Slumped down in the chair, Nathanial sat by himself at the long wooden table in the main hall. Legs crossed, arms folded on his chest, he rubbed his temple with a free hand. The platinum-blonde vampire deep in thought focused his eyes on his wide blue cuff. Without any distractions, he could reminisce about his absent Malagi wife. Their last meeting, she had held him tightly after he had destroyed his study. If he had known she was going to leave, would he have acted any differently? Could he have said anything to her to change her mind? Nathanial could hear his father’s voice inside his head scolding him for obsessing about a woman. Even worse that it was a Malagi witch.

Virgil had explicitly taught him that women were an unwelcome distraction. The softer creatures were useful as entertainment but avoid any forms of affection as it only leads to agitation. Nathanial had diligently protected his cold heart, but somehow Isabella had managed to thaw through it. His plaything Jennifer had invited him to a wine and dine on a hapless villager, but Nathanial was uninterested in his common activities. His royal court lackeys advised him that his best course of action was to forget Isabella and marry a Dulra vampiress. Nathanial knew the Golden Oracle Council would provide similar advice on his predicament.

But he could not comprehend replacing Isabella with a dull Dulra vampiress. He had chosen a Malagi witch for his wife for a reason. Virgil taught him a technique where he could absorb magical prowess by drinking blood from the most powerful Malagi source – female witches. Currently the basement dungeons held several witches his palace sentries had stolen from the countryside. Nathanial’s underhand plan for the Warlock Competitions had been successful. When the male warlocks left their families behind for his contrived competition, his sentries were readily available to capture the women left unprotected. Now he could use their blood to feed his men creating the strongest army ever held by a monarchy.

Nathanial balked at the idea of replacing Isabella so quickly as he had searched for her far and wide. The Dulra king had bitten other Malagi witches, but none had survived when he drained them of their powers. When he found Isabella, disheveled and abandoned by her family, Nathanial knew she was special. Not only could she withstand his bite, but she also survived the draining of her magic. And her powers are strong, much more powerful than she even realizes. More than all of that, Isabella was mouldable and obedient to Nathanial. She was the perfect Queen he had dreamed about and now she was gone.

When Nathanial had heard that Isabella escaped from the castle grounds, he was in a murderous rage with a couple palace guards paying the price with their lives. His plans with his Queen were running like clockwork until that bastard Ronan entered the picture. That despicable warlock had filled his wife’s head with nonsense causing her to challenge Nathanial’s authority. Her newfound rebellion forced the Dulra King into a difficult decision of hiring the Butcher to break her spirit. The vampire figured a brutal rape would devastate Isabella enough where she would become more compliant and submissive to Nathanial’s instructions.

But the Butcher had been unsuccessful in defeating Ronan causing Nathanial to interfere in the Warlocks Competition. The Dulra King knew he lost several villagers support by reversing the win and punishing Ronan with a whipping. The vampire could not take the chance the bastardly warlock would rush in to save Isabella from her punishment. And still with all of Nathanial’s help, the Butcher failed in his assignment and was bested by the Malagi witch. The furious vampire King penalized the brute for all his disappointments by removing his head from his body. And now Isabella had escaped alongside with that degenerate warlock.

The Dulra King figured with Ronan being severely injured that they would not get far in the country. When her beloved warlock dies from his wounds, Isabella would be left alone in the real world. With her luck, she would probably encounter wild animals fighting over the warlock’s corpse. Or she could come across a few raiders or ruffians that would have their fun with her. Hopefully, this could bring Isabella back to her senses on how pampered she was under Nathanial’s care. He would keep sending out palace sentries and wait until the Malagi Witch comes back to him grovelling.

The platinum blonde vampire pushed himself up and out of his chair. Yes, Isabella would realize her errors and beg for her husband’s forgiveness. Nathanial strolled around the table smiling as he could picture the black-haired beauty pleading for his compassion. Dragging a fingertip on the table circling the wooden furniture, there was one concern plaguing his thoughts. The last time he had seen Ronan was besides his palace guard Samuel. Did Samuel help them escape? Nathanial shook his head no; it did not make sense as the palace guard adored Isabella and would have gone with them. The brown-haired warlock would have been glad to have Ronan injured and dying to have his witch to himself. And Samuel was moping around the castle just like him. Isabella would come back to them – she has no choice.

Finishing his loop around the grey stone room, Nathanial’s eyes focused on the tapestry hung in the adjoining hallway. The embroidered image of the first ruler, King Kristopher, seemed to stare back at him in silent judgement. Glaring back in defiance, Nathanial would not be affected by the persona of the first King of the Monarchy. In his eyes, Kristopher was a Dulra traitor who turned on his own kind. Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor as hope sprung that his little witch had been found. Facing the chamber entranceway, Nathanial was bitterly disappointed when his brother-in-law Edward Callaghan appeared in front of him.

The aged vampire with receding hair did not wait for permission to speak. “Excuse me, sir, but we have a situation.” Nathanial nodded at him to continue. “Word has come down that Klause Sorbin from the Lilo Clan is preparing his men for battle.” Nathanial recalled the annoying situation between the two Vilkros clans fighting over some measly stretch of territory. Answering the older vampire, Nathanial stated. “Yes, these silly wolf beasts who place too much sentiment into these parcels of land.” This disagreement between a so-called sacred site had been nothing but a thorn in Nathanial’s side. The Dulra King could not be bothered, and the two clans could destroy each other for all he cares. Exclaiming to his advisor. “Edward, let them battle this out. We will only make things worse if we get involved.”

The pudgy man balked at his statement. “But King Nathanial, the amount of bloodshed between these clans will be brutal. Sir, I believe if we step in for mediation, we can avoid a war.” Frustrated that his brother-in-law was trying to debate him, Nathanial sniped at him. “Edward, my word is final. If they want a war, let them have their war!” The vampire King slammed his hand down hard on the table beside him. He watched intently as the aged vampire kept his head down slowly stating. “Yes sir.” To Nathanial the shapeshifting wolves could destroy each other over some stupid magical plot of land, and it would only advance his cause that Vilkros behaved like beasts and did not deserve to be in the Monarchy pact.

Finished with the discussion, Nathanial stomped out of the chambers past Edward and turned into the hallway. It was a mistake for the Monarchy to enter a pact with the Vilkros and the Malagi. Both magical species were disorganized, chaotic barbarians that could not be counted on to behave accordingly. Nathanial was secretly pleased that Vilkros blood would be shed. When his Dulra army was finally mobilized, it would mean less wolves for them to slaughter. Nathanial could finally return the Dulra to their former glory, and he would be worshipped as a living God. And all the Malagi and Vilkros scum would feel terror at the sound of his name.