As she closed her eyes for the third time, the high-pitched ringing sound of the chime made her snap open her eyes once again, indicating that sleep was not for her.

The distressing punishment! 

It's been five days since she was inflicted with such a painful punishment by her Sire. She was not allowed to sleep. The punishment was to put her on discipline. Though the creatures of the night can survive without sleep but without rest and lack of sustenance, their energy automatically gets drained. 

She sighed and stared at the ceilings unblinking waiting for the torture to end. Her bloodshot red eyes were tired as hell, could cause anyone to wince in disgust, and her face turned to the shade of pale. 

Still she was patiently waiting for her Sire only who could put her to rest. As if her prayer was heard, the door of the torture room opened and a taller man in a black coat entered inside. 

Immediately she sat upright on her knees and bowed to him respectfully. The man lowered his head to look at her form and smiled. 

"Is that enough, Alora? Or do I need to teach you further? Did you learn something in this lesson?" He asked in his silk velvety tone.

The lessons like this where she was punished not to have even a one minute sleep taught her many things. It was one of the cold punishments. What she learned was that never disappoints or coerces him to the extent of earning another colorful punishment from him. 

"Yes, Sire!" Alora let out with her scratchy voice. She was deprived of the blood too. Her sustenance! 

The man hummed deeply, standing straight with hands behind his back. He was Arnold Dragomir, the leader of the Black Bridge Coven and the ruthless king of the city. 

"I'm doing everything for you, Alora. For your vengeance. Don't forget your purpose. We have a long way to go. We have a big war to fight. And for that, you need to make yourself powerful, rough and resilient. I don't have any prince to take over, all my hopes depend on you, the Princess of the Black bride Coven, Alora. So Don't forget the purpose of your existence." Arnold stated curtly. 

Alora nodded still in her sitting position, bowing to her Sire or in other words her father. But he was not the ordinary living father to his child. He was the bloodsucker from outside and inside too.

"I assume you learned your lesson. Get up now." He ordered her and Alora stood up with her sore body though she felt her numb body weakening but she was accustomed to it, to the pain and fatigue. 

Arnold stepped up, cupped her cheek and raised her face. Seeing her sore red eyes with full blue veins under them, hungry for the blood, made him smirk. 

"You need your vitality, my child. And I have the perfect dish for you today." Arnold said in a sweet voice. Alora's eyes gleamed and her throat clogged with the imaginative liquid passing through it. She was famished and thirsty. For blood! 

"First I will let you catch your prey and then we will discuss your upcoming mission. I need you to come to my office at nine in the morning." He instructed her and slid aside to give her the freedom. 

"Go Alora!" He urged and Alora closed her eyes, her enhanced senses perked up as she breathed the fresh blood nearby hitting her nostrils. In a blink, she was out of the building. 

Arnold smirked looking at the opened door from where Alora vanished. He had raised a perfect pawn to bait the enemies to defeat them. No way in hell, he would lose this battle. He was born to rule over the immortals and he knew his daughter Alora Dragomir would never disappoint him in this. 

"You are my ascension, Alora." He whispered hungrily. 

Alora ran through the Woods in the territory of the Black Bridge in her super speed. The harsh wind stirring the dark woods was alerted by her blurry figure running through the bushes, thorns, and shrubs, blowing them harshly before she approached her prey. 

Alora inhaled deeply, her fangs elongated sensing the fresh blood running through the veins of a human body. Her crimson eyes snapped to her left and ran in that direction. Finally she glimpsed a man's body tied to the big tree. 

Alora halted in front of him and inhaled once again. The man looked weak and tired with his pale face like many had sucked out him for the past few days. And it proved when Alora saw the bruise marks on his neck. 

The man opened his eyes slowly and raised his head, feeling the presence of someone. His eyes widened in fear, seeing the girl with crimson eyes as She bared her fangs at him. His breath hitched as she neared him.

Alora's hunger was surpassing everything as she didn't consume blood for five days and now seeing the fresh liquid in front of her eyes, she couldn't harness her thirst and jumped on him. The man screamed as Alora penetrated her upper fags deeply into the soft flesh on his neck and sucked the blood out of him. She sucked a huge amount of blood flowing through his veins to satisfy her hunger. 

The man was still reeling when she left him and he closed his eyes looking almost dead. 

And just like the other day, a wave of guilt knocked her senses as she staggered back. Her bloody eyes switched into her usual Hazen green. Alora wiped her face with bewilderment. She had killed another human again. And they will turn him into another night creature in their community. A punishment to the human species. 

Alora breathed heavily, she turned around as sadness gripped her entire being. She gave birth to another bloodsucker making him just like her. She was a killer, an eternal killer! 

But she was born with this essence. She was the creature of the night who can only snatch lives but not give. 

Without any second glance, she ran to the Black Stone River to clean herself with the hope of cleaning her remorse too which knocked her stone heart. But she knew it was inevitable. 

Alora walked deeper into the river before removing her dress and drowning herself up to the level of her neck. She felt energy flowing in her system as she closed her eyes. The sunset had already set and her comfortable time had come. She will sleep today after five days. She rubbed herself slowly when the gust of wind passed from behind her. Her ears perked with the little invisible movement.

Alora moved her vigilant eyes around slowly and sensed the presence of a familiar male. His scent made her clench her fists as she squeezed her eyes tightly.

"Can you leave me alone for once, Cassius?" she gritted her teeth when a man with red hair snaked his arm around her bare waist from behind.

Alora flared her nose and peeled off his hand before it could travel up. She turned around to face the dark brown-eyed man with a white complexion, smiling at her with obvious lust in his eyes. 

"What the fuck are you doing here? Can't you just drop your pervert ways to disturb me? Fuck yourself around, Cassius." She yelled in his face. He narrowed his eyes at her cussing and grabbed her face close.

"You should be grateful that I like you, Alora. All the women around the Coven throw themselves at my feet so stop your tantrums and facade of being hard to get. You should show some respect to your future husband." He grinned maliciously at her. Alora felt disgusted by his ugly face. Cassius was from the rank of Ancillae like her father so he was above hundred years old. 

Alora hated him the most as he had been harassing her for years but her father turned deaf ears to that when she tried telling him about this. And her life became more miserable when her father announced her marriage to him as he was one of the high-ranking members of the community. 

"First learn to earn respect. If you have etiquette to show respect to women, then I might show you some respect too. Forcing someone won't take you anywhere." She countered back. 

Cassius smirked and yanked her hair back before nearing her face and spat, "Just one year more, Alora. I will see how your pretty mouth will open in front of me like this except sucking my cock. I will make you pay for every insult you throw at me." He clenched his mouth and tried to kiss her but she turned her head to the other side so his lips connected to her cheek. 

She closed her eyes feeling sick as his lips lingered there. Cassius chuckled before releasing her. Alora threw a nasty glare with her red eyes in his way. Chuckling he walked out of the water to the edge of the river naked, boasting his muscular body. Alora bit her lower lips hard to control her rage. She wouldn't let him taint her. Never! 

Alora only had one year left to become twenty one. she would plan her escape out of his ugly clutch anyhow. Otherwise her father would marry her to this douchebag as soon as she turned twenty-one. But before that Alora had to fulfill the mission of her life.  

The revenge of the murder of her mother.