BLOOD CROWN: 001

She sat on her silver and ebony throne, a queen. With an exhilarated expression in her soulless eyes that suggested a fire blazing inside them, she fixed her gaze on her prey.

As her aura changed to something ominous and oppressive yet attractive, she lay back on her throne, one leg crossed over the other, and allowed her control and aura to be felt in every corner of the space. It was just as delicious, and once you took a sniff, you quickly became hooked and killed without realizing it.

She glanced at them, a smirk stretching over her bow-shaped lips that seemed to have been colored with something bolder and darker than blood, and her eyes glittered with a predator's gleam. She watched them more like prey and pawns than her people.

“All hail the Luna!”

They fell to their knees and bowed until their foreheads touched the glossy black floor tiles at the thunderous and unrestrained order, hailing the powerful Luna.

She watched them with thrill, and as she laughed, the esoteric and sinister sound reverberated throughout her royal chamber. After all, that was where they belonged.

Under her and her rule, whoever had an objection was allowed to voice it in their graves.

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Her eyes sprung open and she bolted up to a sitting posture on her bed in her bedroom—her mind stuck in a haze, eyesight fuzzy–like peering too intently at a bright screen and not being able to make a thing out of it.

She massaged her brows while seeking out her room for the source of the dreadful ringing sound, till her somewhat clearer vision settled on the small table near her bed, where her cell phone was incessantly buzzing.

With a grunt, she snatched it from the table, answering the call while lying back on her squishy pillow.

"Hello," She muttered absentmindedly into the phone, feeling herself almost drifting off again…who wouldn't?

“ROXANNE!”

The stern sound of her full name which was seldom used, jolted her back to a sitting position, every remnant of lethargy now retreating behind a corner. "What?" She inquired, perplexed. Who the hell…?

"For the sake of everything you hold dear, please tell me you are not sleeping right now?!" The female voice on the other side sounded disoriented, and it took Roxanne three seconds to realize who it was—her best friend, Gianna.

"I'm not!" She lied smoothly and slid out of her comfortable bed, strolled up to the shuttered windows, and drew the curtains open to be greeted with a constellation of stars and a full moon. "Shit!" She muttered and tried not to drop her phone. It was exceptionally costly.

“Shit your ass! I've been trying to reach you for hours. I assumed you were going to bail, which is unfathomable for you, but then I considered showing up at your house, but I recalled your mother doesn't enjoy my ass very much, leaving me with no alternative but to phone you constantly. For making me so anxious, I will never forgive you for this. By the way, happy birthday, asshole!"

The rubbing of her forehead came to a sudden stop as the last words of her caller echoed and rang every bell in her head. Shit! It was her 19th birthday and she had spent the entire day sleeping.

Who would do that?! How could a 5-minute snooze turn into a 7-hour slumber, and why didn't nobody wake her up?! Where were the rest of her family? Where were the cake and candles?! The hell…!

"I'm so sorry, Gianna,"

Gianna clicked her tongue from the other side. "Because you're the birthday girl, you're allowed to be late to your party. You have 10 minutes to get ready. I'm on my way to pick you up!"

The conversation concluded with a loud beep, and 10 minutes began to tick away in the back of her mind. Dread suddenly enveloped her whole. "Shit!" With a leap, she cussed and tossed her phone on the bed. She raced to her closet and grabbed her dress, which, thankfully, she'd previously chosen. She hurried to the bathroom.

Time ticked away and seven minutes later, Roxanne emerged from her bathroom dressed in a fitting black dress that accentuated her curves, a black jacket over it, and a pair of matching boots. Her black hair was held neatly up in a ponytail and her face was nicely done with light makeup.

She looked 19 and hot. Roxanne whirled around in her lengthy mirror in the corner of her room.

With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she didn't bother taking a second glance at the mirror before ditching her bedroom because why bother when the gods took their time making her ten times prettier?

*~*

Roxanne proceeded down the stairs of her parent's home but halted for a second as she entered the spacious living room when her brown eyes were drawn to both of them—her parents; Mr. And Mrs. McKenna sitting on one of the massive sofas while watching the front door as if anticipating something or someone to barge their way in. Okay, that was weird. Roxanne scowled and drew in on them.

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing there?" Roxanne inquired, and with a shriek, they leaped to their feet, as if expecting someone other than herself or her siblings.

They glanced at each other, featuring a strange look at the sight of their daughter, who couldn't help but read their pusillanimous facial expressions with a bizarre look, especially her mom, who seemed somewhat ragged. What the hell were they doing?

She had slept the whole day after; did she miss something? "Mom, Dad, what's going on? Why do you two look so petrified? It's just me." She stated in a discernible tone.

Instead of answering, it was unambiguously ignored, as Mrs. McKenna posed instead. "Where are you going in that outfit, dear?"

Roxanne chewed on her bottom lip. If they were going to ignore the fact that they looked like death was just outside the door, waiting then she had no problem doing the same. "It's my birthday today; my friends are throwing me a little birthday party since I didn't get one at home."

Mrs. McKenna's eyes widened and shared a horrid look with her husband while Roxanne seemed to have gotten stuck in a little world over her as a pout occupied her lips, realizing her 19th birthday wasn't being celebrated when all her birthdays had always been celebrated. Roxanne's pout deepened as she realized she didn't awaken to anyone yelling and the strangest thing was—there was no party and everyone knew how much she thoroughly enjoyed parties, especially ones that were her birthdays. She felt deprived.

They had spoiled her from birth; why were they stopping now? It didn't make sense!

Mrs. McKenna took a wobbling, apprehensive breath as she approached her daughter. Roxanne raised a questioning brow. "No, you can't go out, ever!"

Roxanne's mouth hit the floor.