The Dragomir Heir (Watty Award)

Valeriu Vladonov

Finally, the meeting has finished and Lucius glanced over to Valentina, who looked relieved but glared at Lord Magnus. The vampire was most exhausting today, testing Lucius and Valentina’s patience with his worries and questionings.

“But but but…” stuttered Magnus.

“Lord Magnus, if I must hear another question from you about the ifs and what ifs…I fear I might stake you for…I don’t know but I’ll make it up”, warned Lucius upon seeing his wife’s annoyance. Lucius looked down at his wedding band, he smiled and felt desire rise up in him. As the council began to disperse, he saw Valentina gracefully stood up and sashayed towards the exit. Before she left the room, she looked over her shoulder to him and winked. Lucius saw desire and want in her eyes and he knew.

Yes, this game again, Lucius thought. As Lucius made his way towards the exit, Valentina quickened her pace to their bedroom and Lucius discreetly chased after her. God, she’s quick even in heels, Lucius thought. When she laughed mockingly, he ran after her and said, “You can’t hide from me for long, my love”.

“I’ll have you reminded that I’m the better hunter, my padawan”, she replied but before she turned a corner, Lucius trapped her in his arms.

“Mine”, Lucius whispered in her ears, before kissing her neck and smelling the scent of her blood; an intoxicating mixture of power, sweetness and beauty. He finished their journey by carrying her to their bedroom. Lucius moaned when Valentina loosened his tie and stroked and kissed his neck. It had been 4 hours since their last romance but Lucius felt it was longer than that. He kicked the door opened and closed it and the second that they were alone in their bedroom, he put her down and trapped her against the door.

They kissed and Valentina removed Lucius’ jacket; something Lucius was proud to say that he had taught her on their wedding night. As they moved to the bed, Lucius removed both their crowns and undid Valentina’s dress. Only in her undergarment, he stopped their kissing in order to get wine for the both of them.

“I won’t be long, my love”, he reassured and went to the dresser. “Do you want red wine or champagne this afternoon?” When Valentina did not reply he turned around only to find her silenced and tied by a masked man. Lucius dropped the glass in his hand, which shattered at his foot.

Pulling out his stake, he said menacingly, “Release my wife”. He kicked a table aside to make more room for a duel but the masked man continued to pull the unconscious Valentina back towards the windows.

“She will no longer be your wife…she will be mine”, the masked man said calmly. Lucius laughed and replied, “I don’t think Valentina shares the same view … she will not have you”.

The man seemed to think on Lucius’ statement and then said evenly, “You know what? You’re absolutely right. But if I can’t have her...then NO ONE can”. He finished menacingly and right in front Lucius’ eyes, the man plunged a stake right into Valentina’s heart. Lucius watched in horror as the man enjoyed twisting the stake deeper and fingering Valentina’s breasts. Valentina gasped and just as her eternity ended, the man sadistically pulled out the stake and licked both the blood on the stake and her neck.

Lucius felt his heart break and anger steeped through the cracks. He ran at the man but in his despair, he couldn’t deflect the man’s strong kick. Lucius’ body hit Valentina’s vanity with such force that her perfume bottles fell to the ground and shattered; the perfume that Lucius handpicked in Paris. Tears in his eyes fell as he realised that he won’t have her scent to remind him of her throughout his eternity. Her clothes will deteriorate, the perfumers would have whittled away into a corpse and his castle will lose her touch; her reds and golds.