I removed my fangs from his neck, licking the wound as it closed. “I’ll see you in a bit, Princess.” He hugged me tightly, kissing my forehead.
“See you later, Jamjam.” I waved at him as he departed my room with a small smile on his face.
James ‘Jamjam’ Smythe was my butler and feeder. He had ninety percent vampire blood in his veins and ten percent human blood inside him. He had a heart… and it belonged to me.
I breathed out before heading to the dining hall, kissing the cheeks of my father, mother and baby sister, Thana. I lived in bliss… everyday.
What I thought was a peaceful day immediately turned sour when my father, the King of the vampire world, dropped an unexpected news.
“Father, may you please repeat that again? Am I going to be engaged to the son of Smythe? How come?” He placed the teacup down from the other end of the table, while Thana was being fed by our mother.
“You like him, right? And he likes you. You’re almost eighteen so it’s the right time for you to be betrothed, my daughter.”
“Father!” I dropped my utensils trying to hide the blush creeping in my face. Mother chuckled as she assisted my seven-year-old sister as she drank her milk. Being a royal vampire, we have the ability to consume human food, but blood from our feeder was always the best source for our sustenance.
“Selene, sweetheart, it is very obvious. James Smythe has been treating you more than a master and butler should be acting. We also talked to his parents and they were also planning to talk to us about it.”
“Your mother is right. Besides, you are going to be the queen of the races with your direct link with the last Selene, my daughter. That’s the fate you cannot absolutely change!” I took my fork and squeezed it, letting the steel break in my hands.
“I am thankful that you realize my feelings towards the son of Smythe's, Father, Mother… but I think I recall telling you that I have no such interest in being a queen. I just want to live like other vampires—free and happy.”
“I would recommend that you stop all those childish imaginations, Selene. You know better than me how our people are acting with your stubbornness. Sweetie, they want you to rule. They are worshipping you already! You are the current last link to the Queen of the moon!”
I stood up being so pissed. The screeching sound of my chair echoed in the hall.
“Please, excuse me!”
“Selene!” Father called out, but I didn’t turn around. I wanted to relax my nerves by the garden, sniffing the wind filled with the scent of the roses not knowing what would happen.
Why do they keep pushing me to be the queen?! Could I not be the one to decide my fate? I do like James but… I did not want to marry him just because it was an order.
An hour passed and I started to smell things burning, and saw James running towards me. He had a panicked look on his face.
“What’s wrong? We’re supposed to meet later.”
His hands shook me terribly, panting hard. “Your parents, Princess! Hurry!”
I was just about to ask him a question when the wind blew hard and the scent of thick blood scattered throughout the palace.
“This blood…” My eyes immediately turned crimson and I started running, leaving James behind. Fear crept in my system knowing the owner of that pure blood in the sea of human and other vampire blood. I could not get it wrong.
Fire.
It was endlessly corrupting the rooms. Blood from the human maids enveloped the carpets and everything was burning to crisp. The majestic chandeliers were falling and the once beautiful palace was turning red. The flames were consuming the whole place. I kept turning my head around, not understanding what was happening.
I hadn’t been gone for long. So why?
“Help!”
“Help us!”
I turned to my left and there was a little boy and girl vampire in the middle of the flames and the ceiling fell in their place, trapping their bodies and the screams and cries of help disappeared instantaneously.
What was going on? This… This was terrible!
Why was my nose not working at such an important time?!
“Selene!”
I looked back and my father was leaning on the wall… with a wood sticking on his abdomen as his whole entity danced within the flames.
“Father!” I screamed, running to him, not caring if the flames tore and burned my clothes and skin. “Father!” I cried and knelt beside him. I tried covering his wound with my bare hands but he shoved them away.
“Save your mother… and Thana…” he begged.
“What happened, Father? Tell me!” I removed the wooden cross that pierced him and tried to instill magic on his open wound. “You’re the strongest vampire… but how come—?!” I couldn’t finish my words. I was petrified. I was scared.
He coughed blood as I failed to even stop the blood in his abdominal part. There was just too much! If he was a human, I would not have removed the wood. But being a vampire, it would kill him more before blood loss became a reason for death.
“Listen, Selene… you are the strongest vampire, but yet have you discovered yourself. You have the thirds-of-blood making you powerful. The most powerful in the entire world.”
“Father, stop talking! You need to preserve your strength!”
He shook his head. “I... I will put you under a spell…” he mumbled, struggling.
“Stop talking, Father. You’ll live! You’re a vampire! You’re the king!” I cried in horror. My beating heart was losing it.
“Selene…” He coughed again. “I won’t let her control you… I won’t let her…”
“Who? Who are you talking about, Father?!”
“When the right time comes, you will know all the answers… that you wish to know and I know you will avenge us, but…” He continued whispering as he gasped for air. “Until that very moment, Thana would take over as a substitute. Your existence as a vampire will be sealed and you will live the way you wanted to be when you wake up… Thana will rule the undead while they’re unaware of your existence and position. When you are ready, burn the hem of your clothes and say your complete name…”
“Father, no!” I pleaded yet he ignored my cries.
“When it appears, give Thana your blood and my soul will handle the rest. Just… remember… that smile… suits you best…”
“Father, please!”
“I love you, your mother, and sister… Selene.”
I felt the time went still. He slowly closed his eyes, dropping the crown in my shaking hands as he turned to dust. I hugged his robe filled with his blood and my tears flooded endlessly.
Then I remembered my father’s words. I needed to save my sister. I wiped my tears and started running towards Thana’s room.
“Big sister Selene!”
She ran to me and gripped on my worn out clothes. Blood was on her whole body as she wept and I saw mother’s crown on the floor with the clothes I last saw her wearing this morning. She left with my father. She was also gone.
What the hell was going on?
“Are you guys alright?!” James popped behind with scars all over his body keeping the sword on its sheath. He saw my father’s robe with me and I saw how he gulped.
“What is going on, James?”
“This hasn’t been verified but we believe there are vampires on a rampage that was able to infiltrate inside the palace.” He closed the door securely before checking every window and closing the curtains. This allowed only mine and Thana’s eyes to brighten in this almost pitched black room.
“Please initiate the ritual, my Princess.” He immediately lit the candles from the drawer and placed them near us.
“H-how did you know?”
“I am your knight, Your Highness. The king has given me the instructions when this time arrives. Now, we must hurry!”
“I can’t! I don’t want to leave you guys fighting alone!” I cried, hugging my crying sister.
James knelt and held my shoulders tightly.
“You have to do this, Your Highness!”
“What?! I can’t! I’ll forget everyone!”
He shook me again.
“Princess, your Father has told me that this incident was most likely to happen before we even get engaged. And initiating your Father’s will to keep you hidden until you are capable of handling your identity and position hurts me even more… But do this for your late parents… for your people. I can tell you that only Thana and I will know to this day and I will protect your sister until you wake up.” He wiped my tears away.
“James…”
“Even if I’m just your butler, your knight, your feeder… I want to be with you. I will find a way to be by your side. Even if everyone’s memories get altered… I will wait until you wake up.” He pulled himself closer and laid a sweet kiss on my lips.
“I love you, Selene, and I promise I won’t fall for anyone besides you.” He then kissed my forehead before wrapping me into a tight hug.
“I love you, too, James. I’ll be your bride in the future, right?”
He nodded. “I promise, my love.”
“I love Selene more! Big sister is mine!” Thana suddenly grabbed me tightly making me smile in such a perilous time.
“Thana, listen…” I kissed her forehead. “Please don’t think of this day as the end, okay? I will just go to a long sleep and everyone will forget me, okay?”
“Why?” Thana asked.
Kids. My little sister was still so innocent.
“It’s hard to explain but I have to. We need to protect Mother and Father’s memories. You will be queen until that day arrives that you remove the spell from me… Only you, as the last royalty, can and will be able to. Promise me you’ll stay strong. Promise me you’ll make the right decisions and listen to James as he will tell you why I have to do this, okay?”
She nodded. “I promise!”
It broke my heart. I hugged her tightly, holding back the rest of my tears. I had to leave my sister, and that had never occurred to me. Our parents were gone, and she would be alone. She would need to survive.
James held onto Thana carefully as they watched me. I ripped the edges of my dress letting it burn on the candle close to me. I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts—remembering my Father’s words.
“My name is Selene Vlad Ambrogio.” A crescent moon appeared inside a massive circle some feet away beneath me with handwriting dancing quickly. “I am the last heiress of the thirds-of-blood, come forth the soul of my Father and my ancestors, hear thy pleads to be kept in this world until Thana Solace Ambrogio removes the seal my Father has attached to me and to this world!”
All the moving writings stopped aligning themselves through the big circle. I signalled James and he placed Thana down. My little sister walked towards me entering the circle.
“I will miss you, Thana.” I kissed her eyes. “Your memories will be the only one who cannot be altered… so be safe, okay?”
“Okay, but you have to play with me when I find you. Promise me, big sister?” I giggled hearing her request.
“Of course. When my memories return, I’ll do everything you want us to do. Be strong, my sister.”
She nodded. I hugged her, letting her face be buried in my neck. This would be Thana’s first time tasting my blood. I felt her hands squeezed with every gulp and the scent of my blood was being mixed with her tears.
She removed her fangs in my skin and I wiped my blood off her angelic face. My eyes started to get fuzzy and it wanted to close already. I turned to James who remained silent. He was hiding the pain in his eyes.
“James, take care of her…” He caught me as I almost fell down the floor.
“I will. Always.” His tears started to flee from his eyes. His heart was breaking, and so was mine.
I closed my eyes and prayed that things would be better the next time I opened my eyes.