Forsaken Existence

ALEXANDER

I was sprawled out on the grass, my gaze lost in the vast expanse of the Milky Way. The stars had always held a certain allure for me. I’d often find myself wondering if I could survive in the cosmos—a thought that would usually cross my mind when I felt her struggling.

I looked down.

She was on her knees, her hands clutching her head, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes—a bright, alarming crimson—darted between me and her newly formed fangs, which stood out against her trembling lips.

She was barely keeping it together, and I could feel the erratic beat of her pulse and hear her ragged breaths.

I reached out, gently running my fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her energy so I could influence her. I felt her emotions spike, then dull.

Suddenly, she was on her feet, moving faster than any human could, and she took off.

I caught her with ease, forcing her back down to the ground. She let out a startled cry, and I quickly covered her mouth with my hand.

“Quiet, girl,” I said, my voice firm. “You’re mine now.”

Her eyes widened in fear. When she tried to run again, I hoisted her over my shoulder and began to climb the mountain, making sure to avoid the Mcnoxnoctis men hiding in the shadows.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the entrance of the tunnel, tossing her inside with little more than a grunt. She landed on the cold stone floor, her sobs echoing through the dark, cavernous space.

Thick, red tears streamed down her face, her body shaking violently from the shock. I didn’t even bother to cushion her fall.

I dragged her into the main hall, slamming the hidden passage shut behind me.

“You’ve brought back another one,” a soft, melodic voice said.

My sister, Caroline, was standing in the center of the room, sipping from a ration—a packet of cold cow blood. She was looking at the girl as if she were a piece of spoiled fruit.

“Really, Alex, your taste is slipping.”

She was dressed in her usual outrageous attire: tight black leather pants, a lacy white crop top, and towering black boots with high heels. With a practiced move, she pushed her straight, reddish-blond hair behind one ear, giving me a critical look.

“She’ll do,” I muttered, pushing the newly turned vampire toward her. The girl collapsed on the marble floor, shaking.

Caroline wrinkled her nose in disgust and leaned away.

“That’s what you said about the last one. And the one before that,” she retorted, crossing her arms. “What’s next? Street rats? Maybe I should go next time.”

“You wouldn’t last five minutes,” I growled. “They’d smell your arrogance from a mile away.”

“There’s no reason why you’re the only one allowed to leave to go hunting,” she shot back.

“I’m not leaving to hunt,” I hissed. “I’m bringing back servants—for you, for Mother, for Father, for Jessica. I’m doing this for the comfort of our family.”

“Oh, that’s complete bullshit,” she replied. “You go because you ~want~ to. You get to drink the whole girl. You only ever do what benefits ~you~!”

“I’m putting my life at risk every time I step outside,” I snarled.

“Hardly!” she scoffed. “Those Mcnoxnoctis men are practically blind.”

“You can’t go out there, Caroline. You’d get yourself killed,” I retorted.

“I’m ~dying~ in here! In this miserable ruin! Dying, Alex! And I don’t deserve this!” Her voice escalated into a scream.

I glared at her, my patience wearing thin.

“We’re in this together, as a family,” I said, my voice steady.

Her laugh was bitter and devoid of humor. “Our family has been broken for decades.”

I pursed my lips. “Only fifty more years, Caroline. We’ve already made it halfway.”

“You only say that because you get to go outside. You get to drink your fill. You’re not the one wasting away, starving on pitiful rations of animal blood! You were always the special chosen one,” she sneered.

“You were too young fifty years ago,” I retorted.

“I’m old enough now.”

“But you still don’t know how to control your thirst, Caroline. Trust me, it’s not easy for me either these days.”

“Don’t insult me,” she growled, her fangs glinting. “I am a princess!”

“Not anymore,” I said, shaking my head. “Now you’re just a spoiled little pureblood vampire, crying because you can’t play with your toys.”

Caroline let out a sharp, humorless laugh.

“So, Alex, what does that make you? A pampered prince living off his family’s wealth? You’re always so self-centered!” she accused.

“No,” I retorted, leaning in closer. “My family means the world to me, and you’re well aware of that. I wouldn’t risk my neck to bring you servants if that wasn’t the case. I wouldn’t have come back after the uprising. I wouldn’t have stood by Grandfather’s side all those years ago to claim my rightful position.”

She shook her head, her face a mask of mystery. “You just don’t get it, Alex,” she murmured. “It’s not just the hunger. It’s the… anticipation. I can feel myself dwindling. When I look in the mirror, I swear I see something human looking back—frail, mortal.”

“Callie,” I began, but she cut me off with a hardened look.

“You should have stayed away, Alex. You should have left the throne to me. You should have stayed with ~her~. You would have been happier.”

Her words struck me like a punch, but I didn’t let it show. My jaw clenched, and I brushed past her, shoving the newly turned vampire out of my way.

The girl let out a gasp of pain and started to sob, her cries echoing through the corridor.

“Poor thing. Does she even realize she’s already dead?” Caroline sneered in Italian.

The girl looked up at her with wide, tear-filled eyes, then burst into another fit of bloody tears.

I groaned, massaging my temples. “Enough of this,” I muttered, pulling the girl away from my sister.

“She’d better be worth it. I’m not cleaning up another one of your messes,” Caroline retorted, tossing her empty blood packet onto the dusty floor.

The girl’s crying grew louder, and I could feel the sting of my sister’s glare on my back as I dragged the new vampire toward the eastern wing of the mansion.

“She needs to learn quickly. We can’t afford another waste of resources,” Caroline called after me.

“I’ll train her,” I shot back, my voice leaving no room for argument.

“Training won’t matter if she doesn’t survive the night!”

Her words echoed down the hallway as I pulled the girl into one of the vacant rooms, slamming the door shut behind us.

The room was empty, its once lavish furnishings long since removed. Dust danced in the moonlight streaming through the cracked window. The girl clung to the wall, shaking, her wide crimson eyes darting around like a trapped animal.

“You’ll survive,” I assured her, crouching down to meet her gaze. “But only if you listen to me.”

She shook her head violently, her hands clawing at her face. Blood tears continued to streak down her cheeks, staining her pale skin.

“I—I don’t want this! Please, I want to go home!” she cried.

“You don’t have a home anymore,” I said, my voice cold. “This is your life now. Accept it or die.”

Her crying subsided, but her chest still heaved with shallow breaths.

“You’re hungry,” I stated. It wasn’t a question. I could see it in the way her new fangs pressed against her trembling lips, her eyes flashing crimson.

“I don’t want—”

“You don’t have a choice.”

I tossed her a blood ration packet from the cupboard in the corner. She fumbled with it, her shaking hands struggling to tear it open. As soon as the plastic ripped, her instincts took over, and she sank her fangs into the bag, draining it in seconds.

She stared at the empty packet in horror.

“What…what am I?”

“A vampire,” I replied simply. “And if you want to survive, you’ll have to embrace it.”

Her crimson eyes met mine, a spark of anger replacing her fear.

“I didn’t ask for this!” she spat.

“I don’t really care,” I retorted.

As I stepped out into the hallway, I could still hear her crying behind the closed door. Caroline was waiting for me, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

“She’s not going to make it,” she stated flatly.

“She will,” I replied, meeting her gaze.

“And if she doesn’t?”

I hesitated, then shrugged. “Then I’ll get a new one.”

Caroline shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.

“Cold, even for you, Alex.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I walked past her, heading back to the main hall. As I reached the end of the corridor, the mansion fell into its usual silence. Even the girl’s sobs had faded, but the echo of her fear lingered, gnawing at the edges of my mind.

Then—

~Knock. Knock.~

I froze. The sound was slow, deliberate.

Caroline stood in the doorway, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. “Got visitors coming?”

~Knock. Knock.~

I let out a sharp breath, my shoulders rolling back. “Nope. But let’s find out who’s brave—or dumb—enough to come knocking.”

I moved toward the door without a second thought. If someone had the guts to knock on a vampire’s door, they’d better be ready for what they’d find on the other side.