~5-Shelter From The Cold-hearted~

~Rhett~

"King Marcellus. Forgive me, but you can't go through. The king is occupied." 

Whoever King Marcellus is, he doesn't care at all. Not one bit. Instead, his gait remains sharp and fast before he stops and takes a sharp glance at the guard who was trying to stop him. 

My undivided attention is placed on them. King Marcellus is also a striking man, typical vampire gifts which I'm starting to realise. His features are flawless, his jet black hair is packed in a ponytail, sharp crimson eyes full of evil, dressed all black which points out his warm beige skin. He's heavily muscular too, except he seems German. His accent confirms that.

"Do your men ever know what I'm capable of, Kael?" Having said, King Marcellus grabs the guard by his neck. 

"Drop him, Marcellus." One would think he'd heed except he twists the guard's neck and drops his limp body. 

King Kael seethes at him to which King Marcellus ignores. "Oh, don't give me teary eyes now, Kael. A vampire won't die from mere broken neck." Emotionless, he defends his act. 

Who are these people? Apart from knowing they are vampires, there's more to them I haven't any idea. And genuinely, I pray I don't. Knowing more in situations like this can't help. Having watched enough fantasy movies, I believe I know my end. 

King Marcellus approaches the throne where King Kael now sits, looking down at all of us. "What are you doing here, Marcellus? Does the North bore you now?" 

"Yes, but no, that's not why I'm here." There's a mischievous grin behind that scary tone of his. "I hear a news. One of the bastard sons of the Hunter king is dead. The one I mentioned in the court three nights ago. You killed him, did you not?"

"Yes. You want that, did you not?" King Kael returns his question with a question. 

"You could have brought him for questioning. That was the main course of the discussion, but then, we should have known better. You distaste any creature if it isn't a vampire."

"You're wrong. I distaste anything that annoys me. For example, a blabbering mouth. One like yours." When King Kael spits, his throat rumbling like an animal, King Marcellus raises his face. 

His expression shift and he sniffs the air. Again, he sniffs and then a laugh bursts out of him. Like a maniac, his arms juggle then he turns to face me. His eyes narrow at me. 

"Kael. For someone who, the only time he's in the same room with a human is when that human is dead, I wonder now: what is a human doing here?" 

"And I ask you: what are you doing here?" King Kael's voice changes instantly, more dark, more low, and more dangerous. He looks watchful and calculating.

The air fans my skin for a second and King Marcellus is next to me, his eyes fixated on my neck. "A human should not be here."

"I plan to get rid of him. He's nothing but a piece in a game I'm running."

"Then, you don't care about him at all?" 

"No." King Kael answers too quickly. For an unknown reason, my chest tightens. Not out of fear but of the rejection, of the denial, which is very weird, considering the fact that everything that's happening here is one I haven't the faintest idea. Everything's happening too fast I need time to actually assimilate. 

"He's food then." Doesn't sound like a question as King Marcellus gets closer to me. I want to run but I can't. I think he's doing something to me—compelling my body without my realisation. "Then, you wouldn't mind if I..." Out of nowhere, I feel a sharp sting, terror signing on my skin, "feed," and then the faint comprehension. King Marcellus's fangs dig into my neck, biting hard to suck my blood. 

It hurts like hell. No! It is hell. My body burns. In comparism, lava is placed on my neck, sizzling my skin. I hear my own scream but it's faraway and that's when from that distant, I hear another scream.

"No!" It's owner's heart left a drumbeat harder than mine alarmed. I felt connected to it. To King Kael's dead heart, turned alive for a second. 

He tears King Marcellus away from me and speaks with pure rage. "You beckon death, Marcellus!" 

"So, he means something to you. Now, I'm interested." 

"Leave now or you'll face my wrath." King Kael says and king Marcellus chuckles. 

He looks down at his fingers that are turning into claws. I see as they elongate, the devil in him unleashing bit by bit. King Kael on the other hand has me behind him, his right hand grabbing my left one and I can feel the coldness and anger from him. The devil in him is already out.

Unexpectedly, King Marcellus lunges forward with his fangs gnashing at us but king Kael, sharp and calculating, slide a feet in front. Once balance is lost, King Kael digs his claws into King Marcellus's skull and spins him off into the distance. 

"You will not touch him." Again, King Kael spits with wrath. 

King Marcellus crashes into the wall, having blocks fall onto him. You'd think he'd be weakened or at least, be wounded but instead, he comes out fine. 

Standing upright like nothing has happened, he mutters. "Have I not been clear for the past century? I am your inconvenience, Kael." 

King Marcellus's speed makes him vanish before my human eyes, knocking King Kael off too. Alone, King Marcellus is about to cut me down right after he utters. "A petty thing like yourself should never have gotten involved in a vampire fit. Now my eyes are on you." But then, King Kael catches king Marcellus's claws and without a second wasted, he quickly grabs King Marcellus's arm and breaks the bone till his arms look like a rubber then he hurls King Marcellus into the opposite wall again. 

"Mar...Cel...Lus," king Kael speaks his opponent's name one after the one, drawling in a tone that isn't his own—a monstrous voice. "You bring death to yourself." 

And just like that, King Kael levitates into the air. With him hovering, his fingers command the floor to break. Detached bricks, furnished into sharp weapons are hurled at King Marcellus. 

While he tries to block them, King Kael's eyes emit even darker shade of scarlet red. He looks like he's lost control, engulfed by the darkness and by his rage. 

Valois comes to pick me as I've frozen and his expression tells me that not even he has seen his king become this enraged. 

The ground breaks even more, evolving two large boulders. With a twist of his hands, King Kael sharpens one of them magically while the other is left blunt and flat. Seeing an opening to attack King Marcellus again, who's about to utilise flight as well, King Kael stabs him with the sharpened boulder. 

"Fuck!" The word releases unknowingly. That'll create a large hole in King Marcellus's torso. He spits out blood as the boulder pins him against the wall. He can't escape death. That'll be impossible. 

And as if that's not enough, King Kael races the flat-surfaced rock to crush King Marcellus's face but a booming feminine voice interrupts that action. 

"Stop. This. Madness. Now!" A woman enters first followed by two other—a man and woman. 

The woman in front raises her hand and the flat-surfaced rock breaks into dust and small stones. 

"What in Vlad's name are you doing, Kael?" The man is the next to speak. 

The last woman uses her powers to draw King Marcellus to her. He's not breathing anymore. One can't even tell because his entire stomach is gone until...oh, my...Jesus!

My eyes are large, my jaw agaped, and my mind blown when I see his stomach regenerating. Within a minute, his entire body is fixed like nothing happened and King Marcellus floats to stand on his feet. 

"The Central king will not tell you but I will. He tried to kill me because of a human." King Marcellus speaks only a fraction of the truth. 

"Is it true, Kael?" 

These three new presences give off the same royal aura too, so I'm guessing they are also Kings and Queens. 

"Valois, take the human Rhett back to the cage. Have him face the cold and quiet."

"I demand his head!" King Marcellus is ferocious. 

No! No, I won't again be taken down that cage. "No, let me go. I didn't ask for any of this. Let me go!" I throw a tantrum but it does nothing. Valois isn't concerned about my cries. No, it doesn't hit any conscience of his at all. 

As Valois takes me away, I hear King Kael threaten. "I want to see which of you will challenge my decision." More like, "I can't wait to take off someone head" warning. 

King Kael blocks the path Valois is taking me down to, which makes me wonder many things. How could it seem like he's protecting me yet he would damn me back to that bitter place? 

My human strength and muscles are completely useless against Valois, and he's lanker than I am. 

"Quiet down, Rhett. You may not believe it, but this is the best choice. You'll live. The truth is: King Kael is protecting you in his own way." He ends as he drags me down the pit. Noooooo!