Fangs To My Blood

After decades of servitude, Dumitru’s werewolf pack wants to be free. To do this, they must convince the vampire king to reveal their origin in order to have hope for the future. Their plan falls apart when they discover Tatjana. In the middle of an endless war between vampires and lycanthropes, will love find its place?

« Death begets death  »

Prologue

In the remote lands of Russia, life is already difficult of origin, in the Middle Ages. However, life in the service of Lord Vladimir is a real hell. He does not realize all the privileges granted to him by the tsar. He has wealth, women and food in abundance without even lifting a hand, while his people die of hunger and cold working in the fields, but nothing is ever enough. It’s really an impossible mission to serve someone who is never satisfied like Vladimir. He always wants more and more, and it is up to me to make sure that his wishes are totally fulfilled. Unfortunately, this time is no exception, he is never satisfied at all.

– Once again! I am disappointed again, Zoran. Do I have to ask you each time to do your job properly?

The Lord’s voice raises high so that my humiliation is complete. Whenever he intends to mistreat a servant, he invites his vassals into the great hall. He likes to make public stoning examples to establish his power in this isolated country. He does not need it because no one dares contradict his authority or even think to do so. However, I suspect he enjoys these debasements he does in public.

– The people are poor, my lord…

– Enough pathetic excuses. If they can’t afford money to pay the tithe, they only have to send me their daughters as compensation.

His obscene smile scares me. These poor women… their pleading eyes haunt my nights.

– My Lord, they have already sent you all the young girls who are old enough to please you, there are only little girls left…

– Little girls can work until they’re old enough to suit me. You make no effort, Zoran, and the other servants begin to think that they will risk nothing to disobey and provoke me.

My fellow wretches can never think that way. I always see them walking along the walls of the castle, with their heads down, silently praying not to be the next to suffer Vladimir's wrath. As I understand them. I wish I were in a less uncomfortable place myself.

When it comes to punishment, my lord has a great sense of imagination. He has a deep affection for ear amputation or tongue piercing. Beheading and the pyre are also his favors. So many torments suffered by servants who have only the misfortune of having found themselves in his path. For these same absurd reasons, I have already lost an ear and my tongue still feels the warmth of the poker that pierced it. I begin to tremble, worrying about the devilish smile displayed by Lord Vladimir. What part of my body is going to have to suffer his wrath? How much more pain am I going to have to endure without flinching and reacting?

– I’m tired of your mistreatment and your flippant attitude.

I see from the corner of my eye Vladimir's most faithful vassals approaching me, encircling me and thus cutting me off any possibility of retreat and escape. My tremors are intensifying. I know for a good reason that amputation will not be appropriate this time. Cutting off my second ear would be of no interest and cutting off one of the four main limbs would prevent me from performing my tasks. Vladimir followed the same stream of thought.

– Mutilate you won't make you any more effective. So, I'm going to make you a visible example to everyone in the country.

My stomach starts clenching. I am afraid of what’s going to happen. Yet, I could not have imagined my punishment, even in my worst nightmares.

– Zoran, by the power I have over you, I sentence you to death. You will be led outside the ramparts at nightfall, then tied up by the four limbs, upside down, and left there until death ensues. What remains of your body will then be thrown into the dung pit, where you belong, if there is anything left after the feast, of course.

I pray that the ball that clogs my throat will kill me before the sentence is carried out. I would not do him with the pleasure of begging him to save me. Too many servants tried and their deaths were even more horrific. Vladimir was increasing their sentence with each plea. Although in my case, I don't see how it could be worse. I'm already on death row. Being driven outside the enclosure means being thrown into the pasture of hungry wolves lurking at night, in search of fresh flesh to devour in these times of winter devastation where no prey remains.

My death was even more painful than my mind could have imagined. The vassals of Vladimir took a malicious pleasure in slashing my body in multiple places so that the smell of blood would attract the wolf packs in a herd. My anxiety became disproportionate as the grunts grew closer. Then the jaws began to snap into the void, each canine wanting to plant its fangs first in my body and fighting between them to have the biggest piece of my person. I prayed that the wolves would fight amongst each other and forget about me. I obviously did not have that chance. The first bite was a real heartbreak for my soul. After all the sacrifices and bad deeds done on behalf of Lord Vladimir, this is how he thanked me. Wolves tore my skin and flesh, feasting on me until I succumbed, to the end. I knew that my soul would go directly to hell after being in the service of Vladimir. One cannot work for a devil man like him as long as keeping his soul. I did not expect to wake up in the dung pit. In fact, I didn't even expect to wake up, at all. Ultimately, death is just the beginning of another life. A life where the prey will become the executioner. Never again will I let a person think they are superior to me. From now on, I would be the sole master of my destiny and the world would tremble before me.

Chapter 1

As far back as I can remember, Koudykina Gora has always seemed grim to me, but it is taking on uncontrollable proportions. Obviously, we are in the middle of winter when the polar cold reigns over the city and this could have had something to do with it. But the problem is not the temperature. Throughout more than two centuries of existence, I have never seen the city so deserted. From the top of my observatory, I see that there are no longer souls living for miles around and boredom threatens to make me fall into a catatonic state. Only mine walk the cobblestone streets, probably looking for their lunch, but there is nothing and nobody to hunt in these places. This doesn’t bother me. I don’t really have the same diet as my people which is a secret that I treasure very carefully. My father already locks me in my room far too often. Learning my peculiarity will certainly not improve our relationships and will probably not be my ticket out for the outside. A deep sigh breaks my lips when I think of my father. He is not really my father, not in the strict sense of the term as humans understand it. But, undoubtedly, he is my father. Vampires have no children, they have descendants. Finally, they did. I was the last to be created. The last vampire born, the last transformed by the original vampire in person: Zoran. As far as I know, I'm also the only female vampire. Zoran had, until me, only converted men. When I asked him about the reason behind this choice, he replied tactlessly that women are too fickle and that such power should not be in everyone's hands. I personally believe that he refuses to have to share his power with a woman and that he therefore did not want to transform them at the risk of succumbing to the charms of one of them.  Today, the question no longer arises since no transformation is allowed anymore by Zoran and he fiercely ensures that this measure is totally respected. Any vampire who has the misfortune to go against this law is inflicted a second death, a death from which he does not rise again. And yes. Summum of supreme power, I am immortal. Pfff, what a joke. It is just a wind to tell the poor so as to scare them. As if they needed more reason to fear us. My people have been so lacking in restraint and discernment that all the surrounding villages have become ghost villages. Just as empty as the city that sprawls at my feet. There is no longer a human who lives less than fifteen kilometers away and only a few fools in search of the great thrill dare to venture into these woods. Rumors are widespread about the monsters that roam there after dark. No human ever comes out alive, their disappearance fueling rumors a little more. I hear the screams of agony of these unfortunates from my room and it deeply hurts my heart. A heart not entirely dead, by an oddity of chance that Zoran refuses to explain to me. Anyway, He never explains anything to me. I am only a woman, the daughter of a man born at a time when the feminine sex was seen only to give birth. This is something that it is impossible for me to do. It’s the irony of fate. It's better that way. I will never impose a life like mine on anyone, not even my worst enemy. I have no use, no future prospects. Zoran is content to hide me from the world. I feel the heavy weight of all the years of loneliness at every moment. Very simply I am frozen in time, out of the world.

– Good morning princess. Slept well?

Anton is my guard. In fact, he is my only connection to the outside world. He is, by force of circumstance, my friend. I needed an ally and he tacitly agreed to be mine. I don’t know why. I know he’s loyal to my person than to that of our king. And it could cause his final death. In spite of everything, he remains there, by my side. He accedes to all my requests, even the most farfetched, without asking me the slightest question. His daily visit is my only distraction of the day.

– I slept like a dead woman, Anton. Just like every day.

– Hey! I don't see any dead here. We already talked about it, princess. You walk, you talk, so you live.

Although, the fact that Anton is a vampire, he remains a good man, as he should have been during his lifetime. He tries by all means to make me understand that I am more than what I seem to be at first sight. My friend hasn't changed since his transformation, like all of us. His athletic physique makes him a perfect killing machine and his face is always marked with a smile in my company. It’s too bad that his faint skin makes him look so… dead. I feel a little angry with him for the condition though I know he is doing it for me.  But I can’t help it. I can’t stand the idea that he would come to see me right after killing someone, even indirectly. So, he never eats before he visits me, which makes him look so white and waxy. He’ll take back the colors as soon as he drinks the blood of his next victim that I’d rather not think about.

– Are you hungry, Tatjana?

My stomach rumbles before I can respond, giving him a smile.

– I’ll take that as a yes.

– I'm starving.

A tray appears in front of me in a second; a glass filled with red syrupy liquid.

– What do we have here today, Anton? Was the hunt successful?

– Pretty much. Werewolves have been making themselves scarce lately, so the forest is teeming with little beasts. Tonight, I was flushed out of the rabbit hole.

Perfect. I love that. I grab the glass and voraciously drink the blood of this prey which allows me to do without exterminating innocent people. The blood of animals is not as rich as that of human beings, but my satisfaction at not being responsible for the death of someone is more than this sacrifice. Anyway, I don’t need to be full of energy to walk around my room over and over again until dawn, a sign that it’s a bedtime.

– Your cheeks are rosy. You needed it. You were almost fainter than me.

He’s right, the thirst was starting to twist my stomach. I nodded and smiled at him, thanking him.

– Zoran wants to see you.

I lean my head to the side as my smile vanishes. The king rarely calls me near him. I’m his little secret and he keeps me jealously out of sight. As he refuses to show me to my people. My exits require to empty the castle, which does not fail to awake the interest of some curious at each time.

– Do you know why?

– I have no idea, but he wants me to go with you. His summons concerns both of us. The castle has been in ebullience for a few days. Something is coming, but nobody knows what. Besides, Zoran gives orders to everyone without any explanation as well as without any connection between their tasks. He has also sent out of his land all the little unstable vampires.

– I don’t understand.

– Me neither, princess. Only Zoran is sufficiently tense. It is wiser to obey and join him without delay in order not to thwart him even more than he is. Prepare yourself. I'll make sure the path is clear.

I nod and keep staring at his place in the room long after he left. I have a strange feeling. The feeling that my whole life will be turned upside down and that I will have a key role in the events to come. Again, one of my little specificities.

I shake myself out of this semi-consciousness and rush to change. My father is struggling to live in our time. He’s not trying either, mind you. He was stranded six centuries earlier, at the time of his death, and can’t stand to see me in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers like the humans of today. It’s really so astonishing compared to the Middle Ages when he was born. I love it. I was able to adapt and evolve thanks to the magazines that my friend regularly brings me from the city. Anton often says that this century sticks more to my personality. He is not wrong. It seems that nowadays, humans think about ecology, recycling and well-being. Yes, I am a bit like that except vegetarianism, since this is a matter of survival for me. You have to believe that I was two centuries ahead of them and that they finally caught up with me. Or that I lived more than I would have expected. In any case, I hurry up to put on a dress that drags on the ground and that suits more to someone of my condition. Notice: the princess of the most powerful king this land has ever seen, the Vampire King Zoran. It’s too bad that nobody knows about my existence. This title would have more meaning among people. However, it is just an empty pompous title in my case.

– Are you ready?

The fanatic outburst of Anton makes me jump and my red is now spreading on my cheek instead of my lips.

– Sorry. But Zoran’s not tense anymore, he’s nervous. We have to go now.

I barely take the time to clean up my mess before I make a scarlet mouth. This red blood makes my skin look even whiter, but Zoran likes to see me wear it.

The corridors are deserted, giving the place a sinister aura; to the point that there is not even a murmur that reaches us. It seems as if the castle had been emptied of all the inhabitants. We reach the king’s quarters, recognizable among all by their sumptuous decoration and above all by the poor humans chained to the wall. This vision lifts my stomach. Men and women are held captive without any hope of escape, destined to serve meals to the king and his subjects before being devoured by much worse. These poor bastards are considered only food and not entitled to more account than livestock. The contrast between these filthy and defenseless prey and the gold-embroidered tapestries adorning the walls is really absurd and grotesque. I look away before returning my meal and bow down to my father, who sits in the middle of the room. Protocol, over and over again. Reverence is in order in this realm, for me as well as for other vampires.

– Tatjana. You made yourself desired.

I keep my head down as a sign of repentance.

– Sorry, father. I took the time to put on an outfit that would satisfy you.

It rises with disconcerting ease for a man of six centuries. His steps make no noise on the stone floor, as if he were floating above without touching it. I have no discretion. Too bad, it would allow me to escape from my mausoleum on occasion. He turns around me and I have the unpleasant feeling of being a prey among the raptors.

– You chose well. This white dress suits you perfectly and I love your scarlet lips.

He returns to his seat after a last approving look.

– Stand up. We need to talk.

I execute and scrutinize the face of my father, in search of the slightest clue. His austere gaze reveals nothing of their depth as black as ink. Yet another difference between us. My eyes are bright and Anton confirmed that I was the only vampire in this case.

– This is a serious time. my daughter

– What is going on?

– Come and have a seat here next to me.

Sitting next to him is a very strong word. In reality, I must take my place on my knees, right on the ground before the feet of our leader as a sign of submission, showing the good girl that I am. I realize that I get bitter with time. I feel tired of stagnating in the same place, reduced to having contact only with Zoran and Anton. I dream of integrating into the world and living among the common people. I realize a little bit late the heavy silence that reigns around me. My dad takes off the hood that disguises marks of his old age. It’s not a good sign when he takes it off. He only does it when he wants to scare his interlocutor. The people who usually face him think he’s funny, but I doubt it. Anton told me how the king intimidates his subjects. Zoran’s cruelty is legendary, but seeing the physical stigmata that led him to the throne is another whole story. The absence of one of his ears, as well as his bald scalp marked with countless bites, is a reminder of what he went through before rising from the dead to avenge these executioners. This denotes the strength of his spirit that conquered death itself. He is the very first vampire and creator of our race. The father of all of us.

– Do I bother you, Tatjana ?

His voice is dry, as sharp as a razor blade. I am the princess. However, I am not immune to his anger and the consequences of it. He has already struck me and whipped me for my disobedience. And when it wasn’t enough to establish his authority, he went after Anton and attacked him. He knows that despite my condition as a vampire, I have kept my soul and my conscience and that it hurts me much more to watch someone being punished in my place than to be beaten myself. It is my point of weakness and he exploits it deliberately. It is also the threat that he makes me hover if I want to escape. He warned me that he would set the country on fire and blood to find me and that no death would be too much to get me back.

– Absolutely not, my king. I am all ears. You have my full attention.

He takes an extra minute to observe me, as if to probe me and guess what’s running through my head, before he starts again.

– Many of our people have disappeared without a trace in recent weeks. They left with their dogs and never came back.

I squeeze my lips not to say that they are not dogs. I’ve done it before. Once. It cost me a day’s lash and three days without eating. I thought I was dying. And when Zoran brought me a human to lift my punishment, I killed that creature without any restraint, tasting his blood on my tongue with unspeakable pleasure until he was bloodless. It was for my survival. The remorse I felt then almost ended me. It was the only time I ever drank human blood and there is no way that it would ever happen again. I’d rather starve than repeat the experience.

– I don’t see how I can help you, father. I never leave the castle. So, I don’t know where our brothers went or what happened to them.

His voice gets louder and severe.

– Never forget. They are not our brothers. They no more than our subjects; and I know exactly where they are.

Of course. Always this need to be above others. This constant desire for distinction will lead to his loss.

– They are all dead. All of them.

Here we are. When I said that we were not immortal. We are not aging, but we can absolutely die. Again. We become vampires when one of them bites us and leaves us at the gates of death. A dead man does not age anymore. We’re living dead, not quite alive and not quite dead. We’re stuck in the middle. However, they can end us by burning us alive by the fire or the sun, beheading us or starving. Simply, we are very nice deaths. Although we have an extraordinary capacity for regeneration, we surely can be more or less seriously injured. Well, for the other vampires anyway.

– How do you know if they disappeared?

– I felt the death of those I created. Don't ask stupid questions, will you? This is a serious situation.

Vampire venom is powerful and effectively creates a certain connection between the creator and the creatures. Zoran feels the presence of all the vampires he has begotten. Whereas, we cannot know where Zoran is at all.

– How did they die ? Were they surprised by the sun's rays ?

– Don’t talk nonsense. It’s only the novices who burn out because of the UV and there haven’t been any young vampires for decades. You are the youngest in our nation and you know it.

He takes a break. My father likes to make the suspense last longer.

– Their dogs ripped their throats like the scavengers.

Really, I’m still speechless. I have never seen one, and I can hear the sounds of broken bones during their evening meal. But I can’t imagine such a thing. Why ? Why would they do that? They’ve lived with us as long as I can remember.

Chapter 2

I didn’t think I could get away so early in the evening, but Anton asked me to go for a walk for a few hours and come back just before dawn. That sounds good. I’ll take opportunity to join mine and listen to Dumitru’s latest recommendations. Our leader has decided to launch the assault soon. We have to be ready. The pack is already gathered around the rostrum, waiting for the speech of our leader. We feel the tension crackling in the air. Everything is too quiet and silent.

– Hi Adrian. I didn’t expect to see you at this time.

– Neither do I, but Anton let me go me until sunrise.

– Your vampire is one of the strangest. Why does he never eat before going to the castle? No bloodsucker can stop eating except him.

My best friend is right. Anton is a very special vampire. First of all, nobody knows what his function is with the vampire king. He goes to the castle from sunset, sometimes until dawn, but none of the servants know why he is there and his visits to the vampire king are the only ones to be done behind closed doors. Besides, this story of not drinking blood before going there makes it even weirder. I do not doubt for a moment that depriving him of food causes him physical suffering. Yet he never deviates from that rule. One might think he feeds at the castle, but that is rarely to happen. He generally waits until he finds me to hunt together, both of us. The arrival of our leader on the stage interrupted my thoughts. Dumitru is the oldest werewolf in the pack, the firstborn, and our supreme leader regardless of what the vampire king thinks. We sincerely obey him and we have sworn loyalty to him until death. In fact, the death which has already happened to some of us.

– Good evening, everyone. I won’t keep you waiting or give you a long speech. My brothers, it is time to act and free ourselves from our chains now and forever for all of us. We have been slaves of vampires for too long. We will act tomorrow night to gain our freedom.

Is it that early ? It seemed to me that he had just begun to eliminate the weakest and the least effective vampires in the kingdom to reduce Zoran’s army.

– Why haste ? There are still many vampires.

One of my comrades asked loudly the question that everyone asks. A few weeks ago, we all decided that our freedom must be earned and not to be under the vampires' domination anymore. Only a coup takes time and requires the organization. Some of my comrades already began to free themselves from their vampiric trio by exterminating them without attracting attention. However, many of us are still at the service of at least two vampires and their power play. Moreover, their exceptional strength and regeneration could cause our loss. It's true that we are powerful, but not as much as vampires.