Hell's Consort

A submissive Lady Clarence and a scowling Lady Catriona on her left while Cederic sat across her.

Luna sat, her legs dangling on the high seat and eyes in the slash of her palm, her blood still dripping from the cut she made, wondering what in the world had she done.

Was her High Priestess vow worth it?

The murmur at the door rose to a buzz, and people stumbled over one another in an excited flurry, clearing a path for the king.

Faces stiff with worry cracked into heartening smiles, not daring to show their fears to the vampire who made his way thru their midst.

This person is not just a man, not even a lesser vampire.

He was the supreme High Lord in the Vampyr Realm, the Vampire King, one of their ruling nobility: beautiful, lethal, and merciless.

He was not just a vampire leader.

He was a warrior, too, and who have isolated the whole vampires in this realm for thousands of years with his barrier whenever he felt like it.

The vampire king was at least six feet.

His body was muscular, with leonine grace coiled in each movement.

His face arrested the eye's attention. His strides were long and sure.

Luna's gaze swept over him once more.

His shoulders were broad.

He had a chiseled face, a strong jaw, with a shadow of a beard.

He had shaggy, windblown hair, and his lush lips curved into a wicked smile.

His nose, cheeks, and brows were covered by a black and silver mask fashioned after a snow tiger's features, concealing all but the lower half of his face-along with most of what looked like a slashing scar from his brow down to his jaw.

He made her heart kicked a beat.

It was as if he'd been carved by the masterful of artisans, the lines of his face clean and male.

Without a doubt, he was the most beautiful vampire she had ever seen.

The Vampire King stared over the crowd, his long fingers drumming a rhythm on the oaken arm of his chair. "I see everyone is enjoying the celebration without me."

Gone were the voices raised in argument.

Gone were the laughter and the music.

A thick layer of foreboding had been laid upon the people's tongues, muffling hundreds of voices to a low murmur.

All the vampires, guests, and servants paid tribute to the Vampire King as he sat on his throne, honoring him in silence.

The harps stood untouched, propped against the concrete walls.

Cupbearers filled through the hall, filling goblets with wine and ears with rumors they had heard, rumors about the curse.

So, this is how the vampire king looks like. Cold and calculating.

He's got a smile like a Cheshire cat but one wrong move, and he's ready to tear everyone to pieces.

He was the epitome of what appealed to her senses. All her life, she would be stronger, faster, and unfeminine for men.

"Bring me the blood slaves."

All eyes turned to the Vampire King as he spoke.

The guards opened a massive mahogany door with fancy dragon carvings in front of them, and the blood slaves were ushered inside and brought to their knees in front of him.

The voices rose, then fell silent again as he stepped off the narrow dais and paced before the throne.

"These blood slaves. Remember their faces when they finally accept their punishments for the unspeakable crimes they committed." He turned to look at the crowd then resumed his pacing. "I thank the guests for their offerings."

The Vampire King picked up one female and slid his hand up to the split of the beautiful human's skirt.

Luna's eyes were fixated on the excruciating pleasure on the female's face as the Vampire King stroked the redhead's pale, pale skin.

She swallowed as another woman moaned, the Vampire King's mouth hovering a teasing inch above the pulse on her neck, a hot whisper that promised ecstasy.

Blood hitting the floor, the scent making the vampires in this hall in a frenzy.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Luna's skin began to tingle.

Bloodlust-ridden vampires kill viciously, and they never stop until they get what they want.

The death toll has the potential to reach thousands.

Drip. Drip. A tearing sound straight out of a nightmare.

The Vampire King's parched bones swelled, filled with life, but he needed more.

So much more.

He drained them all as he licked his lips in satisfaction.

Reaching out, the vampire king pulled his black leather gloves and dropped them on the floor.

He anchored his left hand on the female's nape, and she shivered.

Calluses covered his large hand.

The vampire king has a deadly touch.

Sharp nails traced the sharp indentations of his food's collarbone.

The prisoner released a sharp hiss at the Vampire King's touch.

Her fingers grasped his wrist insolently, drawing his hand to a halt, and pushed it away from her.

Luna couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Her hand that touched the Vampire king's darkened.

Luna's eyes dart up to the vampire king in alarm to find him smirking as he watched the prisoner.

It didn't take long before her shoulders were also covered in that same black, blue, and violet webs spreading throughout her skin.

The vampire king was scaring the life out of her. This man—this cold man with death and cruelty in his eyes.

He wasn't pretty.

He wasn't handsome.

He was not anything too tame.

He was dangerous, strong, and deadly.

Too late.

He sucked the soul out of the woman as she crumpled to the ground, leaving them an empty husk of the person they used to be.

He faced the crowd, hands resting lightly on his hips. "This is what will happen to those who disobey my orders."

Luna was furious but, at the same time, fearful of this ruthless creature.

Her palms were so damp, and there was a thin sheen of perspiration on the side of his forehead.

She wanted to pour all of her hatred and spit at the Vampire King's feet.

All the slaves brought up to him were dead.

"Let the Blood Moon Banquet begin."

All Luna could see now were the lush brushstrokes of sensual play, an erotic mix of male and female, the vampires, their food, and their pleasure.

Those cobalt eyes in a face that turned human into slaves, killing beings without batting an eye and his night-dark hair framing a look of perfect grace that was a little savage.