Feral Darlings

Chapter One

Lucian

My brothers are going to be more troublesome than I anticipated. I thought they were merely planning to overthrow my control on this domain with the violence I’ve come to expect from them, but it seems that they are looking to usurp my rule with more underhanded methods.

I’ve already bested three assassins they’ve foolishly sent after me, and I’ve disposed of the entire team of guards that made such an egregious error in allowing them to enter my domain unhindered. It’s inconvenient to say the least, but a necessary measure to ensure they fail to succeed.

I shake my head, annoyed. The number of followers I have is depleted, and now I have to spend time replenishing the numbers, not to mention completing the rigorous interrogation of prospective new guards. Most of them won’t survive the ordeal, but I have no room for weakness, and even a margin of error is unacceptable.

The defense of my home is a priority, and my life even more so than that. I can always rebuild, but you only get one life—or afterlife, in our case. I intend to make the most of mine, and if the time is spent on creating chaos and violence, then so be it—regardless, I’ll enjoy every moment.

Eternal life can quickly become a neverending doldrums, so at least this conflict will keep it interesting for a little while. It’s tiresome having to go to such trouble, but the rivalry between myself and my brothers has once again reached a boiling point, and this time it seems they have their sights set on me.

We used to be men, humans who walked the mortal realm—physically, we do still look like men, but now we are greater than that. The events leading up to the turning of myself and my brothers in blood is hazy at best, but we are still bound by the blood that sired us. Our vampire mother is long dead, no more than dust and ashes floating through the air of our realms of midnight.

The legends and lore would say that I am cursed, but I prefer to think of it as my endowment. The warped soul I somehow still possess harbors a bloodthirsty monster within, one that hungers for mortal blood, and covets the power those souls will grant me. Though I’m reluctant to leave my realm unprotected by my presence, I can’t deny that I take great pleasure in the hunt.

It’s a strange sensation, the feeling of crossing the veil that divides our worlds, but the overwhelming scent of blood and souls excites me. I inhale deeply, allowing my senses to take over and the primal desire to burst forth from within.

I rarely relinquish my perfect control and permit myself to hunt freely, I’m far too aware of the dangers of fully losing myself to the impulsive need to feed. I’m more than an uncontrollable demon led by pure instinct…

I’m not sure where I’ve crossed over to, and I don’t particularly care. It matters very little where I am when I won’t be staying for long. A heady scent reaches my nostrils, and they flare as I inhale deeply. I home in on the smell and melt into the shadows as I close in on my prey’s location.

The potent aroma of blood grows stronger as I slowly move in for the kill. I’m drawn in further by the underlying scent of something unfamiliar interspersed with it. It’s intoxicating, and my mouth waters as I track down the source of the scent.

Blood, honey, and the purity of an untainted mortal soul hovering in the purgatory between my world and this one. It’s intriguing, and I want to possess it. A dark house sitting in the corner of a cul-de-sac seems to be where it is originating from, and the closer I get, the more the frenzy building within me becomes unbearable.

The desire to rip apart the being taunting my senses with such a tantalizing mixture of scents takes over. I quietly stalk my unaware prey with a deadly precision I’ve gained through more than a century of practice.

When I breach the boundary and enter the building, I almost completely lose what little semblance of control I have. The smell is even more overpowering now, and I’m close enough to taste it in the air. I moan in anticipation for the kill as I prowl through the house, searching for what is promising to be the most enjoyable feed I’ve had in many, many moons.