Valeria - A Short Story Collection

Chapter 5, Part 3

Valeria POV

Alex brought the car to a stop when two silhouettes stepped onto the road ahead of us. I leaned forward from the backseat and saw a man and a woman standing on the road, illuminated by the headlights of the car.

I glanced at my watch. It was almost 9 PM and the November darkness was illuminating us in a way that felt a little foreboding.

“Identify yourselves!” The man shouted.

Alex rolled down his window and poked his head out.

“King Alexander Youngblood.” He shouted back. “Requesting to meet with nobleman Dorian.”

Both their eyes widened and stepped off the road with a bow.

Alex drove past them without sparing them a glance and parked the car in front of a pale white mansion with a massive front door. Based on the lights inside and the silhouettes I could see in the windows, it seemed as if there was a party going on inside.

Joey seemed to reach the same conclusion because he grinned.

“Time to crash the party.” He joked.

Alex chuckled and unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Let’s go.” He said.

We stepped out of the car and I glued my gaze to the ground while suppressing my lycan aura as much as possible. I needed to act like a submissive pet, even if Willow was rolling her eyes in my head, grumbling about this was below standard for a queen.

Alex led us expertly through the mansion until he found the host.

“Dorian!” He exclaimed.

The man he addressed looked up and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Prince Alexander!” He called out and got up from his seat. “You’ve become a fine young man.”

“It’s King Alexander now.” Joey muttered.

“My apologies.” Dorian replied and gave Alex a small bow. “King, Alexander, of course.”

Alex gave him a tight smile and looked around the room at the guests.

“Nice party.” He commented.

“Yes, we have quite a special event for the evening.” Dorian replied and his eyes glittered with excitement. “You are most welcome to join us, we’re almost about to begin.”

He stopped when his eyes fell on me.

“You have a werewolf slave?” He asked in disbelief.

Alex glanced at me and shrugged.

“She’s my donor for today.” He replied. “I’m trying a new approach to the blood supply. Human slaves are starting to be too inconspicuous, and the blood slaves are highly immoral.”

“Yes, I heard of the new laws that were implemented.” Dorian replied.

I almost shivered at his cold tone, and it didn’t take a genius to understand that he didn’t really like it.

Dorian led us through the house and down a staircase. We reached a dimly lit tunnel and I realized that a bunch of the guests had followed us down the stairs.

When the tunnel ended, my eyes widened when I saw what this whole event was about.

Rows of seats lined the edges of a small arena. It was too small for football and too big for boxing, and I had a hard time ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach.

Alex stiffened as well, and I stepped closer to him.

“Please, have a seat.” Dorian said and gestured to a section further down the row that seemed to be some kind of VIP section.

Alex, Joey and I moved awkwardly down the row and sat down. As people filled up the seats, a spotlight illuminated the arena below and a vampire stepped into the light, dressed in a black suit and a red bowtie. I guessed he was some kind of ring leader.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” He called out. “It’s time for the annual Vampire Ring!”

The crowd cheered excitedly.

“Tonight we have several matches ahead of us.” He continued. “We have both humans and werewolves competing tonight, and for last, we have saved a very special surprise!”

When the crowd cheered again, I leaned towards Alex and lowered my voice.

“Vampire Ring?” I asked.

“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it before.” He replied. “It’s basically a fighting ring.”

“Could the missing people be competitors?” I asked. “Could Tayrin’s dad be among them?”

“Possibly.” Alex whispered.

“Because of the special surprise, we’ve made a slight rule change for this event.” The ring leader continued. “Tonight, the contestants don’t fight to the death.”

I stared as the crowd started booing, but a raised hand silenced them.

“Don’t worry.” He chuckled. “The survivors will be auctioned off after the fights.”

I gulped, but forced myself to stay rooted in my seat as the first fight began. Two men stepped into the ring, shirtless and unarmed.

It was two werewolves. I could tell by their smell.

A bell dinged and the crowd cheered as they hesitantly circled each other.

“Fight or die! Fight or die! Fight or die!”

Alex leaned over to Dorian.

“Are these people here voluntarily?”

“Oh yes.” Dorian replied. “The winner gets paid generously as well.”

I didn’t believe him. The fighters looked way too hesitant to be here of their own free will.

Fight after fight, I steeled myself in my seat, trying not to intervene. But with every punch and kick, I felt sick to my stomach.

Luckily, the matches were stopped before anyone was killed, and I exhaled when the loser of the ninth match, a woman dressed only in shorts and a sports bra, was dragged unconscious out of the arena.

No sight of Tayrin’s dad yet.

In a way, I was kind of relieved.

The relief was short-lived when a man stepped into the arena, and I recognized him from the pictures in his flat.

Tayrin’s dad.

“This one is interesting!” The ring leader. “Tonight, we have a human police officer that’s joining us. This will be an interesting fight.”

The crowd cheered.

“We have to do something.” I hissed.

“But what?” Alex replied. “We are way outnumbered here.”

Shit.

The opponent appeared, and my heart caught in my throat when I sensed that he was a werewolf.

One glance at Alex confirmed that he knew that as well,

It didn’t look good for Tayrin’s dad.

“But what happens when you put a human policeman…” The ring leader said. “...against a supernatural creature? Let’s find out!”

The crowd cheered and the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the fight. I held my breath while Tayrin’s dad surprisingly managed to dodge the punches pretty good for the first few minutes. But then the werewolf managed to get the upper hand and pinned him to the ground. I watched Tayrin’s dad struggle to get away, and I gasped when he cried out in pain.

The werewolf had pulled his shoulder from its socket.

The match ended and two guards pulled Tayrin’s dad to his feet. I was relieved that the fight didn’t continue after that, but I frowned when the ring leader stepped into the arena again and the guards didn’t lead Tayrin’s dad out like they did with the rest of the competitors.

“Now, it’s time for a very special surprise!” He called out.

The crowd cheered again.

“Twenty contestants have entered the arena.” He said. “But tonight, we’re going to test how many contestants it takes to take down the most dangerous contestant of all!”

Alex and I glanced at each other, Alex looking just as confused as I felt, while the rest of the competitors were ushered back out into the arena.

“Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for…”

That’s when I felt it.

Tyson was here.

Willow perked up and I started looking around.

Had he snuck into the building?

And where was Aidan and Tayrin?

“... The lycan king!”