A Dawn So Dark (Blood Bound #1)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Aurora Artorias

I woke to iron chains being clasped around my wrists, earning a yelp of shock as I kicked and thrashed at my attackers. “Get your fucking hands off of me!” I gritted out as I swung my head to try and headbutt the man pulling me to my feet to no avail. “Behave, or I will chain your feet, too, little thing.” The handsome, white-haired man from last night chuckled, watching me with an assessing gaze, arms crossed over his chest. He adorned no onyx armor today. Instead, he wore slacks and a dark-colored tunic and leathers replacing the metal, his silver waves tied back with a strand of leather, a single strand falling across his forehead. His figure was intimidatingly large even in the light of the dungeon. He was just as mesmerizing as he was in the tavern. His broad arms crossed over his expansive chest made a fearsome sight as I looked up at the towering dark Knight.

“I am honored you see me as such a threat.” I grinned at him sadistically as I was yanked from the cell and all but dragged down the long, cave-like hall. Did Vampires dwell in caves like dragons? My thought quickly proved wrong as the man took a hard left and led us up a stone staircase which eventually opened up into a courtyard. It seemed I was being tried with other prisoners. This would likely not fare well for me as their greatest enemy's daughter. I was placed in a line with two male prisoners and one female. She looked to be my age, with choppy brown hair and dirt smudging her sun kissed cheeks. “Behave.” The white haired man threatened me, his tone flirtatious in nature, yet held a stern warning. Why did I want to find out what the punishment would be if I did not listen? I smiled back at him as brightly as I could manage in my state, “Fuck you.” He chuckled, leaning his head down towards me, but not so close that I could headbutt him. Smart on his part . “In front of all of these people? I had no clue you were so daring, little human. ” My cheeks flushed as he laughed at me. I moved to lunge at him but was swiftly held back by the guards behind me. Thrashing to pull myself free, I hiss through gritted teeth “Free me and I will show you exactly how daring I can be.” While my tone held a promise of immense violence, this only seemed to spur him on. He lifted his hand and gripped my jaw, his coarse skin setting mine ablaze as he tilted my head up to meet his gaze. “What a violent tongue you have, little human.” He swiped his thumb across my lips so slowly I was sure he was contemplating snapping my neck with his bare hands. My pulse thrummed beneath his hold as his eyes devoured me whole. I was an animal trapped by a vicious huntsman. “Now, be a good girl and don’t kill or maim anyone.” He patted my cheek before sauntering away from me.

I ignored the growing warmth in my cheeks and focused on where I could exit this courtyard and make my escape. This courtyard was too beautiful for trying criminals . The sun reflected off of the large windows of the castle. Cascading ivy crawled up towards the sky over the gray stonework. Flowers grew near a natural fountain. All surprising features for a kingdom of Vampires that humans thought had been extinct for nearly twenty years.

“You're a human….?” The woman spoke up from beside me, her brown eyes scanning me for some type of ph ysical weakness. I nodded, unsure of how to respond to that. It was safe to assume Vampires hated humans thanks to the Monster Campaign where father and his Knights wiped out every race of non-humans . “What did you do to piss General Arden off?” Arden , the man who had saved me. The man I had flirted with. My captor… I shifted my weight, my body screaming in pain from my injuries. All those months chained to a wall with ten feet of chain did not leave me much room to build any sort of stamina. “I killed some Vampires, head-butted him, and then tried to headbutt one of his men.” I explained, feeling even worse in the daylight than I did in the dungeon, meaning I was likely concussed.

“Explains why you look like shit.” The girl chuckled in a kind but teasing tone. “I killed my father because he beat my mother.” My eyes widened at her cavalier admittance of patricide. I envied her, I would give anything to drive a sword through my father’s chest. “You deserve to be Knighted, not put on trial.” She laughed at my response, cut short as I swayed and nearly fell into her. She linked her arm through mine as best as she could to help hold me in place. “I am Grace, pleasure to meet a human with some sense about them.” I thanked her for holding me stead y “Aurora, a pleasure to meet a Vampire who has not tried to kill or capture me.”

“You are an unfortunate thing, aren't you?” Grace hoisted me to a nearly standing position. Unfortunate was an understatement.

A female figure hurried towards the large, stone dias where the commander stood. Donning a red silken gown that complimented her pale skin and dark hair beautifully. She was ethereal . She looked as if a god had carved her out of moonstone. My heart hammered in my chest. The lion's den may have well been a temple worthy of the gods. I wanted to lower my gaze as I was taught to do all my life when present in court, but I couldn't show more weakness to these people after they had found me fighting for my life. I could not show the General an ounce of weakness . I shifted my gaze to the stunning woman talking to the commander, she smacked his arm and was clearly growling things at him. At least I was not the only person who wished to do so .

A silence fell over the courtyard, though it was only us prisoners and the guards, it was eerie. The guards kicked the backs of our knees, forcing us to kneel while they merely bowed. My hands smacked the cobblestone, reopening the gashes on my palms as a wave of nausea slams into me. Oh gods, I was going to be sick . Grace, likely sensing I was going to spill what little content my stomach held, gave me a reassuring nudge. The Vampire King had made his entrance as silence fell over the courtyard followed by firm bootfalls. I felt the urge to look up and sneak a peek at this man, but I did not want to be punished further. “Rise.” A sinfully deep voice hit s my ears, the bartones rattling my soul. I swallowed back tears as Grace tried to help pull me to my feet but was stopped short by a guard pulling her off of me. My body smacked to the ground yet again. I groaned in pain, feeling like the air was pushed straight out of my lungs. The pain blooming in my chest indicated I had surely broken a rib during my travels. “Bring her to me.” The King's voice boomed. The guards grabbed me by the arms and dragged me to the feet of the King. Not wanting to look weaker than I already was, I thrashed in their hold before they dumped me to the ground. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I pushed myself up to at least sit on my knees. When my eyes rose to gaze upon the King, my breath failed me, just as it had in the woods for the white-haired man… the General.

The King…. by the gods… . He was created to have women fall to their knees before him. His hair was crafted of dark curls of obsidian, eyes a sharp granite gray, steely as the sword bound at the General's hip, and lips a deep red that contrasted his pale skin. The red of his lips made me wonder if that was their natural color or if they had been stained in blood. This man was crafted by the gods to rule. "This little thing is what has caused such chaos in my forest?” His voice was deep, cutting through the silence. The baritones struck my chest as if his words could pull the air from my lungs . I was pulled to my feet by the guards and left to shakily stand at the foot of the stairs leading to his makeshift throne. Gods above, I felt sick . Perhaps it was the bloodloss, the adrenaline crash, or the stress of the past day. My head was light, and stars flitted across my vision as I looked upon the King. His stern gaze held me still where I stood and I internally questioned if this was due to his vast power as King of the Vampires or simply because he was stoic.

"This fiery little thing has been causing me trouble.” Arden chuckled, eyeing me closely, his gaze explored my exposed skin, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. A shiver fell down my spine, earning a smirk from the silver haired man.

“Why is she dressed in rags and bleeding? Do you find it wise to drag a bleeding human through our capital?” the King growls, his jaw clenching.

“She had killed a Stray in the woods, Your Majesty. She is quite combative .” Arden smirked, clearly not afraid to backtalk his King. The King's intense gaze shifted back to me, his granite eyes devouring me whole. “She is quite small, they would not get much out of her… how did she kill the Stray?” The General looked at me, clearly finding this whole thing amusing. My fate was in this man's hands, and he seemed amused by the situation. Surely it meant little to him as he lured me here. “She shoved a branch through his heart and ma naged to evade the others until I arrived. Though I am most certainly sure that this was not the first brush with death she has had in the past few days. Why someone would want to kill something so pretty, I have no clue.” My cheeks lit with heat as I glared at him in anger. I am a Princess, not a fucking doll .

The King nodded, understanding the barely jaded words of his general. “Who were you running from? Humans do not simply happen upon my kingdom without invitation.” This was the first question I had been asked, and I was very unsure of how to answer. Camelot was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Vampires and every creature in between, my father would be their natural sworn enemy. Revealing my identity would bring my death. “My betrothed is a cruel man. I refused to wed him so I ran before the ceremony could happen.” My voice was unsurprisingly raspy, I had barely drank any water and I had not eaten anything in the night since I had been gone.

“A man of political stature?” The King inquired, looking down at me expectantly. I studied him closely, I could see claws protruding from his hands, digging into the wooden armrest of his makeshift throne. An eerily stunning sight. I shook my head, unsure of what else to say. I could not let them know who I was. The General and the King shared a look. Did they know? Had the Duke and my fathers men negotiated for my return? If I was going to be a chess piece, I was at least going to make it hells on earth for the Duke and my father . The dark haired woman tilted her head, likely understanding that I was running from a cruel man. The King looked between the two of us. I was not sure if he saw our mutual understanding, but I hoped he did. It would help Grace's case. “This cruel man, what did he do that sent you to my forest?”

“That is personal.” I spat back, not wanting to share my misfortune. Technically, your General sent me here.

“I believe I have the right to ask, as you are the one who trespassed on my land, are all kinds of disheveled and bleeding, killed one of my men, made my General kill the other two, attempted to attack him from what I have heard, and now are being evasive with my inquiries.” He retorted with poise. His words were politically charged, though I could tell all of his attention was on me. My head was spinning. Gods above, I just want to lay down .

“He was violent.” I half lied, leaving out as many details as possible. I didn't even know this man's name. “He struck me.”

His eyes flickered at my response, glowing with curiosity at my explanation. “So you ran.” I took in a sharp breath, the events of the past few days finally catching up with me. “I made it as far as I could, he killed my horse.” Not exactly a lie, though I doubted Thane had the balls to do so.

The King’s fists clenched, the action extending up his forearm lined with tattoos. “What region did you travel from?” I looked at him, my vision blurring from staring so hard. I blinked twice before managing “Ramir, Your Majesty.”

“Where is it you were heading before you stumbled upon us?” his tone was tight, nearing a growl. My heart began to race, pulsing in my chest as I thought of what I would endure if I were to be returned. Thane does not seem like a forgiving man, and I knew what punishment awaited me from my father. The tower would be merciful . “Verona.” I choked out, my throat feeling as if it were collapsing in on itself. “Before your General rerouted me here.”

The King’s eyes danced with an emotion I could not trace. I watched him closely, entranced. His mouth moved, words clearly falling from his lips but I struggled to hear, desperately wanting to hear his sinfully deep words aimed at me. But the stars dancing in my vision blotted out the outside world until my body finally gave out beneath me, the King a black mass in my sight. I fell to the side, expecting to crash onto the marble floors, but no pain met me as I faded into darkness .