[Vladimir's POV]
He walked back to the palace, leaving the corpse for the other animals and birds. He wiped the excess blood against his trousers. His thirst hadn't been quenched as usual. No matter how many humans he killed, or how much blood he drank, his thirst would never quench.
'You will never find peace and completion. No one will quench your thirst,' a female voice rang in his mind. He closed his eyes as he clutched his head and hissed as if the mere words pained him physically.
He opened his eyes and realized he had stopped walking. It has been so many years and still…
Pushing back the thoughts at the back of his mind, he resumed walking.
At this time of the night, none of the servants were around. Maybe out of the fear and the eeriness surrounding this dark palace, everyone retired early, except for his good old butler Artemis.
He waited for him as usual.
"Good hunt, Master?" He asked as Vladimir strode down the corridor.
As he was about to enter the chamber, Artemis murmured, "His lordship wants to see you, Master."
Vladimir stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "When?"
"Now…" Artemis trailed off when Vladimir glowered.
After some time, Vladimir said, "Fine. You can go and rest now."
Donning his finest shirt and trousers, shrugging on his overcoat, Vladimir Mercei left to visit his sire.
Maybe his sire knew that he would come and hence, as soon as he exited the main entrance, he saw a black carriage standing. The carriage would have been hard to spot for any human at night because of its intense blackness, the coachman was dressed in all black, and a veil cascaded from the top hat he wore, shrouding his face. The horse's eyes glowed red as it stood obediently, because this creature, too, was dead, and yet alive.
Vladimir wordlessly boarded the carriage and as soon as he shut the door, the carriage started.
"Never remove the curtain to look outside, Vitya," he remembered his mother, his foster mother saying to him when he was just a…
The carriage screeched to a stop, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"We are here, young master," the coachman announced in a gravelly voice. Vladimir silently opened the door and got off, and as predicted he was standing in front of a foreboding fort, looking mostly like an intimidating silhouette.
He lingered for a moment before walking towards the main door. The door opened as if sensing his presence. His sire did not keep any servants, except for his butler and a housekeeper. He ignored the creepers and weeds that covered the path.
He walked the familiar path ignoring the emotion akin to dread he was feeling. The courtyard usually remained bathed in soft moonlight, was shrouded in darkness today. Vladimir gazed up and saw the clouded sky.
He stepped onto the stone corridor, his footsteps echoing, and disrupting the silence.
"Vitya, you finally decided to visit your sire," a gruff voice said as soon as Vladimir entered the royal chamber. He clenched his fists, hating how casually his sire called him by the very name that haunted him.
"Why did you call me so urgently, sir," he muttered. His sire, the old Duke, Alfred Mercei stood up from the armchair where he had been relaxing. The man, a pureblood vampire did not look a day older than 60 even though he was centuries old. Even at this hour, he was impeccably dressed in a rich burgundy suit and his gray hair was braided neatly. His height was an inch or two shorter than Vladimir's. Despite the height difference, he was no less intimidating. His hazel eyes were sharp and intelligent.
Alfred Mercei put his hands behind his back and looked at him expectantly. Vladimir, despite being fearless, averted his gaze.
"I heard you could not persuade Lucian," he began before he began pacing in front of him.
"I… tried―" Vladimir began, but Alfred bellowed, "Try harder. Try until you convince him to leave that delusional life and come back. You have done so many tasks that were more difficult than this, you have been ruling the Elm Brook for so long, and yet."
Alfred's voice quivered with unbridled anger. Vladimir wanted to say a lot, but he knew, arguing would only lead to a vicious fight, and his power was significantly weaker than his sire's.
So he did what he knew would appease his sire for a while. He knelt on the carpeted floor and said, "I will accept punishment for this."
Alfred remained silent for a while before walking to his closet. Vladimir did not look up. He heard the creak of the wooden closet opening and closing and then heard the footsteps coming back to him. He stared at the leather shoes and prepared himself.
The first strike of the silver whip made him jerk as usual. His back burned. He clenched his fists but he did not let them slip from where he had kept them on his knees. He clenched his teeth as the strikes increased and once, his sire was satisfied he stepped back.
Vladimir peered at him just as the older vampire turned his back to him. "I expect better from you, Vitya. Lucian is a great asset to our family. You are more important since you will take over this family name. Do anything, but you have to bring Lucian back. Your bonding ceremony is drawing close. You know that if the Romeros come to know about Lucian's truth they will have an upper hand, don't you?"
"I do. I will try my level best," Vladimir replied through gritted teeth. He knew that his sire did not care for him or Lucian. His only interest was to keep Romeros, the second most powerful family among their kind undercheck.
"Good," Alfred said dismissively.
Vladimir staggered to stand and whatever dignity he had, he walked out of the chamber.
Twenty strikes of the silver whip this time. His anger towards Lucian increased with each labored step he took. Somehow he managed to get inside the same black carriage that had been waiting for him outside the fort.
'I will make sure I get a payback for every strike,' he thought to himself as the carriage started.
By the time he returned to his palace, it was dawn. His wounds were hurting less as he stepped out. He nodded at the coachman before walking towards the palace.
Artemis stood at the doorway to greet him.
"Ask Lucian to visit me. Say it is urgent," Vladimir said. The fury in his tone was apparent.
"I need the elixir," he added.
"Alright, master," Artemis said with a curt bow.