Page 3 of Cruel Vampire King

My gaze flicked over him. Tall, muscular, brutish. But he was rubbing his leg. From the way he was standing, it was bothering him. I wouldn’t think he’d make it through the placements if not for the prison tattoos lining his arms. It was clear he had a bum leg—meaning he was one of those tributes that was sure to be ripped to pieces soon enough in the Trials.

I ignored his crude innuendo and focused on the contestants still moving through the placement. The king had left while I was walking over here, and I tried not to feel a sliver of disappointment that stole through my belly.

There were two ways that tributes ended up as part of the Blood Trials. Those, like me, who were free citizens and volunteered, drawn by the prize of winning. Others were criminals; some sentenced to die, but mostly, people picked at random, being punished for minor crimes.

Minor, so that if any of the prisoners won the trials, a hardened criminal wouldn’t have any power over the king.

It was all very straightforward. First, the tributes showed off their fighting skills… by killing off all the other participants. There could only be one survivor, who would then be taken to the vampire king to prove their ability to resist temptation.

A vampire’s bite was an orgasmic event. If vampires were sex fiends, their appeal was heightened even further when teeth penetrated flesh. On the first pull, even the most steadfast monk would beg to be bedded. And Luken Holakas was a vampire even more powerful than any other. And the desire he’d create in a person’s body? It would be even more intense than a regular vampire.

If they managed to resist, the king would grant them one wish.

In the century that the Trials had been going, only one person had won that prize. I intended to be the second.

“Even if you survive the bloodbath, do you think a little thing like you will be able to resist the king?” the troll asked, edging closer to me.

I sighed, annoyed. “I think I have as much chance at resisting his… desires as you do. I hear he doesn’t care what hole he uses, just so long as it’s tight and warm,” I said. I hoped my implication would get the troll to shut up.

“Ha,” the troll laughed. “It’s not about what he likes but what I do. And I can show you—”

He reached for me, but before I could break his arm, a vampire was between us. “You are not permitted to touch one another before the trials start. And during the trials, you will be watched. If you attempt to sexually assault another contestant, you will be automatically disqualified.”

Meaningkilled.

The troll scowled and stepped away from me. “Was only having a bit of fun. No need to get testy.”

“Just keep to yourself,” the vampire ordered.

The placements slogged on. Most of the day was spent waiting and watching the other participants win their places. I had to do an obstacle course and spar with a young woman my size. Given her wide eyes and pale face, she was a prisoner forced to be here. I wondered what she’d done, then shut down that line of thinking.

It was drawing near midnight before the final tributes were announced. I was among them. We were led out of the arena and to the temple of the queen of the gods, Trinia. It was she who first birthed the world, and these trials were of particular note for her, as was all the shedding of blood, just as she shed her own blood to bring life to this world. The Trinian Oracle, speaker of the gods, waited for us. This oracle was swathed in so many shrouds it was impossible to see any defining feature. When they spoke, it was in a keening wail.

“Prepare yourselves for death,” they cried. “You will be assigned in teams for the first trial. Your survival depends on your teammates. Learn to fight as a unit or die as one.”

The silver-eyed vampire woman from before stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Our first team.”

I braced myself, and was unsurprised when she called, “Elara Tideborne,” before any other name. I stepped forward, my jaw clenched. The king seemed to have singled me out. I have no doubt that he decided I’d be a tribute the moment he looked at me. Though the question was, if he wanted me to die, why not oust me from the competition and slit my throat in some dark alley?

“Kael Ironsmith,” the woman continued, and an orc stepped up next to me. “Ysara Bend. Greyson. Thessa Ashthorne.”

Three others joined Kael and me, but I didn’t look at any of them. I didn’t want to get to know them. We were a team right now, but in the end, there was only one survivor of the Blood Trials.

And it would be me.

Chapter 2

There was a drunken revelry that night at the colosseum. I found a safe corner to put my back to and meditated. I wasn’t going to sleep. Who knew when the vampires would call for us to kill each other? But I wasn’t going to get drunk, either. So, I rested my body while being aware of what was going on around me.

In the morning, half of the contestants were nursing hangovers and had bloodshot eyes.

“Assemble your teams,” the silver-eyed vampire shouted as the sky turned grey.

Much grumbling and hisses followed the command. I fluidly got to my feet and retrieved a staff from the weapon’s rack before anyone else could select their weapons. Then, I joined the others in my team, who had gathered together already.

All of them were clear-eyed except the little girl who was called Thessa. Though ‘little girl’ might not be entirely accurate. She was younger than me, probably in her late teens. Her eyes were red, but not from a drunken lack of sleep. Her cheeks were damp with tears.

I didn’t look at her too closely. She would be dead by the end of this, just like the rest of them.

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