The Vampires #1: Alaric and Faina

Chapter 11 (Alaric): I Lowered My Head

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

Divorce.

Divorce.

Faina wanted to divorce me.

After she said that dreaded, despised word to me, informing me of her intentions, I forced myself to feed without saying a word or arguing so I wouldn't upset her. My fangs broke the delicate skin of her neck, sending her into stasis and me into the blood trance where my thoughts didn't allow room for anything other than the delicious, soothing blood sliding down my throat, feeding the Hunger.

When I finished, I compelled her to sleep immediately, pressed a kiss to the wound for healing and then forced myself away from her. Moving to stand by the edge of the bed, as I watched my wife sleep, I could feel the urge growing stronger, my need for release quickly becoming overwhelming. It was impossible to stand here, knowing the Hunger could awaken her from my compulsion if I was just given enough time, if I could just get close enough to her. Faina may have been asleep, but her own Hunger, her equal need for release, could be called to by my Hunger and pull my bride from her sleep. It was that great a need, that primal an instinct. It would be so easy to awaken her --

No. No. One step back, then another before I stopped -- and was grabbed by so many hands just as I lunged forward to wake her. They dragged me away even as I fought them, fought their combined strength and was forced into chains. When the first one went around my neck, I lost all semblance of humanity and fought harder, the Hunger giving me such incredible strength that it took all ten of my captors to get the chains around my wrists and ankles -- and all of the vampires carried several marks and wounds from me. They left the room, then, shutting me into my prison as I descended into the sheer need for my bride.

Bellowing her name, straining against the shortened chains, I pulled and fought for what felt like days as the agony of denial coursed through my veins, through every last molecule of my body. My mind was gone, only the primal part of me cognizant and completely focused on getting to my blood bride, the pain cutting at me like a whip.

Release. Release. Release.

Hours later, I stood within the confines of my chains as awareness slowly seeped back into my consciousness. I saw the raw skin on my wrists, saw the blood I'd shed as I'd fought to get to my Faina.

"Alaric," a voice said from the far corner of the room. My head lifted as my eyes found and focused on the man standing there.

"Gervais."

I knew I was safe from my father-in-law attempting to take my head because right now I was needed for the twins' survival, so I wondered at his presence.

"My daughter intends to divorce you."

"So she informed me last night," I said in a thick, guttural voice. Apparently, hours of screaming had a detrimental effect on your vocal cords.

His eyes widened briefly in surprise before he concealed his shock.

"By law, there will have to be a trial in front of the Twelve Families. I will be there, of course, but unable to vote since it directly concerns my family."

"Of course." I hadn't had any time to give the divorce serious thought, but he was right. I tried to clear the fog from my mind faster so I could keep up with this conversation and had no doubt Gervais had planned to talk with me when I wasn't in top form.

"And the Vautour will also be unable to vote, given his daughter is being named as the blood whore in the proceedings."

Again, something I hadn't thought about, but I nodded. Whether it was a husband or wife seeking a divorce due to cheating, naming the blood whore made for the strongest case for the wronged spouse.