My Vampire Thralls

Chapter 6: Claimed

The arrival of Xavier sent an electric jolt through the crowd.

He was clearly the academy’s "it-boy." Seraphina could hear the suppressed, excited squeals of the girls nearby. Talk about a dramatic entrance, she thought.

She had initially assumed the "Honey Sponge Cake" boy was in her year, but it turned out he was a senior. Unlike their previous meetings where he wore the standard academy blazer, today he donned riding leathers adorned with a gleaming medal.

It was the crest of the Crossed Swords Clan: a rapier and a broadsword intersecting, with a crimson ruby at the hilt. A slender, silver serpent coiled around the blades, its fangs bared in a silent, dangerous hiss.

Her black horse, usually docile, grew restless the moment it caught sight of Xavier, skittish and trying to bolt backward. Seraphina had to multitask—gripping her bow in one hand while using the other to stroke the animal’s neck, whispering soothing words.

Suddenly, the instructor stormed over, his face flushed with anger.

“Student! Do you have any idea how reckless that was?” he barked, gesturing toward the target Seraphina had just struck. “If your aim had been off by an inch, someone could have been seriously hurt—or worse! Accident or not, you’re writing a formal reflection for this. I want it on my desk by tomorrow.”

The man had a point. Seraphina, who had just been feeling quite proud of her "main character moment," immediately dropped the ego. “I’m so sorry, Professor. It won’t happen again.”

Xavier, leaning casually against the railing, let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, come on, Professor. It was just a slip of the hand. Let’s forgo the paperwork, shall we?”

He turned to Seraphina and winked, his amber eyes shimmering with a playful, magnetic warmth. “You’ll be more careful next time, won’t you?”

Seraphina knew one thing for certain: men who were that flashy were usually the most dangerous. Despite the way her heart hammered against her ribs whenever he looked at her—and the fact that he’d been making uninvited cameos in her dreams lately—she had no intention of letting him get close. Her gut told her that compared to the quiet, observant Adrian, Xavier was far more volatile.

The instructor looked from Seraphina to Xavier. In this elite academy, the faculty knew their place: their job was to keep the young lords and ladies happy.

Without a second thought, the teacher’s stern expression melted into a submissive smile. “Well… if you say so, Lord Xavier. Just be careful in the future, Miss.”

Nearby, the senior girl from earlier had dismounted to retrieve her fallen silk scarf. She hurriedly wrapped it around her neck, but not before Seraphina caught a glimpse of the dark, mottled bruising beneath—angry purples and blues that looked suspiciously like finger marks.

Something felt off. Had the girl really been on a date with Xavier this morning while sporting those kinds of injuries?

The girl hurried over to them, biting her pale lip as she looked at Xavier with watery, aggrieved eyes. “Lord Xavier, she did that on purpose! If she’d been off by even a hair, I’d be dead right now.”

The smile on Xavier’s face didn’t vanish, but it chilled. He turned his gaze toward the girl. Seraphina watched as the girl, previously ready to demand blood, suddenly began to tremble under the weight of those emotionless honey-colored eyes.

She took several steps back, her hand flying up to cover her neck. Beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

“If I recall correctly,” Xavier said, his voice smooth and terrifyingly calm, “you haven’t earned the right to dictate who I socialize with.”

“I—I’m sorry, Lord Xavier,” the girl stammered, shaking violently. “It won’t happen again. Please forgive me.”

She cast a quick, fearful look at Seraphina before turning and fleeing the grounds.

Seraphina stood there, stunned. The man is a red flag in human form, she thought. Is he actually gaslighting his dates?

As soon as the girl was gone, Xavier blinked, and the "Golden Retriever" persona was back instantly. He looked up at Seraphina with puppy-dog eyes that made her heart skip a beat despite herself.

“I’m so sorry,” he sighed. “Did that cause a lot of trouble for you?”

Xavier was a patient hunter. He enjoyed the chase, especially when the prey was as intriguing as this one. But the interruption from his earlier "blood bag" had clearly soured the mood.

He leaned in closer. “I’m really not the monster you might think I am. Perhaps we could spend some time together so I can prove—”

Whiz!

An arrow sliced through the air, cutting his sentence short and thudding into the wooden post inches from his hand.

Seraphina looked toward the source and saw Theodore Canaster approaching on horseback. Theodore was already tall, but mounted on his massive black stallion—a beast far larger than the academy’s standard stock—he looked like a dark god of war. He maneuvered his horse directly between Seraphina and Xavier, effectively shielding her.

The black-haired, red-eyed noble looked down from his high vantage point, locking eyes with Xavier.

Interrupted and clearly annoyed, Xavier licked his fangs. He pushed himself off the railing, standing tall to meet the challenge. The tension between the two vampires, representing two powerful rival clans, was thick enough to choke on.

Theodore spoke, his voice cold and final. “She is mine.”

Seraphina’s eyebrows shot up. Excuse me? She hadn't agreed to be anyone's "anything" during their last encounter.

However, being tucked behind Theodore’s horse meant she couldn't exactly voice her protest without making a scene. More importantly, she realized this was the perfect opportunity to escape Xavier’s suffocating charm.

“I—I have to get back to class!” Seraphina called out. She didn't wait for an answer, tugging on the reins and urging her nervous horse away from the confrontation as fast as possible.

Xavier’s gaze followed her departing figure, his eyes narrowing.

“She is my prey,” Theodore hissed, his red eyes flashing with malice. “Take your eyes off her.”

Vampires were few in number. Their eternal lives and crushing loneliness made "entertainment" a necessity, and integrating into human society was a delicate game. At Eli Academy, there was a silent agreement: never poach another’s prey.

Xavier smirked. “She doesn’t bear your Seal, little prince.”

He stepped closer, his smile turning sweet and toxic. “And if I were you, I’d worry less about me and more about that Hybrid. His method of hunting is… much more convenient than yours.”

“Don’t compare me to a low-born Hybrid,” Theodore snapped. He gave Xavier one last icy look before turning his horse and galloping away.

Xavier’s companions soon joined him. “What was that about? Why was Canaster acting up?”

Xavier stretched his limbs, his expression thoughtful. “Nothing much… just a boy trying to protect his food before he’s even had a bite.”

His companion watched Theodore’s retreating back. “The Scepter Clan is so damn arrogant. Maybe we should cull a few of their blood bags during the next Hunt Day. What do you think?”

Xavier didn’t answer. He reached down and adjusted the angle of the crest on his chest.

Strange, he thought. I placed enough mental suggestions on her. Why didn't they have any effect?

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“You saw those crests they were wearing, right?” Seraphina’s roommate asked as they walked back.

Seraphina nodded.

“The Sword Society and the Drama Troupe… they call them ‘clubs,’ but in this school, they have as much power as the Student Council. Just… try not to provoke them. Though I guess it’s too late for that, since Senior Xavier already knows who you are.”

The roommate sighed. “The four Great Clans have a messy history. I can’t explain it all now, but those clubs are basically off-limits to everyone except the International Department students.”

Seraphina released her string. Her arrow thudded squarely into the center of the bullseye.

Her roommate stared, jaw-dropped. “Were you a professional hunter in a past life? I can barely even see the target from here.”

Seraphina lowered the bow, trying to sound humble. “I think I just have a good feel for it tonight. I’ve always been pretty athletic.”

She thought of her twin brother, Silas. For some reason, she had always been the more physically gifted one, as if she’d hogged all the nutrients in the womb. Thinking of him made her look around the field for Adrian. She really needed to talk to him to maintain their "connection."

Her roommate hesitated before speaking again. “Look, in Class 3, you have to pick a side eventually. But honestly? I think the ‘other one’ is a better choice than Adrian.”

“Because he’s from the Scepter Clan?” Seraphina asked.

“Yeah,” the roommate whispered. “If you don't stand with them, you become their enemy. And trust me, it’s much easier to follow the powerful than to be hunted by them.”

Seraphina patted her head. “I hear you. Just be careful and don't go wandering off.”

In reality, Seraphina didn't want to "stand" with anyone. Theodore was an arrogant brat who didn't listen, and Adrian seemed to live in a completely different dimension. Neither seemed reliable. Is there not a single normal person in this school? she wondered.

She finally spotted Adrian. He was just as handsome as Xavier, but because of his mixed-blood status and Theodore’s blatant hostility toward him, most students gave him a wide berth.

“Zoning out?” Seraphina asked, walking up to him.

Adrian nodded slowly. “A little. I’m… hungry.”

His champagne-colored hair was a bit messy, and the way he said it made him look strangely vulnerable. Seraphina checked the time; an hour left until dinner.

Across the field, the second-year students were showing off. Theodore, in particular, was a natural—his form was perfect, every movement graceful and lethal.

Seraphina leaned her head on her hand, watching him. He’s too high-profile to help me sneak into the Forbidden Forest, she mused, but damn, he is nice to look at.

Suddenly, Adrian tugged at her sleeve.

Seraphina turned. “Yeah?”

Adrian paused. Just now, as Seraphina was staring at Theodore, a sharp, primal pang of jealousy had flared within him. It was the instinctive alarm of a predator watching another hunter eye his prize.

His gaze fell upon Seraphina’s wrist. He could see the faint blue of her veins through her pale skin. His fangs began to ache, and the hunger in his gut roared to life.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the field.

“Quick! Call the medic! Someone’s hurt!”

In a matter of seconds, chaos had erupted. An inexperienced student had accidentally spooked their horse, causing it to bolt directly into Theodore’s line of fire just as he released an arrow.

The arrow grazed the student, leaving a deep, jagged gash. The metallic scent of fresh blood immediately saturated the air as the student tumbled to the ground, scraping themselves further.

Seraphina frowned. She had a sinking feeling that wasn't an accident.

Theodore was looking right at her—or rather, at Adrian beside her. His crimson eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated malice.

Seraphina’s heart began to race. Theodore’s aim was perfect; he didn't "miss." So why would he purposefully cause a bloodbath right now?

She looked at Adrian. He was staring fixedly at the source of the blood, his eyes turning a shade of red so dark they looked like they were dripping with gore.