The Blood Crown

Chapter Six

  Jimin pulled off the dress coat he had on and bundled it up, holding it in his grasp as he ran down the stairwell. The expensive shoes they had given him clacked on the cement steps loudly, harassing his ears. He was repulsed with the situation presented to him. He didn't want to be next in line for the throne, he didn't care about what the royal class of vampires got themselves up to. He knew they didn't care for the turned, that they viewed the human vampire hybrids as abominations, monsters that only need to be destroyed. His lips twisted as he slowed his steps, looking out the stairwells window. His gaze trailed over the skyline slowly, taking in the buildings. He wasn't used to being on the rich side of town. He wasn't used to the extravagant designs and fresh paint that sat unblemished upon the walls. He would take his home any day. He wanted to go back there and escape his hell.

  Shaking his head Jimin continued his descent. He was high up, but he had stamina, it was one thing his transformation had blessed him with. He could still remember the day he was turned. The cold pavement, the pouring rain and the innocent prey, the girl he had raised with hugs and fresh meals. He had saved her life but in return he was condemned to the life of a turned. The danger of becoming a zombie haunted him. He feared the day he would be like his attacker, running to any moving thing with the only thought being its endless hunger. He reached that point, he knew he had. When his lips had pressed against the girls, Chaeyoung's, neck he had not felt the flesh of a human but rather the sack that held his food. When he had first tasted her blood he had felt nothing. The feeling of drinking was the same but his stomach felt bottomless. Then it had changed. He had felt her heaving breathes and he had breathed in through his nose matching her. He could feel his mind snap, it was as if he had been trapped in ice. He was numb, unaware of his imprisonment, he only was aware once he was freed. His tongue slid out of his mouth, running along his lips as the taste of her blood ran through his mouth again leaving him thirsty. Jimin was scared of what it meant. He had heard the terms thrown around. Blood bonded. He had never heard it before it was a term for the royals, and the royals only. That's what they said he was now but that was impossible. It was impossible for a turned to be anything but turned, a repulsive mongrel of living and death. But they said he had changed, that all humanity had left him providing him with a step onto the pedestal the royals coveted. It didn't make sense.

  Jimin walked out of the stairwell, looking around the extravagant entrance to the building. He had been pulled in kicking and screaming, thinking he was going to his death. He thought he would be killed, like the rest of the turned that hit the bottom. His eyes wandered about the finely designed pillars and expensive carpets with disgust. The rich used their wealth to force others to see them as important, but they were merely animals with money. He pushed his hands into the pocket of his slacks and walked to the entrance. His mouth twisted when two guards stepped in front of him.

  "Mr. Park, sir, you have been requested by the King." The first bodyguard spoke, his voice void of emotion, his eyes scanning Jimin, judging the boy.

  "I have already seen him." Jimin stepped forwards, clenching his hidden hands into fists when the bodyguards moved with him, making a wall.

  "You have been requested."

  "Move," Jimin said as he met the eyes of the guard. Fear shot through his body instantly. He could see the guards eyes dull before the vampires moved aside. He stood in the doorway, closing his eyes to remove the view of the streets, of freedom. He could see it, somehow he could charmspeak them. The King wasn't lying. His breathes filled his hollow chest as he opened his eyes. He wasn't going to leave like that, it didn't feel right. He was not going to leave when he had obtained it through destroying their freewill.  He caught sight of Taemin's car leaving the hotel before he moved. He saw Chaeyoung in the passengers seat. His eyes met hers. She stared at him as if he were nothing, a mere speck to be dusted away. Sighing he turned and walked towards the elevator, nothing was going right for him. Nothing had gone right since he had turned and he doubted that would ever change. So he submitted, he walked to the elevator and pressed on the button. His finger trailed on the indent of the arrow absently as he stared at the floor.

  The ding of the elevator shocked him out of his stupor, changing his vision from the waxed floor to the carpeted bottom of the elevator. His travel up to the top floor lead him to back to the top floor, back to the King's room. Without hesitation he walked in. Unlike before the only person there was the King.

  "So am I type of prisoner?" Jimin asked softly, the passive aggressive smile was on his lips when he sat down. "All because of a misunderstood incident in a pub."

  "You are. You're a turned vampire that acquired the abilities of a royal." The King straightened his tie and leaned back in his chair. "You and your fiancée will both be confined here until your ceremony has finished." Jimin felt an odd grasping feeling in his chest as he stared at the King. "Chaeyoung is being taken back to her house by Taemin, while that is happening we are organizing for her to be housed here. Your marriage will occur before your inauguration, so make sure that you two are sociable before then."

  "You said you didn't know if I had been bonded to her." Jimin stiffened in his seat, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Marriage. He wished the vampire world had abolished the idea of a monarchy a long time ago, but in an effort to keep their world safe they clung to the archaic idea, their only government was the King and his power was over everything. All because of that he was being forced into a relationship that he knew would never last. Humans were not meant to be with Vampires.

  "I did. This way is better, a human as the Queen of our world? No, she is going back into the human world until you suffer, and only then will she be brought back."
 
  "What will happen to me?" The word suffer drew colour out of Jimin's face, he had never been one to handle pain.

  "Until the council is able to procure the things needed to prove that you are indeed blood bonded you will be forced to learn the ways of the court, and treat my niece with respect. Until it is proven that Chaeyoung is your mate, Hwasa is your fiancée." To Jimin, it was as if the King skirted over the issue of suffering, but after his many years of being King, the man viewed conversing with the council itself as torture. "You need to understand that as the future king the expectations for your life has changed. You have a lot to learn, you will need to learn more languages as well as in depth knowledge of the history and politics of our world and the human world. By the time of your inauguration you will need to be fluent in the language of our ancestors."

  Jimin rubbed his knuckled before nodding. He grew up memorising every creed that was told to him, he memorised the apostle's creed, he knew the hail Mary, he had learnt the fifteen mysteries, he could handle a new language. His eyes squeezed shut before he shook his head, opening his eyes to look at the King. "I can't be the only vampire that had charmspeak, I cannot be the only one next in line to the throne."

  "You are the only one with charmspeak other than me." The King's words were weary to Jimin's ears. "It is your duty to guide our world, we need to have solid leadership in order to keep ourselves safe. You must learn proper diplomatic skills, the humans at the height of nations know of our existence and you will be required to-"

  "The humans know we exist? What happened to secrecy?" Jimin felt his ears gaining heat with his shock and frustration.

  "We exist on a planet with more than 6 billion humans, it is impossible for us to have complete secrecy. For thousands of years we have held a bill of secrecy with the representatives of the human race, they are aware of our existence and our power, we have our own people in their governments. One day they will try and riot, we must keep good relations with them until their point." The King stood up and rubbed his hands together. "Your job is important, whether you want it or not it is imperative that someone does the job."

  "I understand." Jimin spoke softly, unfortunately he did understand. The King's words were shackles on his body, he was raised to help others, that he needed to do whatever he could for others. He was just given control of a whole society and he wasn't ready for it.