Bound to the Ruthless Vampire King

CHAPTER ONE The first rule of surviving in the kingdom of Veyrath was simple: Never attract the attention of a vampire. Sabina Vale had duly abided by that rule for twenty-three years. She always kept her head down, minded her business and avoided the districts where vampires displayed their wealth as carelessly as they pleased. Unfortunately, the dead man lying on her examination table had just ruined her perfect evening. "He is not breathing." Sabina looked at the body on the table, then at the young attendant standing beside her. "I can see that, Thomas." "I mean, he's not even breathing at all." "He is a vampire. They're not particularly known for breathing." Thomas was speechless, Sabina sighed and pulled off her gloves. It was nearly midnight at the Veyrath Blood Collection Centre, and she had already worked for ten hours. The last thing she needed now was another mysterious vampire incident. The facility occupied the ground floor of an old stone building in the eastern human district. It was responsible for processing blood donations collected from several registered human residents. Every adult human in Veyrath was required to donate blood periodically. The aristocracy called it a civic obligation, while the humans called it survival. Sabina hated this system, but complaining about it was a very good way to attract unwanted attention. She glanced at the motionless body again. The man looked like he was almost thirty. His expensive black coat was embroidered with a silver symbol she recognised as belonging to one of the noble vampire houses. There was dry blood around his mouth, and something else. A strange black vein stretched from his neck towards his jaw. "Who brought him here?" she asked. Thomas shook his head, "He came in himself. Said he was feeling weak, then he collapsed." "Vampires don't usually come to human medical facilities when they are feeling weak Thomas." "I know." "Then why did you still accept him?" Thomas looked offended. "Because he said he was a noble." Sabina rubbed her forehead, she could already feel a headache forming. Of course, apparently, having a noble title was enough to make common sense disappear into thin air. "Get me the incident register." Thomas hurried away to get it. Sabina leaned over the examination table, examining the man's neck. His skin was unusually cold, even for a vampire. She reached for the medical scanner. The moment her fingers brushed against his wrist, something strange happened.A sharp sensation travelled through her palm. She retracted her hands immediately. For a second, she thought she had been electrocuted. Then she heard a whisper. Not from the room but from somewhere deep inside her. Run. Sabina froze and looked around. The room was empty except for the unconscious vampire. "Thomas?" She called out to know if he was the one playing pranks on her But there was no answer. She gulped and looked down at her hand, there was nothing there. Just the usual faint scar near her thumb. She slowly exhaled. "You're exhausted," she said to herself. That had to be it. She reached for the scanner again.This time, the vampire's eyes snapped open and Sabina stumbled backwards. His hand shot out and caught her wrist. "Blood..." His voice was barely human. "Let go of me!" His grip tightened, his eyes, previously a dull shade of grey, turned crimson. "Where..." He struggled to sit up. "Where did you get that blood?" Sabina stared at him, "What?" His nostrils flared, he looked at her as though he had just discovered something extraordinary. Then his lips pulled back, exposing two sharp fangs, "Your blood." Sabina's stomach dropped,"Thomas!" The vampire dragged her closer, "Give it to me." She struggled, trying to free her wrist "Let go!" His other hand caught her shoulder and held her in place. Before she could scream again, his fangs sank into one side of her neck. Pain exploded through her whole body. Sabina cried out. But the pain only lasted for a moment, something warm surged beneath her skin. The vampire suddenly drew back and a horrible sound escaped his throat. He released her and stumbled away, clutching his chest."What..." he gasped, his eyes widened. “What is that..”Black veins spread rapidly across his neck. Sabina pressed a trembling hand against her bleeding neck, "What is happening to you?" The vampire collapsed to his knees,his fingers clawed at his throat. "Your blood..." he whispered, then his expression changed. For the first time, Sabina saw genuine fear in a vampire's eyes. "What are you?" Then he fell face-first onto the floor. There was pin drop silence in the room. Sabina stood frozen and confused. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Thomas appeared in the doorway seconds later, carrying the incident register. He stopped when he saw the body, then he looked at Sabina and at the blood running down her neck. "Sabina?" She couldn't answer, she looked like she didn't even hear him. "Sabina, what happened?" He called her again and asked. "I… I don't know" Her voice trembled. "He attacked me." Thomas dropped the register. "An aristocrat?" "I think so."He rushed towards her, but she raised her hand. "No, don't touch me." Thomas stopped, his eyes moved towards the dead vampire. "Oh, God." Sabina looked down, the vampire's skin had turned an unnatural shade of grey. The black veins were still visible,spreading across his face like cracks in a broken glass. "What did you do?" Thomas whispered. Sabina stared at him. "Nothing." "But—" "I said I did nothing!" Her voice cracked. She pressed her fingers against the wound on her neck, the bleeding had already stopped. That was impossible. A vampire's bite should have left her weak, possibly paralysed but instead, she felt an unfamiliar warmth passing through her veins. She looked at the dead man, then at her hands. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong. By the time the royal guards arrived at the facility, the entire facility had been evacuated. Sabina sat in the corner of the examination room with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Two guards stood beside the body and the third guard questioned Thomas. "Name?" one of them asked. "Sabina Vale." "Age?" "Twenty-three." "Human registration number?" She gave it to him and he wrote it down. "Did you know the deceased?" "No." "Did you attack him?" Sabina stared at him,"He attacked me." "That wasn't my question." Her jaw tightened. "I didn't touch him until he grabbed me." The guard glanced towards the body, "Then explain how a human woman managed to kill a vampire noble." "I said I don't know!" Her voice echoed through the room. The guard studied her for a moment, then his expression hardened. "You're coming with us." Sabina stood abruptly, "Why?" "By royal order." "But I haven't done anything wrong." "That isn't for you to decide." He reached for her arm, before he could touch her, another guard entered the room. His uniform was different, black armour covered his chest, and a silver crest rested against his shoulder. The royal symbol. He approached the first guard and whispered something to him. The man's expression changed immediately. He stepped aside. The newcomer turned towards Sabina, "Sabina Vale?" She nodded cautiously. "His Majesty requests your presence at the palace." Her stomach sank, "His Majesty?" "The king." For a moment, nobody spoke then Sabina shook her head. "No." The guard's expression remained unchanged, "Excuse me?" "I said no. I want to go home." "You don't seem to understand what I said." "I understand perfectly. I want to go home." The guard stepped closer, "His Majesty does not summon people twice." Sabina looked towards the exit, she could run, she could scream but would she outrun them? She realised she could do absolutely nothing. Because the moment she looked at the royal symbol on his armour, she understood something. This wasn't an ordinary investigation, the royal family was getting involved.And whatever had happened to the vampire on that examination table was no longer a private small matter. Far beyond the human district, inside the royal palace of Veyrath, a man sat behind a gigantic black desk. King Lucien Draven barely glanced at the report placed before him. His attention was fixed on the blood staining his fingers. It had happened again, the hunger. The unbearable hunger that had been consuming him for months. His jaw tightened as another wave of pain hit his chest. "Your Majesty." Lucien lifted his eyes, Dr. Theron stood before him, looking considerably less confident than usual. "Speak." "The condition is progressing." Lucien's expression didn't change. "Explain." "The deterioration has reached the second stage. Your Majesty, if we cannot stabilize your blood, the consequences could become dire." "Then find a solution to it." "We have examined every known royal record, your Majesty." "And?" Theron hesitated,"There is only one possibility." Lucien leaned back, "Continue." "The bloodline of the First Queen." Lucien's crimson eyes narrowed. "That bloodline was exterminated?" "That is what history claims." Lucien stared at him,"What are you suggesting?" Theron placed a document on the desk. It contained a photograph of a young woman. Dark hair, pale skin, and a faint silver mark near her collarbone. Lucien's fingers paused, he knew that symbol. He had seen it in the forbidden archives beneath the palace, carved into the tomb of the First Queen. "Where did you get this?" "From the eastern district, Your Majesty. One of the royal guards sent the report." Lucien picked up the photograph, "Her name?" "Sabina Vale." For several seconds, the king said nothing. Then he looked towards the window. Outside, the moon shone above the palace towers, bathing the kingdom in a cold crimson glow. "Bring her to me." Theron bowed, "And, Your Majesty?" Lucien's gaze returned to the photograph. "Yes?" "The vampire who attacked her..." "Yes, what about him?" "He died after consuming her blood." Lucien's expression darkened. For the first time that evening, something resembling genuine interest appeared in his eyes. "Interesting." He placed the photograph on his desk, "Find out everything about her." Theron bowed again. Lucien's fingers closed around the edge of the desk. If the girl was who he suspected, then the answer to his curse had finally appeared. And he would not allow anyone to take her from him, not even the girl herself.