THE VAMPIRE KING'S PET

CHAPTER 6

SOPHIA TYRIAN

"You need to go back before someone finds out," he whispers against my mouth, and I nod.

He steps back, and I get out of bed, looking around. I hear footsteps in the hallway, and when it’s empty, Aiden opens the door and says it’s safe.

I stop and look at him once more.

"What are we going to do now?"

"Just keep with our plan. Let him think you belong to him, Sophia."

I return to the room quickly, careful not to be seen, and when I close the door behind me, I sigh.

I open my eyes, touching Aiden’s mark on my wrist.

I feel our connection still inside me.

I take a deep breath and pull the sleeve of my tunic to hide my arm.

My whole body is sore and tired.

"Hold on, Sophia. We’re almost there..." I whisper to myself.

I hide the dagger under the pillow before lying down, but even exhausted, I still can’t sleep.

I groan in pain when I change position.

I close my eyes and try to sleep. This time I dream of Marco calling me, telling me how much he loves me, and then the scene of him dead before me appears.

I wake up to the sound of the bedroom door opening, and my whole body shivers at the thought that it might be the king coming to torture me again.

I sit up in bed, hearing more footsteps and voices of vampires.

Something is happening, and I don’t know what it is.

Through the crack of my door, I notice shadows and hear quick orders: all the vampires are being summoned to an emergency meeting in the mansion’s great hall.

I can’t sleep anymore, and when morning comes, I leave the room wearing a new tunic, heading straight to the mansion’s kitchen.

My heart races. This might be my chance.

When I enter, I see several girls like me sitting down.

None of them look scared like I do. On the contrary, they laugh, talk, and some even sing softly.

I blink, confused, noticing that all of them wear clean dresses and have almost satisfied looks.

In the kitchen, a long table is set with bread, fruits, and even wine.

I hesitate but sit down discreetly. One of the girls, with light hair and a sweet smile, approaches and sits beside me.

"You’re the new one, aren’t you?"

I just nod, trying not to show my distrust.

"Still resisting? I can see it in your eyes."

I take a deep breath.

"Why wouldn’t I resist?"

She leans closer, as if afraid someone might hear.

"Because you are the king’s donor," she whispers. "That can bring you privileges. You can live comfortably, without pain… if you know how to use it."

My heart tightens. I close my hand under the table, hiding the marked wrist.

"And be his property?" I reply softly, unable to hold back the bitterness.

The girl sighs, looking away.

"It’s better to be property than to be nothing," she murmurs.

I don’t answer. I know those girls chose to conform. Maybe out of fear. Maybe because they no longer see a way out. But I… I have Aiden. I have a purpose.

"We have no choices here. Either you accept being theirs, or you keep resisting and being tortured until you can’t resist anymore."

I lift my head, seeing several bite marks on her neck.

She tenses and tries to hide them.

"How many?"

She looks at me, confused, and I repeat:

"How many girls here have been the king’s blood donors?"

"Many. More than I can count. He always chooses whoever he wants."

"And what happened to all of them?"

"They’re all dead."

I fall silent, feeling my body tense.

"That’s why you need to be different from them. Give him what he wants, and he’ll give you what you want."

I shake my head.

"He can’t give me my freedom."

"You need to change your mind before it’s too late. My name is Lydia, and I’ve been here for quite some time."

"I’m Sophia."

Breakfast ends in silence, and I return to the room without drawing attention.

The castle still feels strange, almost empty. The vampires must be busy with the meeting—or with something worse.

When night falls, I settle into bed, tense.

I lie down, clutching the pillow, waiting to hear the door suddenly open.

But hours pass, and he doesn’t come back.

A sigh of relief escapes my lips.

"Thank you, God…" I murmur, finally letting my weary body relax.

But the relief doesn’t last.

The doorknob turns silently, and the door opens slowly. I jump up, heart pounding. When I see the figure enter, I frown, confused.

"Aiden?" I whisper in shock. "What are you doing here?"

He closes the door behind him and approaches quickly.

"The vampires are too busy dealing with something about a group of humans now," he says, his voice low and urgent. "You asked me to teach you how to fight. And this is the perfect moment. Come."

My legs tremble.

"Now?" I ask, trying to steady my breathing.

"Now." He extends his hand to me, firm. "You need to be ready before it’s too late."

Without hesitation, I grab his hand. Before leaving, I discreetly pull the dagger hidden under the pillow and tuck it beneath my tunic. The cold touch of the metal against my skin gives me courage.

"I’m ready. Teach me."

He hands me a cloak, and I pull the hood over my face as we run through the empty hallways, following the same path to the tunnels from before.

Aiden walks quickly ahead of me, holding a lantern so we can see the way. My heart races, and at some point, I can’t hold back the question.

"Is it safe?"

Aiden doesn’t look at me immediately, just keeps walking with that firm posture, until he answers with a calmness that makes me believe every word.

"Now it is."

I sigh, feeling the dirty water at our feet.

I grip his hand tighter this time, walking faster.

Soon we finally see the end of the tunnel, leading straight to a clearing near the forest.

The last time I was here was too traumatic for me.

I look around, feeling the wind on my face.

Aiden stops and turns to me. Slowly, he draws his sword from the sheath, but not in threat.

"You need to learn to defend yourself."

I take the dagger he gave me, and he steps closer to me.

"Hold it like this." His strong fingers adjust the position of my hand on the dagger’s hilt, making the blade point at the right angle.

"Vampires are fast. There won’t be a second chance. Only silver through the heart can kill them."

"And… and the king?"

Aiden takes a deep breath.

"He is stronger than all of them. Against him, every strike must be deadly. Otherwise… you won’t survive."

Aiden takes a step back, raising his chin in challenge.

"Attack me."

I widen my eyes, surprised.

"What?"

"Do what I said. Attack me, Sophia."

With trembling hands, I raise the dagger and move forward.

I try to remember how he holds the sword, how his stance looks firm, but it’s not enough.

With a single movement, Aiden disarms me, throwing me to the ground hard.

The air leaves my lungs from the impact.

Before I can move, he’s already over me, pinning my wrists to the cold ground.

"That was a good start." He smiles slightly, his eyes locked on mine.

My heart races, not just from the fright.

"You did well, but you need to be even faster than that."

I don’t answer.

I feel his breath against my face, and for a moment, everything seems to stop and fade.

I blink, feeling him closer and closer.

He stays over my body, his heavy breath mingling with mine, so close my mind goes blank.

Then, without warning, he kisses me.

I close my eyes, returning the kiss, feeling an inexplicable warmth course through my body.

Aiden’s hands touch my face, then move down my neck and further down my body.

I shiver and let out a moan against his mouth.

But before Aiden can keep touching and kissing me, we hear laughter nearby, and my heart almost stops.

I open my eyes immediately, startled.

Two vampires emerge from the shadows, grabbing Aiden by the arms and pulling him violently away from me.

A third one approaches, looking at me cruelly.

"Well, well. The king’s loyal dog having fun with his pet. The king will love to hear about this."

I pull at my clothes, trying to cover myself, but it’s not enough.

I look at Aiden, who struggles to break free but is held by the strength of the two vampires.

The third one comes even closer.

Suddenly, his hand closes around my neck, squeezing hard.

"No!" Aiden growls.

The vampire lifts me easily, leaving me with my back to him, making it clear that with a single move, he could kill me.

I feel the tears returning to my eyes again.

"If you try anything, the girl dies."

"Please, let me go."

The vampire laughs.

"And what will you give us in return, girl?" he asks, kissing my neck.

I look at Aiden, remembering what happened with Marco. I can’t watch that happen again.

"Don’t touch her!"

I feel the vampire’s hand sliding down my tunic, pushing it aside with clear intent.

"If this beast was using you… we can too. It will be our secret, slave."

"Please…"

Aiden struggles in rage.

And then I remember his words about only silver being able to kill a vampire.

I blink, gather all my courage, and raise my arm, hitting the vampire with my elbow hard.

He releases me for an instant, surprised, and I take the chance.

I duck quickly, grabbing the dagger from the ground.

In an almost instinctive move, I thrust the blade with all my strength into his chest.

He screams, writhing and falling dead to the ground.

The other two vampires watch the scene in shock.

Aiden doesn’t waste time.

With swift moves, he breaks free, and I watch as he kills the other two vampires.

"Sophia, are you okay?"

I can’t answer.

I hear him approaching me, but all I can see are the three dead vampires around me.

"Sophia…"

My body won’t stop trembling. I lift my hand, seeing the dagger stained with black blood.

Aiden runs to me, takes off his cloak, and wraps it carefully around me.

"It’s okay… it’s over."

"I… I killed a vampire…" I whisper, almost not believing. "I killed a vampire."

Aiden’s gaze hardens.

He knows what this means. If anyone finds out, I will be tortured and executed. The king’s law is clear: humans do not kill vampires.

He holds my face firmly, forcing me to look at him.

"No one needs to know," he states.

"Look at me, Sophia."

I do, feeling tears wetting my face.

"You had to do it. He was going to hurt you. You only defended yourself…" he whispers, and then I glance at his sword.

"You also killed two vampires for me. If they find out… I don’t want you to die…" I murmur, and he shakes his head.

"I did it because I couldn’t watch them hurt you. No one will know. Look at me…" he says again, and I nod.

Aiden hugs me tightly, and I close my eyes, feeling protected against his body.

"This was only the beginning. Thousands of them still need to die. You are my mate, and I would never let anything happen to you again, do you understand?"

"Yes…"