A Heart For The Heartless

It was the same nightmare every time.

The pale, veiny hand. The bloody fangs. The eyes that looked like bright red blood.

And the scream. That bone-chilling scream that sent shivers down her spine every time she heard it.

And then she woke up.

***

Cassy Lenoir opened her eyes and instantly saw darkness.

Her muscles felt tense, and it felt like all the energy was sapped out from her limbs. She could, however, feel a mattress underneath her body, a softness that spread from her backside to her arms and legs.

She had never laid down on such a comfortable bed before. Just being here made her want to close her eyes again and drift back to sleep…

No. No, she shouldn’t.

Cassy’s lips stretched into a thin line as she tried to remember what happened before she passed out.

Blood on the snow-covered ground. Blood gushing out from her shoulder.

The cold freezing her limbs. Her breathing growing labored. Black spots appearing in her vision as she waited.

Waited desperately for a miracle.

And then that miracle came.

But in the form of a bloodsucking creature.

A hideous vampire.

Mikhail Ivanov.

Cassy gritted her teeth. She knew very well who Mikhail Ivanov was.

He was one of the elite vampires in the country, the powerful vampire who had several lower-class vampires under his elegant thumb, even the ones that were more skilled than average. He also owned the biggest and one of the only two security companies in the city, which in turn made him in charge of the city’s protection during nighttime.

It was a known rule in the country that no one should dare cross him, whether you were a human, a vampire, a werewolf, or any other supernatural creature.

Vampires. They were the bane of Cassy’s existence. For as long as she could remember, vampires roamed the world, and they were so proud of their abilities that overpowered the humans.

The vampires were all manipulative and greedy for power. A good vampire didn’t exist. Only the bad ones did, which spelled doom for the human world.

It was why the Supernatural Council, the Human Council, and the Vampire Hunters Association existed. They were made to keep the vampires and the other supernaturals in line. The hunters also had a creed of their own, and that was not to engage in conflict with any vampire unless the vampire attacked them first or attacked a human.

A peace treaty existed between the humans and the vampires. This also applied to the other supernatural species, but they were usually an isolated bunch, especially the werewolves.

The peace treaty was also established in the first place because the vampires needed humans to survive, so this was a way to resolve the issues and tension between them in a cordial manner.

How ironic that the humans also needed the vampires so that they would be protected.

In a world where humans and vampires coexisted, there were bound to be conflicts of any kind, whether it be out of greed for power or hunger. The city of Azallea was the biggest one in the country of Dekraine, which meant that it was also the city with the largest human population. It consisted of about 70% humans and 30% vampires.

Because of this, the wicked vampires from other countries had their eyes on Azallea. In truth, the world was roaming with different kinds of supernaturals. Wicked vampires existed, and they created various factions or organizations in order to build their reputation and power.

Outside of Azallea, an ongoing conflict was going on, like a war of sorts. Vampires kept attacking the humans, and the humans launched a counterattack by training vampire hunters. The Human Council also had its hands full with this concerning issue.

As a result, even the werewolves and witches got involved in the conflict. The werewolves were the vampires’ mortal enemies while the witches would defend their own kind if needed, so most of them were in alliance with the humans.

It was why the vampires here in Azallea, where Mikhail’s influence spread throughout, committed to protecting the city. The Councils gave this important task to him since they trusted that he could protect the humans because of his power.

And, since he was an Elite, he transcended most of the authority. The Council was afraid of offending him while the Vampire Hunters Association wished for the day that they could take him down to come sooner.

With someone as powerful as Mikhail, the power balance was tipped towards his favor, causing turbulence throughout the country. The humans were concerned that the vampires were becoming too powerful and were also angry that they were being used as pawns for the vampires’ games. However, they didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Thousands of humans – including the supernaturals – loathed him, but at the same time, many admired him for his ruthlessness and the way he handled things. The entire city was like his empire, so to speak, and he reveled in his absolute power.

‘I hate that we’re too powerless against them right now,’ Cassy thought to herself bitterly.

Slowly, she sat up in bed and stared at her hands. Just last night, they were stained with blood as she clutched her bleeding shoulder. She thought that she was going to die right there after waiting too long for help.

In the end, she had been forced to drink a vampire’s blood in order to live…

Cassy bit her lower lip and shut her eyes. Be that as it may, he did save her life. She didn’t want to die, not yet at least, so she was indebted to him.

She needed to pay him back.

She hated the fact that she owed her life to a vampire, but that was just how it was.

She sat up in bed and reached out towards the lampshade on the nightstand. When the small, orange glow gave a bit of illumination to the surroundings, Cassy stood up. She reached out towards the light switch and flipped it on, bathing the room in brightness.

The room was lavishly furnished. The bed, she found, was a dark-red canopy, with silky black curtains hanging at each side. There was a large dresser, a giant wardrobe, two bookshelves, a red couch, and a desk. It seemed like the typical rich bedroom style with a clear Victorian touch.

As expected of an elite vampire who held the safety of the entire city in the palm of his hands.

Cassy felt uncomfortable and exited the room, wanting to get away from the unfamiliarity of it all.

When she got through the door though, she saw a wide living room with a fireplace.

And there, sitting on one of the large sofas, was a tall, imposing figure.

Mikhail Ivanov.

The infamous, fearsome elite vampire.

As expected of his species, he was elegantly handsome, with silver hair neatly slicked back. A few strands fell across his forehead, giving him an alluring look. He had intense red eyes that seemed to probe into one’s soul.

His features were smooth and refined, though he seemed a bit more intimidating due to his pale skin. He wasn’t white like chalk, however. Otherwise, it would look too disturbing. It seemed more like the kind of complexion that resulted from not going outside for months.

His red eyes, admittedly, made Cassy feel a bit hesitant. After all, a vampire’s eyes only turned red whenever they were about to attack or bite someone’s neck.

That wasn’t the case with elite vampires, though. Their shade of red was permanent and was close to the color of dark wine. With normal vampires, on the other hand, theirs looked like a red flashlight that was too bright a shade.

Those red eyes made her feel wary, as though he planned on attacking her any second now.

“You’re awake,” Mikhail said with a smile. It was an icy smile, one that brought chills down Cassy’s spine and made her put up her guard. There was no relaxing around a vampire; they had great instincts and were too fast for humans to comprehend. She was weakened right now, so he did have every opportunity to pounce on her.

Though she doubted he could do that to his-

“Mate,” Mikhail suddenly said as he stood up and approached her. He was tall, but his presence was so overwhelming that it seemed like he towered over her as he neared. The top of her head only came level with his shoulder, and she suddenly felt quite small in comparison.

“You already know of this, don’t you?” he said with that lopsided smile as he reached out and pointed a slender finger at her chest. “You can feel it in that beating heart of yours.”

Cassy’s breath hitched in her throat.

Even with that finger alone, he could very well pierce it into her chest and plunge a long, sharp nail into her heart.

But he was right. She indeed knew that she was his human mate. She had felt it so strongly, especially with their meeting last night.

She knew that he couldn’t possibly hurt her, but he was a feared vampire throughout the city. There was no telling how he might act. These creatures were unpredictable, after all.

“So you understand.” Mikhail’s smirk grew wider. “With that settled, you will be my woman from now on.”

Cassy’s heart instantly skipped a beat.