She's Just Food

F*cking Chomper

Logan-POV

I hovered over the floor as I flew down the long corridor, faster than my shadow could keep up with. My movements were a blur of supernatural speed that was impressive, even for me. The flames in the sconces flickered, and the stone walls whispered as I soared back towards the chamber where my sire awaited. Anticipation coiled within me like a spring, and a visceral excitement flowed through my veins, heightening every one of my senses.

“Devvvelton!” I sang, swinging open the heavy wooden door, not bothering to close it behind me.

I turned the corner and bounced into our bedchamber to find Dev seated in the middle of our massive bed. He had on an untied black robe, and he was lounging against the cushioned backrest of the intricately carved headboard. His nostrils flared, and he raised his infamous eyebrow as I skipped across the room with the blood bag tucked behind my back.

“Dev, I’ve ordered a hunt! I discovered a new prey, and the aroma of her blood is mesmerizing! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever smelled before, and I’ve brought you a sample!” I exclaimed, holding her essence in my hand as I crawled on top of the bed and kneeled before him. I smiled brightly as I revealed the bag, offering it to him for his own assessment.

Yet, instead of the approval I sought, a snarling hiss escaped his lips, and a swift, dismissive shove to my chest sent me tumbling backwards. The bag flew from my grasp and landed with a loud splat on the marble floor as an onslaught of different emotions slammed into me. Hurt, confusion, and then anger flooded my senses as I scrambled off the bed to retrieve it. The overwhelming feelings were so intense that I wasn’t sure if they were mine, his, or maybe a mixture of both.

“What the f**k, Develton?!” I hissed back, picking up the bag as I peered up at him from the floor.

In an instant and without response, the air crackled, and he ported away, vanishing into the shadows. I sat there on the floor, staring at the now vacant space in a dumbfounded stupor. The silence of his sudden departure was blaring, and it drowned out the remaining remnants of my excitement.

After a moment, I stood from the floor and sat on the bed, my mind grappling with the sudden turn of events. This birthday was on the verge of giving me whiplash.

With a heavy sigh, I sat the bag down beside me, and my gaze zoned in on the space where his scent still lingered. The questions churned in my mind, but the answers to them had vanished along with him.

Was it something I’d said? Was my excitement level too much, or was it something else?

I sighed once more, feeling defeated. The thrill of this new hunt dwindled, and my merry mood had been eviscerated--again. I was done with this birthday. I decided I would retreat to my coffin and wallow in my misery, possibly until my next one rolled around.

As I reached for the bag, a shrill scream pierced through the deafening silence, and the hair on my extended arm stood on end. The guttural cry was like a distress call that struck a chord within my unbeating heart, and I shot off the bed as though I’d been doused with a bucket of urgency.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I moved to the window, and with the grace of a creature accustomed to defying gravity, I jumped from four stories high. The distance was inconsequential as the earth rushed up to meet me, and I barely touched the ground before propelling myself forward with everything I had.

The courtyard blurred around me as I raced toward the front gate. I was guided at first by the echoes of her anguished pleas, but as I got closer, I caught that intoxicating scent again, and it was fresh.

Why was she bleeding?

My senses reached their peak as I closed in on the open gate and my nose detected the scents of fear and desperation in the air. The scene before me stirred a mix of hunger and possessiveness within me, causing my instincts to swirl. The hiss that escaped my lips was deadly, and my fangs descended as my royal aura shot forth.

Five of the six figures dropped to their knees as it covered them like a blanket, but one stayed standing, although I wasn’t sure for how long. My trembling prey twisted her head in my direction, and I had to fight down the urge to run to her.

Her wide, glassy eyes locked onto mine, tracking my movements as I stalked down the alleyway, and the potent scent of her fear filled the air as I approached.

But then I caught the faint scent of something else. Something that tasted sweeter than a virgin’s blood on my pallet, but there was no way--I had to be imagining it.

Another hiss left my lips as I stopped in front of her, and anger overshadowed my lust as I caught sight of her glaring busted lip and swollen cheek.

“My orders were to bring her to me unharmed and untouched! Who has disobeyed my orders?”

Vurben -the vermin- McKinley, a cocky pure blood, and commander of the elites spoke without hesitation, knowing any delay would only worsen his punishment.

“She would not come willingly, Your Highness, and she fought me the entire way. I apologize for my mistakes, but I only desired to deliver her to you, as I assumed that was the primary aim for this hunt.”

As I parted my lips to inform him that his assumptions would cost him the lashing of his lifetime, my prey's legs gave out, and she wilted into my arms like a dying flower. Her wild auburn hair cascaded over my forearm, and her thick lashes fluttered before her green eyes rolled into the back of her head. I scooped her into my arms without a second thought and cradled her against my chest, whispering my vow of protection into her ear.

What had caused her to faint?

As I readjusted her in my arms, the softest whimper escaped her parted lips and her eyebrows scrunched together like she was still in pain, although she was very much unconscious.

“What else did you do to her?” I snarled, glancing down at the vermin.

“She tried to run, My Lord. I caught her by her arm, and she twisted and pulled until her shoulder dislocated,” he said, but all I heard was lies.

“You will report to the sanctum at moon’s peak. Fifty lashes for disobeying my orders, and another fifty for touching what’s MINE!” I ordered, baring my fangs. Without waiting for his response, I turned and raced back towards the coven.

It was still early afternoon, and the bright sunlight reflected off her sweaty face as I stared down at it resting against my shoulder. She was thin, her clothes were tattered and stained, and I could feel her erratic heartbeat thumping against my biceps as I held her close.

The pounding pulse should have called forth my hunger. I should’ve felt the urge to sink my fangs into her carotid and drain her dry, but I didn’t. I had lived for two centuries, feeding on other species, ruling over them with fear. We were the predators, and they were our prey. Develton had taught us that there was no room for compassion or mercy with the lesser species, but as I studied her delicate features, I realized that was exactly what I was feeling.

I made my way through the hall, thankful that the sun was still high and most of the coven members wouldn’t awaken for a few more hours. I held the enchantress close and hovered to the fourth floor, careful not to jolt her as I landed in the hallway. Just as I turned, the incestuous sisters appeared in their doorway, and like scavengers, they both tilted their heads and scented the air.

“She smells delicious, Your Highness.” Rosalyn, the quieter one, purred.

“Yes, she does, sister,” Rochelle chimed in. “I wonder if His Highness will share his birthday feast with us?”

I hissed in response and bared my fangs, once again overcome with the urge to protect the woman in my arms.

“If you touch her, you will end up in the sanctum along with your insubordinate father! He's already earned himself a hundred lashes for disobeying my orders today. Will you both be joining him tonight?”

They both hissed in unison, shock painted their matching faces before they lowered their heads and scurried back into their room.

I turned and continued down the corridor, a million things running through my mind. What was her name? Had she lived in Nocturnia her whole life? Why had she used the witch’s name? Why had she never donated before, and the loudest of my rambling thoughts was, how would Develton react when he discovered the human in his coven?

As I approached our door, I was surprised to see it wide open until I remembered I was the one who hadn’t closed it. I knew Dev wouldn’t return until nightfall, and it gave me time to prepare. However, as I rounded the corner and entered our bedchamber, I was not prepared for the sight before me.

The area around our bed was speckled with blood spatter, and it soaked our ivory pillowcases. I stood paralyzed with shock, my eyes darting around the red-painted room until they landed on the source. Her donation bag was now torn to shreds and lay discarded in the middle of the floor. As I focused on the mangled bag, my gaze followed the trail of tiny paw prints that led away from the scene. In an instant, it all clicked, and I knew exactly what had happened.

Fucking Chomper!

That mangy-haired, snaggle-toothed, bloodsucking chihuahua had snuck in while I was gone and devoured her blood bag!

As I looked down at the mystery woman in my arms and then surveyed the room that required immediate cleaning, I realized I’d stacked my plate too high. It was clear that I needed to seek help.

It was time to awaken the reinforcements!