CRIMSON FIRE

Blood was the first thing I ever tasted—and the last thing I ever wanted.

It burned through me like sin and silk, sweet and savage all at once. From that moment, I knew what I was: wrong.

Born between two worlds that were never meant to touch.

My name is Kai Dupré, and I’m the only half-breed in my family.

My father, Raiden Dupré, was a wild man — powerful, ruthless, and loved by every woman unlucky enough to cross his path. He had children across continents. Four sons from four mothers: Seth, Elias, Dorian, and Xavier.

All purebloods.

All perfect.

And then there was me.

My mother… she wasn’t like the others. She refused to turn while carrying me, even when Raiden begged her. She wanted a normal pregnancy. Normal.

I still laugh at that word.

What the fuck sounds normal about carrying a vampire’s child?

She died when I was fifteen. And after that, my life in that house became hell.

Purebloods were born only when the mother turned before birth. That was law — the ancient code of our kind. But me? I was different. Half human. Half monster.

And I hated it.

I hated the hunger. The thirst. The way bloodlust wrapped around pleasure until I couldn’t tell the difference between craving and desire.

My brothers made sure I never forgot it.

> “Half-breed pussy,” Seth would sneer. “Gets hard at the sight of blood.

They weren’t wrong.

The first time it happened, I refused to feed. I’d grown pale, weak, near death. My father stormed into my room with a glass of blood, growling,

> “Drink, or you’ll die.”

I tried to resist, but the moment that scent hit me, I lost control. I drank — and it felt too good. Shameful, euphoric. I came undone, trembling, moaning, spilling over my own sheets like a starving addict.

That was the day I realized something had to change.

I refused to live as a slave to my own craving.

So I built a team — vampires, scientists, healers. Together, we created a serum that dulled bloodlust once triggered. It wasn’t perfect, but it kept me alive.

My brothers called it weakness.

I called it control.

They tortured me for it — locked me away, beat me until I healed slow and raw. Purebloods recovered in minutes. I took hours. Days.

But I never broke.

Now, centuries later, I still wake alone in my estate — Four hundred years old, frozen at twenty. The youngest. The unwanted. The half-breed.

That night, my phone rang. My father’s voice rumbled through the speaker.

> “Kai. It’s time. I’m retiring. The ceremony must be done. one of you will receive a part of my power. Whichever son becomes Dominus will lead the Council.”

My grip tightened. Dominus — the ultimate transformation. The crown every one of my brothers would kill for.

> “I want nothing to do with it,” I said flatly. “Give it to your precious purebloods.”

“Kai—”

“No.” I cut him off. “Keep your throne. Keep your power. I’m done.”

And I hung up.

The thought of kneeling beside those bastards, pretending to fight for a father who let them destroy me?

Not a fucking chance.

Still, I couldn’t shake the truth — no matter how far I ran, we shared the same blood.

---

Seth. The eldest. Cold. Vicious. Fire-bender of the family, always ready to burn the world if it meant getting what he wanted.

Elias. Manipulator. Could twist your mind until you’d swear the sky was black and the ocean burned. Charming. Deadly. Father’s favorite.

Dorian. Strength incarnate. All brawn, no soul. A walking weapon who lived for violence.

Xavier. Silent, calculating. Shadows loved him. They followed him, hid him, whispered for him. The one brother I never saw coming.

And then me — Kai — the broken experiment. My gift never bloomed, only cursed me. Hunger that never fades. Desire that never dies.

I was training in the courtyard, bare-chested, sweat glistening on my skin, when the gates creaked open.

My brothers.

They walked in like death wearing designer suits.

Seth spoke first. “Father’s fallen into Somnus Aeternum. The Eternal Sleep. The ceremony wasn’t completed. No one was chosen.”

I froze. “What?”

“It means the Council is leaderless,” Elias said, lighting a cigarette.

Seth stepped forward, eyes sharp. “And you, little brother — still running? Still pretending you’re too good for your blood?”

“I told Father I wanted nothing to do with his empire,” I muttered. “You can have it.”

Seth laughed coldly. “You think you’re better than us? Acting like some half-breed saint while we keep the bloodline alive?”

I turned away. “You keep it alive by murdering and fucking anything that moves. Congratulations.”

His fist cracked across my jaw before I could blink. The hit sent me sprawling. Blood filled my mouth — metallic, warm.

I swung back, hard, our bodies slamming against the marble floor. Claws ripped. Fangs bared. My vision blurred red.

“Stop acting like you’re above us!” Seth roared, pounding my ribs. “You hated Father’s power, but it’s the only reason you’re still breathing!”

I shoved him off, panting. “Breathing? You call this living? You and your brothers made my life a nightmare!”

He lunged again, but before his strike landed—

> “Enough!”

The voice sliced through the chaos.

Lucan. My father’s right hand. Loyal. Terrifying.

He appeared between us, the air around him vibrating with power. “You’ll tear this bloodline apart before the enemy even raises a hand.”

I spat blood and stood, glaring at Seth. “I don’t want your throne. Or this family.”

Seth smirked, lip bleeding. “Then leave, half-breed.”

I did.

I walked out without another word, the taste of blood and hatred thick on my tongue.

But as I crossed the threshold the thought of that cursed mansion, a whisper echoed through me Father.

THE SLEEPING KING

The castle loomed against the night sky, carved into the cliffs like a wound that never healed. Its spires clawed at the clouds, torches flickering along the walls as if the stones themselves still breathed. I hadn’t been home in years. Not since I swore I’d never walk these halls again.Lucan waited at the gate when I arrived. His long coat snapped in the wind, the smell of rain heavy in the air. “He hasn’t woken once,” he said. “The physicians are keeping him stable, but… it’s not looking good.”

“Stable,” I repeated, my voice flat. “You mean alive, but not living.”

Lucan gave a small nod. “You should see him.”

We entered the castle, the sound of our footsteps echoing against marble floors. Portraits of our ancestors lined the corridor—cold eyes, pale faces, reminders of the dynasty built on blood and fear.

The humans still believed in monsters from fairy tales. They didn’t realize the monsters owned their banks, their governments, their nightclubs. We were everywhere—just invisible.

Lucan led the way up the grand staircase to the top floor. The doors to my father’s chambers stood tall and heavy, two guards on either side. They bowed slightly as Lucan pushed them open.

The scent hit me immediately—metallic, faintly scorched, old blood thick in the air.

Raiden lay motionless in the massive bed, the once-great king of our kind reduced to stillness. His chest rose only slightly, his veins faintly glowing beneath the skin. Tubes ran into crystal decanters filled with blood, machines softly humming.

For a moment, I just stared.

I had seen my father in rage, in triumph, in violence—but never like this. Never weak.

Lucan stood a few paces behind. “He collapsed during the council meeting. His power surged, then broke. The healers say his body entered the Sleep to protect itself from burning out.”

I approached the bed slowly. The air was thick with his power—muted, but still there, pulsing faintly beneath the surface like a dying flame refusing to go out. I reached out, resting my hand near his arm but not touching.

He looked almost human. That was what unsettled me most.

The man who built an empire of blood, who ruled every shadow on the continent, was now nothing more than breath and bone.

“Still pretending to be immortal,” I muttered under my breath. “Even when you’re barely breathing.”

Lucan’s gaze flicked toward me. “He asked for you, before he fell unconscious.”

I looked up sharply. “What?”

“He said, the boy will see the fire when the time comes.”

I exhaled, a humorless laugh leaving my chest. “Typical. Cryptic bullshit until the end.”

Lucan’s tone softened, rare for him. “He always believed you’d return.”

“Not for him,” I said quietly. “I came because something’s changing. I can feel it.”

Lucan nodded once, understanding. “The True Vampire has been seen again. Seth’s been moving in his shadow.”

I clenched my jaw. “Then it’s already begun.”

I turned back toward my father’s sleeping form, eyes burning with a mix of anger and something I refused to name. “Rest, old man,” I said under my breath. “But don’t expect me to save your throne.”

The torches flickered as if reacting to my words.

I turned, coat sweeping behind me as I left the room. The doors closed with a hollow echo that followed me down the hall.

Outside, the rain had started—cold, sharp, cleansing.

And for the first time in years, I wasn’t sure if I’d come home to bury my father… or to become him.

Lucan’s voice echoed through the marble hall. “Each of you will step up now,” he said, pacing the long oak table. “Your father’s absence leaves a gap in our world. And gaps like that invite chaos.”

His gaze cut from one brother to the next, assigning duties like weapons. “Elias — the banks. Dorian — the ports. Xavier — the streets.”

Then his eyes landed on me.

“And you, Kai. You already run the labs. The serum you created could expand our reach beyond anything your father dreamed. You’ll control it.”

I leaned back, jaw tight. “I already told Father—I’m not interested. I don’t want his empire.”

A bitter laugh sliced through the air. Seth leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Of course you don’t. You’ve always thought you were above it. Pretending you’re the noble one while living off everything he built.”

“I live off nothing that man created,” I snapped. “Everything I have, I bled for.”

Seth’s smirk twisted. “You mean everything he allowed you to have. Don’t rewrite history just because you finally learned to hide the monster in you.”

The words hit harder than any insult.

I stood. “I don’t need to hide, Seth. I just learned to control what you feed on.”

He rose too, his voice lowering to a growl. “You think control makes you better? You’re a coward. You run from what you are while I embrace it.”

The table between us shuddered as I slammed my hand down. “You mistake bloodlust for power. You’re still just a child gnawing on the bones of the past.”

He lunged before Lucan could stop him, his hand closing around my throat. “Say that again.”

I met his eyes, unflinching. “You envy me, brother. That’s your real curse.”

For a heartbeat, something flickered there — pain, rage, and something else he’d never admit. Then he shoved me away, breathing hard.

Lucan’s power rolled through the room like thunder. “Enough! You’ll tear each other apart before the true war even reaches us.”

Seth stepped back, voice shaking with fury. “Keep your fake honor, Kai. When this is over, you’ll still be the one standing in the shadows while the rest of us rule.”

I didn’t answer. I just turned and walked out, fists bleeding, heart pounding with every word he didn’t have the courage to say.

Because deep down, I knew what this really was —

Seth didn’t hate me because I was different.

He hated me because Father had loved me more.