Three

Vlad

Wincing at the loud volume of the blasting stereo, I covered my ears and watched as some of my dorm mates danced to the music blasting off a speaker.

We were having a mini party at the common room in our dormitory and although it was a school week, my friends and I were so spoiled that we often bribed the dorm janitors to let us have a little 'fun,' which included our girls. 

Limbs flailed wildly as vampires jumped around dancing to upbeat music, toasting, and chugging with cheers.

Zarek, my best friend, thin as death's head upon a mopstick who despite the unhealthy calories he consumed never gained weight, threw a pillow at me.

 I dodged and relaxed on a red velvet sofa, surrounded by boys playing chess.

"Hey sourpuss, get your lazy ass out here on the dance floor!"

"I'm having fun. I don't have to be as loud as…"

My eyes widened in shock when he slapped one girl's butt and placed a dog collar on another. 

Zarek was a man whore and loved his bed full of women. He had dangerously high sexual stamina and slept with girls twice his size. 

"She likes it," he laughed when I communicated with my eyes not to choke poor Rosalind to death. 

Scooping handfuls of popcorn into my mouth, I hated the way it greased my fingers but was too carried away by the taste to abandon it.

My shoulders stiffened when a girl perched on my lap. I made her sit beside me instead and turned to face her with my mouth full of popcorn.

"Go away, Irene," I grumbled, not in the mood for any sexual activity. She picked a banana and wrapped her hand around it, going from top to bottom with raw lust in her eyes. 

"Come on, Vlad. What's eating you up?" She purred, lowering her blouse. "Let me give you a massage, baby."

"No thanks. Find someone else," I said as politely as I could muster and walked away with my bag of popcorn, leaving a scowling Irene. 

No matter how hard I tried not to think about the Lycan girl, I couldn't stop. There were so many questions I wanted to ask. So many things I wanted to know about her. 

At least I knew her name and status even though it baffled me that she was the Lycan King's daughter. She looked nothing like her vain sister, Nova, who'd been trying to seduce me since I stepped foot into StoneCrest. 

Nova was beautiful by all standards, but there was something about her sister that pulled me in. Beneath that ugly hoodie she wore, I could tell she had curves more dangerous than any mountain road. 

Sighing, I shut my eyes, capturing her face in my mind. Her gray eyes framed with thick dark lashes held nothing but fear and sadness, like one who carried the whole world's problems on her shoulders. 

It made me curious to know her. 

I opened my eyes when I felt an itch in my throat. Time to drink some blood and quench this thirst. Remembering when Raven called me Bloodsucker made me smile which was strange considering that vampires hated that term. 

Picking one of the red cups stacked in a pyramid shape, I moved to a quieter area where the general blood bank was located. 

"There's no blood," one of the boys said with a deep frown. "I wonder why it hasn't been refilled?"

"Weird. Let's give them an hour before complaining."

He nodded absently and wandered off into the crowd. My eyes darted across to the other side of the room. There wasn't a single table free and most girls had their legs propped up on the males' laps, making out. 

I remembered what that dirty dog, Troy did earlier. He was so dumb as a post and Raven didn't deserve such humiliation from him. 

Her sister didn't bother sticking out for her sister which was weird as hell. Instead, she came up with the stupid excuse of Lycans used to being naked.

"We need blood!" someone yelled over the music and at the same time, Thorne changed the party playlist to a darker-themed song.

The chandelier lights changed to a gothic style and the partygoers ran crazy, high as a kite with raunchy dancing. 

Relaxing and declining my fifth sexual advance from twin sisters who both wore tight leggings and tank tops, I had enough. I wiggled away from the intoxicated sisters and rushed to my room, shutting the door behind me.

Zarek was right. I was a sourpuss.

Hours later, I felt a presence and jerked awake. 

It was happening again. Night after night, I woke up to the ghostly figure of a crying woman, standing outside my window. 

A silent scream caught in my throat and my heart raced with fear. I didn't realize I'd slept for so long because everywhere was quiet. Shaking like a leaf, I watched her with wide, panicked eyes. 

I tried to shake off the vision, but it etched into my mind, refusing to let go. What the fuck did she want from me?

 The pain from her tears seared into my body, driving me insane and making pain sear into my body. 

"Leave me alone!" I screamed in a fit of desperation. "Stop torturing me!"

She gasped for air, her eyes and cheeks stained with tears and she hugged herself. All she did was cry. She never spoke to me. Before, the visions used to be once in a while, but now, it was almost a daily occurrence and it was driving me crazy.

But just as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, like a puff of smoke. 

Sighing with relief, I slumped onto a chair, sick of this constant torment. My mum didn't take me seriously when I told her and thought they were hallucinations. I hadn't mentioned it to my dad yet for fear of being called weak. 

Murmuring, I got on my feet and rushed to the blood bank. Whenever this vision happened, my thirst became all-consuming. 

The damn thing was empty.

Thankfully, my community members were hybrids and not the real undead vampires else I'd have been feral. 

Still, I needed to find a source of blood, fast. I rushed past the sleeping janitor and the night air hugged me as I stepped outside, my senses on high alert.

My limbs blurred with speed as I raced to the blood bank warehouse and my fists pounded against the wood like a drum beat. 

"Charles, it's me, Vlad Open up. I need blood," I called out, my voice ringing with desperation...

The door creaked open. Charles walked out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, a look of apology on his face. "I'm sorry, but the supplier hasn't delivered yet."

My heart thundered and I paced back and forth. "Find something," I pleaded, running a hand over my head.

He nodded, leading me through the sterile room, filled with rows of empty refrigerated units, searching for a single blood bag.

 "Found something?" 

"Calm down. You know I need to feed you with quality blood, or else your dad would have my head. "

When he finally handed me a blood bag, my heart raced, and I snatched it from him.

 "It's not the real thing, but it's better than nothing. Just manage it. I promise you that before breakfast tomorrow, the van will have supplied enough blood," Charles said.

I drank it in a single gulp and almost spat it out.

"What type of fucking blood is this?" I grunted, annoyed. 

"Chlorophyllic nectar," Charles replied apologetically. 

The bitter thing was extracted from a plant species named Vitalis Vine, a valuable alternative to traditional animal or human blood which never satisfied me.

"Drinking piss is better than this crap," I continued my tale of woe.

"I blended it with something sweet," Charles promised, and I drank the rest of the blood bag before heading to my room. 

Hours later, a hand jolted me awake. I groaned in protest, trying to cling to the last remnants of sleep, and burrowed deeper into my covers, hoping to escape my friend's annoying voice, but to no avail. 

Reluctantly, I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Unlike the Lycans, vampires had separate rooms, instead of shared halls because we loved privacy while the noisy Lycans didn't mind cohabiting.

I freshened up for the day and headed out with my friends, joining the procession of vampire students emerging from their rooms, still groggy from sleep.

We headed towards the cafeteria while the Lycans and werewolves were jogging back to the dormitory after their morning run. My eyes scanned for Raven and I stopped walking when I spotted her unmistakable hoodie.

  She looked so lost and alone, wearing the same navy blue hoodie from yesterday, but this time, her face was uncovered, and her thick, dark hair was secured in a ponytail. 

She was beautiful in unexplainable ways. As if on cue, her captivating eyes met my gaze like she was looking into my soul.

"Lusting after the tiny girl again?" My friends teased me. "Don't tell me you have a crush on a Lycan."

"So what if I do?" I replied, ignoring their teasing.

"Poor taste," Xavier scoffed and Thorne laughed."And you're asking for trouble. Of all people, the vampire king's son shouldn't have a crush on a Lycan. I suggest you fuck her out of your system and forget about her."

"That's the last thing on my mind," I shot back, bristling at the suggestion. "On second thought, it won't be a bad idea, but that's not what I'm aiming for." 

"Alright, let's make a bet," Zarek said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "If she falls for you, I'll give you a steady supply of real blood for one week."

"Really?"

"Yes, trust me," Zarek laughed.

"And if she doesn't?" I asked, knowing there had to be a catch.

"She wouldn't dare. You're every girl's fantasy, but if she doesn't, you'll give me ten thousand dollars and we'd mock you all year for this," Zarek replied, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

I frowned, considering the bet. Ten thousand dollars wasn't a lot of money to us but I was confident that I'd win.

"Game on," I smirked, sealing the bet with a firm handshake. "I'll get the girl. Watch me."