Releasing her grip, Junki’s limp body fell to the floor. Drained of strength and life he lay there, conscious but unable to reach out to the world around him. He heard laughter and applause as the queen thanked her guests for the late supper.  She motioned to one of her guards to remove Junki from the ballroom. The young man’s limbs felt heavier than lead but the guard didn’t seem to think so as he effortlessly lifted Junki into his arms.  Dazed Junki met the queen’s eyes as he was unceremoniously carried away and for a moment, sensed from her something he never imagined one such as her could feel; sadness. “I am sorry that you had to know of this world.” Her crystal voice rang in his mind.  His body twitched slightly in surprise as he realized her lips had not moved and the words had not come from . “Do not fear. He is taking you to a safe place. Sleep well and rest easy.”

His eyes shot open to complete darkness.  The only thing he could hear was his own erratic breathing as he tried to keep his heart from escaping his chest. The blackness was cold against his sweat soaked skin. The frightened boy waited to see glowing eyes staring at him from the dark, hear a devilish voice call to him, or to have a marble hand restrain him but nothing happened. The darkness did not respond to his waking in the slightest. “Could it have been a dream?” Ever so slowly hope began to creep into the back of his mind, pushing out the nightmare that had wrenched him from his sleep. A deep, relievedsigh left his lips.  It almost seemed funny now, his dream. Eager to go back to sleep he to his side to get comfortable. A shooting pain in his neck and shoulder froze him mid turn.

 “Yes, it was real.”

A light flicked on, blinding Junki. When his eyes had adjusted, he found himself on a giant red cushion in the corner of a bedroom that was bigger than the whole of most houses. He looked around the room wildly searching for something, anything that could tell him where he was.  Most of the furniture, including the bed big enough for twelve was exquisitely carved, black wood.  He also noticed a general lack of padding anywhere.  There were no cushions on chairs, the bed was covered by thin silken sheets rather than a fluffy comforter.  Junki was on the only pillow in the room.  The walls were the only things that kept the room from being oppressively dark.  They’d been painted a very light tint of pink that was almost white.  But what caught Junki’s gaze and held it was the figure standing casually by the room’s door.  Junki squinted to try to make out the figure’s features from across the enormous room. Male, tall, broad shoulders, blonde hair.

“So… you’re the gift from the Korean Coven.” The voice was that of an angel but Junki recoiled from it as if it had come from the devil. He was learning that there was only one kind of creature that had such a voice. The man laughed heartily, “You have no reason to fear me, boy.” Faster than his eyes could track, the beast came to tower over Junki’s quaking form. Instinctively, Junki covered the bite marks on his neck as he lurched away from the man’s speed in surprise and fear. Any hope the human might have had of out running the monster vanished almost as quickly as the demon had covered the thirty yards to get to him. The man’s head tilted to the side as he looked down at the captive for the briefest moment as if trying to understand Junki’s reaction to his presence. Understanding flickered across the handsome face followed by a small smirk. “I apologize.” He smiled taking a few steps back. Junki fought the suggestion to lower his guard, which oozed from the man’s entrancing smile. “My name is Aaron… and you” his voice lowered to barely a whisper, “you are a Lisse’ Agar.”

The look in Aaron’s eyes turned from amusement to thirsty curiosity.  The demon had never considered any human as more than food or at most a toy to amuse himself with; there was nothing spectacular about them in any way. Yet now he found himself staring in wonder at one of them.  He chuckled, “Isn’t life funny. I didn’t think you really existed…” he said, leaning in to get a better look at the human before him.

The vampire was getting too close. Junki backed away, clumsily scooting over the cushion, only gaining a few inches until the cold hard marble of the wall blocked his retreat.

 Ignoring, or rather enjoying Junki’s fear, the vampire edged closer still, reveling in his good fortune. This human male was a Lisse’ Agar, a human who’s blood was a wellspring of power capable of purifying his mixed blood, tainted from generations past by a human ancestor. It was an impurity that kept him and those like him under the feet of Pure Bloods like the queen.

 Aaron practically quaked with anticipation. Here was an opportunity to grasp the power to raise himself up from the mire of nobility and place himself beside the queen as royalty. This was an opportunity he could not let pass. He paused cocking his head to listen to distant sounds no human could ever hear. He heard the delicate chiming of crystal glasses like the tinkling of a thousand bells from the Grand Ballroom, the rustling of the ladies’ silk, lace, and velvet skirts as they danced across the room, and the hollow clatter of the mens’ leather shoes on the wood floors, all sounds were distant and low. Satisfied that they would not be interrupted, Aaron eagerly turned his attention back to the human a look of pure bloodlust in his eyes. 

For a moment neither vampire nor human moved. Junki sat frozen with fear and the vampire lost in thought, considering the possible outcomes and consequences should he act upon his desires.

 Hoping to use the vampire’s distraction to escape Junki’s muscles tensed, preparing to make a break for the rooms large oaken doors. The vampire’s keen eyes caught the movement of constricting muscles under Junki’s skin. It was all the coaxing Aaron needed for his predatory instincts to win out over his logic. He knew what the human was planning and he was glad, what fun would a hunt be without the chase?

Junki exploded from his seat on the cushion into a panic fuelled sprint for the door. He doubted he would make it but he refused to just sit still and submit to this fate. His fingers had just brushed the cold copper of the door handle when a steel hand grabbed his shoulder.

Junkii felt his feet leave the ground and he heard the air rushing past his ears as he flew through the air. He had barely realized what had happened before his back met the marble wall with a sickening thud. The impact knocked the air from Junki’s lungs; he fell a few feet to the floor landing on his feet, which immediately collapsed leaving him gasping and coughing on the floor. Teasing him, the vampire slowly walked to where Junki lay. Aaron flipped Junki onto his back with his foot, then grabbing him by the neck he hoisted the helpless man into the air and cooed, “I wish we had more time to play, but if you bleed she’ll smell it, and I can’t risk being caught before I drain you.” Having been deprived of air for several moments Junki felt his head begin to swim and saw the edges of his vision go dark. The fact that he would be unconscious for the end comforted Junki in a weird way.  Aaron tossed Junki back onto the cushion.

It’s funny but even though death was near Junki couldn’t help but wonder at how a soft surface like the cushion could feel so painful against his skin. Perhaps he had broken something when he had hit the wall, such a thing hardly mattered now and yet his mind was going through each movement and ache, taking inventory of his body’s functions as he struggled to right himself.

Aarons’s eye burrowed into Junki’s flashing an eerie unnatural green. He didn’t care if the odds of reaching the door were impossible; he had to get away from this creature. Saying a short prayer to Buddah Junki tried once more to escape. His mind screamed for his muscles to move but no matter how he tried his muscles refused to work. Junki sat frozen and defenseless staring into the eyes of death.

Aaron laughed, “How do you like my gift?” He extended his cold pale hand, brushing Junki’s cheek. “Not as subtle as the Queen’s but just as useful. Imagine, what it will be once I’ve drank you… once I am a pureblood.”

The vampire’s cold deathlike fingers removed the hand that was covering the queen’s bite marks, dropping it limply to Junki’s side. “No matter how you try, your body won’t move. You are going to die tonight.” Aaron inhaled deeply, relishing the smell of Junki’s fear that rolled off his skin and screamed from his eyes.  Slowly, teasingly he ed Junki’s shirt collar and stuffed it securely behind Junki’s shoulders, leaving his neck completely exposed. Aaron smiled, but not the comforting smile he had used before, this was his real smile, evil and bone-chilling. With nothing left between the monsters fangs and his neck a small strained groan escaped Junki’s throat.

Aaron was playing with him, his food, enjoying his prey’s fear as he always did, perhaps more than he would the human’s blood.  He was an expert at killing and an expert of terror. Bite on the queen’s marks, gain the power, no one will know. He leaned in slowly towards the human’s neck until his lips rested inches away from the tender flesh. “I will be king.”