The Queen of Hearts

Her first vampire heart

Antonio followed Gabrielle back to her coven. The other vampires met them with inquisitive looks.

"Bring the child," Gabrielle said.

Catalina brought the young Isabella and handed the infant to Gabrielle. Antonio lurched forward and was quickly slammed back by the other vampires in the room.

"You have two options. If you want your child back, then you will give me you heart out of your body. If you choose not to do so, then she will be our next meal," Gabrielle said.

"You are barbaric!" Antonio shouted, sounding muffled by the arms of the vampires who held him down.

"The choice is yours. You have thirty seconds to decide," Gabrielle said, feeling impatient.

Antonio's eyes landed on young Isabella. She cooed at him from Gabrielle's arms and reached out for her father. His own arms struggled to reach out for her, but did not move for the creatures surrounding him had a strong hold on him.

Gabrielle's claw-like fingers dug into the baby's flesh, just above the heart, inciting a cry of pain. She continued to dig deeper as time went on. Antonio would feel every second that ticked by until his time was up. There was not much left.

He did not know if he could survive such bodily trauma, but he knew that he would not be able to stand the death of his daughter. That would kill him in itself. Antonio hated the sound of his daughter;s cried.

"I will give you my heart so long as my daughter is unharmed,"Antonio said.

"Your daughter will be returned to you," Gabrielle said.

"Unharmed," Antonio repeated.

Gabrielle's patience ran short. His time was up. She held the baby out for Catalina to again before walking over to Antonio in a flash of rage. Her fingers dug into his flesh and he cried out and struggled against the arms that held him back. Slowly, and agonizingly her digits slide past his sternum where she felt his heart - unbeating yet still warm. Eagerly she wrapped her hand around it and yanked it out without mercy.

Antonio's screams that rang through the room were abruptly cut off. His jaw fell slack and his eyes widened in shock from the raw pain.

Gabrielle's fangs sunk into the cardiac flesh and his blood, which was more coagulated than she was used to, poured into her mouth. Instead of consuming the organ, she tilted it is so that her puncture holes allowed the blood to ooze out. Surprisingly his transformation had not entirely distracted from the taste. The taste of venom was only slight - and it was very similar to hers. She held the hands and looked at it from many directions. This was her first vampire heart.

Gabrielle turned around and motioned for Catalina to come closer and hand her Isabella. She took one finger and cut a deep gash in the neck of the young child. Deep enough to draw blood, but shallow enough not to kill her. Then she threw the child at Antonio's feet.

"Your infant pet," she sneered, before turning on her heels and walking away