Do you know the feeling when your eyes are too heavy yet it chooses to open? Your limbs are weary but it forces you to move. My body feels exhausted and at the same time, it's filled with too much energy.

Where am I? How did I get here? How long have I stayed unconscious? What happened? All those questions running through my head but no answers came.

Cold. Dark. Unknown. They were the few words I could use to describe where I was. A mattress on the ground where I was laying was all I can feel. Then, the silk touch of a gown. A dress, stained with a horrid smell, was it blood?

I'm stuck in a nightmare, this is what all it is, a hideous dream. When I wake up, I would be in my chambers. My room, why wasn't I in my room?

Suddenly, a rush of memories surged through my brain. The Coronation ceremony, my statement, the vampires. The vampires and the bloodshed happened.

Fighting, and violence, those were the last two things I could remember before I fell into unconsciousness! Now, I remember everything and if I'm not mistaken, right now, I am powerless under the hands of the ones I had freed, the vampires.

What happened to my family, and my people? Why did they sedate me? What do they even want from me?

Knowing that my questions will not be answered, I scooted to the far end of the dusty and hard mattress and rested my back on the wall. Pondering to my thoughts won't get me anywhere. Screaming especially won't.

Seconds, minutes, hours have passed and I didn't get any sleep. Then, I heard footsteps. It was definitely coming from the outside. Hopefully, someone's getting me out of here.

But I'm wrong.

"I see you're finally awake," he taunted.

"Who are you?" I wailed. His voice sounded like something I have heard before but I couldn't tell for sure.

"You don't remember me? Funny how I will be your escort to the King today." Escort. The word rang in my ears. Then, I remembered. He was the one who chaperoned me to the ballroom that night.

"Who are you?" I angrily asked.

"Hayden," he answered.

I wasted no time in questioning him further, "And who is your king?" He didn't respond instead, he stepped closer to me. He definitely is a vampire since he could see in the dark.

"You'll know soon," was all he answered before I felt a pair of hands grabbing my arm. He effortlessly stood me up and I prevented myself from wincing in pain. My legs were too weak to support myself.

He leaned closer until I could feel his pungent breath on my skin. I saw two red orbs staring directly at my eyes. "You will come with me without reluctance and you will follow as I say."

I wanted to badly laugh at his command, does he think I'm a puppet of any sort? I was about to say something but then I realized, he tried to compel me. Compulsion. He did that yet it didn't work.

Instead of being passive, I chose to be smart. I followed his command forcedly. He smirked to himself, thinking that he's ordering me around.

I placed my hands on my sides as my thumb skimmed over my knuckles. Vampires may be strong but they're certainly stupid. Did he not sense that I had a vervain ring on my finger? Too bad, he did not.

So I hid it better. I took my ring out and with one swift motion, I slid it into my lingerie. That way, no one would dare to take it away from me.

We walked out of the room and when we got outside, there was a massive flight of stairs leading up. Are we supposed to climb all of it? Oh, please tell me there's another way.

"I'd make fun of you as we go up but I'm afraid, the King is impatient," He said. I did not respond to him and took the first step but then, he grabbed my waist.

I wiggled out of his grasp but he didn't even budge. "Hold onto me," he whispered. I wanted to refuse but that would make me fail my act of accepting compulsion so I did as he said.

Then, I felt one big wave of air that hit my skin. Next thing I know, we were on the top floor. Damn their lightning speed, I thought to myself.

My feet ached as we continued walking passed colossal hallways. Trying to remember the route was as hard as keeping myself from stumbling.

We stood behind large wooden doors, guarded by two other men that seemed to be vampires. They nodded to acknowledge Hayden and both of them didn't even seem to recognize me, The Queen.

"The King has been waiting for her," one of them said. Her? So I'm a woman without authority now.

"I'm sure he does," Hayden answered back. He gave me one final vile look before the doors were opened by the two vampires and I was pushed straightforward inside.

It took all my strength not to fall on my knees but I sure stumbled a few steps. If this happened in front of my mother, I would be standing for an hour with a book in my head and two apples on my hands.

I pushed my thoughts aside when I gasped in the vast room I was in. Golden pillars, red carpets, vintage antiques were all over the polished furniture. Surely this was the throne room, where their 'King' stands.

There was no one else in the room but me, or that's what I thought. "Locking me in the darkness is not any different than locking me here alone," I mumbled to myself.

The light in the room was dim but it still let me see how atrocious my gown has become. Ripped on the bottom, stained with blood.

"You're not alone."

I froze as the deep familiar voice astounded me. I didn't know where he was, I looked around but to my avail, no one was in the room.

"Show yourself, coward," I growled. "Why did you take me here? What did you do to my kingdom!"

"Pulling that kind act of yours, was that the best you got? You are just like them, cruel, brutal, sadistic. Isn't that what your family has been known for?"

"Yes, and they're right, you are a blood-thirsty, diabolical creature, Dimitrius!" I can't believe I just said that.

He turned and faced me with a wicked grin and said, "It's King Dimitrius."

• • • • •

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