The War Lord's Prize

Chapter Nine

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Welcome to chapter nine

The garden became so silent I could hear my heart beating loudly in my chest.

"M ... My ... My", I could hear Prince Ranesh stutter.

"How shall you have my head on a platter?", The voice asked.

Now I listened closely, the voice was deep, cold, menacing.

Prince Ranesh stammered. "I ... I ... I am very sorry for offending you ...".

"Vanish from my sight now prince if you do not want your head sent to ur father", the voice cut him off.

Prince Ranesh muttered a series of yes, of course, immediately your majesty, all while his voice was shaking and then I heard footsteps. Prince Ranesh's footsteps leaving the garden, leaving me in the dark garden with glowing crimson eyes.

"Prince Ranesh!", I screamed. "Prince Ranesh!", I called again. He didn't answer.

"You want him back?", the voice asked me, and I noticed it calmer.

I shook in fright.
Have you ever witnessed floating red eyes?

I crawled away as it seemed to be coming closer and closer.
"Stay back!" I screamed. "Stay away from me! Turn on the lights".

The lights came back on almost immediately I uttered the words, and in that same second, something sharp sliced my palm forcing tears to the corners of my eyes.

I screamed, holding my now bleeding hand.

For a moment I forgot about the other being in the garden with me as I stared in pain at the teeth of the rake that had cut me.

A shadow fell over me and my head thunked against the wall as I nearly leaped out of my skin. Now I had an additional hurting place.

The tall figure swatted in front of me, his eyes looking more crimson than they had been.

"I was trying to warn you", his voice brushed against my skin.

I leaned further into the wall, a useless attempt to escape his presence.

Half of his face was covered leaving only his perfectly straight nose, dark brows, and his red eyes to view. Thick dark hair brushed against his shoulders. As my eyes trailed down the rest of him, I noticed he had on a simple pair of dark trousers, and a plain black top. His feet were bare.

What did prince ranesh say again?

Immediately Your majesty

Was he royalty?

"Who are you?", I asked, my voice trembling more than it had when Price Ranesh tried to take me against my will.

He stretched his hand instead. "Give me your hand, you are bleeding", he said, his voice still calm but I noticed there was an edge to it.

I found myself placing my hand in his larger, and extremely cold one. A small gasp escaped my lips at how cold his hand was. I also noticed his skin was pale, an unearthly sort of paleness.

"Relax human", he murmured, before lifting my hand to his lips. I watched as his tongue darted past his lips and he licked my wound.

Normally I wouldn't have given him my hand, I would have screamed and tried to run off. Normally I wouldn't be this still watching as someone licked my blood, but for some reason, my body couldn't do anything else but what he had told me to.

Relax human

When he was done, he placed my hand gently on my thigh, and his eyes trailed from my exposed thighs to my very visible breasts. His already intense eyes grew darker, and a growl left his lips.

I kept still.

He stood without another word, and just like he had told Prince Ranesh, he too vanished.

I jerked like I had woken up from a bad dream. I stared at my hand.

There was no evidence of the wound.

What just happened?

LUCIEN

The carriage was just as suffocating as the suit my sister insisted I wore to the ball I had no enthusiasm to attend.

I adjusted the collar of the suit for what seemed like the thousandth time and adjusted the sleeves, a growl of frustration rose from my throat as I kicked off the leather shoes that had been caging my feet and bringing me additional discomfort.

"Behave brother", Etienne told me, disapproval radiating off her slender body.

"Is this necessary Etienne?", I asked her.

Her answer was immediate.
"Yes".

I opened my mouth to speak but then the carriage hit something on the road, and my head got thrown against the window as it rocked.

I let out a growl loud enough to be heard for miles.
"Stop the carriage!!!".

They did.

Etienne's eyes revealed anger. "What is your problem?".

"My problem is everything. Why am I putting on these uncomfortable clothes? Why are we riding in a carriage when we can get ourselves to that stupid ball in less than three minutes? Why Etienne, please tell me why we are striking an agreement with these beings when we can storm their lands and take as many humans as we desire".

She stared at me like I was still the little human boy she would read stories to whenever he couldn't sleep.

That look on her face always brought back memories that apparently several centuries couldn't erase.

"Your clothes are made from the best materials", she stated. "They are far from uncomfortable Lucien", leaning back on her seat and shutting her eyes, she let out a sigh. "You should know how they see our kind. We must appear like them if we want this to be successful".

"None of this makes sense", I told her.

"Our blood supplies are too low, our humans are countable. We haven't fed properly in months, and our people perish!", she fired. "Does it make sense to you now? Or are you still so ignorant to see it your majesty?! Shall I draw a map or make a list of the loss our kingdom has suffered your highness?".

I leaned back in my seat feeling the blow of her words.

She shut her eyes, and stared at me with her crimson eyes. They used to be green. Our low intake of blood had drowned the color of our eyes making them appear crimson at all times. As originals, hunger couldn't kill us but it had the power to make us weak.

"If we storm their lands and take their humans, it'll cause a war we do not need", she reasoned.

I nodded. "I understand".

She tilted her head. Definitely at the speed at which I delivered the I understand.
"You understand?".

Absolutely not.

"Definitely", I said instead.

"Good, as King it is your duty to understand", she spat.

My jaw clenched at the sentence.

"Keep moving!", she ordered the servants, and the carriage began moving. "We are already terribly late. It'll be a miracle from the creator if we make it to the ball".

My body rocked side to side. It felt strange. I couldn't remember the last time I was in a carriage.

Etienne kicked her shoes off, and let out another sigh. " When we get there do not forget to smile brother. It will make us appear less threatening. Smile like your death has finally come".

She forced my lips up in demonstration and I tried to do the same to mine.

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