KIRA
That day will forever haunt me, the day I realized that my life would never remain the same again. All I saw were red droplets of blood as it slipped down like a fountain from their necks. None of them were spared. All of them were gone in the blink of an eye. My family was killed, drained like they were nothing but animals and it’s all thanks to those detestable…creatures of the night.
It was a sick joke. At least, it was meant to be a joke.
But it was real.
Humans were evacuated from their homes and were forced to live in the outskirts of the city in ramshackle tents. Because of the limited access to food, water, and shelter, we struggled to survive. The vamps made sure we realized that they were on top of the food chain. Due to their superhuman strength and increased agility, they would kill us for sport.
After the death of my family, I, along with some other females who were lucky to be alive, were taken to an establishment known as The Pet Shop. Upper-class vampires don’t kill humans in tents because that’s beneath them. Instead, they come to The Pet Shop to purchase humans who would be used as slaves, pets, or sex toys. When the vampire got tired, he had the power to get rid of the insignificant human.
By that I mean they either kill us or re-sell us to another interested vampire.
Either way, as a human, your days are numbered.
…………………………
"Kira, get the fuck up and get ready for the auction."
Austen with the colourful words this beautiful morning.
He’s the short-tempered, psychotic vampire manager of the shop. I’ve learned over the years to keep my arguments with him to a bare minimum because of his sadistic nature. Once, a girl, I think her name was Lira, threw a fit because she didn’t want to be sold. Austen dragged her to God-knows-where mid-tantrum and she hasn’t been seen ever since.
I sighed and got up from the stone-cold bed to hit the shower. As the ice-cold water cascaded down my skin, I made a silent plea to the universe for someone to wake me up from this nightmare. Granted, outside isn’t great and I may or may not be vampire food immediately but at least I had a choice when I was outside. No one controlled how I lived my life.
I had freedom even though it was relative.
In here, I’m told what to do, when to eat, when to sleep and how to speak. Also, let’s not forget that so far, I’ve almost been raped, beaten, and touched inappropriately.
These auctions are usually in sessions: during the first session, human males are sold off then there is an intermission. The last session is when females get sold. To prepare for this idiocy, we are given clothing items that we’d never be caught dead in-clean underwear and fancy clothing so that we would at least look decent enough for the rich vampires. My outfit was a lime-coloured, off-the-shoulder dress that fit the top-half of my body like a glove and then flowed down my legs, leaving a little train behind me. It was a beautiful dress, dare I say I actually did not look lifeless in forever. I tied my auburn hair into a neat ponytail with a rubber band carefully so as not to upset my already frail roots and put on a bit of lip gloss. It is the only makeup product we are allowed to have because, of course, we can’t look prettier than the female vampires.
Giving myself a once over in the bathroom mirror, I stepped out and lined up with the hundreds of girls waiting to be sold.
"Okay, girls,” Austen clapped his hands enthusiastically. ‘’You know the drill: smile, be quiet, and look pretty.’’ Sexist pig. "Also, no funny business.’’ He warned.
Like automated robots, we marched to the familiar room known as the Testing Area. As the name implied, we have medical tests done to make sure we’re clean, fit, and healthy enough to be sold.
Like fattening a cow for the slaughter.
It got to my turn and I rolled my eyes internally at this whole charade. One of the major tests done here is the virginity test. Who the hell were we meant to have sex with when the curfew is by eight pm and all the rooms are locked with a passcode? Not to mention, the boys’ quarters are in a completely separate building from the girls. Oh, let’s not forget that this facility is heavily guarded by, no not humans, vampires!
One wrong move and they’d snap your neck in an instant and sing Amazing Grace at your funeral.
If you even have the luxury of getting a funeral.
"Vince, you may proceed." Vanessa, the doctor in charge of this exercise instructed.
He grunted and pinned me to the table with his large hands and inserted something that looks like a needle in my vagina. By all means Vince, why don’t you insert that thing in me without my consent?
I arched my back further into the table, squirming and wimping at the foreignness of the object. Vince paid me no mind, his soulless eyes burning holes so deep in my body I thought I’d melt into a puddle on the metal table.If looks could kill, I’d probably be dead by now.
He removed the needle from the table and passed it to Vanessa who scanned it on her computer. I put my dress back on and tried to make myself look a little decent even though I felt completely humiliated.
"Clear," Vanessa stated. She wrote something on her clipboard and called in the next girl they were going to assault.
The next test I had to undergo was the breast examination which was carried out by Zana. Another vampire.
But I liked her. She was always cordial and treated everyone, human and vampire, with respect. Frankly, she was the second person I met with an iota of common sense in the facility.
The first being me of course.
‘’You know the drill, Kira,’’ she said. I sighed and lay on a table again. I slipped my dress down and she rubbed a cool, blue liquid on both breasts. She held a device that looked like a microscope with LED lights and examined me with a serious expression on her face. According to her, the whole point of this test is to check for any signs of breast cancer.
She handed me a paper towel to wipe the goo off my body. ‘’You’re all clear, Kira.’’
Thank heavens. As I was about to make a run for it, she called my name.‘’Kira, you were born to do great things. Never forget that.’’
I offered her a small smile. "Thanks."
Leaving the room with her words in mind, I made a beeline for the queue full of the other girls like me: girls with no souls, girls who’ve been mind-fucked, girls who’ve been assaulted.
Girls with no future.
"Remember, Kira," Austen whispered in my ear. When did he get so close to me? ‘’Don’t be a bitch. We need not lose customers because of your incompetence.’’
Austen has had it out for me ever since he tried to rape me. Emphasis on the word tried because I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He had the advantage: I was a human, he was a vampire. However, at that moment when he tried to discard my already skimpy outfit, I clawed at him with my fingernails enough for it to leave bruises on his body and screamed as my life depended on it.
Because it did.
But nothing was done. I didn’t expect anything to be done really because no one cared about a human in this new normal. He was still the manager and I was still minutes from being sold to a stranger.
"I hope you don’t get sold tonight,’’ his wandering hands moved dangerously down my back until they cupped my ass. I held my breath and counted till ten in my head. ‘’That way, I can make you my personal blood bag.’’
"Fucking pervert,’’ I whispered loud enough so he could hear me.
"What did you say?’’ he growled.
I swallowed the fear that was growing in my throat and repeated what I had said, this time a little louder. ‘’You’re not deaf, are you? I said fucking pervert and I hope you rot in hell or purgatory or wherever you vampires go because you’re despicable.’’
Gasps filled the room and the other girls turned to watch us. Some widened their eyes while others looked at me like I was bat-shit crazy. Maybe I was crazy: years of being cooped up in here can do a number on you. Also, I’m sick and tired of Austen’s bullying. Sometimes, I wished I had extraordinary powers like him just so I could hurt him the way he hurt me. More so, I wish I could kill him with my bare hands because he deserved it. The girls in the shop would even be grateful because that is one less monster eradicated from their lives.
"You little bitch." His angry and erratic breathing fanned my ear and I could feel his fangs elongating. I knew what was coming next. With the way his big hands gripped my arm, he wanted blood and he was going to get it because no one had the power to call him out. I closed my eyes and waited for the pain but it never came.
"That’s quite enough, Austen," Zana said, coming out of the examination room. My saviour. She had a frown on her face and a hand on her hips. ‘’You know the rules or do I have to call Master Rindell?’’
Rule #43: Never drink from a human minutes before an auction.
"Definitely not, Zana dear," he released me from his grip and retracted his gums. ‘’I was just going over a few things with Kira.’’
“With your fangs almost digging into her neck?”
“She wanted it.”
No, I didn’t. “Whatever.” She turned to the girls who had already formed a circle around us. The shock was evident on their faces because they never expected a vampire to stand up for a human. "Ladies, why don’t we all form a straight line and forget this ever happened."
Austen stormed off in annoyance and I smiled brightly. That will teach him. Zana walked over to me and straightened out my dress. ‘’Did he hurt you?’’
"No. Thanks to you he didn’t."
She pressed her lips into a firm line. “Good. Remember to keep your head up and don’t let this get to you,”
I nodded wordlessly as her fingers brushed strands of hair from my face. “Also, remember what I told you earlier.”
You were born to do great things.
With that, she left and the girls and I did as she said-pretended like it never happened.
KIRAThe auction was bubbly and lively as usual. Male and female vampires clad in expensive attire were seated at the foot of the podium waiting for their dinner to be served. Some slaves were being held by their collars and whisked away by their new masters while others like me were patiently waiting to be called behind the red curtain.As I scanned the area, it dawned on me that this whole auction was a whole production, a scene straight out of The Great Gatsby. The dark room was illuminated by dim fluorescent lights. The curtains were draped in crimson red linen and pulled down to prevent the rays of sunlight. Vampires, according to what I heard, are allergic to sunlight. It burned their skin and caused them to age quickly, but it doesn’t kill them.The walls were coated in gold, paintings of the various monarchs of the vampire realm hung on them, almost like humans never existed. The window panels were stretched twelve feet to a
KIRAI had heard many stories about Prince Dante Rosetti, none of them good ones. The girls in the shop loved to gossip, mainly because there was nothing else to do.Except wait to be killed or sold of course.While I wasn’t too keen on judging a person’s character based on what other people say through the grapevine, I can’t help but not hold him in the highest regard considering he is a vampire, vampires murdered my family, and he indirectly allowed vampires to murder my family by being the Prince of this fucking lunacy.From the conversations I’d heard, the Vampire King, whoever he is, called the shots. He had been alive for centuries now, living among us and forming a rebellion. Once his army was complete, he was able to overthrow the governments of the world and establish his kingdom of bloodsuckers eight years ago.His army is controlled by the five Princes known as Malvado. They are rumoured
DANTE ''Did I kill her?'' ''Of course not, brother,'' she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone of voice. ''You only milked her like a cow.'' ''This is no time to joke, Emily. She has been asleep for two days. You're a witch so do something.'' She narrowed her eyes at me and touched the forehead of my newest pet and shook her head. ''I'll try my best but her pulse is very faint.'' ''Shit,'' I cursed. “I can't believe I lost control. I never lose control like that.'' I would admit, I went a little overboard when I had drank from Kira. “A little?” Emily mused. “Get out of my head,” I seethed. Emily is a witch with the annoying ability of reading people’s minds, among other things. It's rather unfortunate that she is my sister- unfortunate for me beck I'm always at the receiving end of her many tricks and experiments. Taught by the best instructors of magic in North America, dare I say she is on her way to becoming a very pow
KIRAI lunged up into a sitting position in the unfamiliar room, wide-eyed and gasping. I glanced around, almost frantic, and jumped when I saw a figure towering over me.''Oh, you're awake.'' A woman who looked to be about my age, maybe older-said. She wore a short, black dress with grey heels matched with a dark, leather jacket. Her blonde hair was styled in a slick bun with a few baby hairs sticking out.Needless to say, she was gorgeous.''What happened to me? Where am I? How did I get here?'' I questioned in rapid succession. She just chuckled and stuck a thermometer in my mouth. ''My name is Emily and you're in Castle Bellfonte. How are you feeling?”Like my body got run over by a truck and I had a fight with stray cats and lost.“Terrible,” I croaked. My throat burned from dehydration. I scanned the room again for water or any liquid I could drink but there was none.“You must be thirsty.&
DANTEThe double doors of the office opened automatically and I walked in with confidence. There she sat with her nose buried in an ancient book, no doubt researching some new spells or whatever witches do nowadays. Her laptop was perched on her busy desk, opened, and her fingers moved from the book to typing away on the device.Always has and forever will be a workaholic.We may be archaic, but supernaturals have embraced the many technologies of man. Truth be told, I had to adjust to the ‘modern’ way of life and had to learn how to use devices like phones, and laptops. When I was a young human, we only used pigeons to disseminate information.A smirk was prominent on her face so I knew she sensed my presence. But she chose to ignore me. I decided to break the ice because knowing her she’d give me the silent treatment for eternity if she could.''I knew I'd find you here.''''What do you want, Dante
King Ambrose lived alone in a bungalow in Calais, Maine, a neighbouring town right on the Canadian border. Ever the minimalist, he traded his castle for a more ‘simple life’ as he called it after bequeathing his kingdom, and the other parts of the world, to my brothers and I. He’s as ancient as they come but he doesn’t look a day over thirty. That’s one of the perks of being a vampire-you never age. It’s a blessing and a curse. He wore a dark grey T-shirt and matching cargo pants; his dark brown hair was covered by a baseball cap. You would think he was going to the beach in his attire but it was minus one degrees outside. To humans, this may be considered as “freezing cold” but we vampires rarely feel the elements of nature. “The weather forecast stated that there might be a blizzard,” he said with a welcoming smile. “Yet you came all the way to see me.” “I did. You always talk my ear off about not visiting you often, Father.” I haven’t visited
It had been weeks since my arrival and it’s been uneventful to say the least. My job description is to be a ‘pet’ but so far, the only thing I’ve done is eat, sleep, watch television and sleep some more.This may be a dream job to most people but to me, it’s a nightmare.Times like these make me miss my old life, the one the vampires destroyed. I had hopes and dreams of becoming a ballerina. My parents enrolled me in ballet classes ever since I was two and I just fell in love with the art. My goal was to attend the Royal Ballet School in the United Kingdom and be inducted in the Ballet Music Hall but that all went straight to hell ever since the takeover.Instead of brooding over situations I can’t control, I planned the one thing that would truly make me happy. I haven’t had a taste of the outside in the last seven years. In The Pet Shop, we were only allowed to have a glimpse of the outside world when we were
KIRABlonde hair. Sinister smile. Handsome face. Sadistic personality.Andre Castillo- member of Malvado.Andre Castillo was another name I had heard frequently at the shop. Any slave who got sold to his kingdom through ‘express delivery’ never made it out alive. His kingdom was an apparent torture centre for humans because Andre was a sadistic fuck. Express delivery was the exportation of slaves from one kingdom to the next. It was a common practice at the Pet Shop and it fetched them a lot of money.Andre reminded me of the grim reaper. With an aura that screamed death and a gait that was nothing less than intimidating, my body stayed still, weighing my options. I can’t run. He has his hands around my throat. I can’t scream. He still has his hands around my throat. I couldn’t hear any noise from the outside and the door was locked.He’s definitely going to kill me for dinner.‘&rs
POISON KIRA My mother always told me that I was destined for a greater purpose, something absolutely bigger than I was. Eight-year old me was too young to truly grasp the sense of her words, but now I do, I believe this was what she meant. I was to be the one to stop Drisellda using Endgame. The knife was firmly secured in my hands as I was transported to the fight. My nerves were trying to get the best of me, but I wouldn’t let them win. I had to do this to save Dante and probably the whole of North America because from what I’ve heard and seen, Drisellda is a loose cannon. I was just in time to see Drisellda trying to kick Dante in the face but he avoided it via his super speed before she could connect with his face. I hid the knife in my robe and Dante spotted me. His eyes widened and pursed in confusion. He was by my side in a flash. “Kira, what are you doing here? I thought I said you should stay with Zander?” he reprimanded. I ignored his reproof. “
KIRADante and Emily where locked in a brawl. From Zander and I’s vantage point, I could see that Dante was trying to overpower her, but was failing miserably. Everytime he would come closer, she would recite a spell or do something to counter his attack.It wa pure chaos.And it didn’t help that glass shattering and door rattling could be heard from even the most silent corners of the castle, making me wonder what the fuck was going on.“We have to do something.” I grabbed Zander’s arm. “For God’s sake, we can’t just stay out here and do nothing! Don’t you see,” I gestured to Emily grabbing Dante by the neck and lifting him up. “She’s going to kill him.” I really did believe she was going to kill him because Emily was infected by the poison of black magic.Tears were threatening to spill but I wouldn&r
DANTEThe smell of death permeated the air as soon as I walked into her cell. I didn’t need to take further steps to know that a mini massacre had happened here- there was blood splatter everywhere, dried blood on the walls and on the window.I looked down on the floor and noticed that there was a dead body beside me, a body of one of my guards. He was lying in the pool of his own blood, a knife in his hands.“For fucks sake,” I muttered. I grabbed the bloodied knife from his pale, limp hands and side-stepped him. I walked in further, looking for any sign of my sister but there was none. Zander was right, she really did break her chains. They were lying haphazardly on the floor.Even though I couldn’t see her, I could smell her essence. Her cell wasn’t large, but it was big enough to accommodate ten people at most.“Emily, I’m not playing
KIRAI love you.” I wanted him to know that. I inched closer and wrapped my hands around his neck, straddling him. I wanted him to see my genuineness in the moonlight. “I love you so much.”“I love you, Kira Song. I meant it then,” he moved closer to my lips. “And I mean it now.”He closed the gap between us and our lips fell into a warm, delicate embrace. It was just us in our own little world, a mangled mess of bodies and moans. Dante said he loved me.I had waited for him to say those words to me since I came to the castle. My love wasn’t one-sided after all.Life is funny that way. If you pinched me years ago and told me that I would fall in love with a supernatural creature- a Vampire Prince for that matter- I would have laughed in your face and told you take a one way trip to hell.But it happened.
KIRAI cherished nights like this.The castle has had little or no action, but I could still feel that there was a little bit of tension. Call it a half-breed’s intuition.Dante was busy, I had watched him leave his room, Zander in tow as he was shooting rapid fire instructions at him. Being the ruler of a whole Kingdom was bound to be stressful and a lot of people relied on him. I understood that before me, he had a family, responsibilities and a duty to his people. We may be a ‘couple’ but I’ve never asked for more than he was willing to give me. It was more than enough.Despite his busy schedule, he always made out the time to see me in the comfort of the night. I think it was the one time where he truly felt free. He was just Dante and not Prince Dante. There was no title that shouldered and carried a weight of problems.Our relationship felt sacrilegious, almost tabo
DANTE“That aside, have you heard from Emily? She hasn’t talked to me nor has she visited and I am getting worried.” Ambrose said. Oh right, he didn’t know what was going on. “Do you know if she’s okay?”How do I tell Ambrose that his only daughter has gone mad due to black magic and she was currently in my dungeon chained like a wild animal?“You’re not saying anything? Did something happen to Emily?’A lot of things happened to Emily.“You might want to have another sip of blood before you hear this.” He may probably need a whole wine cellar. “Emily is alive.” He heaved a sigh of relief and I grimaced. “That’s good, but I feel something is off. You’re not telling me something. I know my children better than anyone.”I struggled to find the words. “Emily is alive, but barely.”“What?” he bellowed, his ey
DANTEEllemea excused herself to go see Emily after I told her Ambrose was here. I told Zander to let my father in. Ambrose walked in and he did not look pleased. I could feel his reprimand coming: the way the lines on his forehead would crease, his eyebrows would knot together like they were bound by an invisible string and his lips would form into a tight frown. When I was a young vampire, I used to dread making him angry. I didn’t want to disappoint the one man that treated me more like a son than my own flesh and blood. Now? I have more autonomy.“Really, Dante?” He was mad. The smoke on top of his head was burning with coal embers.“Good evening to you too, Ambrose,” I offered him my drink with a smirk. “What brings you to my humble abode?”“Dante Rosetti,” he used my government name. “Explain to me why I’m getting a frightened phone call from Master Rindall claiming that you visited t
“You’re late.”“I was busy.”I handed my jacket to Zander, and instructed him that we not be disturbed.“Doing?” she asked. I joined her on the couch in my throne room and raised a brow. Since when was she this nosy? “Nothing of particular concern for now.”“You smell like blood,” she observed. “Vampire blood, mixed with…drugs?.” Ellemea leaned in closer to observe me with suspicion. “What have you really been up to?”“Again, nothing that should concern you for now.” She may be persistent, but I was stubborn as hell.Thankfully, she dropped it and I dived right into the reason I called for her audience. “I know who killed Sebastian.”That caught her attention immediately and she widened her eyes. “Who did it?”“Emily.”“That’s impossible.”Was it r
DANTE“I’m looking for two people.”He raised a brow. “Oh?”“They are members of La Casa Blanche actually.”That made him slam the glass on the table rather loudly, drawing even more than the usual attention. “Why do you want to see them?”“You’re getting agitated,” I noted. “I haven’t even said their names.”I was walking on very thin ice, this I needed to thread carefully. One small slip-up and everything would go to shit.“Do engage me, Prince Dante, who are the members you’re looking for?”“Coral and Zane Flynn.”The bastards that murdered Kira’s family.He threw another drink back and was silent for a while, looking at everywhere but me, before his eyes regained their focus.