IMPRESS.

Warning: this chapter may make you want to throw your phone.

Chapter Eight: Bloody Nightmare

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The prince spun me out of his touch and left me spinning, somehow, into the arms of Derek. I breathed out in relief and was balanced back onto my feet. "I thought I told you not to move."

Unlike Alexander and Prince Zac who had both of their hands at my sides, Derek had only one hand on my waist and had the other intertwined with my right hand, leaving my left hand to plant on his shoulder. "Well, I was about to and then a vampire named Alexander persuaded me into dancing with him and then before I knew it, I landed into that sick bastar-"

Derek cupped his hand over mouth and shushed me, "watch what you say, the room is full of vampires with perfect hearing."

I nod quickly and he removes his hand, "thank you, but I honestly don't care if everyone hears that I seriously don't like him!" I purposely said loudly, glaring at the prince over Derek's shoulder.

The idiot's eyes turn a dark red in order to scare me, but I just continue glaring at his annoyingly attractive face, "the prince will make you pay for that, even if you are Alaric's sister, he only promised to keep you from being killed, he never promised that he wouldn't hurt you." Derek notified.

I suddenly felt like taping my mouth shut and saw the prince smirk as he danced with a beautiful blonde over Derek's shoulder. He was definitely smirking at what he heard Derek say.

The way he looked satisfied at my sudden quietness made me angry.

And whenever I got angry, I said stupid things that I always regretted later on, "well if he does try to hurt me, I'll just kick him where the sun don't ever shine."

"It's not that easy but I admire your confidence," Derek amusedly said as the sound of the violins began to die down.

"I'll take that as an another compliment from you," I smiled at Derek, ignoring the nasty glare I was now receiving from the blonde that Prince Zachary was dancing with.

"By the way, did you find my brother? Or my ladies on that note?"

Joining a crowd of people stood at the side, Derek answered me, "yeah, but unfortunately, your brother, the princess, queen and king cannot attend the celebration. They are sorting out the stages for the IMPRESS event which begins this Friday."

I scrunched my face up at the mention of the deadly event.

"And I sent your servants to bed, it was too risky for them to be in here and that reminds me, it is actually time for you to leave," Derek said, making me frown instantly.

"What? We just got here, why do I have to leave?" I asked whiningly and Derek laughed at how perplexed I was, making me playfully smack him on the arm.

Derek put his hands up in surrender and I shook my head at him in amusement, "your curfew is apparently 8 your brother says, plus, this castle is about to turn into a blood fest in exactly five minutes so when that happens you have to be hidden away in your room."

As Derek spoke he motioned for me to follow him, which I did. "What blood fest?"

"A royal vampire celebration isn't a celebration without at least over a dozen humans being drank from and well, killed." Derek simply stated and I pursed my lips as my eyes widened.

"Where are they going to get the humans fr- oh, the dungeons," I answered my own question after spacing out for a while.

I turned around before we had fully exited the ballroom and my eyes landed on a pair of devilish, royal dark eyes for the shortest while until I remembered that he hated eye contact with humans.

Turning back around I caught up to Derek who had stopped for my sake, "thanks," I grasped his hand that he held out and began to walk with him.

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Derek had kindly escorted me back to my bedroom after giving me a short tour of the castle I insisted for him to give me, and after twenty minutes of sitting at the edge of my bed, I was already bored.

Curfew at 8 my ass.

I am eighteen, I don't need a curfew. I can take care of myself now.

A walk around the castle wouldn't cause anyone harm, I doubt any vampire will notice me as they'll be too busy drinking from other humans.

Standing up, I fiddled with my necklace and slowly walked over towards the door. I lived in Icilia for god sake, the most rural part. This castle was nothing in comparison to the dangers I faced there

As I put my hand over the door knob...

I thought...

What Alaric doesn't know won't kill him right?

Shrugging my shoulders, I opened the door and slid out into the dark and isolated corridor.

The silence was the only scary thing as I took small steps forward.

It wasn't too dark but it wasn't too bright either, only a couple wooden torches on the walls had flames.

This isn't bad. I thought to myself whilst turning a corner and passing rows of closed doors.

When I was getting way too close to the bloody dungeon, I decided to finally make a U-turn and go back to my room. Okay that's enough exploring, I was kind of getting scared now. As I begun to walk back, practically tip-toeing and making little to no noise, something startled me.

I heard a woman's laugh abrupt in the distant dark which made my hand fly up to my chest. I did not freak out too much as I wasn't far from my room and no one seemed to be close by, but I did start panicking when my chest felt bare and I couldn't feel my necklace around my neck.

Shit. It was around my neck a second ago... Did it fall off?

Todd told me not to take it off. Ugh is this what I get for disobeying my brother!

Whatever, I can't lose that necklace, I need to find it. It should be somewhere around here, I started to search the floor on all fours, squinting my eyes and trying so hard to see in the dark depths of the corridor.

A few minutes passed as I crawled and tried to recall my steps. When I was beginning to give up hope, I saw it and sighed out in relief. Aha! There you are, in all your emerald glory. 

As I picked up the necklace, the colour of the emerald jewel suddenly transitioned to an alarming bright red. I slightly widened my eyes. I did not know the necklace had such an intense mood light. Safely hooking the necklace back around my neck, I cautiously looked around and struggled up to my feet.

Thank God for that. Now bedtime.

But as soon as I made a move to get back to my room, I felt a sudden cold wind whip at my hair and skin.

Furrowing my brows, I snapped my head in every direction to see if anyone was around me.

"Hello?" I quietly called after calming down and keeping my head still. "Anyone there?"

Slowly, I looked over my shoulder and thankfully, nothing was there. Just my trailing shadow.

Okay now I was going crazy.

When I began to quietly walk back again, I started to get a paranoid sense that there was another person present with me in the dark. So, naturally I picked up my pace but as I did that, at the corner of my eye I saw a shadow disappear and reappear with every step I took. 

Someone was here.

I came to a complete halt and mentally started a  countdown to three, in order for me to run when I felt the time was right.

But, as I was about to get to 3, my back was shoved against the castle wall and I winced and squeezed my eyes shut from the forceful impact.

Fluttering open, I almost screamed when I saw the red eyes of a familiar blonde whom I saw patterned up with the prince earlier, staring back at me.

The blonde evilly grinned and dug her nails into my throat as she gripped harder. "Oww, you crazy bitch, stop!"

My voice came out strangled.

"I'm a vampire honey, why would I stop before draining you dry." The blonde sinisterly smiled, before baring her fangs and removing my curly hair from blocking her target.

Just as she was about to bury her fangs into my neck, something stopped her, someone.

The blonde was thrown across the air and against the wall opposite me, she groaned and clutched her stomach instantly.

A voice I didn't know I actually quite missed startled me, "you know, at first, I just wanted your blood, but now what I want is you."

The voice belonged to the one and only, Alexander Cortez.

Alexander and his gorgeously dark facial features and black flawlessly swept up hair.

I had no idea how to reply to him, if it wasn't for the darkness, Alexander would have been able to see just how much he had managed to make me blush.

I knew he was could hear the rapid beating of my heart, however.

What do I possibly reply with to what he had said anyway?

The blonde girl saved me from one thing and that was from responding to Alexander.

Thank God.

She stood back up looking really pissed and Alexander sighed, "If I was you, princess, I'd lock myself in my bedroom. She isn't the only one looking for a human to feed on."

I nodded vigorously and began to run back to my bedroom.

Next time I'll just listen to Derek and my brother and just stay in my room.

When I made it back into my room, I breathed heavily from being out of breath, slammed my door and locked it shut.

I sighed out in relief leaning my knee and pressing my forehead against the wooden door.

But little did I know, I wasn't safe, yet.

"And, your nightmare only begins... Human."

I jumped when I turned and saw the murderous prince standing in front of my bed with his arms crossed and a mouth painted with red blood.

Shit.

I felt the emerald green gem on my necklace vibrate but ignored it completely as I was too busy turning back to open my bedroom door and run.

But just as I unlocked it, the prince sped beside me in a heartbeat, making me gasp and held the door shut, "you aren't going anywhere until I've finished with you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and backed up from him slowly. "What are you going to do? Kill me?" I lifted my brow challenging the prince like the fool I was.

Zac humourlessly laughed at me, before moving towards my retreating figure and cornering me in my own bedchamber.

"I would kill you but, then, who would keep me entertained?" Zac lifted his hand to my cheek and stroked it softly as he closed the distance between our bodies.

Keeping my eyes focused nowhere but on his lips I could just tell that his eyes were blood red and burning into my neck.

I was trembling but still had the guts to answer the prince back, "keep you entertained? Why should I keep you enter-"

Zac's sinister smirk stopped me from speaking any longer.

He began to trace an X with his finger on my exposed neck. "Don't question me you dumb human, I am your superior, you have no choice but to obey my every command."

The prince opened his mouth enough for me to see his blood-stained fangs, and a small gasp left my lips.

The feeling of Zac's fingers tracing shapes against my skin sent an undefinable sensation through me, which made the gasp that had left my mouth to resemble a pleasurable moan.

This 'pleasurable moan' earned me a smirk from the prince. "If I am a dumb human, why should I be the one to keep you entertained?" I questioned but in a relaxed voice which I didn't mean for. I wanted to sound annoyed but somehow I couldn't.

Zac was leaving trails of electricity across my skin that let an unwanted relaxation consume me. "You are different. Your blood is different. You intrigue me. I can read everyone but you... For some reason you are like a novel that is hard to read."

Uh, okay thanks?

Zac was clearly sweet-talking me for my blood, he wanted more.

I don't speak, and in the silence, I almost hear my own heart imprinting itself into my chest. "And?" I managed to say with hands that were shaking so much they could've caused some kind of natural disaster.

"Not only are you excruciatingly beautiful but..."

Keeping my eyes low, my instincts told me that the devilish vampire's eyes had converted into black again. "Your blood is scary addicting," Zac whispered drawing closer and pushing strands of my curly hair behind my ear.

I froze in place as I felt the prince begin to plant the softest kisses from just below my ear. My necklace was acting up like it was on some kind of drug the way it was vibrating against my chest.

What kind of necklace was this? It definitely was not normal.

The prince's lips were moving slowly down to my neck and made me close my eyes in rapture. I felt like my body was out of my control as my arms made their own way around the prince's neck pulling him closer in longing.

I let my head fall to one side to give him extra access to my blood. Something inside of me already craved his touch and was yearning for more.

Zac got rougher the more he kissed my skin and pushed me up against the wall. Usually, I didn't appreciate being slammed into a wall, but this time, the pain was kind of... Nice.

The vampire savagely ripped my dress apart so that more of my skin showed and continued to plant the wet kisses down my chest and to my breasts.

I breathed out and accidentally let a moan fill the lovely silence.

What am I doing? Why can't I stop myself?

Zac lifted his dark eyes to look at me as he kissed the sides of my breasts, but I quickly turned my gaze elsewhere only for it to be returned to him when he demonically said, "look at me."

My eyes were blinded by the spark that ignited in his captivating eyes.

Zac brought himself back up and took my face into his hands, "I'm going to bite you now, and I don't want you to scream," the devil's eyes were now glowing red slits and they terrified me.

It was like I couldn't speak for myself like he was controlling my every emotion and every action.

Yet he claimed that I was a novel he could not read.

When I didn't respond, the devil smirked in satisfaction because of the effect he had on me and drew closer to my neck.

My hands had a craving mind of their own and supported the monster by pulling him closer by the collars of his black tailcoat.

The prince gently kissed my neck one last time after pushing my hair behind my ear, and then sunk his fangs into my skin, stripping every comfort within me away.

The devil's hostility and relentlessness inflicted a sharp pain that was at the same time unbearably pleasant, as he tore his way to my blood violently.

I closed my eyes swiftly, trying my hardest not to scream in agony or moan in pleasure.

The whimpers that I had failed to conceal only made the monster angrier. Zac ruthlessly ripped and sucked at my torn open wound.

It hurt so bad that tears were streaming down my cheeks within a second.

I could feel a warm liquid that wasn't my tears streaming down my back, arm, and front.

My dress was wrecked.

"Prince Zach..." I drawled trying to stop him from drinking from me any longer. I was beginning to feel weak and lifeless.

However, the call of the devil's name sounded similar to a moan and that motivated the petrifying vampire to lift one of my legs around his torso and suck on my neck harder.

When I no longer had enough energy to stop the pain, I started to feel faint and my eyelids began to get heavy, causing a slow darkness to flood my vision and my mind and body to fall unconscious.

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And another chapter updated just for you!!! So how do you feel about Alexander and Prince Zac now? Do you like them?

How are you finding Natalya, a bit stupid? Well, hopefully, her time in the castle will teach her a few lessons... How did you find the chapter? Comment and tell me :) also don't forget to vote! and add this to your reading lists to catch when I update.

Love you lots - Natasha x