One of the Council members then stepped forward and began to speak. "Viktor Volkov, you stand accused of illegally turning a human into a vampire without permission from Her Majesty Queen Naran or any member of the Vampire Council." The council members glared at Viktor accusingly as the man continued. "Furthermore, you attempted to conceal this fact from Queen Naran, an action that's considered treason."
The room fell silent as all eyes turned towards Viktor, who stood still and emotionless before them. There was a long pause as everyone waited for him to respond. Finally Queen Naran broke the silence: "Viktor Volkov," she said in a low and powerful voice, "you may now speak your defence."
Viktor took a deep breath and then began to speak. His voice was calm yet firm as he told the Council what had happened on that fateful night.
"My fellow Council members, I understand the severity of this offence and will accept whatever punishment you deem fit, but I must ask that you hear my side of the story first. The woman in question is my wife Lucy." He said, and for the first time looked at me at the same time that he waved his hands towards me, as if to signal that I was the person he was referring to. "The night I turned her, Lucy was brutally attacked and was about to bleed to death. Turning her into a vampire was the only way to save her."
As he spoke, the members of the Council shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, gasping in disbelief. One of them croaked out nervously, "How in the world could you admit to such a heinous crime?" Queen Naran called them to silence and Viktor continued his speech.
"I know that this was a very risky and dangerous decision to make but I did it because I was trying to protect my image among the human villagers and therefore protect the vampire society's secrecy, as it would've been suspicious if my recent wife were to die suddenly and violently. So, with all due respect, I ask you to take into consideration the circumstances around my decision when determining the extent of my punishment."
The Council members looked at each other in confusion, unsure of what to say. I felt a sharp pain stab through my chest as I heard these words. Was Viktor only trying to protect himself and the other vampires? Did he not actually care about me at all? I would have risked my life for him. And yet, here he was, admitting that he had turned me into a vampire solely because of his own selfish needs. My eyes grew misty with anger and I felt a lump forming in my throat.
Another council member, a woman, stood up and spoke. "Viktor Volkov, you knew that turning someone into a vampire without permission is treasonous and yet you chose to conceal it from Her Majesty Queen Naran. Why did you not come forward sooner?"
Viktor looked up at her with determination in his eyes. "I simply headed first to the Red Moon Club so Lucy could feed because she was weak and feverish. My intention was to report to Queen Naran right after. Baba, the owner of the club, knew nothing about the affair." Viktor ended his speech with these words and bowed his head in an act of submission.
The Council remained quiet for a few moments before Queen Naran stepped forward. She shot me a searing glare and sneered, her lip curling with disdain.
"Your story is far too convenient for my liking, Viktor. You can't expect me to believe such a bunch of lies", she said in a cold voice. "Truth is you decided to turn your wife into a vampire and then invented this story about her being attacked. Need I remind the Council that you entered Babel under disguise? You were reported by one of the inn owners in the outskirts of Babel. Why else would you do this and then head straight to the Red Moon Club, if not because you intended to keep the fact hidden from me?"
The room fell silent again as everyone waited for Viktor's response, but he remained still and quiet – he had no answer that could save him now. Queen Naran rose from her throne and slammed her fist on it with a powerful thud.
"And that's not all!", she declared in a grave voice, "This wrenched woman has admitted that she and Viktor had intercourse and that he bit her during sex."
The Council members gasped in unison, as Viktor's demeanour shifted from compliant to disgruntled. At that moment I didn't quite grasp why were they so scandalised. Didn't Naran have sex with Dario? Didn't she sexually harassed Viktor? Did I just make things worse when I told Naran about Viktor biting me?
"Viktor Volkov," Naran continued sternly, "you know that it's taboo amongst vampires to have sexual relations with each other. The act of consuming the blood of one's own kind is the most abhorrent offence a vampire can commit against themselves and their community. This is unacceptable behaviour and you must be held accountable for it!"
The Council members murmured in agreement and began debating among themselves. After a few minutes of deliberation, Queen Naran announced her verdict.
"Viktor Volkov, for your acts of treason and the violation of vampires' sacred laws, you are hereby stripped of all your rights and privileges as a vampire. You will be banished from Babel and exiled from our lands." She paused for a moment then added in a softer voice "If you are ever seen in this city again, you will be killed. Consider this decision to be magnanimous."
The Council members nodded their heads in approval while Viktor's eyes widened in shock at the sentence imposed upon him. Queen Naran then dismissed the Council members, but her stern gaze remained fixed on me. I felt a surge of panic bubbling within me as I wondered what fate awaited me.
"And as for you, Lucy," Queen Naran said, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "You are an aberration and are hereby sentenced to death. You will be decapitated today at midnight." She then gave a signal to the guards to take me away back to my cell.
I couldn't breathe. My heart clenched tight in my chest, and the chill of terror swept through me. I felt like a ghost, hovering over my own body. I couldn't believe this was really happening. A single sob forced its way up my throat and out of my mouth. Tears blurred my vision, and the world around me started to fade away. Did this really happen? Was I really going to die that day? I gasped for air as I felt the two guards grabbing me by the arms.
"NOOOOO!" Viktor roared in an explosion of rage, his veins bulging beneath his skin as he pleaded desperately to the council and Queen Naran. His voice echoed off the walls and hung heavy in the air as his eyes filled with tears of wrath. Ignoring his pleas, Queen Naran narrowed her eyes at the outburst and nodded for the guards to take him away as well. She then gave a slight wave of her hand and everyone began to disperse from the room.
Suddenly, Viktor moved with lightning speed, tackling one of the guards with a ferocity that was both terrifying and mesmerising to behold. His body was a blur of motion, all rippling muscle and sinew as he grappled with his opponents.
But even as I watched in awe, I could see that he was outnumbered. Dario and the other vampires were quick to intervene, moving in to subdue him. They swarmed around him like a pack of wolves, their bodies pressed tight against his as they struggled to keep him restrained.
Despite their efforts, Viktor continued to fight back with an intensity that was hard to ignore. He thrust and swayed, his muscles rippling as he fought against their grip. And through it all, his eyes blazed with a fierce passion, a look that was both terrifying and undeniably sexy. For a moment, I found myself enthralled by him again, the raw power of his body calling to me in a way that was both thrilling and dangerous.
Dario raised his head and commanded the guards holding me: "Take her away, now!" Viktor turned his head to face Dario and snarled at him with his fanged teeth.
My heart raced as I watched the scene unfold before me. More guards entered the room and overpowered Viktor with their sheer numbers. At the same time, I felt the guards tightening their grip on my arms as they pulled me away from Viktor and down the stairs into the hallways of the prison. My heart ached for Viktor as I watched the guards had managed to lift him off his feet and were dragging him away, a look of intense determination still shining in his eyes. I wished so desperately that he could succeed in killing Dario and setting us free, but it seemed like an impossible ordeal. As I was taken further away from him, all hope began to fade away until there was only despair left.
***
The guards pushed me forward, their steps echoing against the walls of the dank prison as I felt my life slipping away from me. We finally reached my cell and the guards threw me inside with a harsh shove. I stumbled forward and hit the floor with a thud, unable to hold back my tears any longer. It was only now that reality had set in; I was sentenced to death, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Through all this turmoil and chaos, Viktor's face kept flashing through my mind - his intense gaze filled with passionate rage even as he was outnumbered by Dario's forces - reminding me of what true courage and strength looked like in the face of adversity.
I curled up into a ball on the cold floor of the cell, tears streaming down my cheeks as sorrow enveloped me completely. The only solace that I had was that Viktor hadn't been sentenced to death like me, but even then his fate was banishment from vampire society. In that moment, I finally realised just how wrong I had been about Viktor all this time. He hadn't betrayed me or abandoned me - instead he had risked everything to save me from Queen Naran and the Vampire Council. My heart broke for doubting him when all he did was try to protect me.
As I lay there on the floor, my thoughts drifted to the first time Viktor and I had first made love, right after he saved me from Eponine. Our first night had been a wild and passionate affair - we couldn't keep our hands off each other as our bodies moved in perfect harmony. It seemed like an eternity ago now, yet the memory was still just as vivid in my mind as it had been that night. In those moments I felt a bond so strong between us that could never be broken no matter what life threw at us.
I remembered Viktor's lips eagerly licking and biting my neck and shoulders. Everywhere he touched me, I felt a scorching heat spread through my body, a raging inferno that threatened to consume me. His hands roamed my body hungrily, like he was trying to memorise every inch of me before it was too late. We fucked for hours upon hours until we were both exhausted from pleasure and blissful satisfaction.
Then again, in the Red Moon Club, when I was scared of feeding for the first time, he came to my rescue. He gave me strength when I fed from the young man, my teeth sinking into his neck as he moaned in ecstasy. The sensations of blood and lust mingling together sent excitement coursing through my veins like wildfire and I felt an uncontrollable desire inside me as warmth and wetness spread between my thighs.
I missed Viktor, I wanted us to fuck again, I wanted him to bite me and drink of me again. I hoped he had been thinking about me as I started to rub my clit. I noticed how wet I was still laying on the cell ground. I spread my legs wider apart and ran two fingers up and down softly. I spread the wetness around, making myself feel warm and relaxed. I tried poking my finger into my cervix, rubbing my pussy harder than before, wishing it was Viktor's cock. Thinking of him always turned me on. I thought of his hot lips and tongue exploring my pussy, of his throat beneath my lips as I bit down hard, his hands like claws burying into my hips as his hard, massive penis thrust inside me. I thought of our hearts beating together, my body arching, Viktor's growls mixed with my groans.
While I kept furiously rubbing my clit with one hand, with the other I slid my fingers into the inner lips, and slowly eased my fingers into my cervix, desperately looking for my G-spot. Reaching up into myself, I screamed with delight as I began to climax, squirting all over the sheets of my bed.
My orgasmic state brought a fleeting reprieve from the knowledge of my impending doom, but I knew it could not last long. I thought of Viktor once more and whispered his name before my eyes closed and I drifted off to a light, uneasy sleep.