Chapter 15 （Samantha）Humans, Orcs, and Music
Chapter 15 (Samantha)
Humans, Orcs, and Music
T omorrow was my wedding to Viktor. I was eager, and my heart beat strongly at the thought. The memories of my wedding with Nathan lingered, but I knew there would be no assassins this time. Viktor told me all the preparations were made. He had insisted that it would be a surprise, and I respected his wish.
Today would be less exciting as we needed to deal with the human breeding farm requesting budget. It was a necessary duty. I sighed as I stepped outside. The sky was cloudy and smelled damp. I hoped it wouldn’t rain while I was on the street. I hated having my hair wet from the rain. It would get frizzy, and I didn’t like how it looked.
Viktor squeezed my hand as we walked down the street, a smile painting itself on my face beneath his show of affection. We could have taken a carriage, but it was good to walk and feel the pulse of the people. Two guards accompanied us. There had been more orc attacks in the past few days than in years. The citizens had started asking that we do something about it.
The morning was quiet, or perhaps it was too early for people to be out. Small statues of Alastor had been erected here and there, allowing citizens to show their respect to our great god. The few vampires we encountered curtsied and politely moved out of our way. The withdrawal of humans had made the city a world of good.
We finally arrived at our destination. The large inn that once served the humans had been transformed into a breeding farm. The front remained unchanged, with its stone wall and inviting lanterns, but a hand-painted sign read, “Radiant Breeding: The Best Quality Humans In Town.”
The owner had asked for funding, but an inspection was necessary before agreeing. Viktor opened the door for me before following me in. A couple of old vampires greeted us at the entrance, their hair graying.
The man said, “Your Majesty, it is an honor to receive you in our humble establishment.”
The vast room was clean and filled with various items for human care: medicine, food, and clothing. A young vampire was placing inventory while another prepared a meal.
“This room is reserved for administration. We employ a handful of vampires and prepare everything humans need,” explained the female vampire.
“Do humans have access to this room?” I asked .
She shook her head. “We’re only in our first generation of humans. We wouldn’t want them to band together and devise strategies to escape. When we’ve had several generations of humans, and they’re well tamed, we’ll allow them to gather in socialization rooms.”
“They live in isolation?” asked Viktor curiously.
“Each pair has its room and lives together. Come along,” said the owner.
We followed him to the rooms upstairs. The floor contained twenty bedrooms. He opened the first door without knocking. The small room included a double bed, a desk, a bathroom with a shower, and a baby crib with a few items. The couple turned to us, fright visible in their eyes. The wife was nursing a baby, and the father put his arm protectively around her.
“This couple were already expecting a baby when they were caught,” explained the vampire. “The woman gave birth the day after their arrival. We had to adapt quickly, but we already had a human doctor to care for them, so everything went smoothly.”
“You have a human doctor,” I repeated, impressed. “They make themselves scarce.”
“Indeed, but we hired him. He’s staying with us for obvious safety reasons, but otherwise, he is free.”
Human doctors were rare and sought-after. With human pet stores, breeding farms, and the number of slaves growing, there was a growing need for human doctors, but most of them had fled when the vampiric laws were enforced. “Aren’t you afraid he will leave? Maybe you should chain him?” I proposed.
The vampire shook his head. “Chaining a human is the best way for him to try and escape. Besides, we pay him enough that he’ll stay.”
“Are all the rooms like this?” asked Viktor, pointing to the room.
“Yes,” replied the vampire. “We offer everything necessary for humans to develop and reproduce.”
“Nice bars in the windows,” remarked Viktor.
The master vampire smiled mischievously and explained, “We wouldn’t want them to hurt themselves trying to escape.”
The smell of milk wafting from the mother feeding her young came to my nose, making me nauseous. Milk was not a food vampire consumed as babies and I wasn’t fond of it.
I put my hand to my mouth. “Let’s close the door if you don’t mind.”
The master vampire nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty. Is something bothering you?”
“It’s the smell,” I explained.
“Ah, yes!” exclaimed the old vampire. “You get used to it after a while.”
“How long do you leave the little ones with the parents?” asked Viktor.
At that moment, I realized that he was right. The room was far too small to accommodate the children, and the parents would eventually have another baby.
“We’re in the process of building a children’s daycare. It will be a big common room where all the little ones will have their little beds and can play together. They can be transferred there when they reach age one and visit their parents. A vampire will be responsible for their education, teaching them about the place of humans in our society, and ensuring their obedience. We’ll keep a breeding pair in each generation, mixing the pairs to vary the genetics.”
I nodded. It was perfect and would give us a reliable supply of pets and slaves.
“Excellent work,” I complimented the vampire.
He smiled broadly. “I’m honored it pleases you, Your Majesty.”
“I saw that you applied for funding?” asked Viktor, pulling a parchment out of his jacket.
“Yes,” confirmed the vampire. “As it’ll be a few years before these generations grow up, breed again, and become available on the market, we need funds to see the establishment’s smooth running between now and then.”
I replied. “You may consider your request accepted.”
The man curtsied. “Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
All this talk about humans had made me hungry. “Let’s go back to the castle,” I told Viktor.
The owner escorted us back to the entrance, and we went outside.
“What a beautiful breeding farm,” commented Viktor once we were outside.
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
“It’ll be perfect for providing slaves for our children,” he added with a hopeful voice.
Although I was open to the idea, I wasn’t ready to think about having children, but Viktor was impatient. “All in good time, my dear. Our wedding is tomorrow, and I have Alastor’s prophecy to fulfill. Then we can start our family.”
Viktor smiled at my words and pressed his lips to mine, sealing a kiss that took my breath away.
We were walking quietly toward the castle when a shout rang out from a street that intersected ours. We turned to see two guards running after a broad-shouldered, muscular creature with grayish skin, sharp teeth protruding from its lower jaw, and large pointed ears: an orc. It was dressed in rudimentary armor made of sewn-up animal skins and held an axe. The creature was coming right at us. I sent a wave of power toward it, the force pushing it on its back. The guards caught up with the orc and grabbed its arms. The orc growled grotesquely, thick drool coming out of its mouth. My nose wrinkled as the scent from its mouth wafted out. More guards came running behind to help the two struggling with the orc.
“What is going on?” I asked. “Can’t my guards handle an orc?”
Many stopped, watching us, which only served to annoy me.
“There was a full-blown attack, Your Majesty. There were a dozen. We killed them all at the city’s gates, but this one got through,” one of the guards explained.
“A dozen?” I asked in disbelief. “We hadn’t had this kind of attack since . . .” I tried to recall of a time we had a dozen orcs at the city’s gates. We have had orc attacks in the past, but it was always only one lone orc or two. Nothing more. Ichoryllia was further south from Krelgraz. The creatures usually didn’t come this far. They would usually attack the werewolves or the humans. It wasn’t a problem for us to deal with. At least, it wasn’t before. “I’ve never heard of such an attack,” I finished.
“What will you do, Your Majesty?” asked one of the guards .
This was getting out of hand. Citizens would be terrorized if we got dozens of orcs attacking regularly. A thought crossed my mind. If orcs attacked our city, in what state were the humans and werewolves? They were far closer than us to Krelgraz. Not that it mattered much, but I wondered if orcs had overrun the lands. This would be a disaster for us.
I announced, “We will send a battalion to Krelgraz.” This couldn’t continue; we needed to stop these raids.
The guards flinched at my words, fear filling their eyes as the bound orc burst into guttural laughter.
“If I may,” started one of the guards carefully. “With all due respect, Your Majesty. This is a suicide mission.”
I snapped at him. “I know very well. That’s why I won’t send guards.”
The tension dropped at those words. I wouldn’t send my precious guards into the slaughterhouse. They were too important for this. I would send people who are discardable and easily replaceable. “I’m going to form a citizens’ militia. They’ll be the ones to go.”
An uneasy silence fell between us. They knew it meant the death of those to be sent, but they preferred citizens to themselves, so they didn’t dare say anything.
I ordered, “Throw the orc in the dungeon. Appoint a guard to his cell. I wouldn’t want him to escape. He might prove to be useful alive.”
The guards holding the orc nodded and dragged him to the castle’s dungeon.
“As for you.” I pointed to the remaining guards. “Announce that a big reward will be offered to anyone volunteering to go to Krelgraz. We need as many brave”— or foolish, I thought to myself—“people as we can get. Even send the information to other nations. I don’t mind having people of all races go to Krelgraz. The more the merrier.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” said the guards. And they all went their own ways to spread the news.
“Are you okay?” asked Viktor with concern.
I appreciated his kindness, as always. I had enough contact with the city for one day and was eager to return to my castle’s comfort. “Yes, but I’m not in the mood for a stroll. Let’s hurry back.”
He nodded, and we increased the pace.
? The wedding with Viktor went well. Everyone showed up—not that they had a choice in the matter. Compliments kept pouring in about the beauty of our wedding, the decorations, and refreshments, as well as comments about security and the fact that there was no attack. Elder Báthory had taken great pleasure in conducting the ceremony. The elder was delighted with the new vampire laws, and rumor had it that she had rushed off to bathe in blood as she had been custom to do in her youth.
I followed tradition and made Viktor drink my blood in the Union Cup. By doing so, he gained some of the royal powers through my blood. Of course, he would be weaker than me, having myself obtained royal power through Nathan, but he was a king, nonetheless. Lysander looked proudly at his son as I announced that he had become the official sovereign reigning at my side, removing all legitimacy of the throne from Nathan. My promise to the old vampire was fulfilled .
The orc attacks were relentless. The number of orcs increased, and no more than a day or two passed before another attack. I still didn’t have enough militia to check on the state of Krelgraz. It was annoying. I didn’t want to send my soldiers, but I wouldn’t have a choice if this continued.
The preparations to receive Scorchfire’s corpse were complete. We gathered our magic and devised our plan to transport it to the cathedral. Soon, the beast would be where it belonged. Only a few days now.
I went to my pet’s room near the servants’ hall. I followed Viktor’s advice about making my pet happy. He had been right, the blood tasted better.
When I arrived, my pet was plucking his guitar strings. He had played it ever since I gifted it to him, and his mood had greatly improved since.
He stopped playing when I entered the room and bowed his head, still holding the instrument. “My Queen.”
“Jason,” I replied, closing the door behind me.
I approached him, and he didn’t flinch. I smiled at the evidence that he was now comfortable with my presence. We’d made good progress since I brought him home from the pet shop.
“Would you like me to play for you?”
He knew how much I loved it. It was one of the few things I appreciated in humans. “No, not today.”
I could already feel his pulse quickening as he realized what I wanted. My teeth lengthened instinctively, and Jason set the guitar on the floor.
“Your wish is my command,” he said.
I was satisfied with the man’s obedience. I could already make out a bulge in his pants as he went to sit on the bed, removing his sweater. He had been allowed to train with the guards and was getting more muscular. But more importantly, he enjoyed the feeding more with every day. Today, I had something in mind that he wouldn’t expect. I licked my lips, imagining how good his blood would taste. I remembered Viktor’s words about satisfying human needs after feeding. I hadn’t done it yet, not feeling the desire, but Viktor had procured a human pet for himself too. He’d talked at length about the pleasure he took in satisfying his pet and the taste of her blood since he’d started doing it. All this talk aroused my curiosity, and I decided to satisfy Jason’s desires today.
“What a good pet you are,” I commented as I settled astride him.
The man moaned as I sat on his erection. He looked at me with interest and curiosity. I’d never straddled him. I placed a kiss on his lips. He closed his eyes, his tongue working its way into my mouth. His body was warm, and I enjoyed the moment more than I’d anticipated.
“I will take good care of you,” I whispered as my hand made its way to the bulge in his pants.
Jason breathed heavily, and said, “Yes, please.”
He roamed his hands over my body as I removed the rest of his clothes and mine. It was my first time laying eyes on the human’s naked skin, and I appreciated every inch of it.
The rhythm of his heart enthralled me. I took a deep breath and licked the warm skin of his neck, raising goose bumps. Now naked and straddled over him, his cock softly pushed at my entrance, only entering for an inch.
“Let me please you,” I breathed, pulling my head closer to his delicious neck .
The man instinctively thrust his hips upward, digging deeper into me, and pleasure rose in me.
“Thank you, My Queen,” he groaned.
“Now, hold still,” I ordered before sinking my teeth into his neck, eliciting a moan of pleasure as he gripped my hips firmly with his hands. I started rocking up and down on him as I savored his blood, better than any of the times I’d drunk from him. But the best part was the bond we shared, allowing me to feel the pleasure he felt as he completely surrendered to orgasm, taking me with him into ecstasy.
I knew then that I would never feed on him without taking his body. He was so delectable.