Vampire Queen

Chapter thirty one

The further north we went the more we noticed the impact the hunters and northern armies left on our kingdom. There was fear and sadness. Dark clouds hovered over the northern borders with the kingdom of Odera. After the attack of the hunters in Kalon, Cassius was constantly tense. He expected another attack at any moment. He felt vulnerable when his dagger was in the hands of the enemy. I felt a little guilty because I could have ended his suffering but I didn't. I had to protect myself if he would find out.

Sometimes I wondered if he didn't trust me or if it was actually me who didn't trust him. I couldn't trust even myself.

We traveled to the northernmost city of Toska. We traveled at night. We didn't stop. We couldn't afford to be caught off guard.

Cassius traveled with me in the carriage. He said it was because he was watching out for me, but I knew very well that it was because I was the only one he allowed to see his weaknesses and fears. He didn't have to pretend he had a heart of ice with me.

He was looking at the night landscape. A tense silence carried through it. The sounds of the night made him nervous. He heard hidden enemies in them. I saw how his fingers trembled. I sat on his lap. I kissed him to calm him down. He returned the kisses. There was a ferocity in them, an urgency to never end. He grabbed me by the waist and held me even tighter. I felt my heart beating in unison with his.

"Everything will be fine, Cassius. You'll see." I said to him.

"Hunters have never ventured so much before," he replied. "They have a weapon against me. They have a king they want to put on the throne. It never would have gone this far if I hadn't been so blind to everything going on around me."

"It's not your fault, Cassius. It was going to happen one way or another." I objected. "The hunters want to exterminate us."

"I must destroy them before they destroy us," he said.

"We must destroy them." I corrected him. "You are no longer alone, Cassius."

He kissed my neck. I felt his sharp fangs rub against my skin until they finally cut through it. A moan of pleasure escaped my lips as Cassius drank my blood. It felt so good.

⸸

At dawn, we reached our destination. However, what we found there was not pleasant. The protector of the city, Lord Corvin, was chained to a stake, and the hunters and the assembled people waited for the sun to burn him.

"Your Majesty, apparently a riot has broken out here." the soldiers warned us about what was happening there.

"Vampires are monsters of the night. Demons cast out of the grace of the gods. They walk among us. They pretend to be like us while secretly draining the life out of us." the brave hunter's voice carried through the square.

People didn't even notice that we had arrived. They focused their attention fully on the upcoming execution.

I could see on Cassius that he was furious. This has gone too far. Human nature was too much overcome by the fear of the unknown, of something more powerful than themselves, not knowing that vampires have ruled over them in peace for centuries. And the hunters used that fear.

"They creep into our humble abodes at night, under cover of darkness, and suck the life out of unsuspecting sleepers." continued the hunter. "But the sun shows their true nature. It shines through the darkness and burns away all the evil that creeps into this world. And that's exactly what will happen to him." he pointed at Lord Corvin. "It will burn to ashes the evil that has taken root in him and free this city from his evil."

"Dawn comes in a moment, Cassius," I told him because we couldn't let Lord Corvin get burned.

"I know," Cassius said with venom on his tongue and fire in his eyes. This anger did not belong to me. This time.

"While the people of Toska starve, the lords enjoy themselves in their luxurious mansions. And all this depravity leads to the Red Palace. To King Cassius himself. The Vampire King."

"Burn them all!" screamed someone from the crowd, and they all repeated it in unison. "Burn them all! Out with the nobility!"

"You can definitely try, but I can't guarantee how much blood will be spilled trying," Cassius spoke, a sinister smile gracing his lips.

People turned to him. They gasped in horror. It was easy to curse the king when no one heard their words, but they were overcome with fear when they saw the cruel king standing right in front of them.

"Personally, I prefer to push my own hard, but my queen likes to negotiate about peace, so I'll make you an offer," said Cassius, gallantly kissing the back of my hand.

What he said was a lie. In fact, I suggested that we burn the entire village to the ground and kill anyone who dared stand against us.

Cassius is better though. He's not what I always thought he was. He is a strategist. Even his cruelty is a well-calculated move on the chessboard of life.

"Release Lord Corvin and I will let you live. Resist and you all die," Cassius suggested to them.

"We don't negotiate with vampires," the hunter refused.

"This is your last chance to change your mind," Cassius said, hoping he would refuse.

"Never," the hunter gave him the answer he craved.

"Down with the Vampire King!" said the people.

They were given a chance and made a bad choice.

Cassius gave the order. The rebellion must be suppressed. The poison that the hunters spread was not allowed to spread to the rest of the kingdom.

Just like in Kalon, I wanted to rush into battle, it was my nature, but Cassius stopped me this time as well.

"Why?" I did not understand.

"Because if they have that dagger, I don't want them to hurt you," Cassius replied.

"You think you can stop me?" I said defiantly.

"Is that supposed to be a challenge?" Cassius grinned.

He picked me up in his arms. I couldn't stop laughing even though soldiers were fighting and shedding blood all around us, the screams of the dying carried through the air. He took me away from all the chaos. And I let him.

"I will never let anyone hurt you again, Dragomira," said Cassius. "I'm the only one who can do it."

I have a really big, big problem. I have a habit of having feelings for my enemies.