GABRIELLA'S POV

We stand aside as Catrina quietly eats her delicious breakfast of fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon and a mug of fresh animal blood. It doesn't seem to be improving her mood though. Yesterday's shame still lingers, her confidence is completely shaken.

Lady Calypso hasn't shown up so we are not sure whether or not Catrina will be facing another test today and I can see the anxiety in her eyes. We still prepared her early incase Lady Calypso comes calling.

I also have been thinking the whole night, of what the handsome king I met yesterday said, that I am not qualified to work in this palace or for their future queen. My fellow servants mentioned the same thing. Which means I'll have nowhere to go if Catrina becomes the vampire king's wife. I don't want to loose my job and end up being a slave to some cruel vampire.

I'll find a good moment to plead my case with my mistress, I'll promise that I can learn quickly.

Someone knocks on the door just as Catrina finishes her breakfast.

"That might be Lady Calypso." She gasps anxiously. "Hurry, let her in." She orders and I rush to open the door.

Lady Calypso saunters into the room and we all bow our heads slightly in respect as she halts at the centre of the room.

"Good morning?" She greets.

Catrina forges a smile. "Good morning M'lady."

"I'm here to take you to your next test. I trust that you're still eager to prove that you are the vessel to the vampire kings, right?" She says and Catrina smile reappears as she vigorously nods her head.

"Yes, I will prove that I am the vessel. I promise to pass the rest of the tests." She affirms.

Lady Calypso appears pleased by the response. "I haven't told the kings about your failure in the first test, I assumed you were just nervous since it was your first test. I spoke up for you in the council and got you this one more chance." Her voice grows serious. "But if you fail again, I will have no choice but to report your failure and request a retest of your blood."

Catrina's face goes pale at this news even as she nods slowly. If she fails this test it will completely ruin her chances of being selected to be the bride and queen of the powerful kings.

"Now, let's proceed," Lady Calypso declares, and we follow her out. Unlike yesterday, there's no carriage waiting for us in the courtyard, so it seems this test will take place within the palace grounds.

We pass several buildings within the vast fortress before I realize we are heading to the farthest one. This building is smaller than the others, and there are no servants around, only guards at every corner. Lady Calypso pushes open the heavy door, and we step inside.

The dimly lit interior is lined with rows of large cages, each one bolted shut and eerily quiet. There is scent of dampness and something foul of what might have once occupied these confines.

"What is this place?" Catrina asks as she looks around nervously.

Lady Calypso turns to her, "This is where you will face your next test," she replies. "You must prove not only your worth but also your courage."

Just then, a petrifying howl reverberates through the entire room, shaking the walls. Everyone except Lady Calypso and the two guards who have followed us in freezes in fear.

"What... what is that?" Catrina stammers as we follow lady Calypso to the last cage at the corner to see a wolf-like beast with scales instead of fur and a mouth full of canines. It's enormous, at least eight times the size of a man and its talons are like daggers. Though it is chained and muzzled, it growls fiercely as Lady Calypso approaches.

"This is a troll," she explains. "They are extremely rare and ferocious. But with just your scents, you can tame it. If you manage to control it, you'll prove you are worthy of our kings."

This is madness! If she steps inside that cage, she could be mauled to death.

Catrina stiffens, unable to speak.

"Do not show fear," Lady Calypso commands. "You have one chance to show you are the vessel."

She signals a guard to unlock the cage and the man step forward with a heavy keyring.

"If this is my only chance to impress the kings, I'll do it," Catrina declares stepping forward and I feel panic rise within me. If she ends up getting mauled to death which is what is what likely to happen, it's all going to be my fault. She thinks she has the portion, which she doesn't.

I step forward and grip her arm. "Don't do it," I shake my head at her.

"Release her immediately," Lady Calypso shouts at me. You should not leave your scent on her. The beast mustn't detect any other scents on her, it might become brutal." I pull away quickly.

The guard turns the key in the lock with a loud click, and Catrina faces forward again as the door creaks open slowly.

"Step inside," Lady Calypso urges and ignoring my warning, Catrina steps forward. Her desperation to impress the kings is not letting her use her common sense.

"Walk closer, let it smell your scent," Lady Calypso advices and Catrina unwisely inches closer to the beast even as it growls fiercely. We all stare intensely, waiting to see what will happen.

It let's out a loud snarls, straining against its chains, muscles rippling beneath its scaled skin. I fear those chains won't hold for long.

"Kneel before me, you ugly beast!" Catrina commands.

Instead of kneeling, the beast lunges violently, and the chains finally loosen. It surges forward. Catrina lets out a piercing scream, stumbling backward until her back hit the cold metal bars of the cage.

"Stay calm!" Lady Calypso shouts, but Catrina shakes with terror as the beast approaches her.

"Should we help?" one of the guards asks nervously, but Lady Calypso ignores him, focused on the beast and waiting to see what it will do.

It's growls intensifies and it seems like it will attack and maul her at any second.

"Get me out of here!" Catrina screams, instinctively recoiling against the cold metal bars.

"Obey her you freaking monster!" I shout in frustration. And then something unbelievable happens.

The beast seems to hear me, it turns its massive head in our direction and it's eyes wanders until they find mine.

Astonishingly, it begins to lower itself down, curling up like a massive scaled dog at Catrina's feet. Everyone starts whispering, a wave of shocked voices growing louder within seconds.

"I did it!" Catrina screams in delight.

GABRIELLA'S POV

"Congratulations, you just passed the second test." Lady Calypso tells Catrina, looking quite impressed.

"Yes!" Catrina, Adria and Freya exclaims in elation.

I'm still too shocked to join them. My mind is confused about what tamed the ferocious beast. It definitely wasn't her command which seemed to agitate it more. She does not have the portion, yet the monster stopped when I shouted.

It's my blood that was brought to the palace. But the question is, can it actually be that I am the vessel? But If I am, that also means I should be the mate of the vampire kings!

Vampires don't mate with humans, especially not royal vampires. Neither of the two kings I have met so far looked at me with admiration or love like a mate should. I'm confused about what all of this means.

"I will make sure to inform the kings of this great success. They will be greatly impressed." Lady Calypso tells as we all make our way out of the structure. Catrina giggles in exhilaration.

Sounds like she is going to be greatly rewarded for something she didn't do.

"You have just two more tests to pass and I will declare you the vessel and ready to be the wife of our kings." Lady Calypso adds as we finally arrive back at the lush palace entrance.

Lady Calypso makes her way back to the main palace, while we follow listening to an overly joyous Catrina whispering about all the exquisite things she will have once she becomes queen.

She is so close to achieving what every woman desired the most, becoming the queen of this kingdom.

KING ASTON'S POV

Our mate is a beautiful human. I've seen many pretty women in my time, but none compare to her. She has those big, innocent eyes and a nice body, the kind of body that men love, the kind of body that I would devour in a heartbeat. It's a shame she's just a lowly human. To us, humans are lower than the dirt beneath our feet. They exist only as slaves or servants for the lucky ones.

"If you felt the mate bond too, then it's clear we've been mated to a stupid human," Kian says, his tone dripping with disdain. He's the only one of us who hasn't met the human girl yet.

I smelled her enchanting scent as soon as I entered my quaters. It was faint, but it appeased my senses more than anything. It's amusing how her weak human senses didn't even recognize the powerful, unwelcome pull between us.

"This is the greatest shame," Kian continues, disgust evident in his voice. "Once we transfer the mate bond, we'll strip her of her job and send her away so no one ever hears of this."

"Calm yourself, Kian. Stripping her of her job is like condemning her to a life of misery, she will end up a slave to some ruthless idiot." Rowan says.

And he's right. For her kind, being a servant is a very big privilege, being a slave or a concubine to our kind is a fate worse than death. She'll be forced to serve in any way her master desires, whether in the mines, on her back or on her knees.

"Good! If she's pretty as you said, she'll not lack a vampire master to service. We didn't ask for this, we didn't ask to be mated to her," Kian says definitely.

Just like me kian has no sympathy for useless beings. But a part of me do pity the human and would be against stripping her the job, but we are the vampire kings, it would be extremely disgraceful if she stays around and people gets to knows a human was our mate.

Rowan lets out a heavy sigh. "Still, it will be heartless to strip her of her job. I know you feel no love for the human and frankly, neither do I. But we both know she won't survive long as a slave. Surely we can do better than this."

"Whatever you do with her, brother, I care not," Kian states flatly. "Whether she lives or dies is of no concern to me. We'll transfer the mate bond to the beautiful queen of our kind that's all that matters to me."

There is a loud knock and Lady Calypso ushers herself into our imperial royal dining. She is our loyal assistant and the one we saw fit to conduct the tests of finding the special woman with the portion.

"Your majesties." She bows in respect coming to stand before us.

"I hope you brings us good news." Rowan says.

"I bring you the best of news your majesties." She answers with a prideful smile. "I am pleased to report that Lady Catrina might just be what you have been looking for years! She just passed the second and most challenging test." she announces. "She was able to tame the beast."

We exchange glances, thrill of relief coursing through each one of us. "This is wonderful news!" Kian exclaims, his voice filled with joy.

So it's true what Rowan claimed. Our mate and the vessel could indeed be two different people.

It puzzles me why we were mated to that useless human instead of to her incredible mistress. The mate bond is a shame and our vessel needs to understand that she is the one that our hearts values.

"Let's gift her some jewelry from our stores," I say decisively. "It's important she knows how grateful we are that she came to us."

"Choose the finest pieces," Kian adds, and Lady Calypso nods before bowing and making her exit.

"Now that we are sure we have the one with the portion I suggest that we summon our human mate and simply state our rejection." Kian says and I and Rowan nod in agreement.

"Now we will have a noble and a very special and courageous bride to marry after the despicable mate bond is broken. None of the other women we know would face a troll and command it . She is definitely a special one." Rowan says with a dreamy look.

GABRIELLA'S POV

We all stare down at the heart-shaped diamond necklace and earrings that Catrina just unwrapped, a lavish gift from the Vampire Kings. Her eyes literally glow with delight as she lifts the glittering pieces from the box.

The servant who delivered the gift said the kings were greatly impressed when lady Calypso told them about her success in taming the beast and decided to award her.

"Can you help me put it on?" Catrina asks Freya, and they all rush toward her bedroom.

Envy grips my heart. Catrina still has two more tests to pass before she's confirmed as the vessel, but the kings have already rewarded her with the most expensive gift she has ever had.

Since I don't want to stay around and hear her boast about becoming their queen I decide to head out and rest a little in our Servant room. I step out of her quaters to find a nervous Elizah waiting by the door of our small servant room. We haven't spoken since that awkward encounter with one of the Kings.

"I haven't seen you around," she says, fidgeting slightly. "I thought I'd check on you... and apologize for what happened yesterday. I-"

I cut her off gently. "You don't need to apologize. It wasn't your fault that the King scolded me."

She nods, looking visibly relieved.

"Are they always that unkind?" I ask as we start walking down the hall together. I've met two of them so far, and neither has shown even a hint of kindness. They act exactly as you'd expect from someone with their looks and status, arrogant and rude.

"King Aston just has a . . . a unique way of conversing." She tells with a laugh.

So basically what she is saying is he's just plain rude person at heart.

"But he has never spoken that rude to anyone before. I don't understand why he just seemed to dislike you." She adds.

"If he spent less time on his looks and more on his personality, he might actually be a decent person," I say, joking and Elizah bursts out laughing.

"You'd be in the dungeons if he heard you say that," she says between giggles.

We part ways outside after I promise to hang out with her later. Just as I'm about to head back inside, a familiar authoritative voice calls my name from behind.

I turn to see Lady Calypso striding toward me.

"Are you Lady Catrina's human servant, Gabriella?" she asks.

Why would she be looking for me? Have I done something wrong?

"Yes, my lady," I answer.

"The vampire kings wishes to speak with you." She answers.

A jolt of shock shoots through me. Why would the vampire kings want to speak with me? Shouldn't Catrina be the one they are seeking since she is the identified vessel?

"I think it's my mistress they want, my lady. I'm just her servant," I protest.

"Don't tell me how to do my job, servant. The kings have a private matter they wish to discuss with you, it has nothing to do with your mistress. And it wasn't a request, follow me." With that, Lady Calypso turns and heads toward the main castle, leaving me no choice but to follow.

My heart is throbbing violently inside my chest that I worry I may faint even before we get there.

"Am I in trouble with the Kings, my lady?" I ask, trying to keep up with her brisk pace.

"I have not been informed of the matter they wish to speak with you about." She answers dismissively.

The inside of the main palace is as beautiful as the last time I saw it. But this time we take a different direction after getting up the golden staircase. We go through doors to a hallway with several sets of golden coloured doors and towards the end, where two big ornate doors are closed and two guards are standing outside.

Suddenly several bewitching scents invade my nostrils as we approach causing my pulse to quicken with a strange feelings. Lady Calypso doesn't seem bothered by the unique scents? Am I the only one that can smell them?

The two guards push the doors open before we even get to them. Lady Calypso gestures at me to go ahead and walk in alone.

I step into a dining room that is breathtakingly beautiful. The room has a long table set and seated are the vampire kings.Their intoxicating scents flood my nostrils, even more profound in this opulent space.

A human servant moves around filling their goblet with red wine.

No, wait, not red wine . . . blood.

One of the kings waves the servant off and she quickly gathers the treys with leftover foods and hurries out. It's hard to tell them apart at first glance, except with their hair. The king on the right has his long hair intricately braided, he must be King Rowan.

The hair of the one sitting on the left side of the table has a silver hue like that of king Aston's, so I assume it's him.

The other one, that sits at the head of the table has identical hair to king Rowan but his, flows freely. He must be, King Kian, the one I had not met before.

"So you are the despicable human who prayed hard to be mated to us?" King Kian sneers, and my gaze snaps to him.

So it's true, what I have been thinking all along. I am their mate! I am the vessel, the one with the special blood. The one they have been looking for all these years. That's why I can mildly smell their scents. That's why I have been yearning to get close to them all along. But their expressions are anything but happy. Clearly, they had expected something better, perhaps a woman of their kind, not a human.

"I . . . can feel the mate bond, your majesty." I affirm.

"Then you know it's a very shameful quandary we have here. We don't know why a human is our mate. You see, it reflects poorly on us." King Rowan says.

But I'm their mate now. The bond is undeniable.

"It's truly regrettable that after years of searching for our mate, we end up with something as pitiful and weak as you." King Aston states, his voice laced with disgust just like the last time we met. "We do not at any point intend to make you our queen."

His rude words hurt me more now than they did yesterday.

"A beautiful female vampire was the least we expected. You, you possess nothing of value to us," King Kian declares angrily, and the ache in my heart surge.

I hold within me the very essence they crave, the blood they need. But what good would it do to reveal that? They have made it abundantly clear I am nothing but a loathsome human in their eyes. What was the point of being mated to people that would never want me?

They desperately need me, they just do not know it, yet.

"I'll gladly accept your rejection your majesty." I say, grinding my teeth. We have nothing alike. And apart from their beauty there is nothing else they possess I would like. They are monsters compared to the kind of man I would want.

They all seem surprised by my remark.

"We will not sever our mate bond," King Rowan states coldly.

They won't?

"You will undergo a ritual to transfer the mate bond to your beautiful mistress, our vessel, the only woman worthy of wearing the crown of our queen." Kian informs me, and my heart shatters. Catrina? She's who they desire to make their mate?

Sounds like this nightmare isn't ending now. I was ready to withstand the pain of their rejection. But they want a ritual to give the woman they desire the mate bond. That will hurt even worse.

"You must willingly give up the mate bond for the ritual to work. We will have you hanged if you do not consent to giving away the bond to ," King Aston adds.

I must really be disgusting to them.

"The mate bond is a disgrace to our nobility. You must not breathe a word of it to anyone, before or after we transfer it to your mistress. Otherwise there will be consequences if you do." King kian warns.

I slowly nod my head, unable to utter a word verbally. Why would I want anyone to know about this humiliation?

"You may leave," King Rowan commands dismissively.

I take a deep breath and put on a mask of indifference even if on the inside, I feel like I am crumbling completely.

"I'll give you one last chances to rethink your rejection, your majesties," I suddenly say.

They have no idea I possess the very essence they crave, if they still want to reject me, it will be more their loss than mine.

They all look befuddled by my words except for King Kian who looks extremely angered.

"Did you hear that brother? The human is giving us a last chance," he chuckles, then he turn serious and leans forward on his seat, "Continue to annoy us, and you might find yourself on the wrong end of our mercy human."

"I'll remember those words when you beg for my forgiveness, my lord." I retort and bow before turning away from their disdainful gazes and exiting their chamber.

I fight back tears as I quickly make my way out of their little paradise.

I already knew they didn't like me, but they didn't have to be so rude about it.