emotions of any sort, but especially the soft
and weak kind, would only distract him. They might even get him
killed. Besides, what he felt was probably the result of the vampire’s
seductive pheromones invading his system.

Marius’s jaw stiffened. “Perhaps some members of this

community do begrudge my right to maintain a blood servant.
However, were the same rights granted to them, I shudder to think
what they would do with the responsibility.” He shifted and turned

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Jude to face him. “Answer me honestly. Do you resent my taking
your blood? Does it anger you when the others look upon you as my
servant?”

Jude shook his head. He wondered if Marius could see the tears

brimming under his eyelids. Hoping to distract him, he ran his hand
along the prince’s sleek thigh and slid his fingers around Marius’s
cock. It hardened and rose as any living man’s would.

“No,” he managed to choke out. “I don’t care what they think.

And I like it when you take my blood. I like it when you take me.”

Clearly pleased, Marius lay back on the pillows and drew Jude

down beside him. He allowed Jude to pleasure him with his hand,
though both of them knew it would lead nowhere. Still, Marius
murmured with enjoyment and closed his eyes with contentment. At
one point, he lifted his fingers and stroked them gently through Jude’s
close hair. The gesture was so affectionate and natural that it startled
Jude.

Soon Jude slept, though not quietly. Bad dreams, fueled by guilt,

crowded his mind. In his mind’s eye, he pictured Marius dead, staked,
and burnt to a pile of dark ash, and his heart seemed to freeze a little
in his chest.

Island Prince

Chapter 5

The next morning, Jude found himself alone. Marius and Yves

had gone off to wherever they spent their daylight hours, as he’d
expected, but when he tried to open the door to head down for
breakfast and another morning swim, he found it locked.

He had only his rumpled robe to wear, so after showering, he

wrapped a clean towel around his waist and waited. Surely someone
would come to check on him.

Sure enough, Hayden, in uniform again, eventually showed up

with a tray.

“I see you’ve been promoted to room service now,” Jude said as

he motioned him inside. “How exciting for you.”

Hayden’s jaw twitched, but he controlled his emotions as he set

the tray on the night table. “Luka wants me to look after you.”

“That’s kind of him.”
“Not really.” Hayden shrugged, ignoring Jude’s sarcasm. “The

way I understand it, he’s worried you’re going to cause some trouble.
At the very least, he’s started to question your loyalty to this resort
and to him. It’s my job to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“What does he think I’m going to do, exactly?”
Hayden’s face reddened. “Luka didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask. I

have my orders and that’s good enough for me. It ought to be for you,
as well, but I guess that would be expecting too much.”

“Let me ask you this. Do you know what Luka’s planning? Did he

tell you what he wants me to do?”

“I don’t involve myself in vampire politics.” Averting his eyes,

Hayden lifted the lid on the tray. Jude saw a mug filled with the same

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strong coffee he’d sampled downstairs, to judge by the aroma, as well
as a plate of scrambled eggs and a hunk of homemade bread. For a
moment, he was tempted to grab and devour the food in one ravenous
gulp. He’d forgotten how long it had been since he’d had a proper
meal. However, he knew better than to reveal any weakness to
Hayden, who would then report it to Luka. “I assume it has something
to do with this prince bloke you’ve been slutting around with.”

Jude paused, fighting a stab of rage at hearing his relationship

with Marius described in such disparaging terms. He reminded
himself that Hayden only knew what Luka had told him, and the
security chief would have made sure to play on Hayden’s inborn
prejudice against blood servantry. Hadn’t Luka’s associates back on
the mainland done the same to Jude, assuring him the man he’d be
helping to kill was little better than a serial murderer himself, who
used vulnerable human men like blood bags and then left them to die?
Hayden hadn’t thought to question what he’d heard any more than
Jude had. In fact, Jude still didn’t know what to believe.

“Well, I’m sorry you have as little faith in me as Luka does.”

Forcing himself to sound casual, Jude took a seat on the edge of the
bed and poked at the food with a fork. “But it really all comes down
to one thing—the fact that Luka says he’ll kill me if I screw up his
plans. Maybe I have been reckless in the past, but I do value my life.”

“I believe that. However, what I believe isn’t important.”
“Suit yourself.” While he downed the bread, Jude let the towel sag

around his waist. Hayden’s eyes flicked downward, but only for the
briefest moment. Instead, his fingers moved to his belt and pushed the
flap of his jacket aside. Jude was surprised to see the handle of a
Taser jutting out.

“You can try to distract me all you want. If you come at me the

wrong way or attempt to slip out of this room, you’ll regret it.”

Jude watched as he backed out, closed the door, and relocked it.

Cursing his new predicament, he gulped down the rest of his food and
stood up. Without bothering to retrieve the towel, he leaned against

Island Prince

the window and tried to soak up what little sun he could through the
glass.

On the beach below, he saw a few of the human employees

playing volleyball in the sand, apparently without a care in the world.
Farther out, he saw some ripples in the sea and wondered if Raphael
was basking in the water and dreaming of his vampire lover.

Somewhere on the island, probably in this very building, Marius,

Yves, and even Luka were sealed away until darkness fell.

None of them had any idea how quickly things could change.

* * * *

By the time the sun dropped, Jude was about to go mad from

boredom. Hayden had returned twice more with meals, but both times
he did so in complete silence and with his Taser prominently
displayed. No one else came to the door or even looked up at the
window. A thorough search of all the drawers and cupboards failed to
uncover so much as an outdated magazine in any language. The room
contained no television or radio, and he was too anxious to sleep.

He had never been so happy to see Yves when at last the dour

bodyguard entered the room and looked balefully around. A moment
later, he withdrew and Marius arrived, wearing the same dressing
gown Jude had first seen him in. This time, he shed it immediately
and crawled onto the bed. Since Jude had nothing to take off, he
stretched out beside the prince in an equally natural state. With a
smile, Marius slid his arms around Jude’s shoulders and drew him
close.

“Are we staying in tonight?” Jude asked with relief. Strange—all

day he’d wanted nothing more than to get out of the room that had
become his prison. Now that Marius was with him, he could happily
have spent the rest of the night never stirring from the bed.

“Quite the reverse. I didn’t bother to dress yet because we will be

attending a private function this evening.”

Cassandra Pierce

“Your cousins have arrived,” Jude surmised. His stomach

tightened as a sudden and terrible thought struck him. Was Luka
planning to eradicate them, too?

“So I am informed,” Marius said, apparently not noticing Jude’s

discomfort. “I intend to host a small and private reception for them.
You will be at my side as my honored guest.”

“Really? Are you sure?”
“No one will harm you, I promise. My cousins can be ill-

mannered, but they would never dare to go that far. I will put Yves on
alert, just in case.”

Jude tried not to show his trepidation. Marius had no idea that the

threat would come from the resort’s own security force, not its guests.
Jude also had no doubt that Luka would take swift and deadly action
if the prince so much as looked suspiciously at him or his new
accomplice, Hayden.

“Attire is somewhat formal, but Yves will assist us with that

later,” Marius went on. His fingers traced the delicate slope of Jude’s
collarbone. “I won’t take much from you this time. I want you to
enjoy the party.”

“I’ll try,” Jude said without enthusiasm. Marius didn’t seem to

hear him. He was already getting into position to feed.

He moved slowly over Jude’s body, dragging his mouth from

Jude’s shoulders down to his abs. Jude shivered, waiting for the
clench of lips and the touch of fangs. However, nothing happened.
After dallying at the crease of Jude’s thigh, Marius made his way
back up again. His long tongue, cool and sensuous, tickled the
indentations of Jude’s ribs and then slithered along the groove in the
center of his chest. Meanwhile, his fingers brushed across Jude’s
thickening shaft.

Jude gasped when Marius turned his head, parted his lips, and

abruptly bit down on his nipple. Wet heat flowed into the prince’s
waiting mouth, warming him everywhere. Jude felt Marius’s erection
rise and nudge his thigh.

Island Prince

A second rush of pleasure followed the first as the vampire’s

saliva entered the small wounds his fangs had made, burning him with
that curious combination of pain and ecstasy. Jude knew of guys who
were into nipple rings and clamps, but surely nothing could compare
to this sensation.

Eventually Marius lay back, licking his lips. “Blood from the

heart is always the sweetest, I think. You have a strong heart, Jude.”

“Yeah,” Jude agreed. “I’ve needed one to survive.”
“Those days are over. I promise you that.” Turning onto his side,

Marius regarded Jude with an expression of renewed interest. “Why
don’t we do something different?” he asked suddenly. “You take me
this time.”

Jude froze, startled. He’d never heard of a human assuming the

dominant position with a vampire, much less been invited to do so
himself. Hell, most of the human men he’d been with had insisted on
Jude assuming the passive role. As far as taking command of a
prince’s body—he couldn’t imagine a man of Marius’s social stature
wanting or even allowing himself to be topped.

As if reading his thoughts, Marius laughed. “Don’t worry. You are

more than capable of satisfying me in that way.” He looked pointedly
at Jude’s crotch, and Jude also looked down to find himself harder
than stone, his balls swollen almost to bursting. “Well?”

“I…um…I wasn’t expecting you to suggest that,” he confessed.
“Why not? I told you…all vampires were human once. Is it not

normal for humans to desire such closeness with their lovers?”

As the meaning of the words sank in, Jude felt his chest constrict.

Marius must trust him immensely to allow him so much control over
him, he realized. Or did the prince define the word “lover” more
loosely than most? His face burned with shame, though he figured the
prince would misinterpret the cause of his blush. “Yeah…I guess it
is,” he managed to choke out.

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Marius settled himself onto his stomach, looking relaxed and

comfortable. “Don’t forget, we must prepare for the gathering soon.
Let us use our time efficiently.”

“Um…all right.” Somewhat nervously, Jude slid onto Marius’s

back and stretched out his limbs. He enjoyed the feel of the prince’s
skin, so smooth and still somewhat cool after his limited meal. It
occurred to him that without a full ration of blood, Marius might be
unable to take control of the situation the way he usually did. Perhaps
that was why he wished to assume a more submissive role this time.
Or maybe he really did just crave something different. Anything was
easier to accept than that Marius loved and trusted him, and he would
soon betray that trust in the worst way imaginable.

“I want to feel you inside me,” Marius said.
“I want that, too.” Jude pushed forward, sliding his cock in an

inch or so, doing his best to oblige. Marius was tight, no question, and
the coolness of his flesh didn’t make things easier. But nonetheless he
felt the prince opening to him, accepting his length.

“Mmm—yes,” Marius sighed, the word escaping as a hiss of

pleasure. “More.”

With a grunt, Jude pressed himself the rest of the way inside. He

lay still a moment, letting Marius adjust to him and vice versa. Then
he began a slow pumping motion. With every stroke, he was afraid of
offending or even hurting Marius. Yet the vampire kept pace with
him, pushing back and lunging forward in perfect rhythm to the
movements of Jude’s hips. Soon they seemed to fuse together, Jude’s
warmth and Marius’s coolness, human lust and vampire stealth.

It wasn’t long before Jude’s body started to spasm. He struggled

to hold back, feeling guilty that Marius wouldn’t be able to join him
in his release. Suddenly, though, a strange thing happened. Marius
had turned his head to one side on the pillow, enabling Jude to watch
his expression. Just as Jude began to lose control, Marius’s face took
on a look Jude had never seen before. At first, Jude mistook it for
pain, but he quickly realized it more closely resembled pure rapture.

Island Prince

At the same time, the prince’s entire body stiffened and bucked. It
almost seemed as though….

No, that was impossible. Vampires were dead. They couldn’t

experience such things. No sooner had he thought it than release
swallowed him up as well, his climax so intense it seemed to turn his
nuts inside out.

As his erection faded, Jude had no choice but to tug himself free

of Marius and clamber out of the pocket of his spread legs. He found
the prince still looking a bit like he’d been washed up on the beach
after a summer storm, though his expression was undeniably blissful.

“That was…most gratifying,” he murmured, reaching out to pull

Jude to him. “Such a thing has never happened before. At least, not
since my human days.”

Jude couldn’t hide his surprise. Apparently, his instincts had been

on target all along. “You mean you…”

“Yes,” said Marius. He turned over onto his back, pulling Jude

along with him. “It was a modified version of a human orgasm, of
course, given my physiological differences, but internally, it felt as
authentic and satisfying as anything I experienced during my mortal
days. Possibly better, given that I had to wait over two hundred
years.”

“Amazing,” Jude said, shaking his head in wonder.
Marius’s lips drifted over Jude’s mouth. “I owe you a debt of

gratitude I honestly have no idea how to repay.” He sounded a bit
bewildered.

“You don’t owe me anything,” Jude said. “I wanted to please you.

I’m glad I could.”

Then he lowered his mouth to the prince’s. They kissed deeply,

but not with their usual desperation or hunger. This time felt more like
an expression of deep and total contentment.

Finally Marius sighed and said up. “I’m afraid we must prepare

for the party. I look forward to introducing you to some of my oldest

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friends and relations. And I do mean ‘oldest’ in the most literal sense
possible.”

Jude didn’t protest as Marius got up and led him into the

bathroom. The prince turned on the water, stepped in, and pulled Jude
in after him. They soaped and rinsed one another, though Marius’s
businesslike attitude kept them strictly on task. When they emerged,
toweling off, Jude saw that Yves had been in the room and left two
dark suits on the bed. One of them, obviously meant for Marius,
included a white silk waistcoat and matching cravat, while Jude’s
shirt was intended to be worn open at the throat.

He found it strange to wear clothes again after three days of

parading around in much less, yet he couldn’t deny how good the
perfectly tailored suit felt against his skin, or how handsome Marius
looked in his outfit. As a final touch, Marius opened a small silver
box that had been tucked in the pocket of his swallow-tailed jacket
and affixed three antique but clearly prestigious medallions to his
chest. Jude liked the way his casual elegance perfectly complemented
his companion’s more formal attire.

He noticed that a fresh tray sat on the nightstand in place of the

one Hayden had left several hours earlier. Marius lifted the cover to
reveal another empty tumbler and a decanter of that unique energy
drink he had offered Jude before.

“Please have some of this before we go.” Marius poured a glassful

and holding it out. “It will help combat any lingering fatigue from the
blood loss.”

Jude drank without protest. Tonight he did need to retain control

of all his faculties, and he needed his senses to remain sharp and
attuned to his surroundings.

“Let us be off, then,” Marius said when he finished. Taking Jude’s

hand, he stepped out into the hall, where Yves was waiting. The
bodyguard gave a slight bow, his face impassive as always, and
followed them to the stairs.

Island Prince

* * * *

A private meeting room on the east side of the resort had been

commandeered to hold Marius’s gathering. A dozen or so richly
attired vampires were already seated on the plush leather sofas or
milling between the candelabras, chatting in a variety of foreign
languages. A portable bar had been set up on the other side of the
room, where Izzo stood and served the guests with bottles that did not
resemble the normal, smaller versions used downstairs. These were
dark, large-bellied, slim-necked bottles, labeled with strange logos
and symbols Jude had never seen before. He suspected this was a
higher grade of bottled blood, reserved or perhaps supplied by the
vampire elite.

Luka stood in one corner, his hands clasped behind his back as he

watched the proceedings with a critical gaze. His eyes seemed to
darken every time one of the new guests walked past holding one of
the champagne-style flutes, which most certainly did not contain
champagne. Jude couldn’t help noticing that the security chief had
been offered nothing in the way of refreshment. How it must’ve
galled him to see other vampires enjoying themselves and indulging
freely.

Between Luka and Izzo, holding a tray of empty glasses, stood

Hayden. Tonight he wore formal attire instead of a uniform, but his
close proximity to Luka suggested that he was still on security detail.

“So what do you think?” Marius asked.
Jude hardly knew how to answer. Never had he seen so many

stunningly beautiful vampires in one place. Many wore the antiquated
military uniforms of their home countries, sporting dazzling rows of
gold buttons and festooned with colorful ribbons and medallions. All
carried themselves with obvious confidence and authority. These were
the elite of the vampire world, or at least they perceived their roles
that way.

“All of these men are your cousins?” he asked in wonder.

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Marius shrugged. “To various degrees of consanguinity.”
Two young vampires approached them, their fine blond hair and

silvery blue eyes so alike that Jude decided they were brothers. Each
stepped up in turn to give Marius a ceremonial embrace.

“My cousins, Count Ladislas and Count Valdemar,” Marius

introduced them afterward. Ladislas pretended to shake Jude’s hand,
but instead turned it over and examined his wrist.

“What a tasty morsel this one must be,” he remarked with a shrill

laugh. “How I envy you sometimes, Marius. This bottled swill they’re
passing out isn’t fit to feed my serfs.” His delicate white thumb
brushed over the bluish web of veins throbbing under Jude’s skin. He
looked up at Marius with a gleam of challenge in his frost-colored
eyes. “I don’t suppose you’d consider sharing?”

Island Prince

Chapter 6

“Brother, you haven’t had any serfs for three hundred years or

more,” Valdemar said, tugging Ladislas’s hand from Jude’s. Jude
suspected his intervention was prompted by the look of outrage on
Marius’s face. “Spare us your boasting. And leave our cousin to his
birthright. You prefer to sample a fresh neck every night, as do I.
Surely Marius isn’t planning to ban one-night stands next…are you?”

“Not at the moment,” Marius answered. “Provided, of course,

everyone continues to obey the law.”

“There, you see?” Valdemar’s good spirits returned. He clapped

his brother on the shoulder. “You would find the responsibility of
caring for a blood servant a most loathsome burden.”

Ladislas rolled his silvery eyes in annoyance, but he was spared

the need to answer when a short, round, and flamboyant vampire
hurried across the room.

“Marius! How excellent to see you!” “He looked Jude over as

though he were some sort of show animal or a piece of recently
purchased art. And this is your new…ah…companion, I presume?”

Marius’s face tightened even more, but he made a visible effort to

be cordial. “Jude Taylor, please meet another of my cousins, Baron
Ivan von Arnyek.”

Ivan flashed Jude a distracted smile and went on talking to

Marius. “Have you talked to Leonid? He hasn’t changed a bit since I
last saw him, some seventy-five years ago.”

Valdemar grew interested. “Someone dug up Leonid? Gods, I

thought we’d seen the last of him. Where has he been all this time?”

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“Turns out he was trapped by an earthquake while exploring one

of his ruined castles. Seems another one recently shook him loose.”
Ivan pointed to an incredibly tall and handsome man in a tuxedo and
wide purple sash, making the rounds with a haughty expression.
“Traveling three days in a cargo hold hasn’t improved his disposition,
I can tell you. The only thing that stopped him from complaining
nonstop all during the voyage was the sun coming up. I was tempted
to lock him out on the deck of the ship more than once.”

“I’m glad to see he survived his ordeal,” said Marius

diplomatically. “I am pleased to welcome him to the island. In fact,
I’m glad all of you could make it to my modest gathering.”

“I hope we don’t have hours of tedious business to discuss. Has

anyone been naughty?” Ivan asked.

“Every night,” Ladislas said. His cold, fanged grin made Jude

shudder. He winked and turned away while his brother offered Marius
a hasty nod and hurried after him.

“I was a bit surprised to find Simon McAffrey running this place.”

Another vampire, this one with a thick Scottish accent, joined them.
“The last time I saw him, he was standing in the middle of Aberdeen
with a gaggle of his scruffy friends and about to be hanged. I’m not
surprised the noose didn’t do its job. Still, I’m glad he managed to
make something of himself.”

Ivan stretched his fleshy neck and scanned the room. “Has he?

I’m willing to take your word for it, Duncan, but you won’t mind if I
go and see for myself.”

“Certainly not. I’ll go with you, in fact.”
Spotting the man he was looking for, Ivan hastily excused himself

and wandered off into the crowd with Duncan in tow.

Jude moved closer to Marius, not bothering to hide his relief at

being left alone.

“He’s not a bad sort, but like most members of my family’s

Székely branch, he does take some getting used to,” Marius admitted

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with a smile. Discreetly, he squeezed Jude’s fingers. “I’ve had
centuries to adjust, so I’ll excuse you for needing a little extra time.”

Jude nodded, but in reality he was more focused on what

Valdemar had said, as well as what he had implied. “Are none of your
cousins allowed to keep blood servants?” he asked, noticing for the
first time that he, along with Hayden and a few members of
Anarchy’s waitstaff, were the only humans in the room.

“No. As head of the family, it is my birthright, and no other may

share it. In truth, I cannot prevent my cousins from making certain
private arrangements, but every vampire in this room knows that I
forbid killing humans for personal gratification. In today’s world the
role of a donor must be that of a companion or lover, even if it is
temporary. I insist on that, just as I make sure to lead by example.
That is one of the reasons I wanted you to attend this function with
me. My cousins must all see that you are my honored guest—my
equal in every way.” His fingers tightened around Jude’s. “I hope I’ve
made my position clear to you, too.”

Jude recalled how Ivan had started to call Jude a servant, or

worse, and then had corrected himself. Obviously, Marius was far
more powerful in the vampire world than he had ever supposed. He
realized something else, too. The plot to kill the prince wasn’t just
some personal vendetta or political statement. The stakes were much
higher.

As the party got underway, with Marius’s relatives chattering

together and moving back and forth to the bar for fresh glasses of
blood, Jude’s stomach tightened and his heart clutched in his chest.
Cousin Ladislas had made his preferences clear when it came to
nourishing himself. Jude tried to imagine the result if every titled
vampire in the room decided to reject Marius’s edicts and seek a long-
term human donor—or, more likely, a series of them. And once the
royals were satisfied, the rest of the vampires, at Anarchy and
possibly around the world, would demand their own right to feed on
the living.

Cassandra Pierce

How many humans would voluntarily become blood servants? If

the reaction of Anarchy’s human staff was anything to go by, few
would offer themselves. The outcome would be mass enslavement, at
the very least.

In the beginning, when the first of Luka’s associates had

approached him at a bar in Athens, he’d been assured his mission was
righteous. Later, as he’d gotten to know Marius intimately, he’d
wondered if he’d been misled. Now he was convinced he had been
outright lied to and tricked into involving himself in a scheme that
seemed nothing less than evil.

Looking up into Marius’s clear, trusting eyes, Jude felt as though

he wanted to cry. Somehow, he managed to keep his voice level. “Can
I ask you something?” he blurted.

Marius lifted a brow. “Of course.”
“What happened to your last blood servant?” At Marius’s

expression of surprise, he hastened to add, “I mean, there had to be
others before me. Many others.”

“I can’t deny that. However, in the case of your immediate

predecessor, I let him go.”

“Just like that?”
“Why not? We enjoyed our time together, but he wished to see

more of the world and to experience different things in life. It was not
my place to hold him back.”

“And the one before that?”
“The same. If you ask me how many there have been over the

course of my long life, I will be honest and tell you that I have lost
track. Some of them stayed with me for decades, some only days.
When the time came, I sent them all out to find their own futures.”

The answer was still less specific that Jude wanted. Did those

nebulous futures involve an untimely death, perhaps at the hands of a
paid assassin? How could Marius know that his freed companions
wouldn’t turn around and betray him as soon as they were out of his
sight?

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That last mental image caused Jude to blush at his own hypocrisy.

He decided to press further. “I guess a lot of them are dead now,
though.”

“I fear so, although I understand the average male is living much

longer now than in earlier centuries. I believe my oldest surviving
‘ex,’ as your generation might call him, is currently enjoying his ninth
decade of his mortal life. There are others, though war and various
accidents have claimed more than I care to tabulate. One advantage of
serving me, as I mentioned to you before, is a certain strengthening of
one’s immune system over time. I am happy to say that very few of
my former companions have fallen prey to the common diseases that
tend to stalk humanity.”

He looked at the ceiling somewhat wistfully, as though he could

see the ghosts of his departed lovers floating above his head. Perhaps
he could, for all Jude knew.

“So it’s true—you really never hurt or killed any of them,” he

marveled.

“Of course not! What sort of vulgar barbarian do you take me for?

Have I not explained to you my rule of law again and again? All of
these vampires must obey me or face the consequences for harming so
much as a single human.” Marius’s eyes widened and then narrowed.
His delicate nostrils flared. “Who has been filling your mind with
such lies?”

“No one,” Jude improvised. His pulse began to pound faster. He

knew Marius could hear it. “I just wondered.”

Marius’s hand slid away, and Jude felt his heart break a little.

From the other side of the room, he suddenly noticed Luka and
Hayden watching him. No doubt Luka’s sensitive vampire hearing
had picked up at least the gist of the conversation. He had certainly
observed the prince’s reaction to Jude’s ill-advised words. The
security chief’s feral eyes burned with menace.

I want to talk to you, Luka mouthed. He didn’t speak out loud. He

didn’t need to.

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Jude looked around and spotted another of Marius’s many

kinsmen approaching the prince with a cheerful greeting. Marius
turned to respond, and Jude took the opportunity to withdraw into the
circulating crowd of partygoers. Yves, standing nearby as usual,
watched him slip away but didn’t react.

Jude backed across the room until he found himself near a pair of

glass doors that opened onto a small terrace overlooking the sea.
While Luka watched him with a storm cloud gathering on his face,
Jude tested the knob. The door wasn’t locked.

Swiftly he pushed it open, raced over the flagstones, and leaped

the metal railing. He hit the sand below with a thud and felt twin shots
of pain race up his legs. Nonetheless, he wasn’t hurt. He rolled into a
crouch and caught his breath. While a group of curious vampires
gathered behind the railing, pointing and commenting, Jude fled into
the night.

* * * *

Jude ran along the beach, eager to put as much distance as he

could between himself and the royal gathering. Once again, the sand
was populated with vampire guests lounging on blankets and sipping
bottled blood. Dodging them, he raced to the secluded area where he
and Marius had moonbathed.

He stopped at the edge of the surf, his chest heaving with physical

exertion and emotion. Wildly, his eyes scanned the black, choppy
water. He was on an island, after all—where exactly was he going to
go?

After only a moment’s hesitation, he dropped to a seated position

and pulled off his shoes. Then he peeled away his jacket, shirt, and
pants and dropped them onto the sand. Naked, he rushed toward the
surf and flung himself headlong into the water. At least Luka couldn’t
follow him there, and he felt confident he could outswim Hayden. He
would fight his way to the open sea and freedom or drown trying.

Island Prince

He didn’t get far before the chilly water, the vicious undertow,

and the powerful darkness began to overwhelm him. Cursing his own
frailty, he forced himself to move one arm in front of the other and to
kick his feet against the current. Nevertheless, his strength waned
rapidly. What was wrong with him these days? Had Marius’s bites
weakened him, or the drain of fighting his true emotions for the
prince? If love strengthened a person, surely the denial of love could
have the opposite effect.

When he reached deep water, his arms and legs ached so furiously

that it felt good, even right, to slow his strokes and then stop
struggling altogether. The first time this had happened, he’d fought
the bitter salt water flooding his mouth and stinging his eyes. Now he
welcomed it.

He’d tried to escape—he’d given the effort everything he had. He

had nothing left. What shame was there in letting go? Better to let the
sea take him, as it had taken so many Greek heroes in the past,
perhaps in this very spot, than to let Luka claim his price for betrayal.
The pain and humiliation would be less, for sure—and Marius would
have a chance at escape. In the end, that thought alone gave him
peace. He would sacrifice himself for the man, or rather the vampire,
he loved.

As he drifted, his limp body alternately sinking and bobbing up on

the waves, he felt a familiar pressure building up underneath him. The
seafoam bubbled and rose as if to form a protective, cushioned barrier
around him. Immediately, he understood what was happening.

“No!” he shouted, only to be rewarded with a mouth full of

seawater. He spit it out and fought against the invisible force that was
driving him backward, speeding him toward the beach he had
struggled so desperately to get away from. “No, leave me alone! I
don’t want to go back! Leave me here—”

His head went under again, just long enough to silence him, and

then a particularly heavy wave knocked the breath from his lungs.
Unable to put up any more fight, he let himself be carried back and

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deposited onto the rough sand in a heap. He tried to slap away the first
hands that touched his shoulders, rolling him over, until he realized
they were too warm and gentle to belong to a vampire.

“You again.” He opened his eyes to see Raphael crouching over

him, washed in pale moonlight. “Why didn’t you leave me alone like
I asked you?”

“I didn’t pull you out,” Raphael said. Jude squinted up and saw

that although Raphael wore a bathing suit, his long hair was in fact
dry. He hadn’t been in the sea with Jude, after all.

Soon Ethan came jogging over to investigate, carrying Jude’s

discarded clothes. He crouched down beside his lover, his face
registering surprise. Jude saw that he was fully dressed, and
somewhat nattily at that, no doubt in an attempt to impress the resort’s
prestigious new group of visitors. He closed his eyes in despair.

“What were you doing out in the water at night?” Ethan asked.

“You almost drowned!”

“Again,” Raphael added.
“Why don’t we get him up into the pavilion?” Ethan suggested.

The two of them hoisted Jude to his feet and assisted him into the
wooden structure where he’d spent a much happier evening with
Marius. This time, they carried him not to the deck but inside the
cabin. Ethan stretched him out on a daybed that had been pushed up
against one wall while Raphael picked up a box of matches and lit a
Chinese lantern that hung from the ceiling. The glow spread through
the small room and illuminated various items of patio furniture and a
stack of towels in one corner. He doubted many vampires spent time
here, but perhaps the human members of the staff visited during the
daytime. He suspected Raphael and Ethan used it as a rendezvous
point.

“Did I interrupt a date between you two?” Jude asked as Ethan

checked him over for injuries and then stepped back, satisfied.
Raphael brought over a handful of towels and draped them over Jude
to warm him. “Sorry.”

Island Prince

“Never mind that,” Ethan said. “I still want to know how you

ended up out here. Weren’t you at the reception with Marius?”

“I wanted to go for a swim,” Jude said stubbornly. “I didn’t ask

him to come because I know you vampires hate water. I didn’t think
anyone would be down here.”

“Actually, Raphael has given me some swimming lessons so I can

learn to appreciate the sea again,” Ethan said. “Maybe you could do
the same for Marius—assuming you don’t drown first, that is.”

“The main problem is that they don’t have buoyancy,” Raphael

added. “Once they learn to cope with that, there’s nothing to worry
about. They can’t drown. At most they can get washed out to sea—
just like you almost did. It’s a bit more problematic for humans.”

“I guess that’s why your friends keep watch,” Jude surmised

glumly.

Raphael shrugged. “My people have rescued plenty of stranded

swimmers and sailors over the centuries. Sometimes dolphins take all
the credit, but we’re okay with that. We prefer to remain anonymous.”

“You should have seen them last year,” Ethan said. “His buddies

nearly tipped over a yacht to get him back into the water. I thought
we’d lost him for sure, but that was before I learned he was more fish
than human. He comes from some kind of underwater city, you know.
That still blows my mind.”

Raphael laughed. His voice was musical, like bells. Jude could see

why Ethan loved him. He felt his own melancholy return. “Calling it a
city would be an exaggeration. But yes, we can move freely through
the water and surface when we please. We can breathe air and water
equally comfortably.”

“And of course vampires don’t breathe at all,” Ethan said. “So

we’re better suited to each other than anyone might suspect.”

“Speaking of true love, someone’s looking for you,” Ethan said,

looking over Jude’s shoulder through the window. Jude sat up and
was shocked to see Marius striding along the dunes, still in his tux
and white tie, followed by Yves. Ethan let out a whistle of admiration.

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“That prince isn’t bad, is he? If I weren’t so happy with what I already
have….” He let it trail off, only to yelp when Raphael reached out and
pinched the crotch of his trousers.

“Forget it,” Raphael said. “Jude isn’t sharing. And neither am I.”
Marius stopped a few hundred yards away and tilted his head,

watching them through the window.

“I should go to him,” Jude said. Ethan and Raphael didn’t object

as he got up, wrapped one of the towels around his waist, and hobbled
out to meet the prince. Every muscle in his body ached.

Marius didn’t move as he approached. “We must talk,” he said

when Jude got close enough.

“Yes,” Jude said. “I agree.”
Raphael and Ethan walked out behind Jude. “We were just

leaving,” Ethan said. “If you want to use the pavilion for a while, I’ll
make sure no one comes down here.”

“Most generous of you,” Marius said. His eyes never left Jude’s as

he spoke to Ethan.

They walked back to the cabin together. Yves waited outside

while Marius shut the door. Jude climbed onto the daybed. His limbs
still blazed with pain, and his left side would soon sport a gigantic
bruise.

Marius stood over him, his arms folded across his medallion-

covered chest. “Do you trust me?” he asked abruptly.

“Yes,” said Jude. “You know I do.”
“Then why…?” Marius began, but Jude cut him off by tossing

aside his towel.

“Take me,” he whispered. “Never mind anything else.”
The prince’s mouth opened as though he were about to protest.

Then, his expression softening, Marius moved forward and knelt on
the bed. He shucked his evening clothes in a flurry of activity
accomplished at vampiric hyperspeed.

Jude moaned when Marius’s fangs imprinted various parts of his

body—his chest, his torso, his legs, and especially the tender flesh

Island Prince

between his cock and his navel. He didn’t actually bite him, though.
The anticipation drove Jude’s lust from a slow burn to a raging fever.

Soon Marius turned him over, crawled onto his back, and lightly

pinched the tender skin on the side of his neck between his front teeth.
Jud wondered if he enjoyed the taste of the seawater dripping from his
body. At the same instant, he plunged inside Jude’s willing body,
claiming him with passion and authority. As Jude came, gasping in
ecstasy, Marius’s fangs sank deep into his throat.

While the prince drank, Jude felt Marius’s cock swell inside him

until he was no longer sure where his body ended and his lover’s
began. That was what he wanted, he knew now—to disappear, to fade
away, to leave the pain of this world and his life far behind.

Bleed me, he thought. Then he realized he was speaking out loud.

“Bleed me and get it over. Let me die and be free. Then you can go on
without me. Please.”

Marius had been in the throes of another one of his unique

orgasms, and it seemed to take him a moment to understand the
words. When he did, he withdrew, rolled Jude over, and settled
himself on top of a chest that heaved with barely suppressed sobs.
Marius’s hard cock throbbed against Jude’s thigh as Marius scowled
down at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said gruffly.
“I need to tell you something,” Jude said, his voice trembling. “I

wanted to before—but I thought they would kill me. I’m not afraid of
that anymore. I don’t even care if I die.”

“What do you mean?” the prince demanded. “Who were you

afraid of?”

The tears came next. Jude couldn’t stop them. “They want me to

help kill you,” he blurted.

Marius’s expression never changed.
“I know that,” he said calmly. “I’ve known it for some time now.”

Cassandra Pierce

Chapter 7

Jude blinked up at Marius, astonishment stopping his tears.
“You know?”
“Of course. I didn’t reach my current position, or retain it for over

a hundred years, by being oblivious to the political currents around
me. I have been the target of many plots, some more clever than
others. I have not survived all of them simply by luck.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Jude’s gaze dropped in shame.
“You should have come to me sooner, but no matter. I understand

that you feared for your own well-being.”

“They told me they would kill me if I revealed my true purpose

here to anyone. Since I don’t know how many there are, I couldn’t
take a chance. Anyone I told could have gone right back to Luka.” He
swallowed. “I even thought that you would kill me if you knew.”

Marius nodded. “Now that you know I will not, please inform me

of the details.”

“I admit I don’t know much. It started when I was partying at a

club in Athens. I thought I knew everything…thought I could handle
any situation. Being with vampires didn’t scare me…I looked at it as
a challenge. What a naïve jerk I was.” Pausing, Jude scrubbed both
hands over his face. “Anyhow, one night two men approached me. I’d
never seen them before, and I haven’t seen them since. They said they
were looking for someone to do a job for them.”

“Why do you think they chose you?”
“Probably because they knew no one would miss me or suspect

anything if I disappeared for awhile…or forever. I assume they asked
around. I had a reputation as someone who didn’t care about anyone

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except myself, and even that was questionable at times.” Jude looked
away. “I’m not proud of the person I was then. I admit that.”

Marius nodded. “Go on.”
“The deal was simple enough. If I performed my role adequately,

they’d reward me with enough money to keep me from working for
the rest of my life. If I failed…they’d kill me. At that point, I had no
choice but to go along. They put me on the ferry here and told me
Luka would handle the rest.”

“Luka…yes. I suspected him from the beginning.”
“He’s in it up to his fangs, all right, but I don’t think he’s the

ringleader. I mean, what would he have to gain?”

“It’s hard to say. Perhaps he intends to make a quick fortune by

dealing in human slaves. Perhaps he has misguided political ideals.
But he is likely one contact point in a chain of many.” Marius
clenched his jaw and fell silent, deep in thought. “I should speak to
Simon at once,” he said finally.

Jude sat up, flooded with panic. “No. Don’t. What if he’s

involved? Or if he isn’t, what’s to prevent Luka from killing him, too,
to get him out of the way?”

Sighing, Marius got up. He walked through the cabin, opened the

back door, and let himself out onto the deck. Jude followed and found
the prince standing naked at the railing, gazing out at the sea. His
hands gripped the rail with such force that Jude thought he heard the
wood groan. He also spotted Yves, who hung back at a discreet
distance in the shadows cast by some shrubs.

“It doesn’t surprise me that my enemies wish to discredit me,

accuse me of taking advantage of those less fortunate, or even less
powerful, than myself,” the prince mused. “However, it does pain me
that so many are willing to believe it, in spite of my efforts to exist in
a way that is above reproach.”

Jude knew Marius was referring to him, and he knew his own

anguish must be at least as intense. “But…you’re a vampire,” he

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offered, knowing the excuse was insufficient. “I just assumed your
nature drove you to prey on others. It’s a matter of survival.”

“I’m sorry your early experiences led you to think of vampires

that way. Doubtless many would embrace that definition. I am not one
of them.”

“I know that now. I’ve seen it for myself.” Jude came closer, and

to his relief the prince didn’t push him away. He leaned his head on
Marius’s shoulder. Marius brought up a hand and stroked his hair.
“I’m sorry,” Jude choked out. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think all
that highly of my own kind, either. Humans can be pretty awful to
each other.”

“You have much to learn. I would like to be the one to teach you.

But from now on, you must give me your absolute trust.”

“I do. I will. I don’t feel I can ask the same of you, though. I don’t

deserve your trust.”

“Perhaps not. Yet I believe that if I offer it, you will meet my

expectations. My long existence has made me a good judge of
character. I see in you something I have seen in very few people over
the centuries.”

“What is it? What do you see?” Jude lifted his head and looked

into Marius’s eyes as though hoping to find the answer reflected.

“I see a sense of honor that has been sorely tested, even abused. I

see courage, perhaps misguided at times.” Marius rested his palm on
Jude’s temple and slid it down his face. His thumb came away wet
with a tear. He looked at it curiously and then touched it to his lips. “I
can guide you, Jude. I can teach you. I can take you around the world
with me. I can give you eternal life, if that is your choice. I cannot
make you love me, though. That you must do on your own.”

“Why would you want me to love you? I have nothing to offer

beyond my blood, and you could get that from anyone.”

“I’m sorry you can see no further than that. But you are young. In

a hundred and fifty years, you would be able to speak from the
perspective I have. For now, you’ll just have to take my word for it. I

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see something in you that has captured what passes for a heart inside
me.”

Jude didn’t know how to respond, but he also knew he didn’t have

to. He leaned across to kiss Marius, luxuriating in the sensual play of
hot and cool as their mouths moved together. From the corner of his
eye, he saw Yves move protectively closer to the cabin.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Marius rubbed Jude’s back with

affection. “Go inside and dress. I’ll take care of this.”

Without bothering to cover himself, Marius gestured for Yves to

come forward while Jude headed back inside. He could hear the two
of them talking as he pulled on the pants and shirt Ethan had retrieved
from the beach and draped over a chair. He couldn’t tell what they
were saying.

Presently Marius returned and tugged his own clothes back on. As

he was retying his cravat, a knock sounded on the cabin door and
Yves entered— accompanied, to Jude’s surprise, by Ari, the human
from the boat.

“Yves will continue to watch us during the nighttime hours,”

Marius said. “Ari will take over during the day as your own
bodyguard.”

Jude glanced from Yves to Ari, who grinned at him. He

remembered that Ari’s English was shaky, so he decided to speak
bluntly. Are you sure?” he asked skeptically. “I mean…can we trust
him?”

“Ari did not end up on the staff here by accident,” Marius said.

“His family has served mine for hundreds of years. His loyalty is not
in question.” Turning, he spoke to Ari in rapid Greek, presumably
repeating everything. Ari’s expression grew serious, and he nodded.

“I am yours, my prince,” he said, pronouncing the words carefully

and with great deference.

“For now, I shall return to the reception and entertain my cousins,

and you will go with them to a new room at the resort. Not even Luka

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will know its location. Ari will remain with you, and he will open the
door to no one but Yves.”

“All right,” Jude said, though he wasn’t entirely satisfied with

Ari’s credentials. “What about you?”

“I shall be safe. The underground vault where I spent the daylight

hours is accessible only from within. Not even Yves has the
combination, for his own protection.”

Though Jude didn’t especially care for Yves, the thought of Luka

torturing the information from Marius’s long-term servant made him
queasy. “I understand,” he said.

“By tomorrow night, I shall have arranged transportation to return

us to the mainland. I shall return to Styria and make the necessary
inquiries from the safety of my keep.”

“Makes sense.” Jude nodded. He should have expected Marius to

have his own network of spies and other operatives at his disposal, but
for some reason he hadn’t expected Marius to talk about leaving
Anarchy. Where would that leave Jude? He had, literally, nowhere to
go.

As he had so many times before, Marius seemed to read his

thoughts. Reaching out, he stroked his fingers along Jude’s. “I hope
you decide to come with me,” Marius said. “I will ask you tomorrow
night.”

Jude watched the prince turn and walk back to the resort, already

knowing what his answer would be. At the same time, he couldn’t
help but wonder if he would ever see the man he loved again.

* * * *

He spent a long day cooped up with Ari, whose limited

conversational skills made chitchat impossible. Jude supposed that
was just as well, since he didn’t feel comfortable confiding in his new
bodyguard, anyway.

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They played cards for a while, with Ari cursing the game in a

mixture of Greek and English, and then Jude lay down on the bed to
rest. For some reason, he slept much more heavily than before.
Perhaps his emotions were on overload, he reasoned. When he woke
after a few hours, he struggled to clear his head. Ari, playing solitaire
with great concentration, paused to grin at him.

“Night will come soon,” he said, nodding toward the window.

Though they’d drawn the curtains, Jude could see the sun was
dropping rapidly. He felt physical relief to know that Marius would be
waking. Maybe they could manage to get away from the island
without a hitch.

Moments after the last red streaks of sunlight disappeared from

the water’s surface, someone knocked on the door. Ari motioned for
Jude to be still while he pressed his ear against it.

“Who is there, please?” he called out nervously.
“Yves.”
Ari looked at Jude for confirmation. “I guess it’s okay,” he said.

Belatedly he realized that he’d rarely, if ever, actually heard Yves
speak. Nonetheless, when Ari opened the door, the prince’s
manservant stood there as expected. “Never thought I’d be so happy
to see you,” Jude said, standing. “Are we ready to go?”

In response, Yves lifted a brow and gave Jude one of his usual

dour looks.

Then he stepped to one side, casually extended his right arm, and

knocked Ari out cold with a single thunderous blow to his head. At
the time, Hayden entered the room with his Taser. Jude heard the
crackle of electricity a split second before agony flooded his body and
he hit the carpet next to Ari.

* * * *

Jude opened his eyes to find himself upside down and along the

beach. It took his mind a moment to register the fact that Yves had

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slung him over his shoulder and was carrying him toward the
beachside cabin. Glancing to once side, he saw Hayden carrying Ari
in the same awkward position.

Luka met them at the pavilion. He motioned for Yves and Hayden

to dump their cargo, and Jude landed on the wooden floor. Ari
slumped beside him, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to regain
consciousness.

“Did he struggle?” Luka asked, poking Jude’s ribs with one

booted foot.

“We didn’t give him a chance,” Hayden said. The two of them

laughed.

Somehow, Jude found his voice. “You’ve got some nerve,” he

protested. “How do you know I wouldn’t have come down here
willingly? You didn’t even give me a chance!”

“He’s lying,” Hayden said. “He hasn’t been on board for some

time. I can feel it.”

Luka nodded. “I trust your instincts, Hayden. But it doesn’t

matter. For this part, he won’t need to do anything but lie still.” He
stepped back and motioned for Hayden and Yves to take his place.
“Strip him!”

Human and vampire pounced, wrestling Jude flat on the floor and

tearing off his shirt and pants. When he tried to fight back, he felt the
Taser pressed into his side and stopped.

“You really don’t want another blast of this,” Hayden murmured

in his ear. “Trust me.”

“But why?” Jude protested. “What the hell is going on?”
Across the room, Luka was busy removing his own jacket and

shirt. He hung them on the back of a chair and brushed them clean
with his fingertips. “It’s very simple,” he said, flexing his bulky arm
muscles as though preparing to work out. “I’m going to drain you.
Everyone will assume Marius did it, and their suspicions will be
confirmed by witnesses who can swear they watched him. Right,
Hayden?”

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“That’s right. I saw the whole incident,” Hayden said, nodding.

“The prince couldn’t contain his hunger.”

“The hypocrisy will infuriate his subjects, even those who follow

him loyally, and they will tear him to pieces. And what a shame poor
Ari tried to intervene and save you. The prince turned his wrath on
him, too. He didn’t stand a chance.”

Luka stopped flexing and drew himself up, tensing his muscles.

Hayden and Yves net and grabbed Jude by the armpits, hauling him
up onto the daybed. Luka closed the distance between them in two
powerful strides and dropped his full weight on top of Jude.
Somewhere from the floor, Jude heard Ari moan in defeat.

“No!” Weak as he still was from the Taser assault, Jude fought

back with everything he had. He fought not only for himself, but for
Marius, too, about to be wrongly accused and destroyed. He aimed a
punch at Luka’s face and swung, catching the vampire just under the
jaw. Jude howled in pain as Luka grabbed his arm and bit down,
sinking his fangs into the flesh halfway between his wrist and elbow.

Growling like a feeding beast, Luka raised his blood-smeared

mouth. “What a delicious appetizer,” he announced, smacking his
ruddy lips with glee. “No wonder Marius couldn’t stop himself. I shall
enjoy the main course.”

“Like hell you will,” Jude snarled back, bucking his naked hips in

an attempt to throw Luka off him. In the end, though, his spirited
struggles proved useless. Luka’s superior strength and sheer brutality
prevailed, and Jude soon found himself pinned to the bed, his limbs
splayed and his neck exposed. Luka reared back his head and opened
his mouth wide, his needle-sharp fangs primed for attack. Jude
devoted one last thought to Marius, hoping the prince had noticed him
gone and proceeded with his own escape. Then he took a calming
breath and braced himself to die.

Oddly, though, Luka’s final bite never came. Instead, the

vampire’s iron-taut muscles grew soft, and the pressure of his hands

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on Jude’s wrists tapered off. His massive weight slumped onto Jude’s
chest and then slid off to one side.

Was he dead? How? No way could vampires have heart attacks.

Jude forced his eyes open and was startled to see Luka passed out,
half on top of him and half on the bed. Yves and Hayden, standing
over both of them, looked baffled.

Jude squirmed out from under Luka and crawled into the corner,

holding his arm. The blood flowed from the spot Luka’s fangs had
torn, and thanks to the Taser his muscles still felt rubbery and hard to
control.

Hayden bent over Luka, trying to revive him. “What the hell did

you do?” he demanded.

“I honestly have no idea,” Jude stammered.
A scraping noise at the door distracted them. Hayden cursed under

his breath and leapt to his feet just as Marius arrived. He stood in the
doorway for a moment, looking around with a bewildered expression.
His eyes narrowed when he noticed Yves standing in the corner, but
when he spotted Jude, he ran to kneel beside him. The prince’s strong
arms slid around his shoulders, drawing him close. Jude began to feel
better almost at once. When he looked down, he was relieved to see
the wounds in his arms sealing themselves up.

“I told you before,” Marius said with obvious relief. “Allowing

me to feed on you has given your immune system a boost. You will
now heal much faster from a variety of wounds and ailments.”

“What happened to Luka?” Jude asked as Marius helped him back

onto the bed. No one, it seemed, was in any condition to respond. Ari,
still on the floor, was rubbing his forehead and moaning in pain.
Hayden had stopped trying to rouse the security chief and had instead
moved to stand beside Yves, his cheeks as pale and drawn as the
vampire servant’s.

“He’ll be fine,” Marius said, retrieving Jude’s pants. Jude pulled

them on without standing up, since his legs were still wobbly. “He is

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simply experiencing the results of a powerful but harmless sedative—
a sedative you carry in your bloodstream.”

“Me?” Jude blinked in astonishment. “How?”
“You may recall the energy drinks I encouraged you to imbibe

each night. Over the years, my blood servants have naturally aroused
a good deal of jealousy, and on more than one occasion a rival has
tried to pilfer a sample. Fortunately, an alchemist I knew once mixed
me a unique potion that I still feed to my blood servants and also take
in small doses myself. It has no effect on me, but the same cannot be
said of other miscreants who accidentally ingest some.”

“Is that why I’ve been feeling tired lately?” Jude asked. “I thought

it was because of you biting me.”

“In fact, it lessens the effects of blood loss,” Marius said. “But

yes, the first few doses can bring on slight drowsiness. I apologize for
that.”

“No apologies necessary.” Jude eyed Luka’s motionless form with

relief. “I’d say the side effects were a small price to pay.”

Marius turned to face Yves and Hayden next, his expression

clouding over with rage. “And what shall I say to the two of you? You
in particular, Yves? I gave you one simple assignment, and look what
a disaster you’ve made of it.”

“I beg forgiveness, my prince,” Yves sounded as though he were

near tears. “I did my best to protect you.”

“The hell you did,” Hayden burst out angrily. “Don’t think you’re

going to pin this all on me!” He turned to Marius with a look of
desperation. “He’s been working with Luka from the beginning!”

“No!” Yves blubbered. “The human lies, my prince.”
Marius’s dark gaze swung from his servant’s terrified face back to

Hayden’s. Finally he settled on Jude. “Is this true?” he asked, his
voice strained with emotion. “Did Yves conspire against me?”

“I don’t know,” Jude admitted. “But he brought Hayden to the

room. And he attacked Ari.”

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Marius opened his mouth to say something more, but before he

could, the cabin door opened and a broad shadow fell across the
room.

“Well, well.” Count Ivan stepped inside. Taking in the disarray

around him, he raised both bushy eyebrows. “I heard a party was in
progress down here, but I see I’ve missed the excitement. Are you all
right, cousin?”

“Thankfully unharmed,” Marius said.
“A shame.” Slowly, Ivan’s face changed. He walked across the

cabin, planted one foot on the floor, and drove the other into Luka’s
side. “I knew I couldn’t trust this fool.”

Island Prince

Chapter 8

Luka shifted and moaned. “Using humans to carry out my orders,”

Ivan scoffed. “But then, he hasn’t been around as long as we have,
and he isn’t of royal descent. A certain genetic inferiority is to be
expected.”

“What are you talking about?” Marius demanded.
Ivan gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’m sorry, Cousin. I enjoy your

company, but it’s time for me to succeed you as head of the family.
Everyone agrees that the Székely branch has always administered
justice better than the Karnsteins, especially you, with all your
progressive ideas and your aversion to torture and public execution.
You might as well proclaim your weak nature to the world…though,
in a sense, I suppose that’s what you have done.”

Casually, Ivan took down the paper lantern Raphael had lit earlier

and stood turning it around in his hands. The tiny flame in the center
seemed to fascinate him.

“I refuse to believe the entire family stands behind you. Aside

from a few strands of Székely DNA that dried up inside you long ago,
you have no qualifications to lead anyone. I think our cousins all
know that as well as you do.”

“Nonsense.” Ivan bared his fangs in anger. “My Székely blood

flows as strong as ever—straight from the heart of the most powerful
vampire who ever lived. I am not surprised at your short-sightedness,
however. You are young yet, by vampire standards. Since I am a few
centuries older, I understand vampiric needs better than you.
Preventing our cousins from tasting the sweetness of their own kills
has made you very unpopular over the years.”

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“All this is over blood servants?” Jude asked, bewildered.
“I think you mean slaves.” Ivan’s eyes flashed with dark fire. “In

my day, that was what we called them. That is what we will call them
again before long.”

Marius’s gaze swept the darkened pavilion. “Yves!” he shouted.

“Do something!”

“Yves is a good example of your lamentable short-sightedness,”

Ivan said. “He is with me now. He’s hated you for years. Didn’t you
know? But why are you surprised? How do you think he felt,
watching you suckle and fondle your human pets all these centuries,
while he has to make do with bottled muck and a furtive lick from
your occasional cast-off?”

“I have treated Yves very well,” Marius insisted. Jude suspected

he was trying to convince himself, too.

“I’m sure you believe that, at some level.” Ivan snorted. “Just as

you believe you are an appropriate and enlightened leader for the
vampire world.”

They were interrupted when Luka moaned again, apparently

coming around at last. Ivan looked down at the paper lantern in his
hands. Casually he stripped the outer structure away until all that
remained was a tiny candle encased in an open-ended glass bulb.

“I’m sorry, Luka—not so much for you as for your incompetence.

Fortunately, I have a backup plan.” He nodded to Yves, who seized a
terrified Hayden and bared his neck. “Here is the story. Marius found
his precious playmate consorting with two other humans and went on
a murderous rampage. Poor Luka, so dedicated to his duty, tried to
stop the carnage, and look what happened.”

Ivan crushed the bulb around the candle and tossed it onto Luka’s

body, which instantly went up in flames. Marius started forward to
intervene, but Luka didn’t even have time to scream before a small
inferno consumed him. Within moments, nothing remained but a
flickering shell of flame and smoke. Ivan watched with an expression
of pure delight.

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“Killing Luka gave you an idea,” he went on. “Rather than be

caught and face the wrath of those who would punish vampires who
kill vampires, the great prince chose to immolate himself.”

Reaching down, the baron grabbed a burning scrap of Luka’s

clothing, hoisted it over his head, and lobbed it at Marius. The prince
stepped aside, but the makeshift torch landed on the daybed. Flames
engulfed the upholstery in an instant. Undeterred, Ivan grabbed
another bit of flaming debris and hurled a second fireball. This time,
Yves released Hayden and leapt in front of the prince. He went down
howling as the fire caught his outstretched arms instead.

Marius screamed in rage as he watched his once-trusted servant

turn into a living, writhing flare. He started forward, desperate to help
him, but the blaze spread rapidly throughout the cabin until every wall
and most of the floor was alight.

Seeing the flames expand, Ivan flung the trembling Hayden out of

his way and dashed from the room. Hayden stumbled, nearly falling
over Ari and into the fire, but managed to right himself and followed
Ivan through the door. Jude heard scraping sounds as one or both of
them barred the cabin from outside.

Marius again tried to reach Yves, who was rolling around in an

attempt to put himself out. Jude opened his mouth to say something,
but he began to gag on the rising fog of thick black smoke. He
struggled to his hands and knees. Forgetting about Yves, Marius
rushed back to assist Jude.

“No—need to stay close to the floor,” Jude gasped, trying to

remember the ridiculous fire-safety lessons he’d sat through in school.
At least Ari wouldn’t have any problem staying low. He looked like a
discarded puppet, though his pitiful moaning proved he wasn’t dead.
“Maybe we can get to the door,” he coughed. “Maybe we can kick it
in.”

“I find it difficult to imagine how,” Marius said wryly, and Jude

saw that he was right. The door and the wall around it had turned to
flame.

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Yves, however, seemed to have succeeded in shaking off the fire.

Amazingly enough, he was getting to his feet.

“Help me break through,” Marius shouted to his servant. The

prince rushed across the room, leaping over a dancing sea of orange
flame, and tried to find an intact spot to push on. Yves joined him, but
nothing gave way. Moments later, a fresh blaze forced them to
abandon their attempts.

“Forgive me, Prince,” Yves sobbed as they retreated to the corner

with Ari and Jude. “Luka came to me in a moment of weakness. They
promised me they would not harm you—only the human.”

“Do not stir my contempt any more than you already have,”

Marius snarled. He stepped back to avoid a whip of flame that flicked
dangerously at him. The blaze closed in around them, savage and
relentless. “No use.”

“Maybe—maybe someone at the resort will see the fire,” Jude

managed to choke out.

“The vampires won’t help us,” Marius said. “Even those who

might wish to save me, and perhaps there are not as many as I
thought, will not approach an inferno. Their sense of self-preservation
is too strong.”

“We can’t just sit here and wait to die,” Jude said. He felt a hand

touch his knee, and looked down to see that Ari had finally regained
his senses, only to find himself gasping for breath. The young man’s
dark eyes were wide with horror as he clung to Jude in desperation.
As the two humans cowered together, Marius moved to crouch
protectively over them. He turned his back on Yves, who began to sob
piteously.

“I told you I would ask you something today,” Marius said to

Jude. His head and shoulders were framed by the encroaching fire,
giving the bizarre illusion of a halo forming around him. “Do you
remember?”

“To come to Styria with you,” Jude repeated sadly. It would never

come to pass now, of course, but maybe he could spend his last few

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moments of life enjoying the fantasy. He and Marius, sharing a
romantic castle, ruling the vampire world and cherishing one another
forever. Knowing he had come so close to perfect happiness almost
made dying easier. Almost. “Of course I’ll go with you. If we get out
of here, that is.”

“We will,” Marius growled with determination. He moved closer

to Jude and Ari as the heat grew more oppressive. Jude could barely
breathe now. He could feel the skin on his arms beginning to singe.
Oddly enough, when he looked into the prince’s eyes, the pain
subsided. Perhaps shielding him from those final spasms of agony as
he burned to death would be Marius’s last gift to him. He only wished
he could give Marius something equally comforting in return. All he
had to offer, though, was an embrace. Opening his arms, he drew the
prince close and held on with every ounce of strength he had left.

He didn’t move even when he heard the groaning of wood and the

crackle of fire around him. The cabin was about to collapse. A few
more moments and sweet oblivion would claim him. He only hoped
he would see Marius again on the other side…wherever that might be.

In the distance, Jude heard another kind of roaring sound. It

wasn’t fire. It wasn’t thunder. He even imagined he heard voices—
high-pitched, chattering voices, reminding him of tinkling bells.

Then he knew.
“No,” he whispered into Marius’s ear. He smiled as he began to

lose both breath and consciousness. “The vampires won’t save us.
Someone else might, though.”

Half a second later, the water came down on them in a solid,

crushing wave.

* * * *

“You should have me killed, Prince. In my lifetime, the penalty

for treason was gruesome and harsh. Yet I deserve nothing less.”

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Yves stood with his head bowed, his manner humble as he

pleaded his case before the emergency tribunal assembled in Simon
McAffrey’s private office—the same office, Jude marveled, where he
had first been approved for a position as the prince’s blood servant.
Yves had suffered some severe burns, by vampire standards, but Jude
knew they would heal faster than the emotional wounds his trusted
servant’s betrayal had inflicted on Marius.

“I still don’t understand why you would do such a thing,” Marius

said. His face reflected crushing pain.

“My only excuse is that I gave in to my only weakness—my

desperation to ensure your happiness, my prince. Over the years, I
have seen you take in many blood servants and feast on many men.
Never have I seen you attach yourself so completely to any of them as
you have to this human. I thought only of your happiness. I did not
consider him good enough for you. Yet I see now that I had no right
to interfere.”

“Indeed you did not.” Marius leaned back in his chair, glancing

first at McAffrey and then at Jude, who was seated beside him. “You,
of all men, know my position on the brutal methods of the past,” he
said at length. “I have no intention of harming you, Yves, much less
killing you. However, from this day you will no longer remain in my
service. I banish you from all my households the world over and from
my sight forever. Now go.”

Yves nodded sadly, never raising his eyes from the floor.
“You will leave the island at once,” Simon McAffrey spoke next.

“A ferry will take you back to Greece this very night. From the port,
you may go where you please, but you can never return here.”

McAffrey looked up and motioned toward Ethan, who stood by

the door wearing his freshly issued uniform as chief security officer.
Ari, now fully recovered from his concussion, joined a second
member of Ethan’s new security force and led Yves away.

Next, Hayden took his place before the assembled dignitaries. As

it had in the burning cabin, his face reflected an emotion close to

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panic. Jude glanced around at the pitiless expressions of the group of
vampires who sat in judgment, Karnstein and Székely alike, and felt a
stirring of pity. Then Marius touched his hand, and he remembered
how Hayden and Luka had conspired to let Jude die horribly and
arranged for Marius to take the blame.

McAffrey cleared his throat and addressed Hayden directly.

“Despite taking vows of loyalty to this resort and its guests, you have
been accused of attempting to murder a fellow human and assisting in
an assault on a vampire. Partly thanks to your actions, a member of
my staff is now dead. What do you have to say for yourself?”

For a moment, Hayden struggled to speak. Then he gave up and

burst into tears. Jude turned an imploring gaze on Marius, who
squeezed his hand and stood.

“If I may address the council,” he said, and the room fell silent.

All eyes focused on his majestic presence, imposing and authoritative
in his ceremonial sash and shimmering medals. “It is true that this
human made some mistakes in judgment. However, given his age and
inexperience, combined with Luka’s abuse of his professional
position, I am inclined to recommend leniency on their behalf. And,
in the end, he did alert Raphael to the emergency on the beach,
allowing our resident daimones to intervene.”

Simon McAffrey stroked his jaw in thought. “Killing him does

seem too harsh a penalty under the circumstances. We could wipe his
memory, I suppose, and put him on the ferry with Yves.”

“I would not recommend that,” Marius argued. “On the mainland,

he would again be open to all manner of influence from various
partisan factions. As we know, vampire politics are not currently as
stable as we once believed. Luka’s connections are still roaming
freely, and the whereabouts of my unfortunate cousin Ivan remains
unknown.”

“Are you suggesting I keep him on my staff?” McAffrey’s brows

rose toward his hairline. “After what he did?”

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“Ultimately, he was merely following the orders of the supervisor

you assigned him,” Marius pointed out. “I tend to believe that with
proper supervision, and a more appropriate manager”—he paused to
glance at Ethan—“he might yet make a passable employee.”

Though Simon McAffrey looked far from happy with the

suggestion, he stood and approached Hayden. The human trembled
when McAffrey folded his arms and glared down at him.

“You will have one chance and no other. You will also understand

that you owe the prince your continued freedom. I suggest you rethink
your ideas about loyalty and deference to your betters.”

“I will,” Hayden sobbed. “I promise.”
“Very well.” McAffrey made a dusting motion with his hands.

“That is my last word on the matter.” He gestured toward Ethan, who
stepped forward to lead Hayden away. McAffrey turned to face the
council. “Our business here is concluded.”

The tribunal broke up, the vampires rising and filing out of the

room with a mixture of emotions—some seemed happy the
proceedings were over and they could return to their leisure activities
while others seemed disappointed not to be treated to some display of
public punishment. Jude waited with Marius at Simon’s side. On his
way out, the blond vampire Jude remembered as Ladislas stopped in
front of them. The medals adorning his white and gold uniform tunic
jingled as he offered the prince a short bow.

“My brother and I remain loyal to you,” he said. “Whatever

slanders Ivan may be spreading, the family supports your right to rule.
You see the sort of men he had to hire to assist him—a corrupt
security guard, a few random mercenaries on the mainland, a
disgruntled servant. None of us, either Székely or Karnstein, had
anything to do with his schemes.”

“I am grateful,” Marius replied, returning his bow. Jude saw by

the prince’s eyes that he didn’t fully buy his cousin’s profession. He
doubted Marius would ever be able to trust his kinsmen in the same
way again.

Island Prince

Hand in hand, the two of them stepped outside and walked along

the darkened beach. This time, one of Ethan’s uniformed men
followed them at a discreet distance. Jude found it strange that he
missed Yves, though probably not as much as Marius did.

After gazing out at the water for a moment, Marius spoke. “We do

have work to do, you know. I always thought my laws, though
controversial, were acceptable to the majority of the reigning families.
I see now that I have indeed been somewhat deluded. Cousin Ivan’s
charge of arrogance was not entirely unfounded.”

“We?” Jude repeated hopefully. “Does that mean I’m still coming

back to Styria with you?”

“Of course,” Marius said in surprise. “Is there somewhere—or

someone—else you wish to return to? As much as it would pain me to
do so, I will send you there if you want.”

“No,” Jude assured him. “I just wanted to make sure that what we

agreed on wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. After all, we both
thought we were about to die.”

Marius smiled. “Actually, I had every confidence that we would

find some way to survive. I have escaped far worse predicaments over
the course of my existence.”

“Well, I want to come with you. More than anything. I’ve been a

drifter all my life…but I’m ready to stop now.”

“And I am ready to offer you a home. We will leave tomorrow

night if you have no objections.”

“None. I’m a little tired of this place, to tell you the truth. Though

I hope we can visit again sometime. I owe Raphael and his people my
life…several times over, in fact. I’d like to stay in touch.”

“I have no objection to returning. Styria is my home, but it can

become tedious after a while. I suspect you will agree after you’ve
spent some time with my great-aunt Carmilla, among other assorted
dependents.”

“No place where you are could ever seem tedious to me.”

Cassandra Pierce

Having reached the edge of the water, Marius stopped walking

and turned to pull Jude into an embrace. As they kissed, Jude looked
up at the sky. The night was early. They had plenty of time to lounge
in bed. He suggested they do just that.

Back in the room, he stripped and climbed onto the bed while

Marius uncovered the tray on the nightstand. This time, two types of
nourishment awaited them—another decanter of energy drink for
Jude, and a bottle of blood for Marius. They toasted each other and
drank in unison.

“You know, I don’t mind if you go on biting me,” Jude said as

they finished. “I’ve told you enough times—it gives me just as much
pleasure as it does you. I trust you completely.”

“Perhaps when you have fully recovered from your burns and

Luka’s attack,” Marius said. “For now, we must work on building
your strength and not risking it. Things will never be as they once
were, however. You are no longer my servant in any sense of the
word, but my partner and equal.” He held his empty glass out and
smacked his lips. “I would not go as far as some of my cousins in
describing Simon’s stock as ‘swill.’ I believe, in time, I will grow
quite comfortable with this method of feeding.”

“If you say so. Just letting you know I’m still here for you,” Jude

said.

“I am well aware of that.” Marius turned to him. “I must tell you

something else, too. Yves was not mistaken in his impression of my
connection to you. In all my centuries, through all my blood servants
and assorted confidantes, I have never felt the sort of closeness I do
for you. It is almost a physical sensation. I believe humans refer to it
as falling in love.”

“Yup,” Jude said, grinning. “I happen to know a little bit about

that feeling myself.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”
They pleasured each other slowly. Tonight they had no need to

hurry. With soft pillows spread out beneath him, Jude lay on his

Island Prince

stomach and opened his legs. Marius applied the usual dollop of
warming oil, entered him swiftly, and stroked his way to a dry but
shuddering climax that left Jude vibrating with excitement, too. Next,
they traded places and Jude guided his cock between Marius’s spread
thighs. In no time, he, too, was breathing hard as a much juicier
orgasm raked his lean frame. He extracted himself reluctantly and lay
back on the pillows to rest.

Later, he woke to find Marius lying quietly beside him. Standing,

Jude wandered to the window and gazed out at the moonlit sea. In the
distance, on the horizon, he could just make out the black speck of the
ferry, carrying Yves away from the island, and the prince, for good.

“What will happen to your cousin Ivan now?” he asked when he

heard Marius sitting up, too.

“He faces a long and sorrowful exile,” Marius said with a sigh.

“The rest of the family will shun him—out of fear, even if they
secretly supported his coup before. Never will he see his homeland
again.”

“He deserves it.” Jude’s flash of anger turned to apprehension.

“He’ll gather others against you, perhaps.”

“Let him try.” Marius got up and walked to the window, looking

out over Jude’s shoulder. He opened his arms, and Jude happily
turned and stepped into them. The vampire enzymes racing through
his bloodstream would gain him a long youth and an even longer life.
One day, he might even have the opportunity to become immortal.
Whatever his decision would be, he knew it would be the right one for
both of them.

“You and I will be safe enough,” the prince added.
Jude only hoped Marius was right.

Cassandra Pierce

THE END

WWW.CASSANDRAPIERCE.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cassandra Pierce has been a fan of Gothic literature for most of

her life, even studying the origins of the genre in college and graduate
school. Before long, she got the urge to create paranormal romances
of her own and is now hard at work on the third Darkisle novel
(among other projects). When she is not writing, she teaches English
(including a course on Vampire Lit) at a small New England college
and is active in a charity that rescues and rehomes abandoned pets.

Read more about Cassandra’s upcoming books at

www.CassandraPierce.com, and visit her on Facebook!

Also by Cassandra Pierce

PolyAmour: Terran Border Patrol: Captain Gareth’s Mates

Siren Classic: Darkisle 1: Heirs to Darkisle

PolyAmour: Darkisle 2: Loving Two Vampires

Siren LoveXtreme: The Aquans 1: Jewels from the Sea

Siren LoveXtreme: The Aquans 2: Diamonds in the Sand

Siren Classic ManLove: The Vampires of Anarchy 1:

The Vampire’s Vacation

Siren Classic ManLove: Elven Treasure 1: The Enchanted Earl

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Document Outline

ISLAND PRINCE
THE END

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