CHAPTER TWO

"Why did I keep going to this dumb hunt?" she asked. Aric questioned himself while taking another sip from his cup of spiced blood.

When he looked around the room at the happy expressions on the other vampires' faces, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

He shook his head in disgust as he pushed a stray lock of his blonde hair out of his face and pushed it back behind his ear. Some hunters appeared to be dressed in the style of safari hunters from the human era, while others wore camouflage, and yet others wore shredded flannel shirts, jeans, and hiking boots. All of the hunters appeared to be in an absurd state of attire.

The purpose of the hunt was to commemorate the anniversary of the vampires' victory over the human world with bloodshed.

His hometown of Spokane, Washington, was one of the cities that hosted the hunt. Other cities' customs varied widely; for example, some cities openly slaughtered individuals in their city square, while others announced a public hunt in which any person found outside was fair game.

Thirty different human beings were selected via a lottery mechanism and then taken from their homes. They were taken to the appointed arena, where they were let loose to be chased by the most elite vampires.

It was expected of Aric, as the eldest son of the ruling family, that he would attend these gatherings and serve as the "face" of power to the other members of the vampire society.

If only his younger siblings would consent to take on the role of responsible heir, then he would be able to quit doing the work that his father did and finally be somewhere else other than here, watching people get killed for sport.

He turned around and heard a man behind him say, "Aric."

As Aric turned around, he caught a glimpse of Moric, an old acquaintance of his father's who had recently taken up the practice of buying young teenage blood slaves and draining them empty in the span of fewer than 24 hours.

"Moric," Aric responded to the older vampire, extending his hand to shake, "how have you been?" Aric's grin was forced as he asked the question.

In response, Moric tugged on the leash of his new pet humans while saying, "Well, my boy." "Before I make my next purchase, I wanted to hear your thoughts on my most recent acquisition."

The young man moved forward with difficulty, his eyes seeming downcast.

A small yellow tint could be seen in the boy's complexion, which led Aric to suspect that he was suffering from jaundice and malnutrition when he examined the boy.

Moric remarked cynically, "He has an off flavor to him."

Aric told the boy's mother, "Well, he has a small case of jaundice, and you should feed him more." As he spoke, the boy's chin was lifted by Aric's knuckles.

"Give him more food?" Moric inquired while examining the slave with contempt in his eyes. Since he consumes the same amount of food as the others, there is no reason to give him extra.

It was obvious to anybody who looked at the young guy how ill he was, so Aric questioned why he needed to inform him that he was sick in the first place.

Moric gave the child a simple roll of their eyes before turning and breaking his neck.

The elderly man did not utter a single word as he reached down and removed the collar from the dead body.

"Waste not, want not," Moric muttered as he wrapped the leather thong around his fingers. "Waste not, want not." "To our great relief, the hunt is tonight. I may obtain a new pet in the wee hours of the morning."

Aric watched as the older vampire abandoned the slave on the floor and walked away. The slave was treated like trash.

It took every ounce of restraint Aric could muster to keep from ripping Moric's heart out of his chest and giving it to him to eat.

He picked the boy's body carefully and carried it out of the dining hall, transporting him to the kitchens as he went. There, he gave the boy over to the kitchen slaves, confident that they would see to it that he was given a decent burial.

After giving a polite nod of appreciation, Aric went back into the crowded hall feeling an even deeper loathing for himself and his race.