Eve was startled, feeling his warm tongue on her neck and she turned sharply back at him. Sebastian flashed a smile at her and moved from behind her to stand in front, locking gazes with her.
"Don't wander unnecessarily in the castle," he said and she pursed her lips, wondering if Ester had mentioned about her getting locked in the room. She nodded and he turned away without another word.
His red eyes darkened as he walked away, his fangs enlarging and piercing his lower lip. Blood emerged, which he licked off with the tip of his tongue.
Outside the castle, he met Leif and Markus. He nodded as they bowed. "Keep an eye on the humans," he repeated his previous warning before approaching the black horse held by a servant. The servant bowed as Sebastian took the reins, then moved away. With one swift move, Sebastian mounted the horse.
He cast a glance towards the floor where the library was situated. Seeing someone swiftly move away from the window, he smiled and urged the horse to start moving, leaving the onlookers wondering about his smile.
The enormous gates opened for the King to ride out on his horse before closing again. As the gates shut completely, Sebastian pulled the reins, guiding his horse to the left and riding through the forest. When he finally emerged, fewer houses were in sight as he was now far from town. He continued riding on the barren, sandy land, his hair waving in the hot air. After hours of travel, a dark, tall building came into view. His horse galloped faster, entering the building from the back and startling the guards.
"Milord," the two guards stationed at the back bowed as he stopped in front of them. He dismounted, handing the reins to the guard who approached him.
He entered the building and walked through a hall where a few people were present. They bowed as he moved towards a man standing at a balcony where the stairs met in the middle. The man turned at the sound of footsteps and dropped the glass he was about to drink from in surprise.
"I didn't know you would be visiting today, milord," the man curtsied a bow, he had dirty blond braid and a grin as he looked at Sebastian.
"You would have skipped your work today without my consent. How then would I have caught you?" Sebastian responded, tucking his hands into his pockets.
The man's smile fell. "I have never worked without your consent, milord. I only do what you ask of me," he explained.
"I know, Sven. That's why I'm here," Sebastian replied, looking at the man named Sven, one of his trusted accomplices.
"Why were the test vampires released to attack the humans?" he asked, studying Sven's confused expression.
"I only did that after receiving a letter from you. That's why I released the vampires into the human kingdom," Sven said, wondering if Sebastian was testing him.
"From me?" Sebastian asked again.
"Yes, milord. A letter arrived from the castle with the orders, which is why I acted."
Sebastian clenched his hands on the balcony railing. "Seems stepmother has been given too much latitude," he muttered to himself. He didn't have to think hard to guess who was behind this. It wouldn't be a problem to punish her. After all, she was Queen only because she was married to his father, who is dead.
As he continued to stare at the people below him, he saw one of the guards walk up the stairs on the right to stop before Sven and then handed him a letter pouch. He unscrewed the top and retrieved the letter inside and opened it, his eyes falling on the royal stamp at the end of the letter and he handed it to Sebastian.
"I thought the letter was from you as it had the royal stamp," he said, watching Sebastian who read the contents in the letter.
"Where is the messenger who delivered this?" Sebastian questioned the guard.
"He took his leave already, milord."
"Bring him back to me," he ordered and the guard scurried away, wishing internally he would be able to get the messenger.
Soon enough, he returned with the messenger who was confused as to why he was summoned as he hadn't been told who called for him. As he saw Sebastian looking at him as he walked up the stairs, the color drain from his face and the hair on his body stood on its ends. Instinctively, his hand fell on his sword in itd sword belt, it was a gesture he made when intimidated, but he knew he would be killed on treason for raising his sword at the King and his grip on the sword handle slipped away.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes seeing it was one of the Queen mother's personal guards and his lips twitched, she seemed to have gotten herself a loyal dog, he thought. Unfortunately, she would be losing him.
"Y-your majesty," the castle guard stuttered as he bowed.
"I didn't know you would be coming over also, you would have accompanied me in the lonely ride," Sebastian said mockingly and in the next second,
"How brave of you to work against me," he added.
"I-i" what was there to say? The guard thought to himself, he had been swayed with the gold coins he earned from the Queen and now he was caught.
"You didn't think twice before doing that which makes me believe you wouldn't hesitate if you were asked to kill me."
"N-no, your Highness," he quickly declined hoping it would save his head.
"Hmm," Sebastian hummed and looked down at his lengthened nails, flicking them and swiftly, he pulled out the guard's knife from his belt and stuck it up his jaw, the sharp pain shot through his head and he screamed in agony. The knife pierced further into his skin and Sebastian twisted it, satisfied with the sound of the flesh tearing.
When he pulled out the knife, the guard fell on his knees holding up his hand to his bloody jaw as he writhed in agony. He was a vampire and could only feel pain but not die from the knife but Sebastian had no use keeping him alive. It sounds great to have the old woman lose her dogs one after the other and he ran the knife across the man neck, blood splattering on his clothes and face as he leaned close and the man fell limp on the ground.
"Clean this up," Sebastian ordered the guard who had brought him and he quickly pulled the body away.
"I'm sorry for the mistake, milord," Sven apologized noting the aura that start to emanate from the King.
Walking quickly to the side of the balcony, he took out a bottle that was placed in ice and he uncorked it, pouring the liquid into an empty glass. He returned to Sebastian whose fangs had already completely enlongated, showing its pointy tip.
Sven handed him the blood filled cup and he drank all of it, letting the glass drop and shatter on the ground. He took the bottle from Sven and downed the blood in three gulps, letting it fall also mindlessly as he closed his eyes.
He had been thirsty since the morning he had tasted Eve's blood, it ran his throat dry in seconds but he ignored it as he had drank six glasses of blood during his meal. But the smell of blood now made him ravenous as his throat start to feel dry and itchy. Feeling a little satiated, he opened his eyes and turned to Sven who seemed unfazed by his appearance.
"I'll send Leif to you if any of the test are to be released or more are found," he said, his voice sounding grave than earlier and Sven nodded. He walked away and went outside of the building to see his horse which had already been fed and watered. He patted the black mane before mounting on it, and rode away from the place.
The horse strode the path he followed earlier, without its master's direction and soon thy were riding back home in the sun that had set. As he entered the forest, Sebastian felt his thirst aggravate and he knew he wouldn't be able to reach the castle in one piece of he didn't feed. His claws enlarged and his red eyes flared with the thirst. How did Eve's blood made him so hungry? He questioned as he had urge to sink his fangs into something.
His foot kicked the horse and he pulled its rein to stop and he climbed down the horse. He leaned on it for support as he was becoming weak. Slowly he crouched to the ground, his legs apart and his hands dived into his hair in frustration. His fangs pierced onto his lip and he bleed, his red blood dropping on the forest floors attacking his nostrils with the fresh scent and he tugged on his hair harder.
His senses had already sharpened and his ears picked the steps of feet walking slowly towards him. He remained in his position assaulted with the scent of his own blood that dripped. This wasn't the time to play with his prey, he thought to himself allowing the ignorant person to reach closer and when his hands moved to touch him.
Sebastian snapped his head up and grabbed the man's arm, his claws pricking into man's skin and piercing his vein as blood rushed out. The man screamed in pain, terrified with the man who attacked him. He was only looking for food and he traced the smell of blood to this weakened man except the man wasn't weak as he thought. He was the predator and now he has fallen as prey into the hands of the man who stared back at him with dark red eyes. Visible thick lines stretched from his eyes to the sides of his face.
Sebastian looked at the man for another second before pulling him forward and digging his fangs into his neck, the man screamed struggling to free himself but his predator's grip was stronger and soon he fell limp and in the quiet forest, Sebastian continued to drink his blood till the last drop.
When he finally pulled out his fangs, blood smeared the corners of his lips and he ran his tongue around it to lick the remnant of the blood. Feeling more than refreshed, he tossed the body aside and stood up.
"Ready for a nice fast ride, Anto," he said to his horse, his lips stretched in a sickening grin that would make anyone who encountered him run in fright. He mounted his horse again and faster they rode, the evening breeze cooling off the heat from him.
When he finally arrived at the castle, it was already nighttime and the moon shone brightly on the starless sky. The gates were opened and the stationed guards were startled by his bloody look. Ignoring them, Sebastian hopped on and dismounted at the castle entrance and made his way inside.
He met Queen Rohesia, Oriana and Markus on his way to his chambers and they looked bewildered, Oriana was more affected.
"What is this?" Queen Rohesia questioned in disgust, repulsed by the way Sebastian appeared before her.
"Blood." Sebastian replied with his usual fang grin and he asked. "You don't want to know who it belongs to?"
"I don't care about your preys," she replied looking at him briefly before walking away with her duo. She was worried about the guard she had sent and wasn't back, the place indeed was a long journey, but she had found a secret shortcut which he knew.
"Puppets," Sebastian muttered before walking away also. When he entered his chambers, he looked at Eve's room which lights were put off, he was glad she had gone to sleep as he didn't want her seeing him in this state. He passed her room to get to his and he opened his door, staring inside and his eyes fell on the brown haired human sitting behind his desk.