Arlo’s POV

My consciousness was buried in the inner crevices of my mind as I helplessly watched my body hurt the one person I never wanted to hurt. Her screams echoed and reverberated in my mind on an infinite loop, bringing me endless misery. There was no escape as I wriggled in pain seeing her pained expression which was forever etched in my mind.

I desperately tried to reach her but I couldn’t, my hand had been hijacked my body was being kept in shackles. Not even her voice could bring me back, although I could hear her when she called me I couldn’t respond for Meliana had taken that freedom from me.

I never knew I could hate someone as much as I hated Meliana. Her crimes against me were countless but her worst crime was making me harm Serene making me drink her blood, making me pull her hair. What I wouldn’t give just to be able to reverse all that I did.

Days morphed into weeks and yet I couldn’t get past the events of that day when I had caused irreparable damage to the girl I loved. Will she ever forgive me for the atrocious crime I committed against her? An even better question was, will I ever see her again?

It was a cold evening, a snowstorm was brewing while Dria and a few other vampires were sent through the Dark realm to Folkshel Realm. All other realms had closed their portals with us so we could no longer use portals. The only way to reach other realms was through the Dark realm.

Their mission was to bring Meliana some folkels to sate her ever-growing hunger. I stood by the window of my room observing the storm outside. I heard her enter my room and soon her repulsive hands were on me.

"Arlo," she whispered in my ear and grabbed my arm to turn me around. A seductive smile spread on her crimson lips. Her mesh attire of satin red didn’t hide much of her body as she pressed her mind control on me so my hands moved and began to undress her.

Lifting her in my arms I rammed her across the window as an ’ah’ escaped her. I tried to fight her mind control, tried to stop but it was useless. She had her way with me like countless times she had done before. Why me though? Some so many vampires desired her and yet she had to use me.

I had lost the capacity to speak because there was nothing much to say, only had to follow what she made us do. Soon Dria and her team were back with 5 folkels, among them was a young girl of no more than 15.

Meliana was lazily laying on her bed and I stood beside her, while the Folkels were kneeling in front of her bed, whimpering and shivering in fear. Dria stood behind them.

"Hmm, let’s see. Arlo bring me the young girl first, young blood always makes me feel so vitalized." She flashed me a smile and I obeyed her command without blinking.

The young girl began to cry and scream, her eyes had dilated in horror and she fell back as I tried to grab her arm. "Please don’t kill me, have mercy." She screeched but this was the wrong place to ask for mercy, there was no mercy here. Only bloodshed and insatiable hunger.

Meliana laughed aloud and said: "I like it when they cry and scream. The terror in their eyes makes their blood so much tastier. Bring her here."

Mindlessly I dragged the screaming girl, who pounded on my hands, not realizing it won’t affect me. The girl whimpered as Meliana grabbed her by the hair and plunged her fangs into her neck. Her screams echoed all around us and yet Meliana drained her, I could see the life force dwindling in the girl’s eyes and her arms went limp and fell.

This was a routine occurrence, this was what Meliana had reduced the life of other species to, merely food. She preferred Fae, but it was difficult to catch them due to the tight security of the Fae Realm. The attacks she had carried out so far had been futile too, it was making her restless and I knew something big was being planned inside her malicious head.

She threw the body of the girl on the floor and ordered: "Lock others up, I will feast on them later." She sprawled back on the bed while I picked up the body of the girl and took her outside. I wanted to scream and cry, the sins I was being forced to commit, how will I ever get redemption?

Behind the castle, we had been burying the dead. There have been so many bodies that the ground was filling up. I chose a spot and placed her body on the ground, I began to dig. Making a sizeable hole, I buried the young girl and stood under the snowy sky waiting for a miracle, waiting for something to rid us of this evil.

"Well well, if it isn’t our queen’s favorite toy." I whipped my head toward the source of the voice, it was Komine. They didn’t need to be mind controlled they offered their services willingly to Meliana and earned huge favours. They had even spilled my secret to Meliana too, making her furious. Hence the reason she made me hurt Serene.

I brushed past him ready to head back when he spoke again. "So how did Serene taste? I bet delicious, considering she is a Fae and a princess as well. Did you enjoy drinking her blood?" The revulsion I felt at his words was beyond indescribable. I just stared at him blankly, no words escaped me.

"Of course, you don’t behave so she has to keep you under mind control. You can’t talk." He laughed at me.

Just then several horns began to sound indicating an attack on us. The creatures guarding the castle became alert and I could hear a sudden commotion all around me.

"What was happening?" I wondered to myself.