Melodramatic Short Stories & Vampire Karma Novels

I was just a human with no connection to the vampire world, until I met Adrian, a vampire noble, at an art gallery. We fell in love at first sight. To marry him, I defied my father and cut ties with my family. Everyone envied me for becoming Adrian’s only human wife, showered with love and affection. But after the wedding, I realized that so-called love was just another form of imprisonment. He wouldn’t let me work, wouldn’t let me leave the house, wouldn’t let me attend vampire gatherings. He wanted me to stay obediently in his castle, waiting for him to come home, doing as I was told. And his vampire assistant, Celeste, controlled my every expense under the guise of looking after me. She said that as a human, I was too fragile, too willful, and only ever caused trouble for Adrian. Adrian never once disagreed. Then one night, I stumbled into a vampire hospital, covered in blood. The doctor said the baby could still be saved. But I had no money, and no way to prove I was Mrs. Blackwood. I called Adrian, but the person who answered was Celeste. Through the phone, I heard Adrian’s cold, weary voice. “Don’t bother with her. She’s just putting on an act again.” After I lost the baby, I put the divorce papers in front of him. Adrian thought I was just throwing another tantrum. But what he didn’t know was that the moment I lost our child, there was no chance left for us.

Three days before my blood oath ceremony, someone planted a silver crucifix in the bridal shop and set it ablaze while I was inside trying on my ceremonial gown. My fiancé — Vampire Lord Damien — had the arsonist thrown into the silver prison, sentencing them to the harshest punishment our laws allowed. I lay in the healing chamber, my body covered in severe burns, refusing to wake fully as the reality of my disfigurement sank in. In my semi-conscious state, I heard Damien speaking with the coven's apothecary. "My Lord, we can still heal her completely with the ancient blood rites. If we wait any longer, Serena will bear these scars for life! You just want Miss Vivienne to be your Consort at the blood oath ceremony. This is cruel beyond measure!" "Let her keep the scars. I'll provide for her for the rest of her life, but if she's healed, she'll definitely cause trouble at the ceremony." "I promised Vivienne that her child would be welcomed into the coven with full honors. Only when Serena is completely disfigured will she be grateful enough to raise Vivienne's child as her own. The scars are necessary - at least this way, she won't dare mistreat the boy." In the corner of the room, where no one was watching, a tear slid down my burned cheek. So this was the truth. The blood oath ceremony I'd dreamed of was nothing but a lie. The blood bond I longed for would be my death sentence. If that's how it had to be, I would give him what he wanted.

From the day I married Jason, I knew I was only a stand-in. He was heir to the vampire throne. I was nothing — the most forgettable daughter of a declining human noble family. The only reason he'd ever looked twice at me was this face. A face that happened to mirror Vicky's — his first love, already married to someone else. For three years after the wedding, I copied her carefully. I smiled whenever I saw him. He would touch my cheek, his eyes cold. “Vicky never smiled like that. Not to please someone.” To stay by his side, I got pregnant again and again — and lost each pregnancy, one after another, in the chill of his indifference. Three years of marriage. I had nothing left but scars. And still I would not let go. Until Vicky's divorce brought her back, and she came to the door herself. At a banquet, assassins struck. Jason's first instinct was to drop me and go to her. Nearly dying finally cleared my head. I signed the divorce papers myself and handed them to him. Later, after I finally walked away, Jason came looking for me — again and again. His eyes were blood-red, his voice unsteady. “Elena. I finally know. You're the one I love.” I just looked at him and smiled, calm. “Too late.”