I was going up the front stairs after crossing the school lawn.Every student in the corridor was embracing their friends, laughing, and, well, being teenagers.When I heard the mischievous giggles of four huddled girls behind me, I immediately went to my locker.Unsure of what I was going to see, I abruptly turned around.When I saw Selina's and her friends' equally mean-spirited faces, I immediately realized that I was a nobody in this sea of teenagers.I had already endured incessant taunting, bullying, beatings, and imaginatively crafted lies told to my favorite teachers.I had been sold to a vampire who couldn't wait to get his hands on me forever, and I already felt lost, something that Selina might never have felt.Until it isn't, being a teenager is cool, I tell myself.At that point, I let out a sigh, put both of my hands in the straps of my school bag, turned away from Selina, and continued with my life."Are you not pleased to see me?"Behind me, Selina makes fun of me.I walk on, com
Was he present?Or did I invent him?I was suddenly breathless.Still in shock, I turned, took two steps back, and ran.Even though I could hear Eden's confusion and worry in his voice, I didn't look back when he called my name.Catelyn, I'll see you for lunch!before I dashed out of the hallway and onto the empty football field, was the final sound.I couldn't stop thinking about the image.Had I conjured it up?With blood-stained hands, Valerian stood off in the distance, flashing his fangs.Was it a warning to stay away from Eden?The situation as a whole seemed odd, and the thought that the vision might be a threat enraged me.I did not yet belong to him.It was impossible to be real.For the sake of his beloved king, Valerian was too preoccupied with vampire business.Why couldn't I have friends?I was tired of having Valerian control my life.I wasn't yet his slave.I wanted to make Valerian jealous in an evil way.I wanted to demonstrate to him that he could not simply accept what he desired.Sin
Relax in the venom of your ancestors who were vampires!"A student yelled."Man, I got it all on video!"As he showed his phone to his friend next to him, another man yelled.Selina approached me, crossed her arms, and shifted her hip to the side as I stood up.I ought to put a stake in your heart.She grunted.Her threat appeared genuine.I didn't want to hate myself At first, I don't think anyone really does.It gradually creeps up on you day by day.With each punch, smirk, slap, and beating that comes at once.Each time, you shrink a little inside of yourself until you realize that you are gradually disappearing.And you begin to despise the remaining parts of yourself.Trust me, I know.When Selina started bullying me when I was about ten, I started to avoid her in addition to everything else that was going on around me.Through all of those years, I tried to ignore her by sneaking into empty bathrooms, taking different routes home from school, and so on.Yet I was there.Seventeen, empty, humi
I responded, "Yes, I appreciate it."In five, I'll be gone.He advised, "Take your time."I'll be present.As I changed into my new clothes, I wondered how anyone could be so considerate.He treated me with such kindness.Eden had asked me to be his girlfriend while we were eating lunch together three days earlier.He had explained to me that he liked how he was around me and how much he enjoyed being with me.Additionally, he had reiterated what he had said to me that morning in the hallway, expressing his fear that he would one day arrive at school to find me absent.without any hint or explanation.“Gone with the wind,” he had said with a low chuckle while, as he always did when he was nervous, running his hand through his hair.I was dressed to the nines and looked in the mirror at my own green eyes as my damp hair fell down my shoulders.I remember wondering if he would ever realize how accurate his fears were as I watched his face as he spoke.However, I had politely declined because I was
I enjoyed Eden.When I was around him, I felt special and he made me laugh.I had the impression that I was a normal adolescent girl going through high school and having to deal with girls who were envious of me and trying to get attention from the sexy football star.Would allowing myself to be with him really be so bad?I didn't technically belong to Valerian at the time, so he had no say over who I dated before my departure date.I wasn't aware of any rules that it broke.But would it be smart?knowing that I would depart in a year and never speak with Eden again.Could I deal with hurting him in that way?Could I handle the pain I would experience when I broke up with Eden?The main reason I couldn't just tell him the truth was that I wasn't sure he would ever believe me.What was my message supposed to be?Okay, I'll date you, but I'll have to leave you for an ancient vampire when I'm 18 because my psychotic parents sold me to him when I was 10?He would run for the hills if he thought I was c
The speaker made a graceful squat and walked over to the right side of my head.For a full minute, he looked disdainfully at the bodies and purses scattered about, and my heart raced so rapidly that I feared it would burst.He then turned his head slightly to the right and looked down at me.watching my face change with each emotion.revealing nothing and omitting nothing.He crudely removed the gag from my mouth with his right hand.After that, he just stared at me for an entire minute, as if he were asking me to scream with his eyes.awaiting my explanation to him.I didn't because I couldn't scream anymore.Do you not have any idea what's going on here?He pressed.His voice was menacingly low, hollow, and soothing.The reason you will die here tonight is a mystery to you.I shook my head and shuddered.He gave a nod.Catelyn,” he added, his voice becoming tense.Today, you hurt her.Deeply.You will die here because you touched a single hair on her head when you shouldn't have.All of this was about
A vampire could not tell the humans their true identity because it was against the law.The king never showed any leniency regarding the offense, which carried the death penalty.The small-minded species were in too much panic, and it was too much of a mess to clean up.It required erasing memories, and it could take days to ensure that every mind was erased, depending on the audience's size.Ivan firmly held onto my shoulders.She is aware that she is yours.She wouldn't dare have a relationship with anyone else."She might do it in retaliation.""She wouldn't," I say.I twisted my lips in rage and let out a deep sigh.Get rid of the stupid people who pulled this prank.Catelyn has been through a lot, and it's time they paid with their lives.Before we left the school, Ivan just bowed to me.By midnight, Ivan and the rest of my men had the criminals rounded up.They had followed them after they finished school for the day and waited until it got dark and quiet in their homes before taking them
FOUR MONTHS LATER later, I still wake up in the middle of the night, half-awake.As I search for my phone, I roll over onto my stomach and place my right hand under my pillow.When I have it, I gently press the shutter button while holding it up to my face.I groan and toss the phone aside as the screen on my phone flickers awake.The night is cold and eerie, and it is only 4:30 in the morning.Laying on my back, I pull my sheets up to my neck.Did I make some sort of sound?I observed.Why had I awoken?Despite my best efforts to listen, nothing comes through.In any case, not from my lying position on this bed.Even though my window is closed, the soft blue light from the moon still floods my room.I conclude that it probably came from my dad when I hear the floorboards creaking downstairs.If you know him, he probably is craning his neck at the dining table right now, grading the students he cared more about than me.I cover my shoulders.It's a win-win situation because I have no interest in him
[APPRECIATION]Dear Readers, I aspired to be a writer for a significant portion of my life.It began when I was a young child. When I first started writing, I began to realize the power of words. I can recall those early days. From sonnets to brief tales, I started to string words together, making my craft gradually Even then, I realized how deeply words could connect with other people's experiences and how validating that could be.I began to write more as I got older. I wrote poetry and short stories in journal after journal. I spent every spare moment jotting down my thoughts on napkins and torn notebook pages. I was courageous in offering my work to other people, and it seemed like I could write constantly.The shift started in college. I had little time for anything other than studying and working full-time as a college student. My writing ceased gradually. I switched from undergraduate to graduate school and increased my work responsibilities.I wed someone. I had a family. Beca
“Guys, we can hear you from the reception room,” they said.We both jumped and then we burst out in laughter. Valerian lowered me to my feet, grinned like a little boy, and kissed my birthday. He danced as he dressed in his tux and he blew me a kiss before he left.“I’ll see you downstairs, Mire. Hurry down, we’ve got some unfinished business.”I sat naked for a few more minutes and thought of the turn my life had taken. Dragos was gone, I was about to marry the man I loved, and we already had a baby on the way. I giggled in delight, hopped off the bed, and started to get dressed.I walked down the stairs ten minutes later and was delighted to find the staircase decorated with flowers. Rafael was going to give me away, and he smiled when he saw me coming down. I held my flowers with my left hand and extended my right to him.“Are you ready to become our new Vampire Queen?” he asked.I smiled as I hooked my arm around his. “I have never felt more alive. Or more ready, Rafael.”Rafael g
[Epilogue]2 MONTHS LATERMy wedding dress was draped over the armchair next to the window. The curtains were drawn slightly and Valerian’s tux had been folded away neatly into the top drawer in our room. There were representatives of the twelve most powerful vampire covens downstairs, and the witches took quiet tours of our home as they waited for the ceremony to begin.I lay naked on the bed, wearing only my diamond ring and bridal garter. Valerian’s head was buried in between my legs. My head fell back on the pillow and I cupped my left breast, rolling the nipple around with perfectly manicured fingers. Valerian was stark naked and his tongue pushed in deeper with each moan that escaped my lips.I looked down my belly and I met his eyes. They glinted wickedly as Valerian thrust his tongue in deeper. I fell back to the bed, grabbed the bedsheets with both hands and arched my back. Valerian pushed me to the edge, brought me back, and pushed me right back. My hair stuck to the sweat o
The thought was a balm for my grief. For a long while, I just rested in Ivan’s arms, tears soaking what was left of his torn and bloody clothes. I felt him crying too.“There feels like something is missing from me,” Ivan confessed.“Me too,” I said. “I feel like I will never again be whole, despite this power that flows through me.”I turned around. “Thank you for everything you suffered for me. I know you went through a lot. How are your hands?” He raised them to show her that the wounds he received from the spear were still not healed.“I can help you with that,” I said, and took his hands in mine. I closed my eyes and once again accessed the power that felt like an inferno in my body. I rubbed the wounds, and they slowly closed under my touch.I then focused on his other wounds. I sent waves of my healing power flowing through his whole body. I saw other cuts and scrapes close. His cheeks also regained their colour.“Thank you,” Ivan said. “One rogue stabbed me in my side. I thoug
I glared at Dragos and he gave me a cocky smile. I gave him the same smile right back. I was going to defeat this Vampire King, one way or another.I let all the anger and hate I felt for Dragos flow through my body and into the Emerald Tablet. I felt my bond with Valerian fading away, and the fear of losing him threatening to split my soul in two. I tried to steady my nerves as I locked my eyes on Dragos’.His smirk was gone now, his arms suspended directly above his armour where it hung, as if he couldn’t decide between letting it hang there or picking it up to wear it again. He looked worried and concerned as he looked around him. He might have sensed that I was connecting to the Emerald Tablets, but I didn’t think he knew that I was harnessing the One Power. I was stealing his dream from right in front of him, and the thought warmed me.I felt the energy I had directed to the Emerald Tablet flood back into my body. It started in my fingertips and didn’t stop until it had spread to
I looked around to see if anyone around me could help. I saw Ivan out of the corner of my eye, fighting some invisible force, as was Rafael. They appeared pinned where they stood, with Ivan having a sword in hand poised to pierce someone, but he wasn’t moving. Rafael looked like he was running towards me, but his feet seemed glued to the floor. Both were totally unable to help Vale and I. Still the witches’ chanting continued, and I knew they were responsible for holding my two friends in place.Was there a way I could stop the witches? I looked around for anything to help. There were no weapons nearby, except for the sword piercing Valerian’s heart. I was too afraid of pulling it out. I figured that would only make his blood loss increase, causing him to die quicker.I looked back towards Ivan and Rafael. Rafael met my eyes, and I could sense that he still cared for and loved me. He had tried his hardest to defend me, but that plot also failed. I felt hopeless and leaned back over Va
I focused on the faces of Valerian’s soldiers who I had grown to love. I focused on the clashing of their swords and the flood of relief I had felt when Rafael barged into the room with those familiar faces behind him. I focused on Ivan and Balrus, but most of all I let my love for Valerian well up in my mind. Like a cool stream of water, I felt it pool up and gently flow through my head, seizing my mind power back from the spells being cast by the witches. I couldn’t reach out to Valerian through our bond. Something or someone seemed to be blocking our connection, but I wasn’t worried. I knew that whatever spell that was, it could only last for so long. “Once I end Dragos’ life,” I thought, “this sandstorm will clear and everything else will return to normal.”I regained control of my thoughts and I instantly began to feel better. My senses opened up once more, and I was able to fully sense the movement all around me. Someone ran past me, knocking their shoulders into mine, and I was
Dragos looked down at his armour angrily. He had likely paid a pretty penny for that armour or, more likely, he had stolen it. It might be ornate, but it did its job. I could not get any successful body shots in. Neither I, nor Valerian and Ivan, had armour on, so we were much more vulnerable to his attacks, and Dragos knew it.I assessed the room. Valerian was finally rising from the ground and was readying himself to begin attacking his sire again. Ivan was leaning heavily on the marble platform I had been laying on. Too much blood loss. I am not sure how I did it, but I sent a wave of energy to both Valerian and Ivan and watched them perk up in seconds. Both stood straighter and their eyes glistened with uncontrolled rage.Valerian began approaching Dragos at a run, but Dragos merely raised his hand and said, “Stop, Valerian.” And, against his will, he was once again under mind control. But I could feel he was defeating it through our mind link. He was focusing on me in his mind. I
The vampire fell, clutching at his chest as he struggled to breathe.“Thank you,” I said, my voice overwhelmed with gratitude. “you just saved my life.”Ivan flashed me his signature smile and shrugged. “That was nothing, you would do the same thing for me.”We stood back to back and watched the vampire guards box us in a circle. Somewhere in the background, I heard Valerian and Dragos grunting and hitting each other brutally. I didn’t turn around to see, there were about sixteen vampires surrounding Ivan and I, so I couldn’t afford the distraction.One of them suddenly ran towards Ivan. The guy went to step around him, his arm stretched out, trying to grab me. “Let him go!” I screamed.I shot out flames in the shapes of little daggers and I aimed it right. I hit him in the temple, causing him to bounce off the wall and drop like a puppet with its strings cut.Ivan turned to the vampire nearest to the fallen guy. “This is your final chance. Pick up your trash and leave. Or don’t, and