Ariel Marie

Summer Rayne opened her eyes and recognized nothing around her. The bedroom was masculine in décor. Dark colors covered the walls and the massive four-poster bed she lay in — definitely not hers. She sat up slowly and winced at the pounding in her head. The sheet slid away, displaying her bare breast. She gasped at the realization that she was totally naked in the bed. 

What in the world?

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“Who the hell would take my clothes off?” she asked aloud to the empty room. 

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She made her way to the edge of the bed. It took a couple of scoots just to make it. The bed was large enough to easily accommodate five grown adults. She hopped down taking the sheet with her, and wrapped it around her. She staggered with her first step, grabbing onto the column of the bed as memories flashed before her eyes. 

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She cried out as the pressure increased in her head. She held on tighter, trying to keep her knees from buckling. Memories of her escape assaulted her. The sounds of screams echoed throughout her head as she squeezed her eyes harder, trying to block the memories. 

The hunters had come. 

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Hunting her people down as if they were animals, shooting them in the back as they ran. Bile tried to make its way up from her stomach as she recalled running and seeing her neighbors’ bodies writhing on the ground in pain as they lay dying. The hunters had acted as if they were on the quest for animals. But they weren’t animals…they were vampires. 

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The hunters had began their attacks on vampires, by killing every vampire leader and royal family member they could find. The vampire king’s body had never been found. The vampire king, who had just taken the throne a month before, was thought to have been killed that night. Since that horrendous attack on the vampire nation, life for a vampire, the following years, grew worse.

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Humans had taken back the lands, as of recent, increased in numbers and become stronger than the vampires that were once the dominate race in the food chain. Following the decimation of the vampire governing body and the disappearance of the vampire king, the humans continued to hunt them down, attempting to extinguish their race. Over the years, the humans had become very creative in their ways of killing a vampire.

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The vampires had been in hiding ever since, hoping and praying for the moment the king would return to lead them against the humans. Through all of the madness, Summer had finally found a small town to settle down in. It was hidden away from the human world, and she had felt safe. 

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Somehow, the town had been discovered and the hunters came, attacking and killing as many vampires as they could. Summer had been one of the ones lucky enough to escape. She had run as fast as her vampire abilities would allow. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was the rising of the sun. 

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“Where am I?” she whispered, searching the chest of drawers for clothes. 

She quickly found an oversized man’s t-shirt and sweatpants. She had to fold the legs of the sweat pants a few times over before her feet were free of the long legs. 

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“Whoever lives here must be a giant,” she muttered. 

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She was proud of her height, five-foot two and half. Yup, she said it, and a half. She wanted to take credit for every inch. She was shorter than the average female vampire, but took it all in stride. Good things came in smaller packages, was how she always thought of it. 

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Satisfied that she was at least covered, she made her way out of the windowless bedroom, unaware of the time. She held onto the wall of the hallway, still feeling weak. She would need to find a way to get blood soon. As a born vampire,  she could consume liquids but all of a vampire’s nourishments came from blood. The house was eerily quiet as she made her way into what looked to be a formal living room. Again, this room was empty. 

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Her ears perked up at the sound of classical music floating through the air. She walked through the kitchen and followed the music. She paused at the entryway of the family room. Oversized couches, a massive wood-burning fireplace that she could easily stand up straight in, had a crackling fire burning. 

 

Her breath caught in her throat at the figure that slowly rose from the recliner in the corner. His massive frame made the open room seem small. His button down white shirt was left open, displaying his abdominal ridges that her fingers itched to trace. Her eyes slowly traveled up his perfectly sculpted chest and found his lips curved in a small smile before her eyes met his intense dark ones. 

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She cleared her throat, feeling the burn of her cheeks flushing as his eyes gave way that he knew what she was thinking. The moisture collecting at the apex of her thighs, said it all. She was totally attracted to him, her body just about went up in flames in the few seconds she had been in his presence. But, that would never be. She shook her head internally. He wouldn’t want her, not a common vampire. 

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“My king,” she said bowing her head.

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Copyright © 2016 by Ariel Marie

 

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