Three
969 Words
I was seated on the biggest chair, surrounded by the vampires who had come from their kingdoms, kingdoms now beneath my control. We were planning the feast. Queens and kings sat around the long table, their expressions eager and hungry.
The Red Moon Feast.
Held every ten years.
The feast of the season.
Even the human kingdoms had already been alerted to remain indoors when the night arrived. It was the night human blood flowed across the tables, dined upon by kings, queens, and vampires deemed worthy to attend.
I listened to their speeches, their words, but my mind kept drifting to the human girl I held captive.
Had she eaten yet?
I didn’t know why I was disturbed by the thought that she might keep her promise and starve to death. I was surprised at myself, disturbed after thousands of years of existence.
It felt like I didn’t know myself anymore.
I turned my gaze toward the pale-skinned lady seated across the table, the Queen of the Southern Vampire Clan.
Queen Bethesda.
Golden hair folded with pearls. Green lips. Sharp eyes. There was no denying her admiration for me.
She had long anticipated meeting me. On several occasions, she had requested private meetings, but I had rejected them all. Alpha Lucas did not entertain such invitations. Yet she had been waiting for this gathering, knowing I would attend.
She had looked at herself hundreds of times in the mirror while her maids adjusted her hair and dressed her in one of her finest garments.
She had succeeded her father, who was killed in a war thousands of years ago. As his only child, she ascended the throne, and soon after, she heard of me.
How I defeated the Twelve Empires.
The powers I possessed.
And when she saw my painting…
She fell for me.
She wanted to be my wife.
Or at least… share my bed.
“The feast is fast approaching,” her sweet voice rang across the hall. “We need ten thousand human beings for the feast. What joy to suck them alive. They taste far better that way.”
Her eyes remained fixed on my face.
The perfect jawline.
The pointed nose.
The smooth pale skin.
Something about me made her feel small. Made her want to obey.
Her fingers traced the rim of her royal cup filled with blood.
I removed my gaze from her.
I knew her gestures well, but I would not reciprocate. Even after she once offered ten thousand rubies for us to become… something. I rejected it and added ninety thousand rubies, returning one hundred thousand to her.
I was wealthy.
My kingdom was a thousand times richer than the others.
“Queen Bethesda, you have spoken well. We will look into that,” one of the feast officials said, jotting notes onto the scroll before him.
The feast would be held in the Outrous Kingdom, in the largest hall ever built in vampire history. Chairs made from beast skulls, floors polished until they shone like glass. The hall was still being prepared.
A king spoke next.
“The Red Moon strengthens us, gives us dominance over other races. I offer one thousand humans alive for the feast. My men will get it done.”
King Zarius picked up his cup and sipped the blood offered by the Outrous Kingdom. It tasted divine, fresh and metallic.
The meeting continued.
Kings and queens from smaller kingdoms offered humans, slowly summing up the number Queen Bethesda demanded.
I remained silent.
Lost.
Then suddenly,
The doors burst open.
“Lord Lucas!”
I turned my gaze toward the servant. Immediately, his head bowed when our eyes met.
“The human girl… we did as you ordered. We released her chains. We fed her, gave her drink, the finest wine we could find. We dressed her in a new gown and did not harm her… even when she threatened us with the chains if we didn’t let her free.”
His voice trembled.
The servants had watched her eat the meal prepared by the kidnapped cook, now forced to remain in the kingdom. They had watched her drink the wine stolen from the stores.
When she tried to attack them, they stepped back.
Lord Lucas had ordered: Do not touch her.
I slowly rose from my chair.
Whispers erupted across the hall.
“A human? Fed?”
“Clothed?”
“I can’t believe this…”
“Shouldn’t she be brought here so we can enjoy her during the meeting?”
Queen Bethesda spoke.
I glanced at her briefly before looking away.
For the first time since the meeting began, I spoke.
My mind traveled through the corridors… the hallways…
Then I saw her.
Hiding.
Panting.
Scared.
Behind a statue.
My statue.
Pathetic.
Did she truly believe she could escape without being caught?
Still…
I had to commend her bravery.
“Find her,” I ordered calmly. “But do not harm her.”
The whispers grew louder.
Disbelief filled the room.
“Of course, Lord Lucas,” the servant bowed before leaving quickly.
“I mean… she’s a human. She should be harmed and killed,” one of the queens protested.
I ignored her.
I began walking away.
Then a voice stopped me.
“You’re leaving? You haven’t given approval for what we’re discussing.”
I slowly turned.
“The Outrous Kingdom will bring ten thousand humans for the feast. You may continue your discussion. Excuse me.”
I clasped my hands behind my back and left the hall.
“He’s going farther away from my reach,” I heard Queen Bethesda whisper.
I didn’t care.
My entire mind was focused on the human girl.
The one I was heading to bring back.
Either to the royal prison…
Or to my room.
- Writer
