We arrive home to a visibly upset staff. Vlad gives the air a testing sniff. He shrugs at me. Alex is the first to speak up, used to being in charge.
"What's going on?" A commanding aura around him.
The staff eye each other, lifting brows.
"Apologies young master. It's a matter for the head." Vlad's compulsion working overtime.
Effective, but unnecessary for my brother, now that he is on my side of the family.
"You may treat Alex as you do me from now on. He is my brother after all."
My brother can't help but have a grin. I'm still stunned by his transformation, but I believe in Vlad's magic. If he does betray me his status will simply drop again.
The head butler, Davidson, nods in approval.
"The previous head attempted to sneak out a letter to the knight order." He frowned deeply.
"That fucker." Vlad hissed. He began to walk off towards the manor. "I'll deal with him."
"Vlad, remember no physical punishment, only shame him." I warn him, prepared to scold him throughly.
He freezes for a moment, calmly nods at me, and walks off. He seemed a little too calm, but he won't push it I hope.
"Eat something mage!" He hollers back at me, before he's too far away to hear.
My stomach growls again, complaining at me.
"I shall have dinner prepared at once." Davidson bows to me, snapping his fingers.
A servant runs off, to the kitchen, I assume. I follow my brother into the house.
"How do you know he won't hurt father?" He whispers at me.
"I told him not to, he listens to me." I'm confident.
My brother stops in his tracks. A silent worry, a hope that I was right.
......…..
POV: Vlad
My instincts were driving me feral. It had been so long since I saw a real fight, a bloodbath. A vampire king with no subjects, no battles for territory. It was maddening.
I ordered the servants to drag August, Blue's father, to the basement. I didn't want my mage to hear us. This was a long time coming. How unfortunate it wasn't that bitch of a mother instead.
I knew Blue wouldn't want this, but I needed this. I couldn't protect him from them. Now I could, now I could punish them. My cutie would be none the wiser, even August wouldn't remember it, but subconsciously he would. He would never act out again.
I had the prison door opened. August was tied to a chair, bound hands and feet. His mouth gagged by cloth. I purred at the vision, the task at hand. He glared afraid, but defiant.
I approached, bending my knees to look him in the eye.
"Oh big bastard, you have no idea how long I've waited for this." I lengthen my claws, flexing them near his face.
Sweat drips down his forehead. His breathing increases. I start off gentle. A singular pointer thinger drawing blood from his face. A nasty smell came from the wound.
I slap him. He whimpers, trying to struggle away from me.
"Uhh, not surprising, a stench coming from a filthy pig."
Offended, I grab one of his hands. I refuse to draw more revolting blood from him. I snap a finger. His failed screams, more like intense mumbling, filling the room. One by one I snap, one after the other. I keep him lucid through compulsion. I won't let him pass out on me.
He tries anything to be away from this situation, eyeing away at the floor. I yank his face back to me.
"This is what a fucker like you deserves" I command 'watch closely'.
My hand malforms into a black scaled appendage. It lowers nearly reaching the man's lower region.
"Don't worry. You won't be able to make any more illegitimate burdens." A forked black tongue slips in and out of my mouth, producing a hissing sound.
My prey struggles for everything it's worth. It's all meaningless in the end.
......….
I fall back on my bed. Vlad still isn't back from his punishment. Understandable, my father is a stubborn one. To embarrass him, it must require a lot of effort.
I stuffed myself silly at dinner. Mother didn't speak a word to me, focusing on food. Brother livened up the place, talking about his ambitions as a writer. He planned to travel one day. To document the various wildlife around the kingdom. It was nice listening to my brother all exited. Happily including me into his world.
A giddy smile runs across my face. I roll over, feet in the air, resting my head in my hands. I recalled the earlier day's activity. I blush, shaking my head. I used magic.
How did I do it? Can I do it again. I remember the surge of power. A flow in my veins, directed to Vlad. I lay on my side, extending an arm. I concentrate, thinking of the flow.
I wait a few moments, nothing happens. I sit up, linking my hands together. Focusing on the feeling this time. That need for control. I bite down my lip. Nothing.
Frustrated, my brow twitches. What was it? What did I even do to Vlad? I was feeling…
Desperate. Was that it?
I try to think of a desperate situation. It's easy to picture. The knights barge into the manor. Vlad fights back, he's failing, bleeding. My parents screaming in the background, encouraging the horrifying bloodshed.
My heart beat thunders. I feel helpless. I am helpless. I can't fight against a powerful knight. I can't save my mate.
Then I feel it. The surge, the flow. I focus on it, trying to identify it. I can feel it rushing through my veins. That it hit me, an innate knowledge. Called from a mysterious memory, one I can't pin point.
Blood magic.
I hold out my hands, palms up. I command the flow out. Thin blood lines ooze out of my finger tips. They sway with the air. Waiting for a command. I focus the blood into a single thick strand. I whip it at the bed. Satisfied with a first attempt, I recall it back in.
It was too small for any real damage. Using more blood was out of the question, unless in an emergency. Blood loss could cause me to pass out or worse.
What I had done to Vlad was different, I controlled his blood, willing it to enhance his pleasure, gathering it at his nether region.
I smirked, with enough practice I could control other's blood at a distance. I could cause pain, knock them out, or even kill.
I had the means to protect my family.