The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 350: Feast

Vander wasn’t scared that anyone would rob him—he had nothing. Nothing of value, nothing worth stealing. And fearing for his life? That had stopped being a concern a long time ago. His bloodline ability couldn’t be compared to Zyren’s own, not even remotely, but it was still more than enough for him to hold his own in a fight if necessary. Enough to survive. Enough to kill.

Slowly, he closed his eyes, lashes fluttering shut as exhaustion crept over him despite his vigilance. His back rested against the cold stone wall of the alley, the damp seeping through his clothes as he drifted into a long, restless nap. His body never truly relaxed; muscles remained tense, instincts alert even as sleep claimed him.

When he finally woke, the sun had already set.

Darkness had swallowed the skies whole, the faint glow of distant lanterns barely managing to cut through the gloom. Shadows stretched long and distorted across the alley, clinging to walls and pooling at corners as though alive.

Beyond all of that, one thing registered sharply in his mind.

He was starving.

His red eyes flicked open as he scrambled to his feet, breath coming faster than it should have. Fangs peeked out from his mouth as the intensity of his hunger surged violently through him, sudden and overwhelming. His throat burned, his veins pulsed painfully, and his control wavered dangerously.

But he had barely risen when he froze.

A slight frown formed on his face as he slowly—carefully—sniffed the air around him.

The scent hit him almost immediately.

Blood.

He was stunned by the thick, powerful scent that assaulted his senses, so strong it nearly made him dizzy. Someone had gone ahead and beaten him to the hunt.

And from the smell of it, it hadn’t been a simple feeding.

It was a feast.

At first the smell was faint, distant, barely clinging to the edges of his awareness. Then it surged suddenly, flooding his senses in a way that had him scrambling fully to his feet, fangs bared as hunger tore through him. His instincts screamed, shadows at his feet twitching in response.

Night had fallen completely, and he no longer had to beware of the sun. Steadying himself, Vander turned toward the source of the scent, body angling instinctively in that direction as he moved forward.

Usually, Vander preferred to avoid trouble. It was clear from the scent alone that another vampire was feeding, and territory disputes were rarely worth the effort.

But this time around, he didn’t care.

The sweetness carried in the blood told him everything he needed to know. The vampire was extremely powerful. Stronger than most. The kind whose blood would only make his own stronger in return.

It was one of the reasons why he had killed his mother.

Vander was still weak, his strength dulled from decades spent locked away in a cell without blood, but not so weak that he feared killing another vampire. Especially not with his shadow bloodline ability still answering his call.

The alley darkened as he weaved through the narrow paths, heading deeper into the slums and closer to his target. The air grew thicker the further he went, the scent of blood intensifying with every step. His red eyes blazed, cutting cleanly through the darkness.

From afar, he could see the vampire feeding.

The figure was smaller than he had expected, her build slight as she crouched over a body. Vander grinned to himself, waiting patiently for her to finish so that he could pounce while she was distracted.

But then she stiffened.

She stood and turned around, having already noticed his presence.

Vander stopped short.

The vampire revealed a feminine face. That alone was surprising. What was even more shocking was that she looked human.

Brown eyes stared back at him, unfocused and glassy, framed by long red hair that clung messily to her face. Her mouth was smeared with blood, yet there were no fangs to be seen.

She stared at him with a lost expression, struggling to focus as though the world around her refused to settle. A faint frown crossed her face as her gaze slid away, scanning the alley instead.

Clearly, she wasn’t interested in another vampire.

Vander, however, was damned if he let her go.

He didn’t understand how it was possible, but he could feel the power thrumming violently in her blood. It pulsed beneath her skin, dense and intoxicating, setting his instincts alight.

Vampire blood wasn’t sweet—not like human blood. If anything, it was bitter. Acrid. Consuming it often came with unpleasant side effects, which was why vampires avoided feeding on others as strong as themselves.

This was different.

A slow smile spread across his face as he began to move toward her.

"What happened to you?" he asked, his voice soft, almost concerned, as he took another step closer.

Liora instinctively took a step back.

Vander immediately raised his hands, palms outward, showing that he meant no harm.

"I’m not going to hurt you," he said calmly.

"You’re human—and you feed like a vampire," he continued, his tone sharpening, concern evident in his expression. "Clearly, something is wrong."

Something in his voice made Liora hesitate. Slowly, she lowered her guard.

She couldn’t help it.

She hadn’t spoken to anyone in days. The silence had been eating away at her sanity, and she had long since lost count of how many people she had fed on.

The feeding was the only thing that kept the noise in her head at bay, even if only temporarily. And even that relief never lasted long.

Every time she tried to leave the slums, the urge to feed overwhelmed her. She knew that if she headed up toward the main city, she would attack a normal person in the street. Someone innocent.

And it would spiral from there.

In the slums, there were beggars. People no one would miss.

"I can help you," Vander promised.

Liora watched him carefully. She was powerful—she could feel it—but she was also terrified. She wanted to find her sister, but she didn’t even know where to start.

Taking a carriage was impossible without money, and worse, carriages didn’t travel through the lower, poorer regions of the city.

"You must have done a ritual," he continued, his voice thoughtful.

His fangs itched in anticipation as he took another step closer.

"I know someone who could help you reverse it."

Her gaze sharpened immediately, wary once more as the distance between them closed. His hands were still raised, but he was clearly a vampire. His red eyes bored into hers, predatory and calculating.

He didn’t need a weapon to be deadly.

Something about him made every hair on her skin rise as she opened her mouth to speak, her voice hoarse.

"Why?" she asked. "Why would you try to help me?"

She knew there was nothing truly free in this world.

"Why?" she repeated as he came to a stop barely four steps in front of her.

"Why?" he echoed softly, glancing around to ensure they were alone and undisturbed.

"Isn’t it obvious?" he said calmly. "Your human body is incompatible with the powers you have. There’s nothing you can do about it."

He took one more step.

It was all he needed.

His shadow powers surged outward, weakened but still deadly, stronger at night. Dark tendrils wrapped around Liora instantly, freezing her entire body in place.

"So I’m going to drink your blood," Vander said, voice smooth with satisfaction, "and take them from you."

Liora was beyond stunned.

She had been prepared to attack him the moment he crossed the three-foot gap between them, but she had underestimated him. Treated him like a normal vampire.

Nothing could have prepared her for this.

Her heart thudded violently in her chest as she stared at him, unable to move, unable to scream. Panic clawed at her mind as he chuckled, clearly amused.

"That was easier than I thought," he laughed softly. "I was worried you’d activate an ability. That’s usually one of the side effects of those rituals."

He sighed, shaking his head.

"Father loved them," he continued casually. "Trying to find the best way to increase our bloodline ability. Find new, stronger ones."

Her mind raced as despair filled her eyes.

The dungeon.

The man.

"You remember me?" he asked, grin widening as he circled her frozen body. "Good. How could I forget you?"

"You were the first human I had seen in decades."

Her abilities only activated with her blood, which meant she needed to cut herself—but she couldn’t even bite down on her own tongue. It had been days, and her wounds had long since healed, especially with the blood she had consumed.

"He was king," Vander continued quietly, "but greed was his queen."

He stepped back in front of her, gaze fixed on her neck.

Baring his fangs, he leaned in closer, red eyes burning.

Satisfied to see nothing but hopelessness staring back at him.