by K A Young
The human's voice falters as Henri bares his fangs at him, "Wh-wh-what...wh-when do you want t-to go live?"
"Soon," Locaine replies, turning abruptly around while his eyes immediately lock with my own.
"I know you do not approve of this," Locaine places his two strong hands on top of my shoulders, a tinge of guilt tracing his voice as he empathizes with my innate being, "however...the world will change. This is just how it has to be, and I pray you'll forgive me in time for the consequences my actions elect."
"You are stronger and smarter than humans..." my voice hangs on edge for a moment before I admit what I have already known for a while now, "...it was only a matter of time...humans think that they can rule the Earth as their own, they just didn't realize they were not at the top of the food chain." Those words ring with a haunting truth that were once spoken to me by Emily as I understand the hunters will never surpass the superiority of the vampires.
He arches a brow at my calculated response, understanding that I've fallen in line behind him completely, "You've finally given in, haven't you?"
"I can't fight a world of vampires on my own...and neither can they," I reply, my voice is cold as ice, accepting the fate which has fallen on the world is a hard pill to swallow, but it's necessary for me as I've already chosen my side. Their rights, their freedom, their very existence will be taken from them and used, however, the vampires see fit, marking a new era for the history books.
Locaine's voice changes, a tint of sadness following as he admits to me, "All I ever wanted was to finish my brother's work. Finding you was part of that...however, you changed me, and I can't fulfill my entire promise to him..."
"I wanted to kill you," I whisper to him, releasing a tiny sigh as I explain, "you took everything away from me...but, only after everything had been stripped away, did I finally see how this world really is. I took everything for granted, expecting everything and anything from the world like it owed me a favor. It didn't. I see that now."
"Locaine," Darius' voice echoes near the camera man as Henri stands on his other side, "it's time."
Locaine gives me one long, lasting look before turning to the lens, my heart returning to an average rate for but a moment. The red blinking light comes on a second later, letting us know we are now broadcasting live.
"Hello," Locaine begins, his voice resonating with power, "I'm Locaine, your king. Many of you have already felt our presences around the world, either hearing whispers here or rumors there...some of you have been living among us without even realizing it. Today, I'm here to tell you, your rights and claim to this world, have ended. You will bow down to our species as the dominant ones who will reign over this world, relinquishing your rights by choice...however, if force must be used, it'll be our pleasure to help you into line."
He pauses, the humans in the area are shaking in their shoes, afraid of this creature before them. I was scared once too, but now there is no reason for me to be. My life is in Locaine's hands, and I must accept this...at least I was given a choice, though I know they have none...
"You are all fortunate enough to reside on this planet with us," Locaine starts up again, "you will respect, obey, and follow all orders given to you by a higher being. If you cannot do this, your life will be payment. The choice...is yours."
My head snaps to attention, hearing screams in the distance as they begin to envelop the night sky like a choir being massacred. I know at this very moment that homes are being invaded, families torn apart, loved ones murdered...all for their pleasure.
Their rule.
The age of humans is over...the reign of the vampires is about to begin.
The red-light flickers to a stop, growing dark as the camera turns off a second later. The cameraman sits quietly, hoping the vampires will not notice him as he'd initially been one to put up a fight at the request of using the equipment.
That is false hope.
His screams make me cringe, Henri, burying his fangs deep into his neck in the blink of an eye. His gurgled pleas are silenced within mere seconds, my heart accelerating faster as his comes to a sudden halt. Henri allows his body to drop to the floor, lifeless.
I hold my hands clasped together in front of me, my knuckles turning white as the air catches in my lungs. Locaine turns around, his eyes are a black rose as they settle on me...his voice is very different when he states, "So it begins," he then takes hold of my waist, bringing me to him.
"So, it has," I return after releasing a shaky exhale, my eyes gazing into his with wonder at what this new world will bring. The power he has...it's enthralling, dangerously beckoning me forward into a downward spiral. Everything I once despised about their species entrances me, an enthralling feeling unable to fight off any longer. Growing to learn and understand Locaine...beyond the craving for power, we are more alike than I could ever imagine...
Carly was right...
...I'm just like them.
"Come with me, slave," Locaine releases his hold on me, taking a few steps down from the raised platform and offering me his hand. I glance to the sky, the full moon shining back at me with its brightest light. I hadn't been outside in a long time, and it feels incredible.
"Slave?" I turn my attention to Locaine, who has his hand outstretched toward me, waiting for me to take it and signify the physical appearance we already know emotionally.
I exhale another sigh, steadying myself as I breathe in deeply, "Yes, master," I reply, reaching out while my hand lands in his. I take each step at a time, coming to stand in front of him. His fingers wrap around the back of my hand as he begins to lead me through the carnage that occurred only minutes prior, shattering the peace this world once held.
I can barely handle the commotion that is happening in the streets of the city, the cries echoing in the distance as they slowly begin to surround me. I walk beside Locaine, trying hard to ignore the events around me as a gentle squeeze sends a warmth trailing through my body. Screams of young girls being ripped apart from their families make my heart skip a beat, swallowing hard when I realize one thing...
...those that resist, the girls themselves or family members attempting to protect them, are slaughtered where they stand.
Future slaves...
Vampires I had never seen before, creep out from the shadows, lusting after their prey as the free for all rages on. Some kill to fulfill their thirst, others merely are relieved to be able to roam freely in the streets without the worry of being exposed and ganged up on by the very humans they are now murdering in groups. I turn my eyes away from everything, blocking out their hurt, pain, fear and desperate cries for help that causes everything within me to bubble up. It's hard for me to do, because no matter how hard I fight it, the blood of the hunters flows through my veins, drawing on a response from my blood magic.
I was supposed to protect them. I was supposed to be their guardian...I turned my back on them once, and here I am repeating my past mistakes.
I can't do anything right...
The warmth ignites in the center of my chest, a pain forking out like lightning throughout my body while I clench my teeth in anguish. Their burden becomes my own as each moment their cries escalate, the pain residue spreads beneath my skin, feeling each death and knowing their blood is on my hands.
I couldn't have made a difference, I would have been killed along with the rest of the hunters if I'd left Locaine's mansion...or I would have been killed by other vampires in the process of scouting for my family. Our species is on the brink of extinction, the epitome of annihilation, and I must do whatever it takes to survive.
"King Locaine!" I hear a feminine voice call out to our right, a chill raking through my body as I hold back the fire that wants to be released from my blood magic. Locaine halts us both in his tracks and turns his attention to her. She holds a young boy around the age of ten in her clutches, my heart stopping in my chest.
"Yes?" He replies, noticing the shift in my demeanor and the stop of my heart for a split second. He squeezes my h
and, my heart beginning to beat once again although, I can't control it any longer or the pounding unevenness of the rhythm that sets in.
She smiles with admiration when he accepts her presence and holds the boy out to him in an offering, "Would you do the honors of deciding this boy's fate?" I have never seen Locaine turn anyone. His bite has always killed humans, none able to withstand his force.
My jaw clenches tight, and I almost dig my nails into Locaine's flesh, my anger coming through just to him at what this woman is proposing...
This vampire is sentencing the young boy to death.
"His family here," she continues, motioning to the cowering humans in the corner of the alley, "do not understand the full power of a pureblood."
Please don't...please don't kill him.
I take one step forward, and Locaine shoots me one of his warning glances, his own hand tightening on mine. I bite my lip with rage and turn my face away, stepping back in line next to him as I stare down back the way we'd come.
"I would," Locaine responds to her, the anger rising further until he states, "however, I don't have time."
Thank you.
I silently relax the tension building in my shoulders, my nails no longer seeping into his flesh as his own reassuring squeeze is enough to convince me he'd never kill for pleasure again...
...for me, he won't take pride in the work he continues any further as his brother's dying wish is now complete...what comes forth from this world, rising from the ashes of decay is not planned nor of his will.
She sighs and rolls her eyes, "Oh well, I thought I would at least offer."
She takes a handful of the boy's hair in her hand and yanks his head sharply to the side, slowly puncturing his neck with her sharp fangs. My eyes widen as my gaze had fallen back on the two of them moments prior.
I'm surprised when she suddenly pulls away, stating, "I think I will keep this one for myself."
Equal opportunity slavery.
I shake my head at the thought...
At least he is safe...for now.
Even though I know it is for 'show,' I'm exhausted from being ordered around by Locaine, being kept in line when deep down he knows this is wrong and I do resent every second of it. I want the chance to take control of him...but he would never allow it.
Locaine continues his walk down the street with my hand in his, the dead air warping like a funnel around us. We are not that far from his mansion as we round the corner, the double doors coming into view. He opens the door once we approach it, holding it ajar for me to enter.
This place feels like home now.
I do feel safe here. Safer than I have felt living outside these walls on my own. Knowing Locaine will protect me is all I need now in this world. With all the dark chaos happening, I can place my trust in him.
It had been a long night already, and I know Locaine would want to relax after the big announcement. I follow him up the marble staircase, my heels musically clicking behind him with each step I take. We reach the top landing, taking the familiar walk to our sanctuary, away from both worlds.
Locaine closes the door behind us as we enter his room. I feel his loving, strong arms wrap around mine, my heart skipping a beat as I allow my muscles to relax. I inhale deeply, absorbing his delicious peppermint smell into my being as I let my eyelids to flutter shut.
"Little hunter," Locaine's voice is almost needy, something hidden behind the way he speaks puts me slightly on edge.
"Yes?" I whisper with apprehension, releasing a sigh a second later as I sink deeply into his embrace.
I'm uneasy and in complete shock when the words drift from his lips, "I want to make you mine...forever."
**
-Annika
Locaine's words echo in my head...
...he wants to turn me, a thought that had not crossed my mind since he had ripped me away from my old life.
"Your bite could kill me..." my voice is but a whisper, not saying no to his offer. However, I'm deathly afraid of what could possibly happen. Anxiety begins to escalate within me, my heart beating fast as a million different thoughts race through my mind.
Locaine nuzzles his nose in between the base of my neck and my collarbone before he informs me, "I'm tired of having you as a slave outside these walls...I don't want to hide anymore. I want you as my beloved if you will have me."
"I'm afraid," my pounding heart speeds up as he continues to announce his evident devotion to me on an entirely different level. My voice betrays me when my response meets not only his ears but my own, the fear steadily rising as there's a perfect chance that I'll end up dead...the whole point of him threatening me by his pureblood status alone when I was first brought here comes flooding back.
"I know it could kill you, but I don't think it will," Locaine responds softly, perhaps an underlying knowledge lingering that I can't comprehend.
Nothing is guaranteed.
"If your father hadn't killed your sister, she would have become a vampire," Locaine's intoxicating breath surrounds me, my heart skipping a beat as he admits, "I feel the same pull within you."
As much as I want to believe everything will be okay, I can't. I pull away from his arms, cradling myself with my own as my thoughts continue to sidetrack from one to the next with no rhyme or reason.
"I'm afraid I would lose everything..." I turn to face him as the sadness within me rises, the fear too great to risk the chance of the reward, "I don't want to die...I don't want to lose you..."
It's out there in the open.
I can't take it back.
I'd grown so fond of this creature, it makes my heart ache thinking of being separated from him. I already know I will age, despite the hunter's average lifespan is quite longer than a human...nothing compares to the immortality of a vampire...eventually I will die...
I'm more afraid of dying at this moment and having my future with him stolen from me.
It hurts too much, and the conflict is killing me inside. How can a hunter, come to love that which she's been ingrained to despise with every ounce of her being, what she swore to kill?
I don't have the answer to that question...
...perhaps though, as Locaine has said, we are supposedly a subspecies of vampire, a crossbreed...if this conflict between the two hadn't started, we might not have been at odds.
Locaine is my world now, and I don't want that shattering around me if the dice doesn't roll in my favor.
Locaine's eyes are full of love, compassion, and understanding. He sees everything behind my eyes, knowing there is a conflict within me that won't settle...
Tears slide down my cheeks as I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him down to meet my lips in a sincere and loving kiss. He doesn't resist, letting me take what I want, running his hands lightly down my sides.
I pull away from him reluctantly as I attempt to tell him my answer, "Locaine...I-I ju-"
"I understand," He saves me from my own admittance, the tears blurring my vision as I genuinely do want nothing more now than to spend a lifetime with him.
Before anything else can be said, there is sudden banging on the opposite side of the bedroom door. Locaine turns around while asking with slight annoyance at the interruption of what should have been a happy moment of me accepting his bite, though I can't risk what's real...what's tangible, "What?"
"Locaine," Rynn's voice drifts through the wood with an ominous tone before she informs him, "we have human visitors..."
Goosebumps break out across the top layer of my skin. What are humans doing here?
Locaine's eyes come back to rest on me before he says, "Stay here."
"Bu-"
"I said stay," This is new for him. I'm not sure what the humans want...but he doesn't want me there to find out in case anything goes wrong.
I just lower my eyes to the floor and nod a silent yes as Locaine releases me and opens the door, revealing Rynn occupying the hallway.
Locaine closes the door behind him, leaving me i
n silence. Are the humans here to beg him for their lives? To give their very existence to him? I want to know, but he had made it clear that he doesn't want me there.
I'm his slave in their eyes...
The thought saddens me, as he wants to offer me so much more.
I walk over to the bed, lowering myself on the edge.
What's wrong with me? I put my head in my hands as the tears continue to flow, crying hard as I can't seem to find myself anymore. The once fighter is gone, replaced with a person I hardly recognize.
Their world has changed me, and I'm not sure if I can ever go back.
**
It had almost been a week since the announcement, and we had increasing numbers of visitors coming to the coven's mansion. All those who arrived requested an audience with Locaine as laws and rules were being forced into play.
Today is interesting.
Locaine sits in a chair in the grand ballroom, all eyes resting on him.
Adam and Michael are situated near the doors, controlling who may or may not enter to see their king. Rynn stands near the far wall, observing the event taking place from afar. I haven't seen Henri or Darius lately, as they have been off on business at Locaine's request to neighboring covens along with tending to claims made by the recognized coven leaders.
My hair is pulled back into a half up, half down hairstyle. I wear my maid uniform with the teal trim, the one that almost matches Locaine's eyes though nothing can ever truly capture their uniqueness. My heels are dark obsidian, matching that of the button up shirt Locaine is wearing. I'm perched on the edge of his chair, taking in what is happening as the voices slowly began to creep back into my mind.
"Your Highness," that is the dark voice of the black-haired, green-eyed vampire that stands before us.
Quivering and whimpering girls ranging from the age of sixteen to twenty are on their knees in a row. The fear in their eyes pulls at my heart, longing to set them free but knowing I've already chosen my side and I can't do anything about it any longer.
I know my place.
There is a total of ten girls, each of their wrists are bound behind their backs in tight metal chains. They wear street clothes as if they had just been pulled from the back alley and now are a part of the trophy collection of this vampire.