LOGINShare
Chapter 2
Last Updated:
2024-11-19 15:55:54Chapter 2: The Feast of Blood
The first thing Karina noticed when she awoke was the silence. It was a strange kind of quiet—an unsettling stillness that hummed in the air, thick like the pause before a storm. She blinked, her vision swimming as she tried to adjust to the dim lighting. Her head felt heavy, and her limbs—too heavy. Her body was stiff, the soreness creeping in from every angle.
She was no longer in *The Velvet Throne*.
The room around her was cold and sterile, its walls adorned with strange, archaic symbols that seemed to pulse faintly in the shadows. She was lying on something soft, a plush velvet chaise lounge. The floor was made of polished stone, and the air smelled faintly of incense—rich, smoky, and foreign. Her breath hitched as she tried to push herself up, but her arms were bound to the armrests with thick, leather straps.
Panic surged through her, but she fought to keep it under control. *Focus, Karina. Think. Think.* She twisted her wrists, but the straps wouldn’t budge. Her heart raced as she turned her head to look around the unfamiliar room.
There were no windows. The only source of light came from the flickering candles that lined the walls, casting strange shadows that seemed to stretch and writhe as if alive.
Karina’s pulse quickened. *Where am I? What is this place?*
And then, she saw him.
He stood across the room, near a large, intricately carved wooden door. His posture was relaxed, his expression unreadable, but there was a quiet power that radiated from him—like a storm waiting to break. The man from the club. The one with the cold eyes. The one who had smiled at her like a predator hunting prey.
He was watching her now, his gaze piercing, but it wasn’t as cold as before. There was a flicker of something else in his eyes—a depth, a hunger, something ancient. His lips were slightly curved, as if he were amused by her fear.
Karina’s breath caught in her throat as she realized the truth: *He’s a vampire.*
She hadn’t believed it at first, when the rumors had circulated around the club. The whispers about the “Night Lords” and their thirst for blood, the legends of creatures who walked in the darkness, consuming the lifeblood of their victims. But now, in this eerie place, with his inhuman beauty and the predatory gleam in his eyes, she knew it was no longer a fantasy.
He was a vampire. And she was his prey.
“Good, you’re awake,” he said, his voice low and smooth, the kind of voice that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “I was beginning to think I might have lost you.”
“W-What do you want from me?” Karina’s voice was shaky, but she forced herself to sound defiant. The bonds on her wrists were tight, but they weren’t unbreakable. If she could just get enough leverage…
“I’m not here to play games with you, Karina,” he said, stepping closer, his shoes clicking softly on the stone floor. “You’re not in a position to ask questions. Not yet.”
Her pulse pounded in her ears. She tried to struggle against the straps, but the more she fought, the more they seemed to constrict. A cold chill settled over her chest, like the hands of the dead were clutching at her heart. Her instincts screamed at her to escape, but there was nowhere to run.
“Please… let me go,” she whispered, her voice faltering.
The vampire’s lips quirked into a smile, almost pitying. “Let you go? I’m afraid that’s not an option, darling. Not tonight.”
Karina swallowed, trying to push down the rising tide of panic. *Focus. Stay calm.* “Then what… what are you going to do to me?”
“I’m going to give you a gift,” he said, his voice soft, as though he were speaking to a child. “A gift that will make you an offering. A gift that will make you part of something far greater than yourself.”
Karina’s heart skipped. *An offering? What the hell does that mean?*
Her eyes darted around the room, desperately seeking any kind of escape. But there was nothing. There were no windows, no doors she could reach, no way out.
The vampire moved closer, the floor creaking under his weight, and Karina’s pulse hammered in her throat. She tried to shrink back, but the straps kept her in place. He reached for her chin, his fingers cool but firm as he tilted her head back, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“You’re going to be part of something much bigger than you can comprehend, Karina,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her ear. “But first, we need you to understand what you are.”
She wanted to scream, to tear away from him, but the words wouldn’t come. His presence was too overwhelming, like a storm surging inside her chest. Her body felt heavy, sluggish, like she was being pulled into a trance.
Before she could speak again, the vampire’s eyes flashed with an unspoken command, and she felt a sudden sharpness at her throat—like a needle pressing against her skin.
She gasped, but before she could react, a sharp *prick* echoed in the silence. Pain bloomed in her neck, and her vision blurred. Karina tried to scream, but the air left her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. Her body went rigid, and the pain surged through her, overwhelming every thought, every sensation.
“Relax,” he whispered, his voice like velvet. “It will all be over soon.”
The pressure on her throat increased as he sank his fangs into her skin, and Karina’s world tilted violently. Waves of nausea and dizziness overwhelmed her as the blood drained from her body. She wanted to fight, to claw at his hand, to break free, but her limbs were like lead. Her vision blackened at the edges, and her thoughts began to scatter like leaves in the wind.
*No… no… I can’t…*
And then, as quickly as it had begun, the pain stopped.
Karina’s body went limp against the chaise lounge, her chest rising and falling shallowly. Her blood was gone, drained from her by the vampire, but in its place was something else—a coldness that spread through her veins like ice, a hollow emptiness that seemed to gnaw at her very soul.
The vampire withdrew, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction, but there was something else in them now. A sense of reverence.
“Good,” he said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “You were perfect. And now… now you will serve as the vessel.”
The vessel? What was he talking about? Karina’s mind was fuzzy, her body still trembling from the shock of the blood loss. She couldn’t understand him, couldn’t make sense of the things he was saying.
And yet, she could feel it—something had changed. Something inside her, deep within her bones. A shift, subtle but undeniable.
*The vessel?*
Before she could ask any more questions, the door creaked open, and another figure stepped inside—tall, regal, dressed in ceremonial robes. The figure’s face was hidden beneath a hood, but the presence was unmistakable.
The vampire turned to greet the new arrival with a nod. “It is done,” he said.
Karina’s vision blurred, but one thing was clear: the game had changed. And she was no longer just a helpless victim.
Related chapters
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Bloodlines and BetrayalsKarina didn’t know how much time had passed. Hours? Days? It felt like the world had slowed to a crawl, like everything had been suspended in an endless haze. Her body was heavy, her mind clouded, and the strange coldness that lingered in her veins kept her numb—numb to the pain, numb to the fear, numb to the terror that still gripped her heart.The vampire who had drained her blood—who had marked her—was gone, leaving her alone in the cold, stone room. The silence pressed in on her, thick and suffocating. She could still feel the weight of his presence, as if his hands were still on her skin, lingering in the space between them. Her heart raced, but each beat felt distant, like it belonged to someone else.*Get it together, Karina. Focus.*She strained against the leather straps that bound her to the chaise lounge, but they held fast. Her arms were sore, her wrists raw from the pressure. The room felt impossibly large, but there was no escape. No wi
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 4
Chapter 4: The Feast of ShadowsKarina’s heart hammered in her chest as the vampire’s words echoed in her mind. *The Third Prince of Zorana*. A bloodline. A kingdom. She wasn’t just some ordinary orphan—she was part of a story far darker and more complex than anything she could have ever imagined.Her body trembled, not just from fear, but from the anger that was beginning to build inside her. She had spent years scraping by, surviving, only to find out that she had been a pawn in a game she hadn’t even known existed. And now, it seemed that her blood—the very thing she had to struggle to keep in her body—was the key to something even more monstrous.The vampire’s gaze was unwavering, cold, like a predator sizing up its prey. But something in her didn’t cower beneath his scrutiny anymore. She had been broken, yes—*drained*—but she hadn’t given up. Not yet. Not as long as her heart still beat."I won't be part of this," Karina said through gritted teeth, the words tasting bitter in her
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Unseen PathsThe vampire’s cold laugh reverberated in the stone chamber, but Karina’s resolve only hardened. Her mind was a storm of confusion and fury, but beneath the chaos, there was a single, undeniable truth—*they were underestimating her.*They thought she was just a girl—broken, terrified, a tool to be used. But she wasn’t just some vessel. The power in her blood, the strange connection to Zorana's royal line, had awakened something deep inside her. Something primal. It pulsed like a distant drumbeat, urging her to fight.The taller vampire—he seemed to be the leader of this twisted circus—stepped back, his golden eyes gleaming with satisfaction, like a predator savoring a meal it had yet to consume. His presence was suffocating, like the weight of centuries pressing down on her. He had been waiting for her to break. But Karina wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction.“I won’t be part of your rituals,” she said again, her voice stronger this time. “You don’t contro
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Price of PowerKarina stood at the center of the dimly lit chamber, the weight of the moment pressing on her chest. Her fingers tingled with the strange, foreign power that surged beneath her skin. The bloodline—her blood—was the key to something far darker than she had imagined. But the deeper she felt into it, the clearer it became: this wasn’t just a ritual. This was a war—one that would cost her everything, but one she could win.The vampires hadn’t anticipated her strength, and for the first time since she’d been brought to this place, she wasn’t the prey. She wasn’t helpless. The power in her veins, dark and ancient, was hers to control… *if she could figure out how.*The room around her seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy, as if the walls themselves were alive, waiting for something—or someone. The symbols carved into the stone seemed to shift and writhe in her peripheral vision, their meaning lost to her, but the sensation they gave off was undeniable. They
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 7
Chapter 7: The Choice of the DamnedThe room had fallen into an eerie stillness. The air was thick with tension, and the power inside Karina thrummed with a deafening intensity. The ancient magic that had awakened in her veins was still a storm waiting to burst free, and she could feel its pulse—stronger, hotter, darker—surging through her, threatening to overwhelm her.She was no longer the scared, helpless girl who had stumbled into this world of vampires, bloodlines, and ancient rituals. No longer the pawn in someone else’s game. She had seen what was at stake. She knew the power she held, and she had made her choice.Her heart pounded in her chest as she stood there, the room humming with the magic of the Third Prince’s rising, waiting for her to unleash it. The vampires who stood before her—the ones who had thought her weak, who had treated her like an expendable tool—were now nothing more than obstacles in her path. And yet, as the power swelled within her, Karina felt a flicker
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Unspoken WordsThe air in the stone chamber felt heavy—laden with power and tension—and Karina could hardly breathe as she stood there, her body still humming with the unnatural force she had unleashed. The prince's power stirred inside her, pulling at her insides, like an unrelenting tide. She had made her choice, but with it came a new weight, a new responsibility that she wasn’t entirely sure she was prepared for.As the dust settled, and the room calmed, her mind tried to focus on the reality of what she had done. There was no going back. The prince—whatever he was now, whatever she had unleashed inside herself—was connected to her. And that would change everything.But there was something else that tugged at her attention, something she couldn’t fully escape. Something *or someone*.Caden.He was standing a few paces away, watching her with those glowing amber eyes, his expression unreadable. His silence was both comforting and maddening at the same time. The feeling be
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 9
Chapter 9: The Breaking PointThe night was thick with the kind of darkness that only existed in places forgotten by the sun. The air was heavy, saturated with the scent of blood and old stone, and the shadows seemed to stretch forever in the vast corridors of the underground castle. Karina stood at the edge of the chamber, her fists clenched by her sides, trying to breathe past the tension that coiled in her chest.She had come to a realization—something both simple and terrifying. The prince was waking, but in a way that felt almost wrong. She had felt the first stirrings of his power deep inside her, like a second heartbeat, slow and constant. And with it, there was an undeniable pull, an invisible thread that connected her to him in ways that felt both primal and unsettling. But it wasn’t just the prince she felt tugging at her.*It was Caden.*The vampire who had bound her with his blood, who had made her feel both powerless and powerful at once. He was everywhere now—his presence
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 10
Chapter 10: The UnravelingThe cold stone walls of the underground castle seemed to close in on Karina as she walked deeper into the heart of the darkened labyrinth. Her footsteps echoed softly, but the silence that followed felt heavier, oppressive. The air was thick with the scent of dampness and ancient decay. Each corner she rounded brought her closer to the truth, but the closer she got, the less she wanted to know. Her mind churned, swirling with the aftermath of what had transpired. The awakening of the prince. The bond that tied her to him. To them.Caden’s words echoed in her mind: *You don’t have to do this alone.* But how could she trust anyone now? Especially him? The vampire who had done nothing but confuse her, push her, test her resolve. What game was he playing? She didn’t know where his loyalties lay, but one thing was for certain: he wasn’t offering a way out. He was offering *something*—something she couldn’t yet name. And it terrified her.The deeper she went, the
Latest chapter
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 40
Chapter 40: A New DawnThe first thing Caden noticed when he woke was the warmth of the sunlight spilling through the thick curtains, casting soft golden rays across the room. It felt like a strange comfort after the cold darkness that had gripped him for so long. His body was still heavy with fatigue, his muscles aching, but there was a new kind of peace surrounding him. The panic, the fear, the doubt that had plagued him in his final moments—before everything had gone black—were gone.His eyes fluttered open, taking in the sight before him.Luka and Silas were sprawled across the bed, their little bodies pressed up against his own, one with his head on Caden’s chest, the other curled up against his side. The twins looked like two miniature versions of him, their dark hair tousled from sleep, their peaceful expressions a world away from the chaos they had faced. It was a rare moment of serenity—one that he had never thought he woul
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 39
Chapter 39: The Edge of HopeThe castle was a place of silence now, a silence that felt heavier than any battle, more suffocating than any chaos that had once stormed through its halls. The sounds of war had faded, replaced by the steady drip of blood, the low hum of magic, and the frantic whispers of those who had witnessed Zorana's near destruction.Caden was unconscious.Karina sat by his side, her hand resting on his chest, her eyes fixed on his face, willing him to wake. She had seen him fight with all the fury of his vampire lineage, watched as he gave everything to save the kingdom—and the twins—but now he lay still, his body ravaged by the toll of his heroism.She couldn’t understand it. He had survived so much, faced so many enemies, but this—this felt different. There was no strength left in him. No energy to reach back to her.Hours turned into days, and still, there was no sign of him stirring.She r
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 38
Chapter 38: The Heart of ChaosThe storm had come.The kingdom of Zorana, once a place of quiet power and ancient beauty, was now a sprawling battlefield, its towering spires and royal halls echoing with the sounds of war. The earth seemed to tremble beneath the weight of the chaos, and every street in the city was filled with the sounds of clashing steel, cries of pain, and the unmistakable growl of vampires hungry for blood.Lena had set everything into motion.Her treachery, her desire to claim Zorana for herself, had not only destabilized the kingdom but had awakened a faction of vampires long thought dormant—the ancient bloodline of Zorana that had been sealed away by Caden’s ancestors. And now, with the veil of secrecy torn away, the kingdom was fractured and at war.Caden had never felt the weight of responsibility so heavily on his shoulders. As he stood at the palace gates, overlooking the battlefield, his heart pounded in his
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 37
Chapter 37: Unveiling the TruthThe days had been slow, but steady. For Karina, it was a battle of trust—her heart still sore from the wounds that Lena’s betrayal had left, and the distance that had grown between her and Caden over the years. But Caden was trying. She could see it in the way he looked at her now, the quiet tenderness in his eyes, the way he reached for her hand when no one was watching, the effort he put into rebuilding their connection.Still, there was a part of her that hesitated. She had loved him once with all of her heart, but could she truly open herself to him again? Could she trust him not to slip back into the same mistakes? Could she trust him with her heart when he had once shattered it?As the sun set behind the mountains, casting a warm glow across the palace grounds, Karina stood at the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Her twins, Luka and Silas, were playing with Cael, their younger half-brother, who had begun to war
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Rebuilding the BrokenThe grand halls of the palace, once filled with tension and deceit, were now quiet, the air thick with a sense of cautious hope. The revelation of Lena’s betrayal had left scars on everyone involved, but there was a strange peace beginning to settle, like the calm after a storm. Yet, for all the progress, a deeper wound remained, one that neither time nor actions could easily heal.Caden stood by the window of his chambers, staring out at the sprawling grounds below. The kingdom of Zorana had been shaken to its core, and the palace was no exception. Lena’s treachery had poisoned every corner of their lives, and the aftermath was still raw. His eyes flickered briefly to the door as he heard the soft click of footsteps approaching—Karina’s footsteps.She had been avoiding him, as she had every day since the truth about Lena came to light. Karina was still here in the palace, still by his side for the sake o
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 35
Chapter 35: The Unraveling of DeceitThe tension in the palace had reached a breaking point. For years, Lena had carefully woven a web of lies, manipulating those around her, pulling strings from the shadows to achieve her ultimate goal: to see her son Cael crowned as the King of Zorana, and to rid herself of all threats to her power. But now, with each passing day, that web had started to unravel.Luka and Silas, though still young, had unknowingly become the center of a deadly game—a game that Lena had played with ruthless precision. She had used them as pawns, trying to erase any trace of their true heritage, to force Caden’s heart and mind to believe that they weren’t his children. But no amount of manipulation, no number of schemes, could keep the truth buried forever.The revelation had come unexpectedly, triggered by a series of events that no one could have predicted. Caden had believed Lena’s lies, had trusted her—just as K
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 34
Chapter 34: The Tides of BetrayalThe sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the palace grounds. In the garden, the vibrant flowers bloomed in defiance of the encroaching darkness, their colors vivid and bright. But despite the beauty of the world around them, a sense of unease hung in the air. A storm was coming—one that Caden couldn’t yet see but could feel in his bones.Luka and Silas played in the garden, their laughter echoing against the stone walls. Their innocence, their unguarded joy, was a stark contrast to the growing tension inside the palace. Caden watched from the window of his study, his eyes flicking between the twins as they ran, their faces lit with the pure, untarnished joy of childhood. For a moment, everything felt right. But that moment was fleeting.A shadow loomed at the edge of the garden, unnoticed by the children but impossible to ignore to anyone who had learned to recognize the signs of danger. And that shad
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 33
Chapter 33: The Mirror of TruthThe castle was eerily quiet, as if it too had learned to hold its breath. The noise of the bustling court, the clash of swords, and the murmurs of servants all seemed distant to Caden as he stood alone in the royal library, staring into the mirror that had once belonged to his mother, Queen Aurelia.His reflection gazed back at him, but it was not the same man he had seen six years ago. He was different now—grief had reshaped him, as had the betrayals, the wars, and the many heartaches. But the most startling change was the one that had come with the appearance of Luka and Silas—the twins.They were so young—only six years old—but there was no denying the resemblance. When Caden first laid eyes on them, he had brushed off the strange connection he felt, telling himself they were just children, just a consequence of his tumultuous past. Yet, the more time he spent with them, the more undeniable the tru
The Prince of Zorana Chapter 32
Chapter 32: Unseen BondsThe palace was a cold, lifeless place now. The halls that once echoed with joy, laughter, and the soft steps of loved ones now reverberated with the heavy silence of confinement, of punishment, and of memories that no longer held warmth.Karina’s heart was heavy with anger as she paced back and forth outside the palace prison, her fists clenched at her sides. The guards had barely let her step foot past the outer gates before they had refused her access to the twins. Luka and Silas, her boys, her flesh and blood, had been imprisoned without trial, without cause. Her sons were being treated like criminals, and it burned her to the core. She could hear their voices echoing in her mind—innocent, confused, and afraid—and it made her blood boil to think of them locked away in those cold, stone cells.She couldn’t—*wouldn’t*—stand for it.Karina had fought for the twins' safety for years, hidden
