Nikolai

"I have already told you, time and time again, that I do not need a Queen. Having a woman by my side will not make me stronger," I growled out at my council, feeling my anger rise. "If anything, it will make me weaker; my enemies will have something to target.

"But Nikolai," One of the Elders said, "You need an heir."

I could feel my anger rising with every mumbled agreement from the council. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"I am a vampire, not just any Vampire. I am King of the Vampires. I have been around for a Millennia now; I do not plan on dying anytime soon." I stared down at my council, letting my eyes flash red as my aura surrounded them, "Unless one of you is planning on taking me out and becoming the next King, I suggest you heed my words right now. I will not be forced to take a Mate by anyone."

The council stayed quiet. No one dared to speak; they knew better when my mood was like this carnage followed if anyone dared to speak against me. I turned and walked out of the council room, leaving the council members to finish the meeting alone. I needed to feed. I could feel the beast within me trying to fight for control.

On my way to my chambers, I passed one of the servants. "Bring me a blood slave. One of the elders, one of those who've signed their end-of-life documents." I commanded.

"Yes, your highness," the servant said, bowing deeply, exposing her breasts. She was a pretty little thing. Blonde hair, blue eyes, with a big bust. I felt my cock twitch as I stared at her breast. I almost thought of persuading her to come to my room along with the slave, but as I felt my fangs against my tongue, I quickly changed my mind. I didn't want to report to the council about one of the servants dying. I was in an extreme mood after my meeting, and I knew I wouldn't be gentle if I fucked the servant. A halfbreed like herself, half-human, half-vampire, wouldn't be able to take such a brutal fucking. I walked past her down the great hall and into my chambers. I began to pace back and forth as I waited for my meal to be brought to me. The council had worked me up this time; my appetite was ravenous; I was just hoping the one blood slave would be enough to appease my hunger.

'Kade,' I said, reaching out to my second in command through telepathy, 'When is the next auction for blood slaves, the exotic ones. I need a new playmate.

'Tonight Nikolai,' Kade responded, not bothering to use my title. He was my best friend, closer to a brother than my brother had been. 'Have you already fed through all your slaves?' He asked, chuckling, 'The council must be irritating you.'

I chose not to respond to Kade because, at that moment, the busty blond servant had brought in my meal. This blood slave was elderly, not my usual type, but I knew I would be feeding to kill with my current appetite, and I wasn't ready to take the life of one of the younger slaves. Once my slaves got to a certain age, I would typically free them, giving them the paperwork and a unique mark that marked them as free humans. There was only a couple. I kept past that age, usually the woman who chose not to leave. This particular slave was Martha; she'd been mine since she was eighteen. She was now into her nineties, and the doctor had diagnosed her with stage four cervical cancer. If I left Martha to die on her own, she would be in pain; feeding off her tonight would end her pain and suffering and cure my appetite.

Martha seemed calm as she walked over to me. "So it's finally my time." She said, raising her head to look me in the eyes. "I'm glad I got to choose the way my life ended," Martha said, her eyes filling with tears; after her medical diagnosis, Martha had gone back to the slave quarters and signed a document stating she was ready to die at the hands of a vampire, if one needed the blood, she would willingly be drained. She'd rather die in bliss than by cancer. When vampires drank from their victims, our fangs injected endorphins into their bloodstream, bringing pleasure to the human we were drinking from. They gave us blood, and we took away their nightmares, even though my kind was their nightmare. Most vampires drank to kill; I tried to avoid it as much as possible. While I was judge and Jury of the entire Supernatural race, I hated playing executioner. Who was I, too, to determine who lived and who died?

I walked Martha over to a small wooden chair by my desk and motioned for her to sit. She sat down quietly, not uttering a word; I wondered what she was feeling right now, knowing she was about to die.

"Are you ready, Martha?" I asked, reaching up and stroking her face as I gently angled her chin to the left, exposing her neck.

"Yes, your highness," Martha said without hesitation in her voice.

"Okay, then close your eyes, Martha," I whispered. "And think of your happy place."

Martha did as I told her, unable to resist my command. I leaned down and sunk my fangs into her throat. Her blood tasted like death, cancer contaminating her, I wanted to stop feeding her, but I forced myself to continue. I owed it to Martha, and I needed to satisfy my inner beast. I continued to drink past the weakness of Martha's pulse, the point where I would usually stop. I felt her body grow slack as I continued to drink. I heard her heartbeat for the last time, and then I pulled away, not bothering to seal the wound. Glancing down at Martha, her eyes were still closed, and she looked happy, finally at peace.

«Да пребудет Бог с вами, и пусть вы, наконец, найдете свое счастье» (May God be with you, and may you find your happiness.”) . I said, speaking in my native tongue, the language sounding foreign to me, as I hadn't spoken it since the night I was changed.