The Vampire Prince's Hybrid Mate

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Dominik's POV

I could sense her as soon as she entered the arena. It was powerful and overwhelming, the smell of her blood calling to me across the vast distance.

My hands curled into fists as I huffed out a slow breath, forcing myself to breathe through my mouth rather than through my nose. Beside me, Daniel gave me a strange look, his brow raised in accusation as he looked over my expression and rigid stance.

I hoped that he simply assumed it was my anger over the situation rather than the fact that one of the contestants had the most tantalising blood I had ever scented.

I couldn’t do anything but fight the intense urge that curled through my stomach as the group of women moved closer and stopped in front of us.

The sweet smell of her blood burned down my throat, scorching hot and feeling as if I was being burned alive from the inside out. It was torturous standing this close and knowing that if I made a move, if I moved even a single muscle, I wouldn’t be sure if I could stop myself from jumping her and draining every drop of her heavenly blood. It would be horrific and considering my status, and the amount of people that would witness my blood rage completely transform me, over a human, my father would likely banish me.

I watched her huge eyes look everywhere but at me, and then finally, sending a shock of electricity and desire through my whole body, she met my gaze. Her eyes were huge, her mouth open in surprise. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she lowered her eyes, the burning in my throat intensifying as the smell of her blood strengthened from her blush.

My lip curled and a low growl rumbled in my chest, easing the burn a little. I shifted my gaze away from her.

“You good bro?” Daniel whispered out of the corner of his mouth. He kept his eyes trained forward as out Father made a big spectacle and the huge crowd that had assembled to watch this train wreck go down, roared around us. “You seem rather tense.”

Surprise flashed through me at the concern in my brother’s tone of voice. It was an unusual sound coming from him. He was normally far too cocky and happy-go-lucky to feel any form of worry for me or anyone other than himself and his love life.

I nodded slowly, the muscles in my jaw to tense to speak.

The breeze shifted slightly, moving her intoxicating scent away from me and allowing me the room for a deep breath.

It was then that I finally noticed the clothing the women wore. Half of the group were dressed in deep green and the other in black. A small smile touched my lips. She was dressed in all black, accentuating her long shapely legs and hourglass figure. For a human, she really was beautiful. A woman next to her with long, dark black hair met my gaze and winked at me. I felt my lip curl up in disgust, but she just smiled seductively before returning her gaze to my father.

It was interesting that I felt nothing from this dark-haired woman, but my body seemed to roar to life as just the scent of the blue-eyed woman.

My head tipped to the side in curiosity as my sweet-scented beauty’s eyes flicked ever so slightly to meet the gaze of another contestant, one dressed in green. This other woman was the opposite to my heaven scented angel, with blonde hair and olive skin, they couldn’t have looked more different. I took in the identical expressions on their faces, the quick glance and imperceptibly small nod they gave each other, and many thoughts crossed my mind.

Had they formed an alliance? Or did they know each other before hand?

I stopped these questions from chasing each other around in my mind. Why did I care so much? Since when I had I cared about anyone other than Angelica, and sometimes I honestly couldn’t be bothered with her.

A loud horn sounded, dragging my attention away from my own internal dialogue to watch as the women all scattered as they ran into the forest. I tensed as my red-haired goddess paused for a moment and then took off into the forest, her scent battering me. My gaze followed her as she turned to the right and ran along the edge of the trees, just inside the shadows of the forest.

My body seemed to move on its own, twisting to follow her before a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

“Well boys this should be fun,” my father smiled slowly, his dark eyes glinting. I had no idea what he had planned but based on the expression that crossed his face, it was nothing pleasant.

He pulled a tablet out of his pocked, the screen showing several blinking dots moving across a map at different speeds.

“You are tracking them?” Daniel asked slowly, her eyes glued to the screen.

My own gaze watched the one lonely dot that was travelling around the outer edge of the map. I knew it was her, my sweet-scented angel. She was moving fast, far faster than I would have expected.

“Of course I am tracking them. Wouldn’t want to lose any of them,” Father said with another dark smile, his eyes flicking up to the large screen that the crowd was watching which showed an identical map with slightly more detail. Each dot had two letters beside it and were coloured according to whose group they were from, either green or black.

As if on cue a loud, blood-curdling scream echoed in the air and one of the green dots flickered and disappeared.

Daniel looked as if he was going to pass out, his face losing all its colour.

The crowd cheered loudly, celebrating the death and it made my stomach turn. My eyes flicked instinctively to the lonely black dot with the letters KV beside it, that moved quickly around the outside of the forest and unfortunately my father seemed to notice.

“Ah, this girl thinks that she can skirt around all the drama,” he said slowly, his tone dripping with contempt. It was in these moments that I realised how much my father hated any species other than our own.

I had witnessed it before, being sent on secret missions to annihilate certain groups, especially hybrids, on his orders, but now even Daniel could see it. His gaze watched our father in horror as he pressed a button on the screen before him and a cage was wheeled out beside us.

Inside was a beast that raged and smashed against the cage that contained it, it’s mouth foaming. I didn’t even have the words to describe what this thing was, but I could smell it. It smelt of death.

“Just a little project I have been working on with the other Lords,” Father said slowly, his gaze following our own to the beast that continued to lose its mind within its confines.

I was shocked when Reuben walked up to the cage, loosening the bolts that held the door in place. I had no idea that they had been working on any secret projects together. I glanced at my Father who was smiling widely and gave Reuben a short nod.

“They were once werewolves,” Father said proudly, his dark gaze zeroing in on the beast as Reuben lifted the last bolt from the door and the beast shot out from its cage and ran directly towards the forest. “A mixture of wolfsbane, vampire blood and tonic of my own creation.”

His lips curled up as we watched the beast disappear from view. It moved quickly, his huge body rippling as it ran with incredible speed towards the lonely black dot, KV. A bright red dot appeared on the screen, its tracker activating, and we watched as it collided with the black dot.

I froze. I wanted to murder my father, but the rationale part of my brain thought maybe this was for the best. But all I could think about was her beautiful face and intoxicating scent. My muscles twitched as if my body wanted to run into the forest to save her. What an irrational thought to have.

“Come, let the beast do its work. We must make our way to the finish line.”

Daniel and I followed along after our father, my mind buzzing with questions. What the hell was he thinking? A beast disfigured and disformed from a werewolf? There was something deeper going on here and I needed to figure out what it was.

*****

We reached the other side of the forest and Daniel jumped out of the car quickly. I could tell by the look on his face he didn’t approve of Father’s techniques and wanted to get away from his as soon as possible.

“He just doesn’t understand,” Father said slowly, his voice low. He watched Daniel walk away, his shoulders hunched forward and arms folded, as he waited by the finish line.

A few dozen medics stood by, waiting for the first of the contestants to make it through, first aid kits in hand and all sorts of other medical devices. They were ready for them, knowing that some of them might not come out in one piece.

After what we had seen of the beast, it wouldn’t surprise me if none of them came out at all. In the short five minutes it had taken us to drive around the arena to the finish line, six more women had gone dark.

“He sees it as cruel,” I finally managed to reply, my tone clipped in my own anger.

Father’s eyes darted to mine, his gaze penetrating, staring into my soul. “But you get it, don’t you? I don’t care how many humans we need to sacrifice. Even if no one from these games survives, I will find you and your brother a worthy breeding partner.” He took a deep breath and glanced at Daniel’s rigid back. “They were only filthy wolves after all.”

I wanted to argue, but I knew my father better. My teeth clenched in disgust as I pushed myself from the car and walked away. I needed to space. Space from my father and space to think about whatever the hell was happening right now.

I moved to stand next to Daniel, staring at the edge of the forest as if willing someone, anyone to come out. I had been against this from the start merely due to the end result, but some part of me hated the idea of such needless death. I had been responsible for enough of it before now and I seemed to be just adding more bodies to the pile.

“This is disgusting,” Daniel spat at me, his gaze hardening as he kept his gaze ahead. “Why is he doing this? They are living, breathing people. They don’t deserve to just… die like this.”

I took a deep breath and slowly released it, hoping to ease some of the rage that was within me before I fashioned some sort of reply to my brother. I had no idea of our father’s ulterior motives, but this was taking things too far.

“Father has never been one to care about the other species,” I replied, my voice low. I could hear the anger in my own voice, and I worked hard to contain it. “You know of his opinions on wolves, witches… anything else, but humans…” I paused, thinking of the woman who had somehow gained my attention, had drawn me to her. “Father believes them to be the lowest of low.”

I turned to my Daniel and grabbed his broad shoulders, turning him to face me. “You know that in the end all he will care about is the offspring created from these… Games!” I spat out, the word tasting vile even coming from my mouth. “If the children created aren’t vampires, what do you think he will do to them?”

Daniel’s mouth popped open slightly, shock widening his gaze. “He wouldn’t…”

“He would, and you know it. To him, these humans are just play-things, just an amusement. It is all part of his game to control us even more.”

I glanced over my shoulder as Daniel stared off behind my shoulder, his eyebrows almost disappearing in shock.

The world seemed to become silent, even the crowd holding its breath as I turned to look and saw two young woman one dressed in green and the other in black, stumbling from the forest, their hands covered in mud and their faces pale. Each woman’s eyes were wide in shock as if they had seen more than they had ever bargained for as one fell forward to her knees and then collapsed right in front of us.

Everything began again as the medics rushed forward to tend to her in a flurry of movement and a horn sounded twice, loud and obnoxious in my ears to mark their arrival at the finish line. The crowd roared to life, celebrating the success of the humans.

Daniel looked as if he was going to pass out, his normal cocky smirk replaced by a look of abhorrent horror. I wanted to shake my head at him, at his innocence. This was all part of my life, part of the darkness that Father had put me through. This was nothing compared to the damage I had caused with just my bare hands. We were vampires, predators.

The second woman, I recognised, the dark-haired woman who had winked at me. She looked in better shape than the one that lay unconscious on the ground, her face pale.

She sauntered up to us, Daniel giving her an odd look as the smell of her blood perfumed the air. “I’m Raven,” she said slowly, her eyes wandering over my brother and I in lust. I wanted to walk away, but I knew with the crowd watching, I couldn’t do such a thing. “Don’t forget that.”

I felt my brow raise and my lip curl in disgust as she was escorted away to be checked by the medic.

“I don’t like her,” Daniel said suddenly, mirroring my thoughts.

I watched as Father zeroed in on her, congratulating her and I saw something flash across his face, an expression I had seen before but one that I couldn’t quite interpret. “Neither do I.”

There was another flurry of movement and the horn sounded again, as another woman, dressed in green rushed out of the forest. I realised instantly it was the woman KV had exchanged a glance with at the start. She glanced our way, her huge green eyes taking in both Daniel and I, before she was led away by the medics. I felt Daniel stiffen beside me, his eyes following her.

He made to make a move and then I noticed the trickle of blood that trailed down her forehead. Other than that, she seemed perfectly unharmed.

I grabbed my brother’s shoulder, holding him back. “Don’t!” I growled low in his ear, anticipating him before he could move. I could smell her blood myself, the scent strong and overwhelming.

I had smelt human blood many times before, even having it coating my body, but Daniel had no idea what he was getting into, no idea of the powerful urge he would need to fight. I had worked on my self-control over my many encounters with humans, but this was one of his firsts.

“But… she smells…” he glanced back at me his pupils dilated in his lust for her blood.

“Get yourself under control,” I murmured, my gaze flicking to look at Father who was watching us intently. I could hear the low rumble of the crowd at they watched on, noticing our every reaction. “Do not show any kind of reaction, do you hear me?”

A shiver ran through his whole body as he fought against his instincts, his desire to hunt. His gaze flickered back to her, and she was watching us, her expression almost dazed and her muscles taut as if she were ready to run. Her eyes flickered as I watched, shifting in the beaming sunlight and I blinked rapidly to gain my bearings.

Did her eyes just change colour?

I pulled Daniel behind me, dragging him towards the screen and pointing at it.

“Watch this, focus entirely on this,” I ordered him, my tone strained. The veins in his neck pulsed under his skin as he fought against himself. Whatever her blood smelt like to him, it was powerful. I glanced at her again, but she wasn’t looking at us anymore, she was watching the screen, her mouth agape in horror.

I glanced up and saw the black dot, KV, being chased by not one red dot, but three of the deformed wolf beasts. If I believed it could, it felt like my heart stopped beating in my chest.

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the screen as I watched the three beasts close in on her as she dodged around the trees, moving faster than I thought any human could.

One of the red dots flickered and then disappeared, making my father growl in anger, quickly followed by the second red dot.

Shock and awe filtered through my system. She was not only evading them but taking them down. Who was this mysterious woman?

Her dot suddenly turned around and ran back deeper into the forest. I could feel the crowd’s emotions roll and change as they watched her alter direction and head towards a green dot that was remaining still.

What was she doing?

“Is she… saving one of the other contestants?” Daniel asked.

I checked over him, noticing his relaxed posture and normal pupils. He was working through his lust for the human girls’ blood.

The crowd roared loudly as the black and green dot moved as one, followed closely by the beast.

Another contestant, a woman with dark chocolate coloured skin and dressed in green rushed out of the forest and into the arms of the medic.

I found myself moving instinctively towards the edge, my anxiety on edge as the horn sounded to signal her arrival. When was KV going to come through? She had to make it soon.

The screen showed the black dot standing before the red and the green dot moved slowly toward the edge.

When she came into view, I noticed the large scratch that ran down the length of her face but otherwise she looked unharmed as she stumbled across the line sending another horn through the air.

Everything in the world seemed to freeze as I finally saw her, her eyes determined as she moved quickly, cradling her arm.

The smell of her blood battered against me, sending waves of pleasure and pain through my body and along my skin, seeming to light it up with little sparks of electricity.

As the sun fully encompassed her body, the horn sounded, and she collapsed on the ground before me. Her arm had a huge gash in it, blood slowly pooling underneath her and burning along my throat.

My body moved, reacting to the situation before my rational brain could think things through. The beast was close behind her, the blood rage was beginning to surface within me. I grabbed it and snapped its neck with a loud snap, my teeth bared.

A low growl escaped my chest as I stared down at the beautiful woman who had strangely captured my attention.

“Kara… KARA!” The blonde haired, green eyed woman screamed loudly, her eyes glued to the woman before me.

So, her name was Kara. I stared closely at her, my fingers twitching to reach out and touch her as my throat burned with the intense desire just to taste her blood.

She groaned and her startling blue gaze met mine.

Her full lips moved slightly, and I swear she whispered something just before she passed out.

My father appeared before me, his dark eyes furious as he stares down at Kara unconscious the ground and the dead beast beside me.

“You killed it!” he yelled furiously in my face. “And for what? To protect a useless human?”

A low rumbling growl erupted from my chest, making my father step away from me slightly. “If you had been paying any attention to your son rather than trying to make this a huge deal, you would have noticed he was struggling with the scent of human blood,” I lied easily. It wasn’t actually a lie, but it wasn’t the entire truth. He didn’t need to know that I could barely contain my own desires for a specific human. “I didn’t want to make it any harder for him by having this mutilation rip one apart right in front of him.

Part of me didn’t want to admit that I couldn’t bear the thought of Kara being ripped apart, nor did I think I would be able to contain my need for her blood is the beast had attacked her again.

My gaze flicked to Daniel who was watching Kara’s blonde-haired friend closely, his eyes twinkling. I wanted to roll my eyes. Great, he had taking a liking to her. I could see it written across his face. He wanted her to win.

But don’t you already have a favourite too? My subconscious asked me obnoxiously.

I ignored myself and pushed away from the Kara who was now being attended to by several medics. I couldn’t allow myself to become closer to her, or any of the contestants.

My father glared at me, his cold gaze analysing my face, but he allowed me to move past him and out of the arena. I made my way towards my room, needing to shower to wash away the stench and smell of the humans… and her.

Angelica approached me and tried to put her arm around me, but even her touch made my skin crawl and I shrugged her off. She scoffed at me, clearly upset by my snub.

I turned to her, a snarl out of my mouth before I could stop it and my hand around her throat. “I am your Prince, Angelica,” I forced out through clenched teeth, taking in her shocked and fearful expression. “Disrespect me again and I will make sure you never forget it.”

I dumped her against the wall and walked away, the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach growing more with each step and the smell of Kara’s blood still burned into my brain.