Chapter Text
“Your Highness, you wished to know when Mr. Du Lac returned?” A voice said from the dark shadows at the doorway.
Standing at his window, the Prince of the Damned, Armand De Romanus turned.
“I did.” He said in a tone of voice dripping with annoyance. He had been meditating all night long, ever since his friend, companion and sometimes lover had left the safety of the Palace in a strange state of mind.
Although Louis was an apex predator, a very devil among the pitiful humans, Armand couldn’t help but worry. Louis had been in a strange melancholy recently, becoming ever darker as the anniversary of ‘her’ death and ‘his’ decision to disappear drew near.
Initially, Armand had contemplated bringing it to Marius’ attention but quickly decided against it. The King of the Damned was always busy with the High Council and Armand knew that some of the humans were also giving him grief. Letting him know that the Court Reader had possibly gone rogue was not in anyone's best interest. Plus, Armand did not like going to his maker for help. Marius always made sure to use any of his requests against him in some way, no matter how small they were.
No, Armand would handle this himself, even if it meant standing around all night, worrying for Louis safety.
Threats had been made. Nonspecific but serious enough that even the High Council had taken note.
Ever since Vampires had become known, back in the 1700’s, during Akasha’s attempted take over the world which had seen her destroyed and Marius take on the Sacred Core to save vampire kind, making him the new King of the Damned, the humans had tried to take back control. Like the cycles of the moon, every hundred or so years, without fail, they tried to form some sort of defence against their vampire masters.
Armand had seen them come and go, human resistance rise and fall and it always ended the same. In blood.
Humans did not know what was good for them and were just so easy to control. But there was always that small element of rebellion which seemed to be the very essence of humanity.
And Louis, sweet, trusting Louis, could easily fall into ruin because of it.
Louis had always had a soft spot for humans. Maybe it was because he had grown up a human under the early rule of vampires before his turning by the rogue vampire Lestat. Maybe it was because he was one of the youngest vampires in the Court. Maybe he was just that soft hearted. But whatever the reason, he always seemed to yearn to be amongst them. He never wanted to harm them, seeing it somehow distasteful to drain a human, despite their lowly position on the food chain.
He was, in many ways, the very opposite of all other vampires. He had been coddled by his maker during his first years and had he not been Armand’s great friend and Marius hadn’t liked him, Armand had no doubt, he would have been destroyed by either humans or other vampires many decades ago.
But as it was, even with his royal protection, Louis' behaviour was risky. To himself and to everyone. He needed to be spoken to, before anyone else got wind of it.
“The guards have just sighted him returning to his rooms.” The shadow figure replied, not fazed by Armand’s distracted thoughts.
Armand nodded, swiftly dismissing the figure with a wave and turning his back.
The vampire, known to many as Santiago, gave a small bow and slithered from the room like some great reptile. Through his face was an impassive mask, Armand could almost see the sneer behind his eyes. Santiago thought himself grander than God and did not like his place in the hierarchy of the Vampires. He was a sneaky character, one who Armand was sure was using his position as chief aid to the Prince of the Damned to undermine them all, but he had his uses. Had he not, Armand would have taken his head off long ago.
Although the thought of ripping the other vampire to pieces was appealing, Armand forced it back, pulling his richly embroidered jacket closer to his body as he took one last look out the window before turning away and exiting his rooms.
The building they currently occupied was a dramatic palace-like structure, perched on the island that had once been home to a human prison in the bay of the city of San Francisco, called Alcatraz. Marius had bought it over 20 years ago and had the structures torn down and rebuilt, making it into a fortress for vampires.
The vampires had been living in it for a few years now, ever since Marius had decided to move his Court to the New World as the King still called it. Armand didn’t have any real opinion of the matter. He cared little for the Americas. Less than he had for their last great house in France.
The American’s were a crass bunch, even worse than most humans and Armand, although enjoying the amusement they brought to a hunt, cared little for them as a people. He had no doubts that any revolt against the vampires would start with them. This Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, nonsense. Maybe that was why Marius insisted on being here. To bring them to heel faster should they try something.
Pulling the doors to his apartments closed, Armand began a leisurely stroll down the halls towards Louis allocation dwellings, ignoring the few lower vampires moving about. Some stopped to bow to him, acknowledging his rank but others were too busy to register his presence.
Armand did not pay them any mind. He knew he could admonish them for their disrespect. Failing to show him deference was a crime punishable by death, but Armand knew how busy they were. There was no point in punishing people who were just trying to get their work done. It would make everything so much harder in the long run. Although Vampires were the dominant species, the Apex predators, their numbers were too few, less than 1 vampire for every 10,000 humans, to worry about petty murders amongst themselves. They held sway over the humans because of the fear they wielded. Infighting would be their ruin if they allowed it to happen.
After a few minutes of peace, strolling through the dimly lit hallways skirting the massive building, Armand became aware of a soft footfall behind him, drawing near. A quick check with his mind identified the approaching vampire.
“Good evening Prince.” A soft, almost musical voice said at his back.
Armand didn’t bother to turn his head, simply nodding his greeting.
“Khayman.” He replied in a neutral tone of voice, slowing his steps slightly to allow the elder vampire to catch up with him.
Although Armand was called Prince by virtue of his Makers position and his role as favourite fledgling, Khayman was an Ancient. The oldest vampire still in existence and a very important voice on the High Council. Not by nature an aggressive person, Khayman was a voice of reason as well as Marius' biggest supporter.
He also had a soft spot for Armand which the younger vampire had never been able to understand. Khayman, by virtue of his age, could have any vampire or human he wanted and yet he had set his sights on Armand, a vampire who, try as he might, could not return those feelings.
Marius had initially attempted to use Khayman’s interest in his fledgling to his advantage, pushing Armand into accepting the advances but Armand, stubborn and unhappy with playing the kept boy for Marius once again, had pushed back for once in his life. Although his title was a perk of his position as Marus fledgling, companion and still occasional bed fellow, the King was once again with his consort Pandora and had not been upset with him taking other lovers, especially if he stood to gain from Armand’s relationship.
Marius had been furious and although Khayman had stepped in, stopping Marius from doing anything rash and supporting Armand’s right to choose his own lovers, the King and Prince were still somewhat at odds with each other.
All of these should have endeared Khayman to Armand. Honestly, Armand had been in the business of selling himself a long time and it should have been nothing to accept the Ancients interest but something inside him had told him not to. Yes, it would create a powerful alliance and bind Khayman’s interests to those of Marius and the rest of the Court more tightly. And yes, it would give Armand a powerful protector should Marius and his relationship deteriorate once more. But Armand knew, if he accepted the advances, he would offer his body but not his heart. Khayman was a good person and deserved a partner who could love him passionately and unconditionally. And Armand could not do that right now. Something was stopping him.
It wasn’t Khayman’s fault. He just wasn’t what Armand was looking for in a long-term lover.
Truth be told, Armand didn’t know what he was looking for.
Yes, he had previous lovers. Brief infatuations whom he had loved with a passion like a wildfire. Louis had been the last. Others like Lestat, the notorious Brat vampire, were also prominent on that list. And yet, looking back, none of them had been what Armand truly desired. It was disconcerting and made Marius upset.
Marius, although he had terrible ways of showing it, did want Armand to be happy and to find someone. To find a lover, create a fledgling or take on a thrall, a human companion, of his own. To find joy in his life once more.
But both ideas had repulsed Armand. Humans were weak creatures. Worthless and unsuited. A Thrall even more so, since they were so blood crazed, so disgusting. No more dignified than those humans Armand had seen out in the cities he had visited, selling their blood to any passing vampires for monetary gain or a few moments of pleasure. Stupid, pointless junkies. Armand had seen a few Thralls around court, in the arms of their vampire masters. Pitiful things, always begging for scraps of affection. A pain to look after and so quick to die. Most of them didn’t last longer than a few years, the desire and lust driving them to insanity and death. And fledglings…..
Armand couldn’t help but wrinkled his nose in disgust at the idea. It was repulsive, the thought. This life was a horror. Bringing someone into it, even a human, was a fate Armand could not imagine pushing on anyone. Had he known, so long ago, back when he was human, what the Dark Gift was like, he would have gratefully accepted death over it. He could not imagine ever forcing it on someone else. Although he would never judge his fellow vampires, he would never, ever force this on anyone, as long as his wretched life endured.
But Marius would not desist in suggesting it to Armand. Secretly, Armand thought Marius wanted a grand-fledgling. And he wanted an excuse to keep Armand close.
They had worked on their relationship enough over the last few decades that the older vampire could acknowledge that he wanted his favourite fledgling to be happy. But it was not with anyone Armand had met so far. No human or vampire. Maybe not with anyone at all.
Khayman had been gracious and had accepted friendship with the Prince as a compromise. Honestly, after Louis, Khayman was probably Armand’s best friend and biggest supporter. He was gentle, almost shy, and caring of everyone around him. A far cry from his own maker, Akasha, who had been cold and cruel, wanting to end all vampires who would not bow down to her tyrannical rule. No, Khayman was not like that.
And maybe, just maybe one day Armand would wake up and find himself returning those feelings.
But not now. Now he needed to check on Louis, to make sure his friend was alright and not dwelling on past hurts.
“And where are you off to, so late in the night?” Khayman asked, a soft smile on his face as his shoulder brushed against Armand’s. It was warm. Khayman must have just fed.
“I need to speak to Louis.” Armand replied, staring straight ahead. He didn’t want to look at Khayman, to see the hint of longing in the other vampire's eyes. Despite being ancient and in control of his emotions, Khayman was not a good actor. He still wanted Armand and both of them knew it.
“Ah, has our adorable Reader been wandering again?” Khayman asked, using Louis' title, a good-natured teasing tone in his voice. Despite knowing Armand’s relationship with Louis, Khayman actually liked Louis and had a friendship of sorts with the younger vampire.
Technically, Louis had been given the role of ‘Court Reader’ when Armand had first brought him to Court. It was a made-up title, given to him by Marius simply to keep him occupied.
Louis liked to read and was a connoisseur of literature. Marius also liked to read. And more importantly, Marius liked to discuss what he was reading with like-minded people, testing ideas and arguments. So it was Louis' job to read the same books as Marius and then discuss them when the King felt the desire to escape his duties and looked for a more lighthearted conversation.
Although a pointless endeavor, it seemed that both vampires liked it and would keep doing it. Plus, it gave Louis something to do to keep his mind off his dark thoughts.
“I am going to speak with him.” Armand said again, not bothering to rise to Khayman’s gentle teasing. “Are you not supposed to be in Council?”
Khayman gave a small chuckle at Armand’s crassness.
“Marius called for a short break. Let us out of the Council Chamber to stretch our legs. Nothing good can be discussed if everyone is bored and fatigued.” He said. “Even less when the Mayor is expected just before dawn.”
Armand nodded. Of course. Khayman was the last person to ignore responsibilities. And meetings with humans, especially entitled ones such as the City’s current human Mayor, never ended well if everyone was already tired.
“Well, I wish you good luck with that.” Armand said.
It was a dismissal, plain and simple. A risky thing to do but Khayman didn’t take offense. Armand felt, rather than saw as he slowed his steps, allowing Armand to pull ahead of him.
“I will leave you to your mission. Good morning Armand.” Khayman said in a soft tone, almost making Armand feel guilty but the vampire refused to turn around or halt his steps.
Before him, he could see the door to Louis' rooms and inside, he could feel his friend.
Louis' mind was in turmoil. A spiral of panic, anger and guilt. Something had happened. Something bad.
Without bothering to knock, Armand strode into the room and into the overpowering smell of fresh human blood.
“Louis?” Armand asked as he stepped into the dark room, pulling the door closed behind him to give them privacy and looking around for his friend.
Immediately he saw the other vampire, curled up on the bed in the center of the room. The stench of blood was even stronger, the closer he got to the other vampire. Even in the dim, Armand could see that Louis' shirt was covered in it. Whatever had happened, it had been messy.
“Louis, what happened?” Armand tried again.
It was unlike Louis to be in this condition. Although Marius had implemented certain rules regarding feeding off humans in order to placate the population and try to appease certain human politicians and leaders, many vampires tended to ignore them, knowing that their King would turn a blind eye to their hunts unless they brought the Court into disrepute. The human law enforcement had no real power to stop them, so the vampires were free to go about their normal hunts with impunity, regardless of the humans' occasional outcries against them. As long as no one in power got eaten, and no one brought too much attention to their feedings, the rest of humanity, especially the poor and mentally unwell, was fair game.
But Louis was not like that. They all knew his chosen diet had been a subject of ridicule amongst some of the younger vampires when they thought Armand could not hear. More than once, Armand had destroyed a fledgling for sneering at his companion.
Louis' control over his diet was admirable, as he rarely partook in Human blood, even when freely offered and at little risk to the donor. So, to smell human blood on him was odd. Louis' clear distress in the matter made it all the more alarming.
Louis had lost control and almost certainly killed a human tonight. Even if it was a breach of their laws, Marius would not condemn him for it. However, Louis would not be so forgiving of his own actions.
“Oh Louis.” Armand said with a little sigh, stepping further into the room. Reaching the bed, he gently pulled the younger vampire into his arms, hoping to give him some comfort.
Louis was shaking, his body unfamiliarly warm from the recent feeding. Although Armand preferred his partners to have recently fed to give that warmth, it felt odd on Louis, his normal animal diet rarely warming him to the same level as human blood.
“I think I killed someone. I didn’t mean to.” Louis said, a sob catching in his voice as Armand began to rub his back in comforting circles.
“Tell me.” Armand whispered, both aloud and into Louis' mind. Maybe he could appease some of the guilt if Louis opened up to him. Maybe he could shoulder some of the sorrow, misplaced as it was to feel guilt over a puny human.
It was the least he could do for the Vampire he still loved.
—-
A thick fog started to settle into the streets as Daniel Molloy stumbled towards his apartment building, pale skinned and dizzy, a dirty tissue pressed against his still bleeding neck.
Fucking vampires. Fucking assholes.
Daniel used every curse word in his extensive collection, trying to focus on the rage instead of the bone deep fatigue, the cotton mouth, the icy feeling of death washing over him, drawing him into its chilly embrace.
Ideally, he should head to a hospital. He had lost way too much blood to safely last the night and it would be a miracle if he woke up again but he didn’t.
Although the bite had been non-consensual, a violent attack, Daniel knew he would not be looked on with sympathy if he showed up at the Emergency Department.
Long before Daniel had even been born, the rules had been set in place.
If you got bitten by a vampire against your will, it was technically a crime and the offender must be punished. A little concession to help humans accept the leeches rule.
It was complete bullshit. People disappeared all the time and everyone knew they had fallen prey to a vampire. It was common for drained bodies to be pulled out of the bay or the rubbish piles, showing savage bite marks. Death by ‘misadventure’ it was called, if it wasn't put down as something worse. Self inflicted suicide.
In this day and age, with vampires controlling all of the known world, no one would ever enforce the rules or even try to bring the vampires to justice.
Supply and demand meant there would always be a market for human blood and those depraved or desperate enough to sell it. Either legally done in a clinic or illegally, out on the streets. Daniel knew, if he turned up at the nearest Hospital, they would see the bite and he would be labeled as a ‘Blood Bag’, a willing slave to the bastard bloodsuckers and sent away to die in a ditch or survive on his own, depending on his luck. He would not receive sympathy, less likely help. No one wanted to help anyone carrying the mark of a vampire, unwilling or no.
Even though the bite mark was on his neck, an uncommon place for a blood bag, who tended to give their ‘donations’ via their wrists or their thighs, if they were willing to sell their bodies along with their blood, anyone who saw him now would turn their nose up at him.
‘Whore’ they would think, as if being a vampire's victim was some sort of sexual fetish instead of a violent crime.
Daniel had never craved a vampire like that. Hell, he tried to avoid them at all costs. The bastards had taken his mother long ago and he wasn’t keen on following her footsteps anytime soon.
He still didn’t know why he had even bothered to talk to the damn blood sucker to begin with.
He had seen him in the bar, so out of place among the human clientele, with his bright eyes and wary look, a small circle of silence formed around him. An unusual sight in the dives Daniel frequented and curiosity and liquid courage had driven Daniel to go talk to him.
Daniel had been trying to practice his interview techniques. A good skill for a reporter to hone and one Daniel prided himself on being talented at. No one, as far as Daniel was aware (and he had checked once, just out of curiosity) had ever managed to interview a vampire before and for some reason, Daniel had believed he could be the first.
He had approached Louis, or whatever his name was (Daniel was half convinced the bastard had given him a false name, simply to toy with him before he got him to an isolated apartment to kill him) and surprisingly, the vampire had appeared interested in Daniel’s proposition.
That had been Daniel’s first mistake. The second had been to ignore Luke, the Bartender's quiet warning and follow Louis out of the bar, back to a lonely apartment.
God, what was Daniel thinking?
He had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.
He had sat there like some dumb kid, listening to Louis' sob story as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, not realising the trap the beast had most likely been setting for him.
Well, now with the massive blood loss to show for his mistake, Daniel would be lucky if he survived the night. It was sheer stubbornness which kept him on his feet, forcing him to try and move to the safety of his own dingy apartment, the first aid kit and unopened bottle of whiskey within.
If he could just get there, patch himself up, maybe he wouldn’t be found in a garbage pile in the morning. Maybe he could avoid the dirt nap he most certainly deserved after this stupid mistake.
Just a few more steps now. He was almost there.
The world was starting to violently spin around him as the adrenaline and shock that was keeping him on his feet started to wear off.
But he could see his door now. The hallway to his apartment had never felt so long and the torture of digging into his pocket for his keys was indescribable.
The relief of the click of the lock and the screech of the hinges on his door was a sweet melody.
Suddenly, Daniels legs buckled under his weight, sending him to the carpeted ground in a heap.
Groaning, Daniel raised a leg that felt like it weighed a million tonnes and kicked the door closed behind him, blocking off what little light there was and leaving him in darkness.
The world spun around him, the stench of his own blood assaulting his nostrils.
He was going to die here, on the floor. But at least he was safe from those haunting eyes. That snarling mouth.
At least, safe for now.
With one last groan of pain, Daniel finally gave up his fight to stay awake and allowed himself to relax into the dizziness, the dark taking hold of him once more.