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VAMPIRE KING APOLLYON

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The Spring Court Faeries with sun tattoos and golden manes threw flowers over their heads as they danced and sang gracefully, spreading happiness and joy throughout the celebration.

From their angelic facial features and child-like innocence, Apollyon could see why the other courts had seen them as naïve.

The marching band of wood elves walked on each side of Apollyon, Luna, and High Priest as they walked through the Spring Castle's main entrance as if they were in a procession.

As the elves hit each of their huge drum that was bigger than their size in an upbeat rhythm, they sounded like rolls of distant thunder—a reverberating sound that echoed to his soul.

It matched well with the woodwind instruments, string ensembles, and the heaven-like voices of singers so full of emotions, their crystal tones floating in the atmosphere.

Apollyon found the Faerie choir strange at first, but he knew better why he felt like dancing all of a sudden when he was supposed to mourn his lost wife.

The harmonies of the singers' voices were laced with Fae Magic, planting a seed of forced ecstasy in his mind until it branched through his bloodstreams like an addictive drug—an auditory massage to his exhausted brain.

There were too many things that would need his Fae Magic and not enough strength.

Shaking his head, Apollyon dulled his hearing as he bowed his head to meet Prince Aspen, the King and the Queen of the Spring Courts, and the other royal family members: Fae prince and princesses he wouldn't remember afterward because he didn't care.

Apollyon knew he was half-Fae, but as he stood there with the High Priest and his sleeping Luna, he never felt so alone in this never-ending sea of strangers.

As a certain type of silence filled his voice, everyone was eager to talk to him and catch his attention.

Still, he wanted to focus on the King and Queen first, all the while making sure that Luna was beside him in her flower bed as the elves held unto the sides, rolling it forward along with him like it was a long food cart on display for the guests.

The elves had paused beside him when Queen Gloriana decided to strike a conversation.

Queen Gloriana was a mature woman who had worn a velvet dark blue gown with the same color as his carriage.

She had an ivory crown larger than her head on top of her long and curly flaxen hair.

Her décolletage was cut low, which made her large breasts spilling out of her corset.

Apollyon wished he could wash his eyeballs from this unholiness.

He shouldn't have glanced down.

Wincing, Apollyon strictly fixed his gaze on his aunt's dark blue eyes.

He didn't find the exposed cleavage a pretty sight when it came to other women--most especially his aunt-- and he wanted to erase the image of it in his mind forever.

Apollyon would only appreciate a female body if his wife would wear something like that, and no one else could satisfy him except her.

He had never wished for Luna's image so bad in those sexy, luscious dresses—hopefully wide awake.

He gritted his teeth as he stood there, frozen in place.

There was no point in arousing himself with thoughts of his wife—not when he was facing his aunt.

Queen Gloriana had stretched out her slender arm, offering the back of her hand to kiss.

Apollyon stared at it blankly before he finally got it.

Clutching her fingers, Apollyon bent his head to hover his lips on her lavender-scented skin.

He had lived like a savage for years because of the Blood Beast and his Empress's loss that he forgot the basic conduct of being a gentleman.

He could sense every pair of eyes on the party was on him that he could feel them burning holes on his fancy tunic.

"Queen Gloriana," Apollyon murmured, flashing the Queen his signature rakish smile.

He didn't have the mood to be a rake today, but if he did, that would give him a leeway if he committed another major faux pas.

Of course, they would forgive a handsome and charming Vampire King rather than a grumpy one.

"You didn't tell me that your mother is beautiful, Prince Aspen." Letting go of Queen Gloriana's hand, he gave Prince Aspen a forced smile.

Ah—God's Blood!

It was hard to portray a charming smile when he wasn't feeling well.

He was still worried about Luna's predicament.

Clenching his fists, Apollyon was determined to get his hands on those motherfucking Archdemons who destroyed his life.

"You are the one and only son of Princess Ourania and the Vampire King?" Queen Gloriana spoke in that lyrical tone from the High Courts.

Apollyon moved his gaze back to Spring Queen's dark blue eyes as they zeroed in on him with an intensity that made him uncomfortable.

The mischievous twinkle in the Queen's eyes and that tight-lipped smile triggered a dark instinct in Apollyon.

He knew what was coming next.

Apollyon had foreseen insults after insults coming for him.

Fae Folk were the masters of backhanded compliments.

He had desired to be anywhere but here, away from these flashy idiots.

"The Vampire Realm had been stagnant for a long time." She drawled in a husky tone. "I just heard recently from my son that the Realm had started breaking out of its cold hard shell."

Queen Gloriana tilted her head and smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "This is the first time I had seen the Vampire King out of the Castle and not acting like a hermit--similar to what he had done for the past centuries."

As he casually ran his fingers through his raven hair, Apollyon sighed a bit.

Honestly, he was tempted to groan in regret, immediately hating his aunt at the first meeting.

Let the Queen's insults begin because he would throw one of his own as well!

Apollyon had prepared himself mentally for this battle of wills.