Black Blood
Chapter Ten
"Chloe!" Claude yelled.
The damn girl's grip had slipped, though it was her first time and she'd ended up losing consciousness, so he couldn't be too cross with her. They'd ended up separating though, as soon as she had let go, and there was no telling what would happen to her.
Chloe was special, he could smell it. She was of the Blackblood bloodline, somehow a human descendant; that much he could tell. But there was something else as well, something lying just under the surface. It almost felt like danger, but to be afraid of a human would be a silly thing. Could the other vampires smell it, too? He doubted it- they hadn't even smelled that she was a Blackblood, or they would have treated her differently.
All of that was of no matter now though. Chloe was an unclaimed human, all alone in vampire territory. He had to act fast or she would quickly become food to whatever vampire first stumbled upon her.
Claude moved through the darkened world, carefully sticking to the shadows in case there were others about. He never liked having run-ins with his own kind. They were all unkind to him, knowing what he had been bred for. They would ridicule him if they thought he felt as though he was better than them. It was never the case, but they wouldn't believe that.
Others didn't believe he deserved the position of power he had. They felt that he was a threat, that he would go after them and off them should he feel like it. But of course he was really only there to keep the peace, as one of the King's dogs. He was there to divvy up punishment to those who broke the Vampire King's laws.
Claude shook his head, and then pressed his back into the cool and uneven surface of the brick wall behind him. He tilted his head back, leaning further into the wall, and closed his eyes. He drew in a deep breath.
It was faint, but he caught the scent. She had ended up all the way on the other side of his realm. Just Claude's luck.
"I swear, if you've managed to get yourself into trouble," he muttered under his breath.
There was no time to waste so he took off at a sprint. Claude had a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of buildings and wilderness to navigate his way through.
His name drifted to his ears, circling around his mind. Claude froze. She had called out for him, but he had heard it within his mind as well as with his ears. As if she had communicated telepathically. She was growing increasingly more interesting, and he knew he had to hurry and bring her before the council for evaluation.
A human of the Blackblood bloodline. With the ability to reach out with her mind. Claude hoped they wouldn't decide to dispose of her.
There was a silence that followed that made Claude feel uneasy, but perhaps she had gotten smart. It was a bad idea to be drawing attention to herself in his realm.
And then he smelled it: two vampires were with her. Claude started to panic, and pushed his legs to carry him over the land at a faster pace. They were going to kill her; he knew they would drain her dry.
Claude had reached the edge of one city now, crossing over into the forest that separated it and the next city. This forest he could zip through with ease; he knew it well.
Chloe's scream reached his ears then, and the scent of her blood met his nose.
"Chloe!" Claude called out. "I'm coming!"
He pushed himself harder, quickly covering the forest ground and then sprinting through the next city, despite beginning to feel winded. He could only use the vampiric speed for so long. He hoped she could somehow hold on long enough for him to get to her.
The damn girl's grip had slipped, though it was her first time and she'd ended up losing consciousness, so he couldn't be too cross with her. They'd ended up separating though, as soon as she had let go, and there was no telling what would happen to her.
Chloe was special, he could smell it. She was of the Blackblood bloodline, somehow a human descendant; that much he could tell. But there was something else as well, something lying just under the surface. It almost felt like danger, but to be afraid of a human would be a silly thing. Could the other vampires smell it, too? He doubted it- they hadn't even smelled that she was a Blackblood, or they would have treated her differently.
All of that was of no matter now though. Chloe was an unclaimed human, all alone in vampire territory. He had to act fast or she would quickly become food to whatever vampire first stumbled upon her.
Claude moved through the darkened world, carefully sticking to the shadows in case there were others about. He never liked having run-ins with his own kind. They were all unkind to him, knowing what he had been bred for. They would ridicule him if they thought he felt as though he was better than them. It was never the case, but they wouldn't believe that.
Others didn't believe he deserved the position of power he had. They felt that he was a threat, that he would go after them and off them should he feel like it. But of course he was really only there to keep the peace, as one of the King's dogs. He was there to divvy up punishment to those who broke the Vampire King's laws.
Claude shook his head, and then pressed his back into the cool and uneven surface of the brick wall behind him. He tilted his head back, leaning further into the wall, and closed his eyes. He drew in a deep breath.
It was faint, but he caught the scent. She had ended up all the way on the other side of his realm. Just Claude's luck.
"I swear, if you've managed to get yourself into trouble," he muttered under his breath.
There was no time to waste so he took off at a sprint. Claude had a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of buildings and wilderness to navigate his way through.
His name drifted to his ears, circling around his mind. Claude froze. She had called out for him, but he had heard it within his mind as well as with his ears. As if she had communicated telepathically. She was growing increasingly more interesting, and he knew he had to hurry and bring her before the council for evaluation.
A human of the Blackblood bloodline. With the ability to reach out with her mind. Claude hoped they wouldn't decide to dispose of her.
There was a silence that followed that made Claude feel uneasy, but perhaps she had gotten smart. It was a bad idea to be drawing attention to herself in his realm.
And then he smelled it: two vampires were with her. Claude started to panic, and pushed his legs to carry him over the land at a faster pace. They were going to kill her; he knew they would drain her dry.
Claude had reached the edge of one city now, crossing over into the forest that separated it and the next city. This forest he could zip through with ease; he knew it well.
Chloe's scream reached his ears then, and the scent of her blood met his nose.
"Chloe!" Claude called out. "I'm coming!"
He pushed himself harder, quickly covering the forest ground and then sprinting through the next city, despite beginning to feel winded. He could only use the vampiric speed for so long. He hoped she could somehow hold on long enough for him to get to her.