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CHAPTER 7 – CRAVING YOU

Castle Xanthe
City of Aphelion, Wolfen Territory
The Realm of Xathos

Dimitri stared at the warriors in front of him.

Their heads were bowed no doubt fearing his wrath. They felt it in the grim aura surrounding him and saw it in his scowl. His lips were also pressed in a thin line. His claws almost embedded in the wooden armrest of his throne.

"Why?" he snarled.

"She is a Vampyr. And we saw her escaping," one of the warriors answered.

Dimitri's scowl deepened. "Escaping? Are there not guards outside her door and outside the tower to prevent this from happening?"

The said guards bowed their heads. Dimitri expected a reply and when he did not receive one, he stood. Those in front of him took a step back.

"Where were the guards?" he growled.

Again, no response. "You are all relieved of guard duty. From now on, until I deem fit, you will guard the barn where we store our meat and grains." Dimitri paused and waited for a reaction. "I will post another set of guards outside her door," he continued.

"Yes, my king," the guards replied.

One of the villagers stepped forward. He was the same villager who said that Ailara should be left to burn in the sun. Dimitri took several deep breaths to calm himself.

"My king, why all this punishment for a Vampyr? Why do you protect her? She should be killed like the others!" he shouted.

"That Vampyr holds the answers to the questions we seek! And until I get those answers, I need her alive. I also need to know her value to the Cerran!"

Dimitri was king. He did not need to explain himself. But in this particular scenario, he felt the need to. This villager could spread his filth to the rest of the town and Dimitri might have a rebellion in his hands soon if he did not take action.

The villager flinched but held his ground. "She is the traitor! In case you forgot, she opened the gates and slaughtered our kind!"

"How could I forget that when my own mother died?"

"It looks like you have forgotten! Perhaps your judgement is clouded when she is involved!"

Dimitri moved closer. As he did, it was as if the entire room held its breath.

"Pray tell, why?" he whispered.

"Because you are mated with her."

That struck a chord within Dimitri. He wasn't able to hold back his rage. In the blink of an eye, he had his hand wrapped around the man's throat. He heard several gasps but none dared to interfere.

"Are you challenging me?" he snarled.

The villager shook his head and Dimitri dropped him. His knees buckled and he ended up on the floor. His hands were on his throat and he took several deep breaths.

"I was once mated to her because of the alliance! Which she broke when she killed our kind. Therefore, she is no longer my mate. She is not my true mate," he spat.

The moment he said those words, there was an uneasy feeling that slid up his spine. He knew in his heart that what he said was far from the truth. But it was one he couldn't accept.

He spent several full moons alone. No woman interested him. He tried several years ago but his nights ended badly. And so he just stopped trying. Now, he was known as the cold-hearted king.

"Is everything clear now? Or is there anyone here who wishes to challenge me?"

No one approached. All in the room just bowed their heads.

Dimitri smiled. "Good. This is the end of this discussion. No one touches Ailara."

"Yes, my king," came the chorus of replies.

"Now leave and prepare for tonight's festivities," he ordered.

☾ - ☾ - ☾ - ☾ - ☾

Ailara woke up in the middle of the night when her stomach suddenly lurched.

And for the second time in the span of a few days, she found herself emptying the contents of her stomach on the floor. A few minutes ago, she felt so good. There was no pain in her body and all her wounds were healed.

But now, she felt like her stomach was being ripped apart. At the same time, her insides felt like they were burning.

The door burst open and one of her guards strode inside. He was different from her previous guards. This one looked very young. He took one look at her and on the floor and his expression shifted to one of disgust.

"Filthy Vampyr," he hissed. The guard exited the door and Ailara heard him shouting. She could not understand the words for it was muffled. She tried to stand but her knees buckled and she ended up on the floor—thankfully, away from the puddle of blood.

Her stomach lurched again and she vomited more blood. She continued retching until there was no more.

The door opened and she felt the presence of another Vampyr. He was pushed inside the room and Ailara heard the door slam in his wake.

"Princess!" the Vampyr shouted.

Then, he knelt beside her and took her hands. Her vision was blurry but she tried hard to focus. She recognized that voice.

"Andreas?" she whispered. He was one of the temple priests. He was also her tutor when she was younger.

"Yes, princess, it's me! Dear Elune, what's happened to you?" he whispered.

"I don't know," Ailara answered. Even to her own ears, she sounded weak.

"Before everything else, how are the others? Did they manage to flee during Heilen's last attack?" she asked.

She dreaded the answer for after she gave the warning, she blacked-out and was under Heilen's control once more.

"Yes, princess. Not a single Vampyr was captured, thanks to you." Ailara sighed with relief. Her people were safe. Heilen wasn't able to use them for his evil purposes. Knowing they were safe in hiding was worth all the pain she endured.

"But what are you doing here?"

"I tried to scout for a new place for all of us. Along the way, we were intercepted with several Wolfen warriors. The others were able to escape. Except me, unfortunately," he told her. "But don't worry about me, princess. I'm fine. And knowing that several of our kind are alive because of this small sacrifice is infinitely better than being stuck in prison with them and not knowing which day it was time for us to die."

Ailara's eyes filled with tears. Vampyrs were once a proud race. Their kingdom was beautiful and they were very rich. They lived in abundance. But that was until Heilen destroyed everything they had.

And it was all her fault.

"Enough about me, princess. Where have you been? What happened?"

Ailara opened her mouth to answer his questions. He was a trusted friend and ally. But because of Heilen's enchantments, no words came from her lips. Her throat felt constricted as though there was suddenly a hand that choked her.

Ailara coughed and shook her head.

"I can't drink blood. What's wrong with me, Andreas?"

"I saw you the last time, princess. But you were unconscious then so I am sure you don't remember. The same thing happened."

Ailara's brows creased. She tried to fight the dizziness and the cramps that were twisting her insides.

"The Wolfen King fed you his blood to heal you and you vomited it as well. To properly know what's causing this, I have to ask you some more questions."

Ailara nodded. "We have to hurry. We may not have much time."

"Ah... But princess, tonight is the night of the full moon. The Wolfen will be in the forest all night long," the priest replied.

Ailara sighed.

She knew the effects of the full moon on Dimitri and his people. The moon was like a potent drug and aphrodisiac to them.

It made them much stronger and faster. If they fought under the night of the full moon, they were invincible. It also increased their libido and stamina. Mated Wolfen spent the entire night satisfying their lust with their mates.

"Did something like this happen in the past?"

Ailara almost said no but she remembered that during the time when she was just fifteen. One day, the blood tasted different. It was very bitter. And then she had the same cramps for several days. It was so bad that she even thought she was dying! She became so pale and weak. And when she thought she was finally going to the realm of the dead, it all stopped.

The blood tasted tolerable and her stomach cramps vanished. She attributed it to a case of drinking blood that already went stale. After all, her supply was transported from one kingdom to another.

"Yes," Ailara answered.

"You are a bonded Vampyr, princess. Since you were young and bonded with the king of the Wolfen, you only drank his blood, correct?"

Ailara nodded. When a Vampyr was blood-bonded, he or she can only drink the blood of her mate. This was why when she was still growing up, she never experienced drinking blood straight from a source. Her food was delivered to her in flasks which came from Dimitri and had to be transported all the way from Wolfen territory and into her kingdom.

It needed a lot of effort for they still had to carve ice from frozen lakes and keep the flasks in a chest filled with ice so it would still be viable when it reached her. Also, several Wolfen guards always travelled to deliver it to her kingdom. It was four days travel by horse for the Wolfen because they were careful not to jostle the flasks to much or for it to break.But if they ran as the form of their beasts, they can make the journey in one or two days time.

A wave of nostalgia enveloped Ailara. She remembered standing by the window of her room, scanning the horizon for any sign of the Wolfen guards. First, it was because she loved the taste of Dimitri's blood and she could not wait to get more. Second, it was because the deliveries usually came with a letter or a small trinket from Dimitri... and she adored those.

"I only drank the blood that was delivered to me. But remember when I was young and I had this sickness?"

The priest's eyes narrowed. For a few minutes, there was silence. Ailara didn't dare break the silence for the priest seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Did the blood taste different?"

"Yes. It was bitter and there was something off about it. I thought it was just because the blood arrived in bad condition already."

"When you were captured, the blood that was fed to you... where did it come from?"

Ailara flinched for a dozen images flooded her mind at the same time. It was memories that were unwelcome. She remembered all the torture she experienced in Heilen's hands and all the despicable things he made her do.

Ailara bit her lip. The pain was a welcome distraction.

"From Heilen himself," she answered.

"Did you experience the same sickness when he first fed you blood?"

Ailara's frown deepened. "No."

"That's it, princess! Somehow, Heilen found a way to switch the blood you receive with his! This was what caused the sickness. And this was how we was able to get you under his control much faster! And this is why you cannot drink the king's blood anymore when it should be only his blood that you can drink."

And just like that Ailara's world came crashing down. It was as if a rug was pulled from under her feet and she was free-falling in an endless chasm. She wanted to cry but she realized long ago that tears did nothing. She wanted to throw a tantrum but it also did nothing.

So she did the logical thing: find a solution. She can wallow in self-pity later on. She can drown in her own thoughts and memories when she was alone.

"What should I do?" she asked the priest

"You have two options princess. "First is that you can continue drinking animal blood. But you will be weak and powerless. You may not even be able to trace."

Ailara nodded to show she understood. She disliked the taste of animal blood but if it was the only option available, she will do it.

"Second is to drink another's blood and form a different bond. Maybe one of our people. I doubt the king will willingly give you his blood..."

But I only want his. And he seemed to like it when I took from him.

"...Of course, our people will be more than willing to serve you after everything you've done for us..." the priest's voice became softer and Ailara saw his eyes glisten with unshed tears.

"...Maybe this is better in the long run, princess. Your marriage to the king is nothing now since the alliance is already broken. He treats you and all of our kind as enemies. But if we were to escape here, you can live among your people again. By forming another bond, you may be able to find love and be happy once more..."

Ailara looked away. Happiness was but a distant dream.

"You will throw up and your body will reject it. You will suffer like you did before. But you will be free of Heilen and free to live your life the way you please..."

He was wrong. I will never be free.

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