Bloodlust

F O U R T E E N

The more Vincent trained under the true alpha, the more he realized how silly the guy truly was. Being a king was the last thing he should've ever been. He was only in this position due to his age.

"I do so miss the taste of cake," Xerxes said for the millionth time. Cheshire yawned. He sat on the table and stretched his legs. Xerxes sat with a plate before him, outlining a magnificent cake, imagining it with his eyes. "I used to have a servant that would make a very nice blood cake. He didn't last very long, humans never do," Xerxes sighed and rested his head on the plate. He sat up immediately and began coughing. Adrian nearly dropped his glass.

"True Alpha!" he said, getting up and running to his side. Xerxes held out his hand to stop him.

"I told you my time was coming soon," Xerxes said.

"I thought you meant at least another hundred years or so!" Adrian confessed.

"No, Adrian, I meant maybe a month," he sighed. "I've already lost most of my sight," Xerxes held up a hand to his eye. Cheshire got up and walked on the table to get to Xerxes.

"Cheshire is Xerx's eye. Cheshire can see for Xerx now," the cat said. Xerxes pet the cat. Good intentions, certainly, but it wasn't that simple.

"Are you going to sleep in my coffin, Cheshire? Or are you going to serve the next king?" Xerxes asked.

"Cheshire serves no one but Xerx," he purred and leaned into Xerxes's hand. "Cheshire is going to stay with Xerx."

"Thank you," Xerxes laughed. His laugh turned into a cough. His veins slowly changed to black. "Vincent, come here," Xerxes held out his hand and gestured for the next in line to get closer. Vincent wasn't going to refuse, obviously, and stood by Xerxes side. The true alpha held his hand. He smiled up at him.

"When I was a very, very, very young lad," Xerxes began. "They used to say that I was a child of misfortune. Don't be like me, Vincent, please promise me you won't be like me," Xerxes pleaded.

"I promise," Vincent said.

Xerxes smiled. "Good," he said, "good," he repeated. The true alpha closed his eyes. The power he'd collected over the years transferred itself to Vincent. It burned. The memories, the agony, it burned and Vincent cried out. He saw the lives of the previous kings, as well as Xerxes's own life. So sad. So torturous. Was this what he had to look forward to? None of these men wanted this role. Perhaps that was why it was so important that they be given the role.

Vincent's eyes cried red. His eyes were no longer that of a normal vampire. He shared those blood red eyes of Cheshire and Xerxes. The cat picked up the body of his owner, his friend, and carried him off to the hall of kings. "Good luck," he meowed. "Remember, nobody is purrfect," he smiled.

Adrian clung to Vincent and wept in his chest. "I didn't even know him that long and I feel sad," he said.

"It's okay, I feel sad too."

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"Rule the world, I guess?"

"That doesn't sound like a great plan," Adrian sighed. "I don't really want to rule the world."

"Neither do I, but it looks like we own the place now."

...

Vincent muttered the ancient words taught to him by Xerxes. He stood in the center of the summoning circle with his arms outstretched and his eyes glowing. This was his third attempt at trying to summon a messenger, it wasn't going as well as planned. Everything that was summoned went back to where it came from, no one was taking a liking to Vincent.

A gust of wind blew out from the floor. Vincent took a few steps back. A giant white wolf appeared. Glowing red eyes and snarling with hatred. It's leg was injured. "It's a hellhound," Adrian gasped. "I didn't know you could summon one of those..."

"Neither did I," Vincent confessed. He was hoping for another cat, but this hound didn't seem so bad. "We should heal it," Vincent said taking a step closer. The wolf continued to growl. Adrian ran out for a moment to get some water and cloths to clean the wound. Vincent tried his best to calm the beast down.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he promised. "Just trying to help..." The wolf attempted to bite Vincent but the male got out of the way. He placed a hand on the wolf's nose and his eyes glowed with rage. "I'm the motherfucking king of vampires. If I want to look at your wound, you're damn well going to let me. I'm sick and tired of running through all of these animals and getting thrown around, bitch." The hellhound shut up and whined. He stuck out his leg and sat. Adrian rushed back into the room with the supplies.

The wolf flinched and growled with each movement the two made. But he didn't dare try to harm Vincent again. He rested his head on his injured paw and stared at the two once they were finished. He sat in the circle, as if wishing himself to go back.

"What should we name him?" Vincent asked Adrian.

"Uh, I don't know, Pluto?"

"Why Pluto?"

"He just seems like a Pluto to me," Adrian shrugged. Vincent shook his head.

"If you say so, it's better than Cerberus, I suppose."

"We are not naming our new dog Spot," Adrian rolled his eyes.

"Pluto it is."