Chapter one- Bound by duty

I do not want to marry her, father,” Lucien said.

Lucien Delacroix had faced wars for centuries without flinching, watched kingdoms burn in silence, entire bloodlines wiped out in his 272 years of existence, all sacrifices made to keep his people safe. Fear had never ruled him, pain had never slowed him.

But this was different.

He stood before his father, Alaric Delacroix, staring into his eyes.

“I cannot marry her, I will not be forced into a marriage I do not want,” he said again, his voice steady.

The room went quiet, so quiet that if a pin was dropped, the sound would echo across the purplished marble floor.

Lucien's gaze shifted around the council table in his father's mansion. The vampires stared back. No one dared to speak. They had never seen the vampire prince this angry. His face turned paler than it already was, his fists clenched so hard that his nails pressed into his palm.

Lucien's stomach twisted. He was the first born child and son of the most feared vampire king, the one expected to uphold the Delacroix name, the one trained to make sacrifices for his kingdom since the moment his father turned him into a vampire at 23. And now the sacrifice expected of him this time was marriage. 

A union with a witch from one of the most powerful bloodlines, the Bennett bloodline.

He was expected to marry their daughter, Lilith Bennett, though he had never met her, never spoken to her, and yet his future was already being decided by his father.

 He was completely uninterested in being married to anyone, let alone being married to a witch. He had always obeyed, at least to an extent, whenever it was to keep his family safe. He has fought wars, executed orders, performed his duty to his family, but this was personal. It was different.

“You shall marry her as I have commanded,” his father's voice cut through the tension in the room, cold and firm.

Alaric stood up, facing his son and looking him in the eye.

“Leave us,” he ordered the other vampires in the room.

They were his close circle and most trusted vampires, they had stood by him for centuries. The heavy door closed behind them, sealing Lucien alone with his power obsessed father.

“This is for power, Lucien. For strategy,” Alaric said. “Not for pleasure or your own desires. This is for protection. The Bennetts are extremely powerful. They rule the witch quarter of Raven court, our city, our home. Be sensible, boy.”

Boy. His father's favourite thing to call him.

Lucien hated it.

“I cannot marry a witch, father. I cannot be forced into such marriage simply for politics,” Lucien's voice sharpened with anger. He knew his father would go to any length for what he wanted most: Power.

“Think!” Alaric said, so loud and firm that his voice could be heard across the room.

“Marrying into that family puts the witches at our disposal. The Bennetts basically control the witches of Ravencourt. You have a duty to uphold, to this family, to the city, to the vampires of Raven court. We have so many enemies. We need the witches on our side.”

Alaric paused briefly. His eyes were dark.

“Think about our secret. These vampires coming after us, they want answers as to why we're the only existing family of vampires who get to walk in daylight. They will keep coming for us. They want a share of this power we hold.”

“These enemies you speak of, father, are the enemies that you have created over the years. I cannot be a part of this,” Lucien said.

Alaric's expression darkened.

“How dare you? Everything I have done, I did for this family, to protect our secrets, to keep us safe. Every action I have taken was for our safety and our survival. You stand there and challenge me.”

Lucien felt this familiar weight of guilt grip him, the same guilt his father has wielded for centuries, but this time he refused to bend. He had no desire to marry, let alone marry a witch.

Lucien turned and walked out on his father.

“I can't do this, father. I have somewhere I need to be.”

“Lucien,” Alaric called out, ordering him to stop and listen.

But Lucien didn't.

He left the mansion, the cold evening breeze hitting his face. He got into the car, closing it harder than necessary.

His thoughts spiraled as he drove around the city

How many sacrifices had he already made to protect the secret of day walking? How many enemies had his father created in the name of control and power? How many wars has he fought to keep his family safe from all harm and those who want revenge on Alaric?

He couldn't help but wonder how many more sacrifices he'd have to make at the expense of his own happiness. He clenched his steering wheel tightly.

All he did was feel. As a vampire, everything was heightened, his emotions, his fear, his pain, his anger. He wished for a moment that he could switch off his humanity entirely, the part of him that felt, but he couldn't. That would cost him a lot.

Lucien drove around the city until the iron gates of his estate came to view. The gates of the estate appeared like sentinels, tall and iron bound. The gate opened at his approach, revealing the long and familiar path to his mansion. The structure stood tall with old stone and dark glass, its presence quiet but powerful.

He stepped inside.

The house,silent and still per usual. He walked into the main lounge, the high ceiling stretching above him, the chandeliers dangling, with a golden glow over antique furniture and dark wooden floors, the faint scent of wax and old books lingering in every corner. 

Few portraits of ancestors lined on the wall, their eyes painted sharp, almost as if they were judging.

And then he sensed it.

A presence.

There was a faint shift in the atmosphere. The figure moved around at a fast speed.

Whoever it was, they were not supposed to be there. They weren't just trespassing, they were fast and they knew the house well.

There was another vampire in the house.