ELEANOR'S POV

All the girls giggled as they centered themselves on the stage where the king and queen stood.

The guards had moved everyone out of the ballroom and into what looked to be a stage room of some sort. I rolled my eyes at the giddiness and lack of dignity the girls were displaying.

They made it seem like the royal wives were going to be chosen and announced or something.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I trust you've been enjoying yourselves, but let's not forget the main reason we are gathered here today. My queen and I have decided that it is time our sons found their missing ribs and produced strong heirs to the throne. The sweet damsel will be chosen from amongst the young ladies gathered in this very ballroom," the king announced in his charismatic yet abrupt manner.

Wow, they really are announcing the royal wives, then. I looked around the ballroom in search of anything to distract me from the loud and obnoxious chatter of the fangirls. Then I hit my forehead on a stone wall.

"Eleanor..." The stone wall said.

He said my name slowly, like he was savoring the way it felt on his tongue. Not this guy again. I tilted my head upward to meet his gaze steadily, brushing the hair out of my face as I did so.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

I observed a jumble of unreadable emotions in the deep pools of blue that were his eyes.

"Your necklace. Where did you get it?"

My fingers reached out to clutch at the necklace. It had been a gift. A gift from someone who had once been very dear to me. But I wasn't about to tell this bloodsucker anything about that.

"That's none of your business," I hissed as I tried to walk away.

He stepped to the side, blocking my way, and I had to use every ounce of self-control I had not to punch him in the jaw. It'd probably hurt me way more than him, anyway. Vampire strength and all.

Jaxon brought his face closer to mine.

I wanted to take a step back, but I couldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Tell me where you got the necklace, love," he whispered, his eyes boring into mine in a way that made it obvious he was trying to compel me.

Luckily, I had drunk an extra dose of vervain before I came to the ball, so I simply raised a brow at him. If he was surprised at my resistance, he didn't show it. I got even closer to him until my lips were brushing his ear.

"Bite me," I spat.

I pushed past him and walked away as quickly as I could, breathing hard. When I felt I was a good distance away from him, I glanced back over my shoulder, only to find him staring after me with a shudder-inducing smirk.

Swallowing hard, I moved forward once again.

There were a group of furious girls standing in front of me, glaring daggers. I folded my arms against my chest and leaned against the wall.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Were you about to kiss my prince?"

"Don't fool yourself. You're not special, Eleanor Moreno."

"She's trying to play hard to get and mysterious, so she'll get picked."

They all hurled insult after insult at me, and I felt my blood boil.

"How bold of you to assume that I actually care about what goes on tonight and who gets chosen. If anything, whoever gets chosen is in for a hell of a ride, and not the good kind," I scoffed.

The leader of the little group used to be a wannabe mean girl at school. Tessy. She shoved me backwards.

"You stupid bitch," she said in that nasal voice of hers.

Oh, she is so in for it. But before I could say or do anything, a clinking sound echoed through the entire room.

Everyone turned to the source of the sound, almost creepily in sync, and stared at the queen. She continued to tap her champagne glass lightly with a golden spoon until she had the attention of every single person. Then she smiled brilliantly.

"My sons, come join me and choose your lucky brides."

Her voice was much softer than I had imagined. I felt a presence to my left and looked over to see Ava shuffling into a seat beside me. She offered me a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Jaxon sauntered onto the stage, and all the girls swooned. He was followed by the blond vampire who had danced with Ava earlier. I gave her a startled glance, but she continued to stare grimly ahead.

I wonder what happened. Jaxon's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. It's been an honor getting to know so many of you stunning and bright young ladies. I think I speak for my little brother as well as myself when I say that this was no easy choice to make," he said evenly with a charming smile.

I snorted loudly. He probably doesn't remember any of these 'stunning and bright' girls' names. Ava elbowed me in the ribs to keep quiet, but I kept grinning. This nightmare is about to be over. I can finally go home.

"I choose... Eleanor Moreno."

My neck snapped up so fast it hurt. I gaped openly at the smug bastard standing on the stage while the crowd whispered indignantly. Ava put her hand on top of mine and squeezed it, but I could barely register anything happening around me.

My mind was completely blank, my body frozen to the spot, and my eyes glued onto the monsters on stage. It was when Jaxon took a step forward that something clicked inside of me.

I jumped out of my seat, pushing past the angry people, and sprinted towards the exit.

AVA'S POV

My pale reflection gazed back at me with dull green eyes. It's been a week since the ball, and there is still no sign of Eleanor.

Axel assured me she was in the mansion, that Jaxon hadn't harmed her that night, but how can I believe him if I've not seen her at all? For all I know, she could be at the bottom of the lake by now.

Eleanor could suffer while I'm sitting here in this fancy room.

I glanced around the ridiculously large room.

In the very center was the queen-sized bed that I slept on with its deep blue duvet. To the left of it was a window that let in the sun's light, and to the right were two doors. One led to my bathroom and the other to my walk-in closet.

The bags under my eyes were prominent from the lack of sleep because of constant worrying. I worried about my dad having to take care of himself at home. I worried about Eleanor.

I worried about my future in this place. And most importantly, I worried about what Axel's expectations of me were. Overall, the room was beautiful, not fancy enough for me to be uncomfortable in, but definitely better than what I had back home.

From the moment he said my name on that stage, I have been filled with nothing but worry and fear. Sure, he was being decent, kind even, but how long was that treatment going to last?

He was a vampire after all, and a royal one at that.

And the worst part about this situation is that if Axel finally hurts me, I have nowhere to go. My father made sure of that.

On the night of the ball, I had been escorted by at least a dozen guards to my home, where I was told to pack my bags and say goodbye to my father.

My father, the only person I had in this world, said that this was the best thing that could've happened to me. He hugged me and told me how proud he was of me for being chosen to marry one of the princes, how lucky I was.

Well, I didn't feel lucky. I brushed through the tangles in my hair slowly, frowning in distaste as I noticed it was already becoming the washed-out blond that it became without the sun.

Voices outside the door made me drop my brush. I approached the door cautiously, checking the lock once I recognized the voice to be Jaxon's.

"I don't understand why you're letting her shit all over you like this, Axel." There was a tired sigh I assume came from Axel.

"She needs some time, Jax. This whole thing must be so incredibly hard for her. Ava's whole life has been flipped upside down, and I'm giving her some time to adjust," he said quietly.

I leaned my head back against the door with a thump. It was so hard to hate him or be cold to him when he's only been treating me with respect and understanding.

"Hard on her? She should be worshipping the ground at your feet for choosing her. Her whole life has been a change for the better. You took a lowly baker's daughter and made her the future princess," Jaxon spoke with all the condescension in the world.

Now, him I have no problem hating.

"Jax, stop it. I feel horrible for putting her in a situation like this, but I didn't have a choice. There wasn't enough time. Maybe seeing Eleanor will make her feel better." My heart skipped a beat at the suggestion. But then I heard Jaxon scoff.

"Eleanor won't be taking five steps outside of her damn room before she can start showing me some well-deserved respect."

"Well deserved? The only thing you deserve is a stake driven through your heart!"

My lips formed the words as though of their own accord, and I clamped my hand down on my mouth.

There was a deadly silence. I let out a shaky breath as I remembered they were not only princes but vampires as well. A locked door was nothing in the face of their wrath.

To prove my point, said door came crashing down in the very next second, bringing me to the floor with it. I wasn't down for long, however, because a hand quickly fisted itself in my hair and yanked me upwards. I shrieked in pain.

"The hell did you say to me?"

"Jax-" Axel held Jaxon back, making him loosen his grip enough for me to get away.

"Shut the hell up, you hinny! You're gonna let some stupid girl talk to your brother like that?"

Jaxon's eyes chilled me to the bone as they grew colder than the Arctic blast. I stepped back wordlessly.

"Leave her alone, Jax. I'm not screwing around. I'm not gonna let you hurt her, and I will not let you disappoint Mum."

He pulled Jaxon away, but that didn't stop his icy glare from lingering on me hatefully. A sudden rush of fear came over me as I started taking bigger and quicker steps back, only to be stopped by the hard wall pressing against my back.

"What are you planning for Eleanor?" I demanded, but my voice cracked more than I would've liked.

"What happens between her and me doesn't concern you," he spat at me before turning to his brother.

"Axel, fix up the living room and tell your little bitch not to stick her nose in someone else's business."

Is he for real? I felt tears well up in my eyes and I looked down immediately to hide them, not wanting to let him know he got to me. Axel sighed exasperatedly, and I saw him pinch the bridge of his nose out of the corner of my eye.

"Alright, just get out."

Jaxon gave me one last disgusted look before leaving the room at vampire speed. I flinched back. It wasn't the first time I'd seen a vampire use their powers, but it was still startling.

Axel covered the distance between us in a heartbeat. His hands cupped my face, thumbs rubbing circles on my cheeks in a gesture that was rather comforting. He tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear and stared into my eyes apologetically.

"I'm really sorry about that. It won't happen again. I promise you," he said sincerely.

Something in how he said it just made snap. I buried my tear-stained face in his chest and cried out every single thing that had been piling up on my chest. I was getting his shirt wet, but he didn't seem to care. He just held me tight and stroked my hair.

ELEANOR'S POV

I glared at the far too bright walls that I felt were closing in on me more and more by the day. My bare legs were exposed to the cold breeze coming in from the window, causing me to shiver slightly.

There was a tentative knock on my door which I ignored. Another maid brought in a tray of food for me and placed it on the table closest to the window seat I wanna currently sprawled upon.

"Miss, please, you have to eat. Prince Jaxon...."

Upon the mention of his name I promptly began hurling all the items off of the tray at the wall.

Jaxon had caught up with me easily after I had ran out of the stageroom that night and had given me an ultimatum; I either went back in tucked into his side like a "good girl" or he would drag me back in by my hair.

Of course, I wasn't planning on going down without a fight so I made another foolish attempt to run away, only to collapse and hit my head on the hard tiles. The last thing I remember was him picking me up in his arms, bridal style, and sighing in frustration.

Overall, I hated him. He forced me away from my parents without so much as a goodbye. I don't even know what they told them when they went to get my stuff.

I tossed the stupid vase on my nightstand across the room and it smashed into the wall. My chest was rising and falling rapidly. The maid bolted out of the room just before I punched the mirror. I wanted to scream.

My bloody hand was reaching for the landline phone on the dresser when the devil himself charged into the room.

"Calm. Down." He cornered me against the wall in less than a second with both of my wrists held up in his large hand.

"Don't touch me," I choked out, struggling to get out of his impossibly tight hold.

"Okay," Jaxon said, letting his hands drop to his side immediately.

"I'm leaving." The prince's blue eyes filled with mirth.

"No, love, you aren't," he said with a laugh.

"Yes, I am."

Jaxon took a step closer to me, his hands still at his sides, not quite touching me but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

"I'm starting to think you like seeing me mad," he breathed into my neck.

"Is that it, Eleanor? Do you have a thing for hot and angry sex? That's kinky. I don't mind kinky."

He lifted his head back up and looked at me through his lashes with almost silver eyes that were lustful and wanting.

Jaxon placed his hands on my hips, gripping them and turning them so that his pelvis was pressed into mine. I arched into him involuntarily and he gave me that devilish smirk of his.

His breath was fanning across my face and before I knew it, his soft lips were brushing against my own.

The resounding sound of the slap and my panting were the only two things that could be heard in the room. Jaxon had his head turned to the side, a few strands of his hair concealing his face from view, for which I was grateful.

But when he swung back to look at me, snarling, his eyes were red and his fangs were visible. I tried to push him off, run away, do something, but he overpowered me easily.

His fangs came chomping down into the sensitive skin of my neck, eliciting a scream from me. I kept screaming and all I could feel was his hot mouth on my neck as he continued to drain my blood.

I was growing light headed and my attempts to shove him back were getting weaker. I was on the verge of giving up, conceding defeat, when in a last ditch effort to fight for my life I raised my knee and hit him where it counts.

He stepped back with a groan and I tried to run past him, but he grabbed my ankle and pulled it back, making me fall to the ground with such force that it made my teeth rattle. He kept dragging me backwards, laughing at my screams for help, and mocking me when I kicked at him.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you, love," he drawled with an amused chuckle.

I was still struggling to get out of his grasp when he finally let go, allowing my leg to drop to the floor with a thud. I struggled to get back up on my feet and hurried towards the door, but he was already blocking my way. I was panting hard, not wanting to back down but too tired to keep fighting.

"Let's just talk, hm?" Jaxon was getting closer to me on beat with the pounding of my heart.

"I have nothing to say to the likes of you," I spat at him.

That pissed him off. A muscle fluttered in his jaw as he grabbed my arm with such force it made me cry out. He tightened his bruising grip even more and I felt a sob get caught in my throat.

"Where did you get the necklace, love? Stop making things more difficult than they need to be. Tell me where you got the necklace, tell me who you stole it from, and I'll let your parents come visit you right now," he spoke softly, sweetly almost, but his eyes remained cold and harsh.

The thought of having my parents come visit me was extremely tempting and he knew it. Ever since he found out that I snuck in vervain with me to the mansion the night of the ball and I still have a bit left he's been tirelessly interrogating me.

He can't compel me so he's been trying to make deals, offers, or threats.

"I didn't steal it," I snapped for the hundredth time.

I met his glare with one of own, my hair falling into my face as I looked up at him.

Something that I couldn't quite put a name on flickered in his emotionless eyes. He let go of my arm and I exhaled in relief, rubbing it immediately. Jaxon was still gazing at me like this was the first time he was seeing me, really seeing me, and a crooked smile took over his face.

"You remind me of her...That's why I almost feel bad about doing this," he said softly.

My lungs stopped working. I didn't have time to ponder over the meaning in his words because in the blink of an eye he had grabbed me and taken us down to a dungeon of some sort.

The cold stone wall was digging into my back as the metal doors shut in front of me with a clang.

"I'll let you out of here when you think you can start cooperating," he said casually. His footsteps grew quieter as the distance between us increased.

I began to take in my dark surroundings and realized that he had thrown me in a prison cell. The cell was barely six feet by five with walls that were made out of the same thick grey stone as the walls in the rest of the castle were made of.

However, whereas in the room that I was previously inhabiting there was a wide window with sweet smelling pots of roses situated on the sill, here there were only cold metal bars.

There was a plank of wood with four legs in the corner that I assumed was supposed to be a bed. In the opposite corner there was a freaking urn and a hole in the ground.

I approached the hole eagerly to see if it could be an escape tool, but quickly realized that it could be meant for other uses.