Chapter I
“Get to the point, peasant,” I hissed as I stared down my nose at the man kneeling before me.
“My Queen,” he began, “I volunteer to be your blood slave.” His gaze remained low with his hand over his heart in respect.
“Interesting,” I mused. “And what, may I ask, makes you think you’re blood is worthy to feed royalty?” Though I outwardly remained neutral, my heart began to sing. It was rare to get volunteer blood slaves.
“I…I don’t know, your majesty.” I could smell his fear intermingling with his stench. He smelled of piss and farm animal, his clothes were filthy and riddled with holes. “Others have stated that my blood is particularly sweet, but I’m not a vampire. I cannot tell you whether it’s true or not.”
“Guard!” I beckoned. “Prick this man’s finger.” He had piqued my interest. If he truly had worthy blood, I would be able to tell by smelling just one drop.
“Yes, your majesty,” the guard replied as he quickly walked over to the man and grabbed his hand. Pulling out a sheathed dagger, he gently slid the sharp edge along the man’s pinky finger. Immediately the sweet aroma of blood filled my nostrils. My sharp fangs descended slowly as I inhaled, granting me a terrifying smile.
“What is your name?”
“Uhh… R-Reuben, your majesty.”
“Reuban,” I repeated. “You shall be placed with the volunteer blood slaves. If you prove useful and obedient, I shall grant you a permanent place here.”
His eyes widened while he stared at the floor. I could see all the tension release from his body. His bald head drooped in relief and I heard a brief sob escape his lips. “T-thank you, y-your majesty,” he stuttered. With a wave of my hand, the guard pulled Reuban to his feet and, without a word, took him to the bathhouse.
Reuban would find that there was only one other volunteer blood slave, Raven, who has been here for 40 years.
Raven volunteered at 16 after her parents were killed during a raid of her village. She doesn’t need to know that I am the one who ordered the raid with instructions to kill them all. Somehow that little rat evaded my army and the men in that battalion were punished accordingly. Their bodies are buried in a mass grave near the edge of my kingdom.
Still, Raven has been loyal and, most of all, useful, during her time here. She’s been allotted comforts that are not offered to many servants in my castle. These comforts may be given to Reuban as well, should he follow in her footsteps.
I watched the men walk away and sighed as their footsteps retreated. Once they were out of sight, I sank down in my cushioned throne. I lifted my hands and gazed at my jewelry. I never got tired of looking at my father’s rings and my mother’s bracelets. Their smoothe, cold surfaces had been impregnated with a small amount of my parent’s magic. Although I had my own, their presence was soothing.
I was lost in thought as I gazed up at the sparkling stones until I heard the clacking of heels rushing towards the throne room.
“Sister!” Lilian exclaimed.
“They’re here!” Madelyn squeeled.
My younger twin sisters ran in and stopped before me to bow their heads before they continued speaking. But before they could, a royal guard stepped into the room.
“My Queen, the suitors have arrived.” The guard strode in from the direction my sisters had come from. No doubt they had been on the balcony, eagerly awaiting the arrival of my potential husbands.
“My sisters have already informed me,” I said with a scowl in his direction. “If important news is delivered to me by my sisters, it seems your job is obsolete, is it not?”
“I came as soon as I saw them arrive, my Queen.” He knelt down in submission where he stood.
“Then your eyesight is poor,” I spat coldly. “I cannot trust a guard who is unable to see potential intruders before my sisters.” I stood and stalked towards the armor clad figure. My heels clicked menacingly on the marble floor with each purposeful step and my long black dress dragged behind me.“Your duty, might I remind you, is to protect what’s mine.” I was now furious. My bright blue eyes began to shift, I could feel the snake-like slit forming followed by the bright red pigment.
“I understand, your majesty. It will not happen again.” His eyes remained on the floor as he spoke confidently, but I could smell the scent of fear radiating from his body. I could hear my sisters giggling behind me, but my focus remained to the front.
I reached under his chin to make him look up at me. My sharp nail scratched along his cheek, drawing blood. “You’re correct,” I said with a wicked grin. His dull blue eyes stared into my bright red ones as he began to tremble. Letting go of his chin, I drug a finger across his raw skin and brought a drop of fresh blood to my lips. It tasted salty and sweet like a caramel apple. The flavor danced along my tongue, eliciting a small moan to escape me.
Before I could continue, my most trusted advisor, and best friend, opened the large doors and stepped inside. As he saw me leaned over the guard, who had now pissed himself, he smiled.
“My Queen, Angelica,” he bowed deeply.
“Yes, Zander?” I stood to my full height and gestured for him to approach.
Zander was the leader of my military as well as a royal adviser. Early on and throughout my reign, he guided me and aided in my decision making. He had been in his position for centuries beside my mother and father and has remained loyal through the wars, tragedies, and deaths surrounding my kingdom. He has dedicated his life to my family and to me, but unlike my parents, Zander has become my best friend and personal confidant. His ruthlessness matches my own and with every drop of blood spilt, our bond ever grows.
“Your suitors eagerly await your arrival in the courtyard.” Zander said as he walked toward me. “What’s this?” A grin appeared as he whispered in my ear, referring to the guard on his knees in front of me. His deep brown eyes questioning.
“What? This?” I said innocently through my lashes.
“A guard who requires punishment,” Lilian said coldly.
“Yes, punishment!” Madelyn agreed wholeheartedly as she looked back and forth between me and her twin.
All of our eyes turned to the guard, but he only stareat me, trying to be invisible.
“Beg,” I hissed at him.
“F-for what, your m-m-majesty?” His eyebrows shot up in question as he continued to tremble in fear.
I leaned in close and gently nibbled his ear. “Your life,” I whispered. The guard’s body went stiff as I ran my fingers through his hair and gently caressed his face.
“P-please, your majesty!” He pleaded.
“Not good enough.” My tongue roamed the skin on his neck, enjoying the taste of his fear.
“I’ll do anything, your majesty! Anything! Please…” I could hear fear in his voice.
“Hmmmm,” I purred against his neck. My fangs descended slowly as I picked a spot above his artery. Suddenly I turned his head to grant me better access and dug my fangs into his neck. A blood curddling scream erupted from his mouth. I could’ve made it painless, but I decided not to. He tried to fight against me but all it did was increase his heart rate, causing his blood to rush into my mouth faster and faster. The sweet thick liquid coated my my tongue, but I swallowed slowly so I didn’t kill him right away.
“Sister, we’re thirsty,” Madelyn whined.
Using my other hand, I beckoned the twins forth. I heard their quick footsteps and felt each of them grab one of the guard’s arms. More screams filled the throne room as each of their fangs plunged into his radial arteries. They were still young and didn’t know how to make their feedings painless, not that I minded. He kicked and screamed and pleaded as we drained him dry. In the end, his fighting was futile as he lay pale and dead on the floor.
“That was a sight, and a sound, to behold,” Zander said as he exaggerated unplugging his ears. “I’m sure your princes-in-waiting heard.” Smiling mischievously, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out three handkerchiefs. He distributed one to me and one to each of my sisters.
“What? You don’t think a bloodied mouth is sexy on me?” I grinned while wiping the blood off of my face and neck.
“Oh, my Queen, you are exquisite in everything you do.” Zander bowed deeply and put on his best fake royal english accent. His position allowed me to view the golden tattoos that adorned his shiny bald head like a crown. They ran along his flawless dark skin and disappeared down the base of his neck.
I turned to my sisters and smiled. I opened my arms for them to run into and gave them a big squeeze, kissing the tops of their pretty blonde heads. When they pulled away, I noticed a few drops of blood they had missed when cleaning themselves up. Grabbing my handkerchief, I gently washed away the drops and gave them each a playful slap on the cheek.
“My dear sisters,” I began as I turned to walk to the courtyard but stopped when I heard Zander cough loudly. “And my dear, precious, Zander,” I continued, noting the way his shoulders lifted and his teeth shone with a big goofy smile. “Let us go meet my future husband, shall we?”
———
As we made our way to the courtyard, Zander’s grin remaind plastered on his face.
“What is wrong with you, Zane?” I asked, laughing.
“Well,” he began, clearing his throat. “You may be impressed with some of your choices, my Queen. Some are quite handsome.” I eyed him suspiciously, he was up to something.
“Good,” I said slowly, studying his reaction.
“But, my lady,” he began, taking a deep breath, “unfortunately, only one will get to stay?” He said it as a statement but ended it qith a question.
“That is correct, Zane.”
“Well, what if… one of them…” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “What if one of them stayed… with me?” He finally asked but quickly added, “once you have chosen your husband, my Queen.”
“As the trials progress, I’ll allow you to… do some reconnaissance…” I gave him a wink, then continued. “If you find a man who you want, and he wants you, you may bring him before me for my approval.” I didn’t mind if Zane happened to find love for himself among my suitors. I had already considered that along with finding myself a husband, my advisor and my sisters may as well. “If he is concerned with losing out on being a king, you may explain that him and his family will be rewarded with a sum of money and an alliance. A marriage to you brings with it the status and property that you have earned as my family’s closest advisor and rotal military leader.” Zane stared up at me in surprise and stopped in his tracks. My sisters look equally shocked and confused.
“Lady Angelica, you would do this for me?” Zane asked with tears in his eyes.
“So long as he treats you well, and is loyal to me, this is the offer I’m willing to make.” I offered my hand and he took it in his. “You are my closest friend and most trusted ally. You’ve done my dirty work and seen my darkness, yet remain faithful. You’ve advised me on things that have saved my life and my kingdom.” I smiled gently and rubbed my thumb along the back of his hand. “If you finding your mate from my pool of suitors is the cost, I will happily pay it.”
“Lady A-“ he began but I cut him off.
“Plus, how am I to produce and heir with a man who might not be able to fuck me good enough?” I asked, laughing. Zane began laughing too and we resumed our walk to the courtyard.
“Sister…?” Lilian and Madelyn asked in tandem.
“We will discuss it, but not yet,” I said and turned to give each a kiss on the cheek. Their cheeks blazed red as they averted mine and each others gaze.
Our foursome finally arrived at the courtyard where the 107 princes eagerly awaited my arrival, yet, none of the men seemed to have noticed my presence. I stood next to Zander and my sisters and waited.
“What are you waiting for, dear sister?” Lilian asked in a whisper.
“I need a man who is aware of his surroundings at all times, even in big crowds like this,” I stated simply, crossing my arms over my chest.
“What about the ones all the way in the back?” Madelyn questioned.
“You should not need to see something, you should be able to sense it.” My sisters nodded in unison with big smiles.
“You are so smart, sister,” Lilian started.
“Yes, sister, we have a lot to learn from you,” Madelyn finished.
It took mere seconds for some of the men to turn and face me, most stood like statues after a respectful bow in my direction.
“How many have military training?” I asked Zander without looking at him.
“Seventy three, my lady,” he replied, also staring ahead.
More and more men took notice of me. Some bowed awkwardly, some with confidence, others with too much confidence. Once the crowd had quieted, with their attention on me, I sighed loudly and moved to sit on the small bench that sat a few steps higher than the crowd.
“Have the guards bring forward the men who noticed my presence within 30 seconds of my arrival. They were briefed of their responsibilities, yes?” I spoke to Zane when he had moved to stand next to me.
“Yes, your majesty. I have my best men and women observing the crowd and taking notes,” he turned toward me a smirked. “I shall have the guards bring the men forward as you have instructed, lady Angelica.”
I said nothing as I stared out at the crowd. By observing their posture, it was apparent which men had military training. They stood with their feet shoulder width apart and arms rigidly at their side.
“Oh, he’s handsome,” my sisters began talking amongst themselves.
“Really? I like that one.” Madelyn replied, pointing to someone else.
“No, see his tattoo? That means he stole something big and got caught.” Lilian explained.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to marry a thief,” Madelyn still stared longingly at the man.
“It’s not that they are a thief. It’s that they got caught.” I smiled wide at Lilian’s explanation. It was true, committing certain crimes wasn’t necessarily concerning in and of itself, but getting caught meant they didn’t have the smarts or the skills to remain anonymous.
Zander returned to my side shortly before the guards brought men from the back to stand before me.
“Face!” Zander commanded. I watched with a dull expression as all of these men formed five perfectly straight rows and faced me.
“How many?” I asked with an annoyed tone.
“Seventy five, my Queen,” Zander informed me. So two of these men did not have military experience but stood before me, indistinguishable from those who had. I rose slowly from my seat and began to address the crowd.
“Suitors!” I said loudly enough for them all to hear me. The men in front did not acknowledge me, as was expected, however, the crowd of twenty-something that stood to the back, remained a jumbled mess of sweaty bodies. “As stated in my proclamation to the leaders of your various countries, you will all undergo several challenges and tests over the next month. They will identify your weaknesses, may it be physical or otherwise, and will weed out those who are weak and unworthy of being my husband, king, and father of my heir.” I paused, letting my words sink in. “It will not be easy. Some may die, others may be maimed, and some may simply be sent home.” I continued my announcement, shifting my weight to one side, with a hand on that hip. “However, you may quit at any time, but doing so forfeits your, and your family’s, ability to form an alliance with the whole of my kingdom for the foreseeable future.” Looking over the crowd, I sat back in my seat and waited.
“Your challenge began the moment you stepped into our territory!” Zander announced. He looked to me for acknowledgment and with a gesture of my hand, he continued. “Guards! Remove the men in the back!” Gasps of surprise arrose from them as the guards executed their orders.
“Now, who do we have here?” I questioned out loud while I stared at the sweaty men before me. A wicked grin crossed my lips as I began my search for a husband.
