Rasmus sat on the edge of the black granite balcony, legs dangling lazily into the cool night air, a half-drained glass of blood held loosely in one hand.
He looked down at the mansion beneath him. A glowing fortress of dark and glass steel.
A place that held the secrets of the vampire world and bred monsters like him — The vampire royalties.
Knock! Knock!.
He didn't hear the servant until after the second knock.
"Your Highness," came the soft, trembling voice from behind the obsidian double doors. "They request your presence in the study."
Rasmus sighed through his nose and closed his eyes, letting the breeze lift the edge of his coat.
He adjusted the mask that shadowed half of his face.
"They," he repeated.
He knew what that word meant.
It referred to one of his very own enemies.
His parents.
"Tell them I'm dead. Or better still... tell them I ran off to marry a human. That should do the trick," Rasmus said, his mood turning sour.
He squeezed the glass so hard a crack split down its body.
There was a pause. Then the door slowly creaked open to reveal the young vampire standing there, pale as milk and shivering with fear, his eyes glued to the floor under him.
"The... Queen, she... she insisted." He refused to meet Rasmus's eye. "She said if you don't come, she'll come for you herself," he managed to say without stuttering.
Rasmus could not help but release a chuckle. He turned around slowly, a smile on his face.
"Oh, will she? How lovely of her."
"My lord, she looked... displeased."
'Displeased? That manipulative bitch. She is never displeased. She is just plotting, looking for her next victim,' he thought.
Rasmus stood with a hiss. "Lead the way, bearer of bad news."
The halls of the Constantine mansion stretched forward, the walk long, narrow, and lonely.
Smooth black floors reflected the chandeliers above. The portraits of long-dead vampire kings lined the wall, their stoic, pale faces flashing through his eyes.
Rasmus walked with the unhurried arrogance of royalty. Someone used to power but weary of it.
The servant scurried forward, Two steps ahead, silent and afraid to even breathe wrongly.
Reaching the study door: tall slabs of fine wood with the royal crest in the center.
He pushed it open and walked in, totally disregarding courtesy.
King Gerrard, the current ruler and head of the vampire court, sat in the high-backed chair near the hearth, shoulders hunched like a man made of twigs.
He looked old, though vampires didn't age. His fingers gripped the armrests, knuckles white.
Queen Celine stood by the long table, dressed in silver and black, her gown sharp-shouldered and regal.
Her hair was pulled into a cruel twist, and her eyes.
Her vicious, ember-red eyes were fixed on Rasmus like a scalpel.
Rasmus coolly ignored her gaze and focused on his father.
"Nice to see you, Father. You look old as always," Rasmus said, scorn evident in his tone.
King Gerrard sighed. "Yeah, your old man is getting old. Handling a whole race of bloodsuckers isn't as easy as you see it."
'Old, my foot. The only bloodsucker you have to handle is the one crawling under your skin, eating you from the inside—that bitch' , Rasmus thought, shifting his gaze to the queen, his eyes filled with disgust.
"You're late," Queen Celine said.
"I came," Rasmus replied, flopping into the nearest chair. "That's progress, isn't it?"
The Queen didn't smile. "Your insolence grows boring, child."
"I live to entertain. And... I'm not your child."
King Gerrard cleared his throat. "Rasmus... we've called you here for something important."
"Hmmn... Must be serious if you're speaking for once, Father." He said.
The Queen's tone sliced clean through. "This is not a discussion. You are to be married to Clara of the Thornblood coven."
Silence fell.
Rasmus blinked, then laughed—a low, incredulous sound. "You're joking."
"We are not," Gerrard said, voice thin.
"I don't know her. I don't want her. And you think I'll just—what—play house with a stranger because you two arranged a power grab?" he said.
Celine stepped forward, heels clicking like clockwork. "You'll do it because I said so. The world as we know it is changing, son, and this alliance will go a long way in securing the future of the vampires in this ever-changing world."
Rasmus stood, jaw tight.
"I am not your pawn. Neither am I your son.
My mother died centuries ago, so don't go looking at me with that tender look in your eyes when we both know you don't give a fuck about whether I live or die."
"You are our prince," Gerrard said, almost pleading. "This is for the future of the vampires."
Rasmus's eyes burned.
"No, it's not. Are you so blind, Father? Has she further corrupted your mind? She doesn't have the interest of the vampires at heart. Everything she does, she does for her personal gain. See, Father... see."
The Queen moved faster than a blink. Her hand was at his throat, claws pressing like needles against his skin. She didn't raise her voice. She never had to.
"You are nothing without this throne. Without me. Remember that before your temper writes checks your blood can't pay."
He didn't flinch. "I'm never getting married forcefully. Especially not to a witch. I despise their kind the most... after you."
She released him. He staggered back, adjusting his collar. When he raised his head to look at her.
His eyes.
They were the color of blood.
"You will. Or have you forgotten I have your sister?" Celine whispered, smiling with the grace of someone who just had the last laugh.
A chill went through his spine.
His teeth elongated into fangs, and his nails became claws.
He adjusted his mask, fury twisting beneath it.
With his crimson eyes he gave off a predatory look.
"I hate being threatened!," he snarled.
She stared Rasmus directly in the face, not able to see his expression, his mask concealing it .
Rasmus tore his gaze from hers, without saying a word. His silence was surrender.
"When?" he asked in a bitter voice.
"In two months," the Queen said. "You will marry Clara".
Rasmus didn't respond. He turned and left, cold fury consuming his being.
But beneath his mask, his fangs drew blood and he knew the next time she threatened him, it wouldn't end so nice.. At least on her end.