Entertaining the Vampire King

My Will

I wasn't sure how long I lay in this state. My body felt like it was burning from the inside. My chest was heavy, as though a rock was pressed upon it. A stone gently crushing me.

I couldn't open my eyes, and my breathing was so shallow I questioned my own death. I felt as though it was near.

He was here.

I could hear him. I could feel his presence next to me when he was by my side.

My heart yearned to be able to speak to him. I wanted to show him I was alright, that I loved him. I wanted to touch him...

My body betrayed me. Pain engulfed my stomach and I was aware of this fire slowly burning through my body. It felt as if my skin was on fire. It shot from my belly down to my legs. I couldn't feel my toes.

It burned my throat and if I drank a river I fear it wouldn't help. It was a need... a thirst. It wanted to ruin me... to consume me.

That's when I heard them. Thaddeus wasn't alone and I instantly sensed another presence in the room. It wasn't a vampire, but something else.

When she spoke, her voice was deeper than any of the servant girls. She sounded older, and her voice carried an accent that I had never heard.

I listened intently as Thaddeus greeted her. He knew this woman? He had called her to my side to help me. I felt a light pressure next to me as she sat on my bedside.

"She's a hunter." I heard him say. If she wasn't a vampire, did she know about hunters?

She placed her hands on me. One on my head and one on my belly. Her touch was so soft and light, but as soon as it made contact with me my body cooled from the burning in my veins. Soothing...

Ayla.

I heard a whisper. My eyes were still closed and I tried to listen for more.

Ayla.

It called again. It was in my head. The voice was coming from inside of my head? I couldn't speak. My mouth was still and I listened.

You're safe. It said. I didn't know why I trusted the voice, but I did.

As long as you carry this child, no one can harm you.

I listened in disbelief and confusion. Child? What did it mean?

I felt her hands slide off of my belly and her weight shifted off of the bed. I was lost, drifting inside of my own mind. The voices around me were faint and I didn't listen. The pain in my belly was growing and I had to overpower it with my mind.

"Do you care for this girl?" I heard her say. My mind snapped back and listened to them intently.

"Yes. I love her." Thaddeus said. My heart soared at his words. I didn't deserve him. To think I once feared him...

"I need your blood, and a lot of it. She needs to receive it soon." She said quickly. Suddenly I could smell blood. It was so overwhelming, like my nostrils were drowning in the scent. It burned as I inhaled it, forcing my body to become excited. What is happening?

Before I could finish my thought the smell got intoxicatingly strong and I felt a few drops of liquid pouring into my mouth. It was blood. I tried to move but I couldn't. I wanted to turn my head away before the drops hit my throat. My desire to retract was replaced with a thirst and lust for the blood dripping down my throat. It poured and my body swallowed it on its own accord. I wasn't in control but something was.