Fullblood Academy: A Vampire Academy Mild Bully Romance (Vampires of the Sanctum Book 1)

by Phoenix Chaos

  I reached for a knife and circled my fingers around the hilt. The cool sensation seeped into my skin and made me want to shut down. I bided my time, taking small steps toward my victim. How should I kill him? Should I throw the knife from far away so I didn’t have to face him? Without thinking, I’d walked up to him. I questioned my resolve when I came face to face with him. He bared his teeth, his blue eyes telling me that he hadn’t given up yet.

  I had to make this quick and painless for him.

  I raised my knife and sucked in a deep breath.

  And I couldn’t do it.

  It just wasn’t me to take the life of an innocent. It was a wonder that people like Grey and Vixie managed it, but I just couldn’t bring myself to slay a frightened individual when he’d done nothing wrong that I knew of. This man deserved time to rest. Not to be killed.

  My hesitation gave the blood slave an opening. He knocked the servant behind him backward. His legs looked weak, but in his desperation, he’d summoned enough strength to catch me by surprise. He lunged forward and pushed me off my feet. I grappled with him, attempting to push him off me, but his assault had been too violent, and he used every last ounce of his energy to subdue me.

  “Get off!” I shouted.

  The blood slave responded with a long groan. He pulled his head back and smashed his forehead against mine. Pain shot up my neck.

  I blinked the pain back when he reached toward my neck. The blood slave squeezed as hard as he could, choking me. I flailed my arms, hitting the slave at his side. I kicked, my feet hitting nothing at all as the blood slave sat on my belly, keeping me pinned to the ground.

  Red seeped into my vision as I struggled to survive.

  My will to live shot through me. I gasped and gripped a hank of hair on the man’s head, and without thinking, I stabbed through his side with my dagger. Injuring him caused him to let go just enough for me to get an opening. His hold on my neck loosened. I pushed him off me, forcing him onto his behind.

  He groaned. “Ugh…” He tried to get up, but his wounds kept him down.

  I hadn’t realized how deeply I’d cut him until I got a better view of him. The slave’s guts spilled from his side, pooling with the blood on the ground. I cringed at the sight. No human could survive that.

  “Finish him!” Grey shouted.

  I sucked in a deep breath. I’d never wanted to kill this man. “H-hey,” I said, stumbling forward. I bent down and reached out. “You okay?” I wasn’t sure what possessed me to ask such a silly question. Of course he wasn’t okay. He was in immeasurable pain, lying in his own guts, on the cusp of death.

  The slave looked up at me, his face a mask of anger and fear and hate. Blood had somehow reached his graying hair, clumping it together and sticking it to the side of his face. He muttered something I couldn’t make out. It was another one of the slaves’ indecipherable moans. Still, he didn’t have to speak to convey what he meant. The hatred in his eyes said it all.

  The blood slave thought I was a monster.

  I was becoming the thing I hated.

  He coughed out blood. It spilled from his lips, accompanied by a gut-wrenching noise.

  “What are you waiting for?” Grey shouted. “Put him out of his misery!”

  I tensed, my muscles straining with a fight-or-flight response. I emptied my mind for a fraction of a second and plunged my dagger into the slave’s head. He wasn’t going to survive that gut wound. I should make his death swift, as painless as possible.

  He died as soon as my dagger crunched through his skull. The blood slave went limp.

  I panted and sat backward on my haunches.

  What have I done?

  Moments later, I heard the clicking of heels against the wooden floor. Madam Varkov stood next to me and sighed. “That was drawn out more than it should have been. I would have preferred it if you showed more decisiveness. Lots more suffering would have been avoided. Still, well done, Verity, you’ve passed.”

  Passed?

  I didn’t think so.

  Twenty

  Cassius

  Satiation.

  I never thought I’d feel it again.

  It was the curse of a vampire to dwell in thirst forever, to always hunger for blood and never be contented. And yet, for a brief moment, after being with Verity, I’d stopped experiencing thirst.

  She’d cured me, even though only for a small amount of time.

  The girl was affecting me in ways she was completely oblivious to. I thought about her incessantly, so frequently that I was starting to think that my fixation on her bordered on obsession. I wanted to return to her side as soon as possible. To have her in my arms and perhaps have another taste of her blood.

  Which was why it was so aggravating that this meeting had stretched out for so long.

  I’d left the Sanctum and taken a flight over to Rome, Italy, to meet the rest of the council. Underneath the domed basilica, the vampires congregated in a network of chambers, unbeknownst to humans. The largest chamber had been selected as our meeting room. A large painting of the woman said to be the first vampire, Aurora, was on the back of the ceiling. She looked cold, just like the rest of us. Cherry lips. Dark hair. Aurora no longer walked amongst us, but some vampires posited that she lived and was sleeping, hiding with her werewolf brother.

  Council members gathered beneath the painting, exchanging discussions about the fate of our race.

  A chandelier hanging from the ceiling cast deep shadows on the vampires’ angled features. My father led them all, standing in front of the table of normal vampires, his hands propping his lithe body up. I sat next to Endar. He’d always wanted me to lead one of these meetings, but I couldn’t be bothered. Having to care for the Sanctum was responsibility enough.

  “The hunters have struck us again in Asia,” Endar said. “The Chang coven was taken out in Beijing.” He pointed to the map splayed upon the table. “The Changs are known for their secrecy and ability to hide. I’m not sure how they were found out by the hunters.”

  “How many casualties?” the man sitting across from Endar said. Gregor Thorne, an oversized specimen of a man, was the head of one of the more prominent vampire families, and had amassed filthy amounts of wealth using his immortality and lack of morals. He was in charge of the blood farms in the middle of Siberia. Many vampires relied on him for an easy source of blood. Knowing that made me hate him more. His nobility came from the suffering of slaves.

  Slaves I’d partaken in when trying to tame my desire for Verity. I knew I was a hypocrite, but that didn’t abate my disdain.

  “Twenty-five of them were killed,” Endar replied. “The hunters are merciless and effective.”

  “That’s all of them,” Gregor said. “This can’t continue for much longer.”

  The council members began muttering to each other, forming a soft cacophony of worry.

  “How are they getting this information?” a woman from another noble vampire family said. “If they can find the Changs, they could find us easily.”

  Gregor looked the most afraid of everyone. He placed his palm on the wooden table and, with a pinched expression, said, “We must stop this as soon as we can. Find a solution. Stop the killing.”

  “We need a queen,” the woman added. “How are the experiments in the Sanctum?”

  Endar shook his head. “A female fullblood has yet to be revealed.”

  “We need to have the experiments expedited,” Gregor said. “Perhaps another dose of the witch’s concoction?”

  The witch had joined this meeting, too. She sat in a shadowed corner of the room, the darkness hiding her face. She looked much younger than I expected, with curly auburn hair that reminded me of wildfire. In a husky, low voice, she said, “Humans wouldn’t be able to survive two doses of my concoction. They have a low tolerance for magic, and taking in too much of it would most definitely kill them.”

  “But will it cause the queen to show up quicker?” Gregor said. “We have to strengthen
our numbers as soon as we can. Maybe then the hunters would have second thoughts about raiding our covens.”

  I resisted the urge to growl at Gregor. He would kill an entire school just because he wanted to ward off the hunters? It wasn’t his lack of empathy but his cowardice that irked me so. Individuals like him were scum. And if he were an ordinary vampire or lowblood, I’d order his execution without hesitation. It was a pity that he held so much influence.

  I couldn’t stand to be in his presence. Standing from my chair, I interrupted the meeting.

  “Where are you going?” my father asked.

  “Back to the Sanctum.”

  “Stay for the rest of the meeting,” he said in a hard tone.

  Nobody should have the authority to order me about.

  “No,” I said.

  “What has happened to you?” Endar asked. “You used to be more obedient. You used to listen.”

  “I used to be weaker. You will not have a queen. Not unless you make the sacrifice yourself.”

  Gregor turned to me. “You mean you won’t mate with the fullblood should we find her?”

  Thinking of being with someone other than Verity sickened me. “That responsibility falls on my father’s shoulders.”

  Endar shook his head. “I have your stepmother.”

  “I’ve given you my answer. Asking again won’t change it.”

  “Cassius, you have to be more agreea—”

  I didn’t need to be anything.

  I shut the door behind me before my father could finish.

  Sunlight greeted me, bathing me in exhaustion.

  I had to rest.

  I grunted and sighed at how quickly time passed. I would have to find Verity the next evening, after the sun had set and we were both well rested again.

  I would have my fill of Verity then.

  I wondered if she’d be able to keep up, because my desire for her wouldn’t relent.

  I jerked awake, the image of Janella’s face clear in my head.

  I’d had a dream about her. One that used to keep coming but had stopped since I’d set my eyes on Verity. I hadn’t expected to experience it again.

  Janella and I were lying on the sheets of my bed, lazing in each other’s embrace, as we always did after our lovemaking. She had one leg draped over mine, and was hugging me by my waist. Without thinking, she dipped her head toward my collarbone and nipped the skin there, drawing blood. She sucked on my wound and moaned as she did. I cupped the back of her head and coaxed her to take her fill. I’d always loved it when she drank my blood, and whenever she did, she drank deeply.

  Having my blood pleased her. It invigorated her veins with vitality, and all I wanted was to see her happy.

  “I love you, flos tenebris,” I said. It was Latin for “dark flower.” I couldn’t remember when I’d first called her that, but the name stuck, and she’d told me that she loved hearing that nickname.

  My skin stitched up rapidly due to my superior healing. Janella grunted and bit me again. She would do this for hours on end sometimes, taking and taking. I never complained or stopped her. My time belonged to her, as did my heart.

  This time, however, she took her fill hastily. She unlatched herself from my skin and kissed me with a fiery passion that reignited my desire. I tasted my own blood mixed with her saliva. It was just as sweet as this moment.

  “Take me, Cassius,” she said through a breathy pant. “Show me how much you want me.”

  I brushed my quilt aside, exposing her taut belly to me. My pulse raced as I moved to her hip and bit her there, drinking her blood as she had mine. She tasted like iron and fire, an intoxicating flavor that always enamored me.

  “I’m yours,” Janella said as I moved my mouth toward her center. I pinched her nub, and she cried out in response. “Always.” She tossed her head back and wrapped her hand around my neck. She ground her hips onto my fingers, and it wasn’t long before her body shook from pleasure. She hugged me tightly as she reached her climax, her walls clenching around my fingers. When she finished, she looked me in the eyes. “I love you, Cassius. There is no one else I can ever love more.”

  My dream always ended after her profession of love.

  Sitting up on my bed, I dragged my hand down my face.

  Her words were a lie, which made my remembering them even more painful. After telling me that she loved me, Janella had stabbed me in the chest the day after, with the same dagger I’d given Verity. Maybe that was why I’d passed it to her. I thought she’d do the same, and considering she had strong motivation to, I’d expected it from her.

  She didn’t, however.

  Never trust.

  The two words sprang in my head, echoes of my past. Verity might seem like she wanted me now, but Janella had acted that way all the time too. The scars from my memories still made it difficult for me to open up.

  Why did I always feel like giving up whenever I saw Janella? Her memory tired me. She had hurt me too much. I wondered if I’d ever truly recover from what she did me.

  I glanced to my left. The moon had already risen, signaling that night had arrived.

  It was time to see Ver.

  My desire to do so had diminished after that dream. It reminded me to guard my heart.

  Before I had time to contemplate my emotions, a rapping on my door disturbed me. “Enter.”

  The door creaked open. Miles stepped in, dressed in casual attire and with his dreadlocks tied behind his head.

  “How is Verity?” I asked. Strange how that was my first question. There were a million other things to ask him.

  “She’s…” Miles darted his eyes to the left. “Her sister isn’t in good condition.”

  I’d asked Miles to check up on Hannah before I left for Rome. It appeared that he’d gotten the news I’d asked for.

  “That we know of.” I pursed my lips, wondering why Miles had avoided my question about Verity. “I gave you my blood to pass to Hannah. That should keep her alive for another few months. Did she take it well?”

  Miles nodded. “She’s still lying as still as a corpse, however.”

  “Just like Annelise. I wonder if we’ll ever find the cure.”

  “It’s not possible without a queen.”

  “I don’t want to mate with anyone.” I sighed. “And Verity?” I asked. “You didn’t respond when I asked about her.” I worried something might have happened to her. I’d entrusted Miles with her care. Miles usually didn’t act this distant, not unless he’d failed a task I’d given him.

  He flared his nostrils. “She passed a test Madam Varkov gave her, but she went into shock after that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She won’t eat or talk to anyone. She’s just been staring at a dagger and going through her classes emotionlessly. We think it’s just a phase. The girl should recover quickly.” Miles tutted. “I didn’t think she was this soft-hearted.”

  “What was the test?”

  “They had to kill blood slaves.”

  And her kind heart probably couldn’t take it. I grunted in frustration and stepped out of the bed. After that dream about Janella, I’d considered avoiding Verity, but I just couldn’t seem to keep myself away from that girl.

  I traveled through the hallways of the Sanctum, walking through dim corridors lined with thin-lipped portraits, and dark, gothic architecture.

  My heart beat faster than it had in fifty years. My concern for Verity flowed through me.

  In shock?

  She was still alive, wasn’t she? There for me to feed from. I shouldn’t be caring about how she felt. Wasn’t I drawn to her because of her blood? Caring too much had been how I’d gotten into all that trouble with Janella in the first place. I ought to walk away from this. Ver didn’t sound strong enough to handle the realities of the Sanctum, and if she were weak, so be it.

  And yet an annoying need to protect her took hold of me, cinching around my heart like vines with thorns. I wound my way toward her, past normals
who tried to greet me and students that gaped at me in awe. I focused on getting to the infirmary as fast as possible.

  And when I reached the entrance of the infirmary—blocked by a red, imposing door—I stopped.

  Should I enter?

  I love you, Cassius. There is nothing else I can ever love more.

  I shut my eyes. Janella’s lie thrummed through my head. Love was a bitter thing. I’d believed those words with all my heart, and look at where that left me. Alone. Damaged. Did I really want to make myself vulnerable to that kind of pain again? I’d chosen to hole myself up in the Sanctum to isolate myself, and getting drawn to Verity this much was getting in the way of my plans.

  I stared down the door for a long minute, getting lost in my deliberations.

  And then, unable to stop myself, I turned the doorknob and entered.

  I immediately began scanning my surroundings for her. The infirmary was empty for the most part. Miles and his peers had chosen able-bodied humans to be brought into the Sanctum, so few of the students fell sick. I spotted Verity at the end of a row of beds, sitting up and drinking from a cup. Her roommate, Grey, hovered next to her, and when she was finished, he took her cup and placed it on the bedside table.

  I hated Grey. He stuck around Verity too much. I saw him as a threat. Why was he always hovering around her? Didn’t he have someplace better to be?

  Grey noticed me before Verity did. He gave me a wave, though I noticed his body tensing up.

  I took large strides over to Verity, stopping beside her bed. Her eyes widened when they fell upon me. She pressed her lips together, then shunned me by looking at the wall next to her.

  “Are you feeling fine?” I asked her, kneeling by her side.

  She wouldn’t look at me. The cold shoulder she gave me caused my insides to constrict. She’d warmed up to me before I left, which made it more difficult for me to understand the harsh difference.

  “Ver,” I said, “look at me.”

  “No,” she said in a small voice.