|18|~Royal Traditions Part 1~

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Claire Pov.
Edited.

No sooner than my eyes land on him—by accident—King Cyrus smiles from ear to ear, fangs showing and eyes gleaming.

Jeepers creepers! What is this vampire's problem?

"I see, someone still doesn't have manners?" he hisses (an ugly, chilling, bone-chattering hiss).

He is so creepy. I just don't understand why he keeps intentionally fucking with me. First the incident in the hall, now this. What does he want from me?

Your blood, says my own little voice inside my head. That's exactly what he wants, to end me. The funny thing is, all he has to do is ask. I won't fight against it. Seriously, he will be doing me a favor. A big one.

"Cyrus!" King Nicklaus draws everyone's attention towards him as he slams down his fist and says, "We have much bigger issues to discuss. My toy can wait." He pauses for a second and places his gaze on me, and my head drops down instantly. "It shall be dealt with."

"It," I state.

Cyrus's smile widens, and the rest of the kings' attention is now on me.

Xander shakes his head in a (no) motion, but it's too late. It has already started.

"It." I make a face at him. I can't believe he just called me an "it," not a chosen, not a pet, not a slave. I mean none of those words are much better, but an, it . . . ?

"I am a person with a name, not a fucking 'it,' you weak piece of sh—"

"Quiet, slave."

King Nicklaus's voice silences me.

"You have drawn enough attention to yourself tonight, now is not the time. Trust me. Keep your mouth shut, mind blank, and head down. Please, Claire," says King Nicklaus's voice inside my mind.

And I'm absolutely stunned.

He said, "Please." He said, "Please." No, he said, "Please, Claire." He used my name.

"I said, 'your mind blank,' Claire," comes his voice again. "I can't block your thoughts for much longer. I need you to bow your head and apologize."

"What?"

"Please, Claire."

"Oh right," I respond. "Sorry."

"Say it, out loud, Claire."

That's when I noticed that the others are still staring at me with blazing red eyes, ready to sink into my neck. Xander is also watching me, but unlike the others, his eyes are stormy and dark, almost black. I don't get it. However, right now is not the time. I have other things that I need to focus on, like the fact that King Nicklaus is actually speaking to me with manners, and he apologized.

Thinking about apologies . . .

"I apologize, sire. Please forgive me," I say, even going as far as standing, just to bow.

"You may rise, slave," he tells me, taking a stand himself, showing off those perfectly hardened abs.

I try to concentrate on the task at hand, but I can't. My focus is on his body. The sight of him is making my mouth dry and my knees are weak. How can I stand? It's taking everything out of me not to drop to my knees.

King Nicklaus's lips curve into a smirk.

"Stand, slave, and take a seat," he commands.

My body complies, of its own accord, compelled.

He walks to the center of the room without sparing me another glance. His gaze is smooth and graceful. There's no denying the power and dominance that beam around him. He is a king.

"Now that we've solved that issue, let's focus on the true problem."

His eyes roam over each and every king's face.

"As my brother said, the council will not want to declare war. However, the dogs need to be put back on a leash. Any suggestions?"

King Luscious is the first to respond. I remember when I first laid eyes on him. I assumed he was the least scary out of all the kings. I even went as far as calling him a wimp. But now, I'm not too sure. There's something dangerous and lethal lingering in his eyes as he speaks, "Dogs aren't a threat in my territory, so I don't see a point in going against the council's orders."

"But hunters are?" King Nicklaus points out, shrugging his shoulders. "Imagine how big of a threat the werewolves would become in your territory if they learned that over ten groups of hunters inhabit your lands. They would team up, and with your land being King Cyrus's neighboring kingdom and a great distance from the circled kingdoms, I say it's highly likely that they will do just that."

Circled kingdoms? What does he mean by circled kingdoms? There's so much that I don't understand about these vampires and the other species.

I make a mental note to do some research. I was never that student who actually paid attention in Vampire History 101. Honesty, I didn't believe it was important enough to listen. I was wrong.

My eyes momentarily dart in King Luscious's direction. I don't know what a hunter is, but I do know one thing: Based upon the look on King Luscious's face, hunters and werewolves working together, equals double‑trouble.

If he notices that I'm watching him, he doesn't say a word. Instead, for a long-drawn-out moment, King Luscious rubs his dark chin hair. He seems to be lost in his own thoughts, pondering.

"Good point," he admits. "That would be a serious problem. I honestly haven't thought about that." His eyes flash red as they center on King Nicklaus, and a look of determination settles on his face. "I have worked hard for my territory. My people and I are content. We are well-fed, and no one has the balls to defy me."

Duh! I may not have paid too much attention to Vampire History 101, but I did pay attention to vampire sociology. Each lesson always revealed that they are reckless and barbaric creatures, especially King Luscious. No one with a brain would dare defy him, and of course, he's well-fed. He buys slaves just to slaughter them.

King Nicklaus raises an eyebrow as his eyes flicker in my direction. I keep forgetting that he can read other people's thoughts, and based upon his reaction, he doesn't approve. I should be more careful.

"You should focus on keeping your mind blank." His voice appears in my head.

Now that's easier said than done, I think to myself, knowing very well he's still listening.

Xander chuckles out loud, and I can't help but wonder if he's also listening to the thoughts inside my head.

"That would all change if those dogs and savages decide to tangle," King Luscious interrupts our private conversation, giving King Nicklaus the side-eye, then he continues, "That's exactly why I can't partake in this war. I refuse to leave my territory without a ruler and unprotected."

"And so do I," King Marcellus joins in, running his fingers throughout his inky‑black hair.

I take a moment to soak him in.

King Marcellus is a living piece of art, literally. He has art painted and carved all over his pale skin. His vivid green eyes scream masterpiece. He's handsome, that's for sure, but dangerous. He even has a ring piercing his nose. Scary.

"Europe has too much land and unmarked territory as is. It would be foolish and extremely stupid to leave my territory unprotected and defenseless to partake in a war. I can't do that, especially when the wolves haven't attacked anyone's kingdom, besides your favorite."

He looks into King Nicklaus's eyes, then says his next words with caution, "This is not about our species. This is about your undying loyalty to your best friend."

His best friend? Who is his best friend?

My question is answered seconds later when King Cyrus releases a gruesome growl and his eyes flash bloodshot red.

Now I think about it. When I was at school, I heard rumors numerous times, about King Cyrus and King Nicklaus sharing torture ideas. I don't know why I didn't put two and two together. Honestly, it makes sense. I just don't understand why King Nicklaus would stop his best friend from draining the life out of me earlier today. Maybe that's the reason I haven't considered it.

King Cyrus moved from his seat. I don't know when, but he did. He is now standing directly in front of King Marcellus. His movements must have been too quick for my human eyes to catch.

"I don't need anyone to protect my territory, just like I don't need any help with ending your life."

King Marcellus seems to be unfazed.

"I will enjoy seeing you try," he responds, rubbing his pet's head nonchalantly.

As if on cue, eight half-naked servants walk in, all of them smiling and holding trays of food in their hands, just in time to save the day.

"Cyrus!" King Nicklaus calls, releasing a deep sigh. "Please take a seat and eat. Killing one another is not the solution to our problems. If anything, it would only create more. The both of you are acting like two little children arguing over your favorite toys. Calm yourselves."

For a while longer, King Cyrus glares at King Marcellus before he finally decides to take a seat.

Without being asked, Jasmine places herself onto his lap. She bends her head to one side, providing him easy access to the veins in her neck and giving him complete dominance. He growls in approval and plunges his fangs deep into her skin. She moans loudly, and her eyes roll to the back of her head. She enjoys it.

My stomach turns. That's sick; she is sick.

I wrinkle my nose in disgust. She's such a submissive little slave, ready to do anything just to please a leech. Fucking whore.

Surprisingly, I'm not the only one who's annoyed by their public feeding, or maybe he's just annoyed with Cyrus in general.

"That's right. Follow your master's orders," taunts King Marcellus.

King Cyrus quickly removes his fangs.

"You're dead!" he yells. He jumps back up from his seat, knocking Jasmine to the floor in the process, then he storms back over to King Marcellus's end of the table.

"I said calm yourselves!" King Nicklaus snaps, as he throws a chair at them before making his way to them.

The chair breaks into a million pieces as it slams onto the floor.

The authority in his voice cannot be ignored. His tone is deadly and his eyes are flashing red. He leaves no room for arguments. He leaves no room for complaints. King Nicklaus meant what he said.

I can't take my eyes off him. I can't help myself, chills traveling down my back. The power in his voice sparks something within me, a fire in the center of my core. It is like a burning flame of tender poison, slowly moving through my system, and I welcome all of it—unlike the other chosens in the room that are hovering in fear, scared for their lives. I have never felt this alive in my short life span. All my attention settles on him. He has it all. The other kings are stoic.

"Take a seat now, Cyrus!" he orders, making his way back to his seat. "I don't want to hear another word from either of you unless it's about solving our problem as a whole. We are in this together."

King Cyrus makes his way back over to Jasmine, picks her up off the ground, and then sits back down.

King Marcellus lowers his head and locks his eyes on the table.

They both look pissed, and I can tell they want to say something. But they don't.

Make no mistake. All these kings can be scary as fuck. They can scare a person straight with just one look. With all that being said, no matter how scary they all may seem, King Nicklaus is unquestionably the scariest of all.

Both of the kings' jaws clench in response, but they don't dare to say a word.

As I said, Niklaus is the king and his word is final.

The servants continue to stand around the table with the trays of food in their hands, their eyes averted.

"Now that we all have calmed down, you may serve," King Nicklaus commands, clearing his throat.

They obey, serving each king one by one, placing plates filled with food, down directly in front of them.

The kings nods in approval and joke with one another. Even King Marcellus and King Cyrus are talking to each other like they weren't just at each other's neck. Their behavior confuses me.

Now that I think about it, my vampire sociology instructor never mentioned what type of relations the kings have with one another.

"I'm waiting for you, Claire," comes King Nicklaus's voice inside my head again.

He damn near causes me to jump out of my seat, not expecting his sudden arrival.

"Waiting for what? I don't understand."

I look up and see everyone's attention is on King Nicklaus, including the chosens. So, I duplicate their actions.

He raises his hand and says, "This food is a gift to my brothers. We should dine as one, think as one, and become one, as we discuss the task at hand."

The moment they repeat after him, something clicks. This is the feast of the brothers. It is a royal tradition that vampires are rumored to have. It is said that this feast is a tradition that each vampire king has passed down from generation to generation, way before the humans have even known about their existence. I haven't paid that much attention to my history lesson, but I do know this: This feast is considered to be their most-valued tradition.

I focus on his every move, watching with great interest.

King Nicklaus picks up his fork with his left hand and bites into the meat first, then they follow suit, indicating that they will always follow his lead. It's a sign of respect.

Wait, he's left-handed? He is eating with his left hand.

Vampire kings are trained to utilize both their left and right hands to perform tasks. A king does everything with his left hand until he finds the person who is meant to sit on his left side, only then will he perform a task with his right.

I don't know much, but I'm absolutely certain about that. That only means he's hasn't claimed his beloved. Lady Gwen is not his beloved like I thought.

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