The Vampire Lord and the Siren

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Caroline POV: Trigger Warning: suicidal thoughts

The night ended with no new incidents. As the sun rose higher steadily in the east Caroline began to feel anxious and scared. Evening was rapidly approaching and this was the night. The night she lost. A brief flicker of curiosity had passed through her when she saw that Odporný started bringing her her meals and checking if she needed anything periodically throughout the night before and at sunrise. She hadn’t seen any of the usual servants come into her room since the incident with Spálený. The way the two vampires reacted to her was odd. It was almost like they actually cared about her well-being. That couldn’t be though. They were bloodthirsty creatures that only cared about themselves and their power. Shaking her head, she paced next to the window and watched with dread as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. As soon as the moon rose and turned bloody red, she would be taken to the ritual room and lose everything that made her who she was. Thinking wistfully of her home and in particular of her boyfriend, Klaus. His green eyes would reflect the sunlight that danced on the lake in their town. His hair, although brown, had natural red highlights. She missed running her fingers through his hair and feeling how soft it was. Hell she even missed how he smelt after a long hike in the hills. Sadness at the life she could have had and what she would become by the sunrise settled on her like a smothering blanket.

Feeling the panic well up in her as all those thoughts she had repressed the night before coming roaring back, she started desperately trying to open the window just to get some fresh air. The handles refused to move even with all of her strength. She searched desperately for a latch or lock that she could undo, desperate for a breath of fresh air. Unable to do so, her panic overrode her senses and her magic exploded out of her, shattering the floor to ceiling windows. Glass blasted out and fell down to the raging sea below. Sunlight caught the shards and made prismatic rainbows through them as they tumbled down. The wind rushed in, blowing her long hair back off her shoulders, calming her instantly. Taking several deep breaths, she looked over the edge of the window and a sudden thought burst through her mind.

Wouldn’t it be better to end it all here and now? I wouldn’t become a broodmare and if there’s a god or goddess out there that takes pity on me, I might be able to reincarnate like one of those isekai stories I used to read.

The sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks below seemed to call to her. Leaning forward, she lost herself in the sound of the ocean below the crashing of the waves was almost a lullaby to her. An arm grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back faster than she could make a decision about jumping to the rocks below or not.

Zatracení POV:

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Zatracení asked while breathing heavily. He had felt the magic surge and knew it must have been Caroline. Feeling a wave of dread made him run through the castle as fast as he could, only to break down her door to see her standing at the edge of the floor to ceiling window. All the glass was gone and nothing was between Caroline and the sharp rocks and icy waters below. Panic at the thought of losing her to the frigid waters below made him react before he could reconsider and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back from the edge and into his chest. Looking down at her, she seemed to be in some kind of daze.

Blinking slowly, Caroline didn’t seem to register that he was even there. Zatraceni shook her shoulders, calling her name over and over, trying to snap her out of it. With a small tinge of apprehension, he leaned down and kissed her deeply, hoping it would stir her. Her soft lips were unyielding beneath him. After a few seconds, he started to feel her struggle, pushing her hands against his chest and wiggling to get free. Pulling back from her, he saw that she had a look of pure fury on her face.

“I am not yours yet. Have you forgotten the other night so quickly?” She struggled to get out of his arms and he pulled her tightly to himself in a hug out of relief. He put his head into the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent. The smell of her mixed with the sea air calmed his anxiety down. Trying to push him away only made him hold on tighter.

“Just stay still for a few seconds.”He pleaded as he nuzzled into her hair a bit more. Strands of her hair whipped around them as the wind continued to blow.

Stilling in his arms, she waited till he was done hugging her, then looked at him quizzically as he stepped away from her but kept his hands on her shoulders.

“Let's move away from the window, it's making me nervous having you so close to the edge.” He commanded. Inching away from the window, she sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at him with disbelief etched onto her face.

“Do you mind explaining exactly what you thought you were doing just now? Because, by the looks of things, it looked like you were going to jump. Did you think you could get away from me that easily?” Now that he knew she was safe, anger colored his tone. The thought of her jumping to her death, of her body lifeless and broken on the rocks below broke his heart.

Well, this isn’t good. I don't feel enthralled yet…at least I don’t think I am. This is getting dangerous, but she seems so sad I just want to comfort her.

He watched her and waited for her reply.

She shifted uncomfortably on the bed before answering hesitantly. “I was scared about what is going to happen tonight and just wanted fresh air. I couldn’t get the window to open and started having a panic attack. I guess I still can’t control my powers fully.” She chuckled awkwardly while looking nervously up at him. He continued to stare at her with an unreadable expression. Clearing her throat she continued while looking down at her clasped hands. “I admit I had a fleeting thought to jump just to escape what’s going to happen tonight.” Hearing him hiss she looked up to see Zatracení fangs bared and fury etched on his face. Regaining control over himself, he cleared his throat feeling suddenly parched before inquiring.

“Does the thought of becoming one of my consorts fill you with that much dread?”

“Yes, I would do anything to not become another mindless w***e only existing for your pleasure.” She replied instantly while holding his gaze.

Her reply rocked him to his core. He knew she didn’t want to be here and that she had plotted to escape, but he didn’t realize the thought of being with him was so loathsome for her. Sitting back in the chair in shock, that one thought bounced around in his head.

She hated him. She hated him. SHE HATED HIM!

Once he came to his senses, he waved for her to continue.

Fidgeting even more so, Caroline continued. “So yeah I had a fleeting thought and then the sound of the waves seemed to call to me, I couldn’t seem to look away from them crashing on the rocks below, then you grabbed me and kissed me.” She finished while glaring up at him.

Shifting his weight in his seat, he stared pointedly at her before saying “Does it really matter if I kissed you or not? In a few hours you'll be mine anyway.” At his words a change came over her quickly. She started hyperventilating as her eyes grew wide and her pupils shrank in fear. Tears started coursing down her face as she crossed her arms and brought up her knees till she was sitting in a fetal position. She started rocking back and forth, whimpering the whole time.

Startled at the sudden change in her, he stood up and rushed to her side. He tried to soothe her, saying that she would feel better after the ritual and that this was all for the best. Despite his best efforts, she broke down into full sobbing at each thing he said, making it worse. Not knowing what else to do, Zatracení used his hypnosis powers to put Caroline to sleep.

Mid sob Caroline's eyes started closing. It looked like she was trying to fight his powers, so he used a little more before, with one last shuddering sob, her hazel eyes closed. Moving a few stray strands of her hair behind her ears, he kissed her forehead lightly and laid her down gently on her bed. Pulling up the covet, he tucked her in as gently as he could and heard her let out a soft sigh as she fell further into sleep.

Standing up, he went to the window and set up a barrier so that no more wind could come in and she couldn’t jump if she woke up before it was time. Unnerved by his reactions to her, he left quickly, letting the servant outside know to keep a close eye on her for the next three hours. Heading back to his room, he stared at his hands as soon as he closed the door. Leaning back against the newly fixed door, he sighed deeply and for the first time he felt hesitation.

Did he really need to enthrall her? Couldn’t he find a way to woo her into staying instead? Shaking his head to clear these thoughts, he started to get ready. It was too late, so there was no point in delaying any further. Drawing himself a bath, he threw in the cleansing herbs he needed for the ritual. He stepped into the warm water letting it soak the stress out of his muscles. He tried to think about how things had gotten so complicated so quickly. How did a human even have siren blood in her to begin with? He was so sure that he had eradicated all of them. Thoughts of the long bloody war flashed through his mind. Fighting against multiple vampires, all willing to die for a single siren. Feeling the pull as the siren tried to entrap him, watching his comrades succumb to the call. It had taken almost a decade to eradicate them all. He had been so sure they all had been wiped out.

Well, there was no point in worrying about it now. He will have to warn the entire castle though. If one siren escaped the g******e, then it was more than likely that there were more. Plus all their descendants that are hiding among the humans. If any more of them unlock their powers, then the vampires will be at a disadvantage. They had to get ahead of this and the best place to start would be with Caroline’s sister. Standing up, he shook the water from his black hair as he pulled the drain and stepped out of the antique marbled tub. He wrapped one of the thick, plush red towels that were folded neatly nearby low on his hips. Walking to his wardrobe, he pushed aside his usual suit shirts to reveal the robe he needed. Pulling out the ritual robe, the black robe seemed to suck in all the light in the room only to be broken up by the silver symbols that were embroidered on the hems and cuffs. The robe swished and swirled around his ankles as he put on the matching sandals. The moon shone into the room, flooding it with its silvery light. Looking up at it, he saw the red shadow slowly taking over it.

It was time. Banging open the bedroom doors, the servants that were waiting outside jumped, then bowed instantly, stepping away to line the hallway for him. Surveying who was nearby, he motioned for them to follow as he made his way to the Lunar Chamber.

The Lunar Chamber was set in the highest tower of his castle. The stone walls were made of obsidian to reflect the moon's light. The oval room was bare besides an ancient table made of dark redwood. On the table held a silver bowl almost as ancient as the table and a small blade. No other furnishings were in the room and for no other purpose was it used besides enthrallment.

After a few minutes of waiting, Caroline and Helen were brought in as well. Both were in silver robes that shone and reflected the moon’s light with the black symbols on the hems and cuffs disappearing into the shadows as they walked. The meaning of the symbols had been lost through the ages and not even Zatracení knew what they meant anymore. Both of the women’s hair were still slightly damp, and the faint scent of the purification herbs wafted off of them. Smirking a bit at the thought of how much Caroline had probably fought with Odporný over the cleansing bath, he observed the two women as they came closer towards him. Helen looked scared, her eyes were wide and she had a tight grip on Caroline’s hand. Whereas Caroline looked resigned with her jaw tight and her eyes staring straight ahead, not even looking at him. He wanted to reach out and take her in his arms, to comfort her, to love her. Clenching his fists, he looked past her and demanded the doors to be sealed. Thoughts like that were exactly why he needed to do this ritual as fast as possible. Making sure the door was closed tightly was essential. No other vampire could be in the room during this ritual to make sure the women would be enthralled only by him. Another vampire's presence posed a risk to the enthrallment. Either the ritual would fail altogether or the women would be enthralled by a weaker vampire that couldn’t handle the connection.

Looking back over at them, tears slowly slid down Caroline’s face as Helen let out little shuddering sobs. Getting frustrated at their reactions, he snapped, “Enough of this. Come here, both of you. I can’t stand your simpering any longer. The sooner we get this done the better.” Zatracení couldn’t understand why these two acted this way. These girls were acting like this was the end of the world. It’s not like they were about to die. All the enthrallment was, was to get them to enjoy their time with him more and make them more eager to bear him children. Was the thought of being with him that repulsive? It’s not like he was ugly or anything. The other women even before the enthrallment, never acted like these two did. It was infuriating.

Putting a hand on each of the women’s shoulders, he began. The room flooded with ruby-colored light and a sense of calm settled on the women as his fingers dug into their shoulders. Helens' sobs ended abruptly and silence cocooned them. “Look at me” Came his voice hypnotically. The girls swayed slightly back and forth, hypnotized by his voice and the moon. “Look at me.” His voice was distant and too alluring to ignore, the two women stared up at him, getting lost in his eyes. The startling blue of his eyes flashed to red and back over and over again till they settled on red. Letting go of their shoulders, he watched the women as they were totally entranced by the power flowing through the three of them.

Grabbing the small silver knife from the table nearby, he made a cut on his wrist and brought it up to Helen’s mouth. “Drink” came the command in a low dark voice. Opening her mouth automatically in obedience, Helen drank deeply. After a few seconds, he pulled his wrist away then leaned over to her, pushing her hair aside and moving her head so that her neck was fully exposed. His fangs elongated and he sank them into her smooth yielding neck. Wrapping one arm around her waist to keep her in place, he drank from her. The whole time he looked over at Caroline. Caroline, like Helen, was deeply entranced by his power and the moon and just stood staring blankly past him. Letting Helen go and laying her down on the floor gently, he turned to Caroline to start the ritual with her. Grabbing the knife again, he faced her. Searching her eyes for any sign of her will, he pressed the blade against his wrist once more to reopen the already healed cut. Hesitating for just a second before, he brought his wrist up to her mouth. “Drink”, his voice becoming even more filled with power than it was with Helen. Caroline's perfectly pink lips parted as she leaned forward to drink. The feeling of her lips on his skin and her tongue rasping against his wound was a better feeling than anything else he had felt. So lost in the feeling, he didn’t even notice that he started feeling faint.

Pulling his wrist back abruptly, he panted “Enough”.

I can’t believe I let that go on for so long. I almost fainted from blood loss just because her lips felt good.

Looking over at her, he noticed Caroline had a drop of blood slowly gliding down her chin. She swayed slightly but wasn’t at risk of falling. Reaching out, he wiped the blood from her chin and lips. Taking a step towards her, he gently pulled her hair off to the side and tilted her neck. Savoring the clean smell of her mixed with the smell of his blood, he elongated his fangs once more and sunk them into the supple yielding flesh of her neck.

The taste of her blood was unlike anything he had ever tasted as a human or as a vampire. Grasping her waist and pulling her even more tightly against him as he drank deeply. Chocolate and mint. That was what her blood reminded him of. The taste was seductive and addictive. Becoming even more greedy, he sank his fangs in deeper. It wasn’t until a slight moan from Caroline snapped him back to reality. That was dangerous; he had almost killed her. She was limp in his arms as he laid her slowly down on the ground, brushing her hair behind her ear gently. The red light from the moon glistened and reflected off of the obsidian walls. He stepped over to the table where the knife was kept and once again sliced his wrist open. The downside of being a vampire is rapid healing, especially after a feeding. Blue and black swirled inside the ancient silver bowl that was resting in the middle of the even more ancient redwood table. Blood dripped from his wrist mixed with the magic causing red sparks to shoot up from the bowl. “Hoc sanguine mando tibi has animas ligare meis. Mea nunc ipsorum voluntas est.” His voice reverberated around the room as he finished the spell to seal their souls to him. A white light flashed from both of the women as they slowly lifted up from the ground. The light flared once again from the women and a cord made from the light connected them to Zatracení. Warmth filled him as their souls connected, bound and sealed to him.

This was the crucial part now. He sent his mind out and connected with theirs. He started with Helen since she hadn’t given him nearly as much trouble as Caroline. “Submit!” He felt her resistance to his command, but it was weak and her will crumbled quickly in the face of his power. Satisfied, he turned his attention to Caroline. “Submit!” came his command. Resistance and a thirst for survival was all he felt in return. She refused to submit her will to him despite how weak she was and the powers swirling around them. Frustration bloomed in him that even now like this she resisted him. “SUBMIT!” His power flooded out and he tried to beat down her resistance. Struggling as best as she could, but to no avail, her strength couldn’t hold up against his might. He felt her walls break and crumble before him like a sea wall of an ancient castle that finally gave way. Waiting a few seconds to make sure he had her submission, he released his hold on her and retreated back into himself.

Coming back to himself, he looked down at the women and saw they were both breathing evenly and calmly. The bite marks on the side of their necks had also healed cleanly due to his blood coursing through their bodies now. Calling for the servants, he had the woman taken to the harem wing to their new chambers. Leaving the Lunar chamber, he walked back to his chambers to get out of that damned robe. Changing into a simple pair of black pants and a red button down, he tossed the robe into the hamper. If he was right about Caroline, this might be the last time he would have to wear it. If he wasn’t, well, the blood moon happens every ten years, so he wouldn’t have to do the ritual again for at least another decade. Washing the lingering blood from his wrist, he stared at himself in the mirror. Triumph was etched on his handsome features. All that trouble is finally over and now he has the powers of a siren at his command. His smile slipped slightly as a sense of loss momentarily overtook him. Shaking his head, he headed out to the harem. Caroline was his to do with as he pleased now. This is how it should be, how it should have been from the beginning.