The Vampire Twins' Breeder

The Blood Bell

Chapter 13

Aurelia’s POV

Isadora stood there like a beautiful, vengeful statue, her eyes burning with so much hatred that it made my skin crawl.

If no one was in the room with us, I'd have ran to the window and leapt over the ledge just to escape her wrath.

But thankfully, Caelum was right there.

Caelum was scrambling to pull on a robe, his face full of guilt. I clutched the silk pillow to my chest, trying to hide my nakedness, feeling like a criminal in a bed I had finally thought was safe.

"You really thought you could just replace me with this piece of human trash?" Isadora hissed.

She didn't wait for him to answer. She lunged across the bed, her hand already curved into a claw.

She was fast. Much faster than I could ever be. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting to feel her nails rip into my face, but the blow never came.

I heard a grunt of pain and opened my eyes to see Caelum standing between us. He had caught her wrist in mid-air. He looked angry now.

"Enough, Isadora!" Caelum roared. He pushed her back with enough force to make her stumble. "You will not touch her. Do you understand me?"

Isadora snarled, her upper lip curling back to reveal fangs that were long elongated. "You are shielding her? You are choosing this animal over me? I am your betrothed! I am a Princess of the Southern Isles!"

"I don't care who you are right now!" Caelum shouted back.

I scrambled to the far corner of the bed, my heart hammering in my ears. I felt so small and useless.

Just as Isadora was about to leap at us again, a sound exploded from outside the castle that made all of us freeze.

It was a loud bang that shook the stone walls and made the glass in the windows rattle.

A second later, a bell began to ring.

Caelum stopped mid-motion. He pulled apart from Isadora, his face going from angry to completely shocked.

Even Isadora froze. Her eyes widened, and the red glow in them faded into a look of genuine fear.

"What is that?" I asked, my voice trembling, wondering why they seemed so shocked. "What does the bell mean?"

Isadora let out a nasty laugh, even though she looked scared. "Look at her. She’s so weak and ignorant that she doesn't even know the laws of the vampire kingdom. You really picked a dumb w***e, Caelum."

Caelum didn't look at her. He was already moving toward the window, looking outside "It’s an attack, Aurelia," he explained coldly. "That is the Blood Bell. It only rings when the perimeter has been breached."

My stomach dropped. An attack? Who would attack a castle full of vampires?

"Get dressed," Caelum commanded, throwing a robe toward me.

He turned to Isadora with a cold and threatening glare. "This is not the time for your petty jealousies and fights. I am going to the wall. Do not touch her. Do not even look at her. If I come back and find a single scratch on her, I will show you a hell you can't imagine. Do you hear me?"

Isadora didn't answer, but she didn't move toward me either.

Caelum took one last look at me and then he rushed out of the room as he called for his generals.

I hurriedly pulled on the robe, tying the belt with shaking fingers. Isadora just stood there, staring at me with a look of pure scorn and anger.

"Once Caelum is done with this nonsense you both are doing, I'm going to make sure you suffer," she whispered wickedly. "I’ll make you wish you died in your sleep."

"I didn't ask for any of this," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I didn't ask to be brought here. I didn't ask for him to choose me."

"Shut up," she snapped. "You're just a w***e. A human pet he’s using to satisfy a whim. You think you’re special? You’re just a distraction."

She started walking toward me, her eyes beginning to glow as she drew out her claws. "Maybe I should taste what Caelum thinks is so delicious. If I kill you now, he’ll definitely forgive me once the adrenaline of the anger wears off. He’ll realize I did him a favor."

I backed away, my heels hitting the edge of the bed. "Stay back! Caelum said—"

"Caelum isn't here," she hissed.

I let out a cry of terror as she lunged.

But before she could reach me, the door burst open with a violent bang.

Draven walked in. He didn't look excited or worried. He looked bored as he saw me cowering on the bed and snapped his fingers.

"Why are you always looking like a scared rabbit, human?" he asked.

Isadora didn't attack. Instead, she did something that shocked me.

She smoothed down her dress and threw herself onto Draven, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Draven! Thank goodness you're here. It’s my favorite prince!"

Draven didn't hug her back. He looked down at her with an expression of pure annoyance and pulled her arms off him, pushing her away.

"Stop it, Isadora," Draven said. "You were a good f**k buddy for a while, but that’s over. I have things to do."

Isadora looked like she had been slapped. "That’s not what we were! Caelum said we were going to marry! You can't just treat me like I’m nothing!"

Draven let out a short, dry laugh. "My brother lies a lot, Isadora. He lies to get exactly what he wants. He wanted peace with the South, so he promised a wedding. He wanted a breeder, so he promised this one a place by his side. Don't be so pathetic."

"Breeder?!” She was livid.

He turned away from her as if she didn't exist and looked at me. "Come here. Caelum asked for you."

"Did he ask for me as well?" Isadora asked desperately.

Draven didn't even look back at her. "No. He didn't. Stop being pathetic and stay in this room if you want to keep your head."

He grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the door. I didn't fight him. I just wanted to get away from Isadora.

He led me out into the hallway, his grip tight. The halls were full of vampires in armor, carrying swords and spears. Everyone was running toward the gates.

"What is going on?" I asked as we reached the main courtyard.

Outside, the air was cold and filled with the smell of smoke.

A massive crowd had gathered at the center of the palace grounds. There were hundreds of vampires, all whispering and pointing at something in the middle of the circle.

I grabbed him tighter as I moved past and heard them sniffing the air.

“Where are you taking me?"

Draven didn't answer. He just dragged me through the crowd. People moved out of his way, bowing their heads as we passed.

When we reached the very center, he stopped and let go of my arm.

Caelum was standing there and as I got closer, he just pointed at the ground.

"Look," he said.

I looked down, and the breath left my lungs. I let out a scream that felt like it was tearing my throat open.

Lying on the cold stone was a dead body. It was a massive gray wolf, its fur matted with blood and dirt. It had been shifted back halfway, its human features visible but distorted now.

From the face, I could recognize him.

It was a werewolf from my pack. A man I had known my entire life. He had been one of the warriors who used to laugh when Elira threw stones at me.

His throat had been ripped out, and his eyes were wide, staring up at the dark sky with a look of pure shock.