Marked by the Vampire King

The Necklace

He was standing right outside the bathroom.

Caius.

His tall figure leaned slightly against the wall, calm and composed, but his eyes, sharp and unreadable, were fixed on me. I froze in place, my hand still on the door. The world around me went quiet, like even the air was holding its breath.

“You left this in my office,” he said quietly.

In his hand was my necklace.

My heart skipped. “Y-you had it?” I asked softly, my voice almost breaking.

“Who else could have it?” he replied. His voice was deep, calm, but something in it made my chest burn again. That strange warmth from that night came back… stronger.

I swallowed hard, trying to act normal. “But they told me… they didn’t see any necklace like that.”

“They?” His brow rose slightly.

“Oh,” I said quickly, “I messaged your page and asked about it, but they said they didn’t find anything.” My cheeks warmed, and I looked away.

“You could have come to me,” he said simply. There was no anger in his tone, just quiet certainty. “It would’ve saved you the trouble.”

I didn’t knew that you were my Boss!

“I… I was busy,” I said, my voice weak. “With the Phoenix project. I barely had time to breathe.”

He studied me for a moment, silent. His gaze felt heavy, like it could see through me. “Is this necklace really that important to you?” he asked finally.

I nodded quickly, clutching it when he handed it to me. “Yes. It’s… it’s from my family.”

For a second, his eyes softened. “Then take better care of it,” he said quietly.

I reached for it, and when our fingers brushed, a sudden spark shot through my arm. My breath hitched. His skin felt cold, but it burned at the same time. I almost pulled away, but couldn’t move.

“Th-thank you,” I whispered.

He gave a small nod, still watching me closely. “You should rest,” he said after a pause. “You don’t look well.”

I nodded and immediately left. My heart was pounding fast, and my fingers curled around the necklace tightly. The metal felt warm, almost pulsing, like a heartbeat. My chest burned again, not from fear this time, but something else. Something strange. Something I didn’t understand.

Caius’s POV

I watched her from the hallway for a moment. She was holding the necklace tightly, her fingers trembling. Her chest rose and fell quickly. She looked tense, scared, yet careful at the same time.

Something about her didn’t feel right. She acted like the necklace was something very important. Well… she said it came from her family, but that didn’t make sense.

This necklace isn’t ordinary. It came from an ancient family, the Velmourn, long gone after the great war a hundred years ago.

Even I didn’t fully know what happened during that war. I’ve always wondered how the Velmourn perished like that. Their power was strong, dangerous even, and they were once trusted confidants of my family. This necklace was made to suppress immense power.

It had been their tradition to give the necklace to the first-born child. Every first child of the Velmourn was born under a full blood moon. And the blood moon itself had a tale. They say Sangrath, a deity who lives under the blood moon, was once saved by the Velmourn ancestors.

As gratitude, Sangrath granted them a gift. Every first-born in their family will be born under the blood moon would possess an immense power, and bear the duty of maintaining peace between humans, vampires, witches/werelocks, and werewolves.

And now… she had it.

No matter how I tried to piece it together, it still didn’t make sense. And why did her hands shake so much? I couldn’t be sure, but doubt was already forming.

Who was she really?

When I returned to my office, Arion was already there waiting. He was sitting on the couch while enjoying a chicken. But he immediately followed me to my desk.

“You gave it to her?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I returned the necklace.”

He leaned forward. “And? What happened then?”

“She… she was acting strange but also scared. She said it was a gift from her family. And yet… there’s no aura coming from her.” I said, still confused.

His eyes narrowed. “Family? I already checked her background. She’s an only child. Her parents died after she was born. She grew up in an orphanage. The Velmourn were an ancient family, but they perished after the great war. It’s impossible for one of them to have survived. So who gave it to her? Or maybe… she just found it. Or someone gave it to her without knowing what it was.”

I rubbed my chin, frowning. “That’s what bothers me. How did she get it? And why? Was she just lucky, or was this planned?”

“You think she might have an agenda?” His voice was calm but careful.

“Yes,” I admitted. “Her behavior… the way she helped me that night… it could be innocent. Or she could be working for someone. Someone who wants to use her to get close to me. Or worse… she could be part of the group behind the hybrid werewolves.”

“You’re saying she might have helped you just to gain something, or even to kill you?” He asked.

I nodded slowly. “I don’t know her intent yet. But I can’t take chances. The necklace is too important. It suppresses immense power. If she’s playing a role in something bigger, I need to know.”

“I’m curious, Master. If she’s pretending, then why were none of your things missing from the office after that night?” He crossed his arms. “Could it be she’s looking for the torch?”

“Could be,” I said quietly. “Find out who gave her the necklace. And send someone to keep an eye on her.”

For now, I need her close. She may seem harmless, but I can’t be sure yet. I leaned back in my chair, staring out the window. My mind kept returning to her. That fire in her chest when she saw the necklace… that intensity… it was unusual.

Selene’s POV

I put back the necklace around my neck again. The moment it touched my skin, a warm, steady feeling spread through my chest. The buzzing in my ears faded, the strange pressure and shadows at the edges of my vision disappeared. For the first time in hours, I felt… safe.

I shrugged lightly, trying to ignore the questions spinning in my mind. Maybe it was just my imagination.

“See you tomorrow, Selene!” Priya called from her desk.

“Yeah… see you,” I said, forcing a tired smile.

Leo leaned back in his chair. “Take care of yourself. Don’t overwork.”

“I’ll try,” I said, giving a small laugh.

Jordan only nodded as I gathered my things and left the office. The cool evening air hit my face, and I let myself breathe. The calm from the necklace stayed with me as I walked home.

By the time I got to my apartment, the sun was setting. My roommates were still at work. I dropped my bag on the couch and went straight to my room, sitting at the edge of my bed. The apartment was quiet, and I realized something.

The sounds were gone. The air conditioner, footsteps, even the faint dripping faucet, they were… gone. Everything felt muted, calm.

I touched the silver pendant. “Could it be…?” I whispered. My heart thumped, curious but not scared.

I remembered something. I had never taken this necklace off, not even in the shower. And yet, when I had removed it earlier, all the chaos and noise had returned.

Could the necklace really be the reason? Well, nothing’s gonna happened if I try removing it again, right?

I remove it carefully and placed it in my jewelry box. For a moment, all was quiet. Then it began. A car honked, a door slammed, footsteps on the stairs, the faucet dripping, a broom scraping the floor. Every sound stabbed at my ears, sharp and impossible to ignore.

I reached out to the box where I put my necklace and put it back on my neck. Instantly, silence returned. The warmth spread through my chest again.

It was true. The necklace… it kept me safe, controlled the chaos.

But how?

Questions still swirled in my mind, but one thing was clear. I needed answers. And that answer was… the orphanage. The orphanage where I grew up. Maybe the nuns knew something about the necklace or about my mother.

I tightened the necklace around my neck. “I’m going to find out,” I whispered.