Chapter One - Blood Life
Hunger was burning inside of him.
It had been two weeks since Alexa had been taken to Ctiral and they were nowhere ready to get to her the ships were still under construction in a small port town of Frisnia Region.
Lucius was pacing the dinning hall where he was. Sometimes he would stop and look at Edwin and then shake his head. Edwin knew he was not happy with the situation but there was nothing they could do about it. The strain of not drinking even a small drop of blood was already being noticeable.
His skin was fragile and the dark veins were popping out from his skin.
“You need to stop this.” Lucius voice grated on his ears and Edwin nodded his head. “You look like a corpse walking.”
The dinning room fire crackled on the night and for some it could be a warm and stuffy room but the warmth of the blazing fire on the fireplace couldn’t warm the coldness he felt in his bones and in his soul.
“It will not work, Lucius.”
“You haven’t even tried.” Lucius knuckles were white when he slid the goblet filled with blood right under his nose.
Edwin took a deep sigh and took the goblet from his hands. The smell of copper and rot, like rotten meat assaulted his nostrils and made his stomach churn with revulsion. Taking the goblet quicker to his lips so to not lose the courage for drinking the blood Edwin felt the thick blood and with a hint of rotten meat and fruit slid down his throat. Bile rose up and all contents in his stomach revolted against the intrusion and vomit and blood came out from his mouth to the ground.
Lucius sighed a frown on his face, showing his upper teeth in revolution he screamed to the closed door of the dinning room.
“Servant!”
Small hurried footsteps were heard and the cracking of the door opening showed them a small human woman with a round face a wide brown eyes as she surveyed the room.
Lucius snapped his fingers towards the mess and the maid exhale a gasp. Nodding her head she turn back to grab a bucket of water and a cloth to clean the mess. Returning to the room in less than a minute.
“You can’t drink from a cup, that seems obvious now.” Lucius shook his head and mumble under his breath. “What a waste.” Then turning to Edwin he kept going. “But what about drinking from the source? We both know that harvested blood is nothing like drinking from the source.”
Edwin fist slammed against the table.
“I’m mated! It will not work. I can’t even fell the desire for other blood. It smells like rotten food to me. It will not make a difference if it is harvested or from the source.”
“How do you know if you haven’t even tried?” Lucius snapped at him his voice a pitch higher than usual. “You will need to get your strength if you want to save the fleabag that you call a mate.”
Edwin snarled to Lucius showing his teeth.
“I know. I know. You will not allow disrespect to your mate.” Lucius made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “However the truth is you’re getting weaker day by day.”
A clearing of the throat made both men look towards the servant girl. Her cheeks were rosy in embarrassment.
“You can drink from me your majesty.” She croaked her voice barely a whisper.
Edwin’s brows shoot up, he was aware of the distrust of Zulcan towards vampires.
“Are you serious?” Lucius’ voice had a hint of mockery.
The girl nodded her head and some strands of hair come lose from the plait on her back. Lucius turned to Edwin with a smirk on his face.
“This would never happen to me. I don’t know why these peasants have you in such high regard.”
“It is not Prince Edwin.” The girl spoke her voice a little bit stronger and her eyes shone with conviction. “It is Queen Alexa. We would do anything for her and if she is mated to Prince Edwin we find ourselves bound to him and to help him get our Queen back.”
Lucius scoffed and made a dismissive gesture with his hand.
“Right. Well. What are you waiting for, Edwin?”
Edwin shook his head and turned to the girl.
“What is your name, dear?”
“I’m Emaline, your Highness.”
“Emaline, that’s a beautiful name. Thank you for your offer.” Edwin took a deep sigh and looked to the ceiling to gather strength. “It might not work and I can’t promised what will happen to you or to me if we do this. Since I’m mated my venom might have changed. I will not endanger your life without you having all the knowledge.”
“I understand, your Highness. I still freely give my blood to you, if that means that you can get our Queen back.”Edwin nodded with a small nod of his head.
The loyalty of Alexa’s subjects never ceased to amaze him.
“Can you hurry up? We don’t have all day.” Lucius grumbled behind them.
Edwin ignored his uncle and kept looking into the girls brown eyes.
“Thank you Emaline. I will try to be gentle.”
The girl shiver but tilted her head to the side so to give him access to his neck. Edwin smiled softly.
“No Emaline. I will not take the vein on your neck. That is only for my mate. Your wrist is fine.”
Edwin heard Lucius huff before taking Emaline’s wrist and he had to will his fangs to come down. The smell of the girl was good but bland.. Like if you had tasted the best stake and then been offered oats.
He felt his fangs pierce the skin of the young girl and heard the gasp that she gave at the pain followed by a moan that repulsed him. The touch of her blood on his tongue was like water - stale water - incorporeal and foul tasted with rot and metal.
He could not contain himself hurrying up he took his mouth from the girls skin and started retching everything that he had inside of himself.
“I was not expecting this.” Lucius murmured and shooed the servant girl away after she cleaned the mess that Edwin had made.
Edwin felt like his world was upside down. He was dizzy and his stomach was revolting against him. Pain lingered on his body and the hollowness on his chest was the worst that he felt. His vision was blurry and he could hear something but he couldn’t understand anything. Lucius was speaking but very far away.
Darkness was enclosing on him and he couldn’t do anything to keep it away. Not that he wanted to, at least in darkness he would have a reprieve from the pain and the emptiness he felt.
“I’m gonna get Diana.”
It was the last thing he heard before surrendering to the darkness.
