The Vampire Vigilante
Chapter 6

I was about halfway done with my book when Maya cracked the door open and peeked her head in. “How’s it going so far?” I snapped my eyes up to her and smiled, letting my head fall back against the chair. “It’s wonderful, Maya. Thank you so much.” I then looked up at the clock to see it was nearly 6:00. I had been stuck in the story of Amants Perdus, or Lost Lovers. It was about a man and woman who were deeply in love but had to fight through the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800s to find each other again.

"I wanted to let you know that dinner will be at 7:00," Maya said, walking over to me, "King Donovan won't be there, however. He said he was busy working on some big king stuff."

I would like to get my hands on his big king stuff.

"Sounds great," I replied, closing the book and sitting it on the chair to finish later, "What are we having?" We walked down the staircase after Maya locked the door behind us.

"I think some kind of beef roast," Maya answered, "Or that's what it smelled like anyway." I nodded my head as we walked across the balcony overlooking the ballroom which was now empty besides the light purple sheer fabric streamed around the room. We got to my bedroom and walked inside to see a note on my bed.

"Ohhh," Maya squealed, "You have mail!" I rolled my eyes and opened the small envelope.

I hope you are enjoying your stay so far. Please make yourself at home. I will be out of pocket for the rest of the week, but if you need anything urgent you can contact me on my personal phone. 747-328-9910.

There was an emblem made up of a shield and swords at the bottom with the letters KD in the middle.

"I think he has heart eyes for you," Maya said, flopping down on the bed on her stomach and giggling.

"He most certainly does not," I grumbled, throwing the letter in the trash can next to the night stand. I then walked over to the closet and picked out a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt and laid them out on the bed.

"I'll let you get changed," Maya said, getting off of the bed, "I'll see you later!" She was on her way out of the door and had it halfway open before stopping and turning around. I looked up at her in curiosity.

"Just so you know," she started, "Ever since you got here King Donovan has just been different. He seems to be more outgoing; playful even. I heard he was practicing again this morning, which is something he hasn't done in a while. I think you've put a spell on him, Melody." She winked and then was out the door, closing it behind her. I bit my bottom lip.

There is no way I am the reason for his change of attitude.

I shook my head and went to the bathroom for a shower. I scrubbed my hair and body twice to make sure I was clean. I then got out and blow dried my hair before I brushed my teeth. I put a small amount of concealer on my face, just in case I ran into you-know-who. I looked at myself in the mirror and could tell that I had already began to heal and gain weight in the few days I have been here.

Of course the blood helps with that.

I grabbed a pair of fluffy boots from the closet and put on my leggings and shirt. Then I walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs into the ballroom. There were a few older maids steam-cleaning the thrones sitting in the middle, who smiled and waved at me as I walked by. I smiled back before heading to the dining room.

Instead of the grand meal I had last night, there was a small table against the windows on the right side of the room with several side dishes of potatoes, vegetables, and tart-like desserts. On another small table there was a roast with the trimmings, a rotisserie chicken, and some type of sauce in a silver gravy dish.

Grab and go. I like it.

There were some plates beside the table of side dishes, so I grabbed one and began piling it high with everything I could fit on it. There was also a table in the corner next to the entryway that held some glasses of wine. After I filled up my plate I grabbed two glasses and headed for the bench outside where I had eaten breakfast earlier.

I sat down on the bench and took a large drink of the wine, almost emptying the first glass. It was so delectable. I began to stuff my face with a little bit of everything. I had almost cleared my plate when I heard someone talking a few rows of flowers away from me.

"I just want to know the truth about this girl," he said, "I need you to find out everything you can about her." It was King Donovan. Who the hell was he talking to, and why was he talking about me?

Maybe he is talking about someone else.

I quietly set my plate down, finished off the first glass of wine, and inched closer to where I could maybe hear whoever was on the other end of the phone call.

"No, he can't know she is here," he said quickly, "I want him to think she died in that ravine. But I want you to get in there somehow and question him about her."

Shit, he is talking about me.

I didn't want to get caught, so I went back over to the bench and grabbed my plate and wine glasses. I snuck back to the steps of the castle and went inside to take my plate to the kitchen. I sat the plate and empty glass in the sink before staring down.

Why was he so obsessed with finding out more about me? I understood that his father was friends with mine, but I didn't remember ever meeting King Donovan. So why was he following in his dad's footsteps and trying to know what happened?

It didn't matter anyway because I planned to be out of here by the end of the week. I knew I had 3 weeks until the Midnight Ball, but I was not going to stay any longer than I had to.

I drank the other glass of wine in one motion, so I went back to the wine table in the dining room and popped the cork on another bottle. I began pouring the wine to the rim when I practically jumped out of my skin.

"Thirsty, are we?"

I turned around to see him leaning against the wall chewing on a tart. I set the bottle down and took a sip of wine. "Just a little." He chuckled deeply, the sound sending chills down my spine. "Well have as much as you want, Melody." I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, your Majesty." His eyes glowed for half of a second and then they went back to normal. "Please, call me Erik."

Erik.

"Um," I stuttered, "Okay."

"I don't want you to think of me as your ruler," he said, "Or anything of that nature. You're a free spirit, my dear; you are your own monarch."

"But I'm in your home," I replied, "In your castle; your kingdom. My parents made sure I understood my manners around other kings and queens. But I will call you whatever you wish." The corners of his lips turned into a smile. "I would love to stay and chat, but I have some business to attend to. Have a good night, Melody." He then nodded and walked back down the hallway towards the ballroom.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I let it out in a huff. I turned the glass of wine up and drank it all before filling it back up again. I began to walk out of the dining room when I stopped and turned around. I grabbed the other full bottle of wine and took both up to my room.

Once I got to my bedroom, I decided to run a hot bath and grab a book.

Shit I wish I had that key to the library.

I decided to look through the books in my room when I came across one called Almost Lovers. It seemed to be fairly new, so I took it into the bathroom and set it on the counter. I flipped through the stations on the TV to find one that played music. When I came to one that sounded nice, I turned the volume up and got in the hot bath.

The bathtub was a nice, deep claw foot stand-alone in the corner. I began to sip the wine as I immersed myself in reading.

After I had finished the bottle of wine, I could tell that I was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol.

And the blood.

The words in the book were becoming harder to read, so I decided to get out. I set the book on the counter and wrapped myself in a towel before going into my bedroom. I decided to open the large glass doors to the balcony where I stepped out into the moonlight.

The moon was so beautiful tonight; a bright crescent with twinkling stars all around. I closed my eyes and felt my tattoo heating up as I soaked up the light from the moon. I could feel my aura growing stronger and stronger by the minute so I finally opened my eyes.

Not only are my eyes glowing, but my skin is. What the hell?

I looked down at my arms and hands, turning them over. There was a shimmer of blue light gently pulsing from my skin. I stuck one of my legs out to see that they were glowing as well. I tried shaking my arms, trying to get it off. It wasn't on my skin, it was in it.

Okay, you're drunk and hallucinating.

I looked back up at the moon and wondered what was really going on. Was there something else fate had planned for me? I knew that my parents were both powerful, which meant I would be too. I knew from the start something was different with me, but I never had the opportunity to find out.

A tear leaked down my face, thinking of my parents. I missed them so much; I never had the chance to tell them how much I loved them before they were taken away from me right in front of my eyes.

I decided I would find out, one way or another, what kinds of powers I had inside of me. I knew that with my heritage I would have something special to show the world.

I glanced down below my balcony to see a set of eyes for a split second before they disappeared.

Golden eyes.

I really believed I had seen them, but I was about 3 bottles of wine deep at the moment.

You're really seeing things now.

I shrugged my shoulders and decided to get in the bed. I looked at the clock as I put on some underwear and an oversized shirt to see that it was nearly one in the morning. I turned the TV onto some movie on the LMN channel and lowered the volume before getting into bed. I drifted off to sleep dreaming of golden eyes staring at me gently with desire.

The next few days went by quickly. I spent most of the time in the library after Maya got me a key, only coming out to eat and sleep. I spent a few hours one night watching a good love story on TV while drinking one of many glasses of wine.

I had not seen Erik in a week. He must have been getting everything ready for the Midnight Ball, or researching more on Malachi. I dreamed of him almost every night, and that was enough.

For now.

When I finally decided to step out of my routine, I found Maya in the downstairs laundry. The laundry was down the hall that Erik had carried me through after going through the basement.

"Hey!" I called out to her, "I have a question." She turned the dryer on and smiled at me. "And what might that be?"

"Can I use the training grounds?" I asked, looking at her with big, pleading eyes. She smiled at me. "Only while the other guys aren't training. They usually train Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the mornings." I put my finger on my chin. "So I could go at night?"

"I don't see why not," Maya replied, shrugging her shoulders, "Anyone can use that stuff out there if you want. Just don't get in the way of the trainers." I gave her a quick hug. "You're the best!" I then went back to my room to rummage through clothes and find something I could easily train in.

There were a few sports bras and leggings in one of the drawers of the closet, so I grabbed a set. I looked for some tank tops but of course there wasn't any. I looked at the clock to see it was around 9 at night.

Perfect, everyone should be occupied.

I went to the bathroom and pulled my hair into a high ponytail after I put on the clothes I had picked out. My curves were starting to show since I had been eating well, my face was back to full color showing my rosy cheeks, my hair was back to a chestnut brown, and my bruises were almost completely gone other than a few around my wrists.

I had to admit, I looked good. I felt good. My strength was back and I felt like I could conquer the world. I slipped on some tennis shoes that I had found a few days earlier and left my bedroom.

I walked outside through a side door I had discovered while exploring earlier in the week and rounded the corner to the training area. I walked over to one of the dummies and cracked my knuckles and my neck, jumping from leg to leg. I backed up just a bit and landed a punch in the right ribs. It bounced back at me, and I dodged it to land another punch in the left ribs. I then finished the move off with a kick to the head with my right foot. I stood there for a moment contemplating on what to do next, when I saw there were several more dummies scattered throughout the area. I lined them all up in different angles and spots, trying to push myself.

You can do it in 20 seconds.

I crouched into a stance and then launched into action. The first dummy I ended up landing a series of punches to the ribs and gut, followed by swiping my left leg under it to make it fall to the ground. The next one I did something similar, and the feeling of exertion made my tattoo grow hot.

The third dummy manifested into Jayson, one of the guards that used to 'take care' of me when I was with Malachi. I felt my eyes light up and I raced toward it, landing a series of quick kicks from the stomach to the head. The last kick knocked the dummy's head off and it flew into the side of the castle with a thud, about 30 feet away. I planted my feet and stared at the last dummy.

Malachi.

The dummy took form of Malachi. He was a small man in stature, standing about 6' even. His hair was blonde and short; longer on top and swept to one side. He always wore jeans, which was odd to me with him being a king. He had on a button up black flannel shirt with his sneakers. He loved Converse.

His lips turned into a vicious smile, his eyes lit up like fiery smoke, and my blood boiled. I felt like the vein in my forehead would explode any second. I balled up my fists as my skin felt like it was actually sizzling.

End him.

I don't know what came over me, but it was pure black hatred. I took all of my energy and jumped in the air, landing on his shoulders. I snapped his head off like I was twisting open a bottle cap. I watched as his eyes, now completely gray and bleak, rolled to the back of his head. I jumped off of his shoulders to see that there was blue smoke-like substance all around where his body sat, along with where his head was lying. As soon as my senses came back to me and the simmer in my skin died down the blue smoke disappeared. I exhaled as my tattoo began to stop burning and my eyes went back to normal.

I then perked my head up when I heard footsteps approaching. I turned my head to the left corner of the castle to see a shadow coming my way. I instantly ran the other way around the castle and back inside.

There was a bathroom near the library where you could vaguely see the training area, so I sprinted as fast as I could to see who was coming to see the damage.

I'll have to tell Erik I owe him 2 defense dummies.

I went into the bathroom and locked the door. I peered out of the window to see Erik walking around on the phone. I saw him take a good look at the dummies and shake his head before walking around the opposite side of the castle.

Well, at least he doesn't seem too mad.

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