The Vampire Rules

by Michelle Madow

  I walked to the railing and placed my hands down upon it, gazing out at the kingdom before me. Walls surrounded the perimeter of the palace. Right outside of them were the magnificent, ornate buildings that made up the vampire town. Empty merchant stalls were out on the main squares, and the streets were deserted, as the vampires were inside and likely asleep.

  Beyond the magnificence of the town were the old, cracking buildings of the human village. The village was also quiet, as the humans kept the vampires’ nocturnal schedule as well.

  The entire kingdom was tucked between colossal mountains covered in powdery snow. The sky was a crystal clear blue overhead—it all came together to look like a perfect photo one might see on a postcard.

  Come see the Canadian Rocky Mountains! Just watch out for the vampires who might bite you and kill you—or worse, turn you into a monster.

  I didn’t have time to chuckle at my terrible joke before a gust of wind blew from the mountains, bringing forward a smell that sent my senses on overdrive and coaxed my fangs out of my gums.

  Human blood.

  TEN

  A red, filmy haze passed over my eyes. I needed that blood. And it was all there, in front of me for the taking.

  So I was going to take it.

  My room was too high up to jump, so I leaped from the balcony and scaled the wall down, careful not to get near any windows. I couldn’t risk anyone spotting me.

  If they spotted me, they might try to stop me. And if they stopped me, I’d continue to starve.

  No one was going to stand in my way of that fresh, warm blood.

  It didn’t take long before I dropped down to the grass below, and I brushed myself off, hurrying to the wall surrounding the palace. However, unlike the stones that made up the exterior of the palace—the stones that allowed me to find placeholders for my hands and feet—this wall was made of smooth concrete. Climbing it was impossible, and it was too high to jump.

  If my room had been at the back of the palace, I would have been home free, since the back of the palace made up the back of the wall. But of course, my room—a room for a prince of the Vale—was in front, overlooking the kingdom.

  I supposed I’d have to leave the way everyone else did—through the front gate.

  I glanced up at the open doors to my balcony, and something tugged at the back of my mind. A quiet voice telling me that the wall around the palace was there for a reason and that I should go back while I still could.

  But I pushed the voice aside in favor of the tantalizing scent of human blood that had sent my senses buzzing. If I didn’t get that blood, I would starve to death. Or go crazy. I was already going crazy. I wouldn’t take much—not enough to kill. I’d only take enough to keep me satiated. Enough to make me feel sane again.

  Laila had wanted me to learn to control my bloodlust.

  Challenge accepted.

  I followed the wall to the entrance. Four guards stood at alert, under a covered awning to stay out of the sun. They wore clothing that covered nearly every part of their skin, and sunglasses over their eyes. Gleaming swords were strapped to each one of their sides.

  “Prince Jacen.” The guard closest to me—the only woman of the four—recognized me in a heartbeat. “You’re not allowed to leave the palace. Queen Laila’s orders.”

  She and the other guards lined up along the entrance, creating a barrier between the town and me. But they didn’t reach for their swords. Thanks to the reading I’d been doing in the library, I knew why. The vampires of the Vale were very intense about their royal hierarchy. They wouldn’t raise a hand against me—a prince—unless absolutely necessary.

  I itched to run past them to get to the humans as quickly as possible. But the moment I stepped outside the palace walls, I’d be going against Queen Laila’s orders and they’d have the right to attack. I was strong, but I didn’t have the fighting experience to go against four trained guards.

  However, since I was a royal, there was one thing I had that they didn’t.

  Compulsion.

  I didn’t know how to use compulsion—I’d never tried before. But it was my best chance to get to those humans, so now was as good of a time as ever to try.

  “Queen Laila changed her mind.” I focused on how desperate I was to get to that human blood and forced every bit of determination and willpower into my voice as possible, looking at each of them as I spoke. “You will let me pass, and you’ll mention this encounter to no one. And you.” I looked at the guard wearing a sleek pair of Oakley sunglasses. “You’re going to give me your glasses. And your hat.”

  Yes, my original purpose of coming outside was to torture myself by sunlight. But now that I had a greater purpose—getting to that human blood—I needed as much protection against the sun as possible.

  He removed his sunglasses and hat and handed them to me, his eyes dazed.

  I couldn’t see the others’ eyes behind their glasses, but they all stepped to the side, giving me room to pass.

  My compulsion had worked.

  But I didn’t have time to marvel over this new discovery. Because that blood was waiting, and the more time I wasted, the hungrier I became.

  So I put on the hat and sunglasses and rushed through the vampire town toward the human village, following the scent that called to me like a siren’s song—the human blood.

  ELEVEN

  A few more guards stopped me in the vampire town, but they were as easy to compel as the ones at the palace. Still, I kept to the edge of town, so I’d run into as little trouble as possible.

  As I ran, the smell of the blood grew stronger and stronger, until I crossed the invisible line to enter the ramshackle human village.

  The glorious scent of warm blood surrounded me, wafting through the tiny windows that had been open to let in the crisp winter air.

  I zeroed in on the nearest building and ran toward it. The door was locked, but the lock was cheap—it was clearly meant to keep out humans, not vampires. With my strength, I forced it open without a problem, barely making a sound.

  The building was some sort of laundry facility—the first floor was filled with washers and driers. There wasn’t a soul around. But my body was working on instinct now, and I headed straight to where the scent of blood was coming from—the stairs.

  I ran upstairs, staying light on my feet so I didn’t wake anyone up, and… jackpot.

  It was a room full of bunk beds, with women sleeping on each bunk.

  Now that I was in the same room as the humans, the red haze of bloodlust took over completely. I needed blood, and I needed as much of it as possible. The blood sang to me, urging me to stop fighting what I’d become and to take what I needed.

  Fighting wasn’t worth the hunger, the anxiety, and the sleepless nights. I was strong, I was an immortal, and I wouldn’t let Laila deprive me of the blood I needed.

  Rage consumed me at the thought of the deceptive queen, and I ran for the closest woman, smiling and sinking my fangs into her neck.

  My body buzzed with pleasure the moment her sweet, delicious blood hit my tongue. This was what I was meant to have been drinking the entire time I’d been in the Vale. The bottled stuff had nothing on blood fresh from the vein.

  But I barely had a taste of it before the woman screamed and pushed at me. Instantly, the other women in the room to woke up and started screaming, too.

  They needed to shut up.

  I threw the woman to the ground and turned around, ready to compel the others into submission. But one of them was already heading toward the stairs, and another was running at me with a stake.

  They didn’t seriously think they could pull one over on me, did they?

  I circled the room in seconds, breaking each woman’s neck before they had a chance to realize what was happening. They were weak, vulnerable, and pathetic. They were prey.

  They should have thought twice before trying to attack the predator.

  Once they were all dead, I returned to the original woman
, eager to continue my meal. But her eyes stared blankly ahead—dead.

  I shook her, as if that could wake her up, but of course it did nothing. I leaned back and grunted in frustration. This was the only woman in the building whose neck I hadn’t broken. I’d been sure not to break it, since I’d wanted her alive.

  So why was she dead? There were no obvious trauma marks on her body.

  But then I turned her around and saw that the back of her head was bashed in.

  I must have used so much force when I’d thrown her to the floor that the impact had smashed in her skull. Now her blood wasn’t even halfway as appealing as it had been when her heart had been beating.

  I scrunched my nose in disgust and tossed her corpse to the floor. All that trouble, and I’d only gotten a sip. One measly sip. I could still taste the blood on my tongue, and it was torturing me—making me even thirstier than before.

  I ran out of the building and headed to the closest one across the street, easily pushing through the flimsy lock on the door. Again, I made sure to be quiet—the humans inside couldn’t know I was coming.

  It was clear from the giant aluminum casings and elaborate piping inside that I’d entered a distillery. The air inside was warm, smelling like hops and wheat. But those scents paled compared to what I’d come here for—human blood.

  Like the other building, the smell of the blood came from the second floor. I ran upstairs and found another room full of bunks. But unlike the last building, this one was full of men, not women.

  Just like before, I whizzed around the room, breaking their necks before they had a chance to fight or scream. Unlike before, I stopped when there was one man left standing.

  He was middle aged, with a balding head and a beer belly that hung over the top of his pants. He smelled like beer, but then again, everything in this building smelled like beer. His eyes were full of fear, and his lips trembled as he looked at me.

  I expected him to beg for his life, but he said nothing.

  “Say nothing, and don’t fight me.” I pushed compulsion into my voice, giddy with anticipation as the hypnosis took hold and his eyes glazed over. Then I smiled and sank my fangs into his fleshy neck, ready for the delicious gush of fresh blood.

  Instead of the sweetness I’d been anticipating, I got a soured, fermented gulp. His blood tasted like warm beer that had been sitting out for a few days too long.

  I ripped my fangs out of his flesh and spat out what I had yet to swallow. “You’re drunk,” I accused, wiping my lips to get rid of the disgusting taste.

  He simply smiled and shrugged sheepishly, laughing without making a sound.

  Anger exploded through my veins, and I clenched my hands into fists by my sides. He thought this was funny? I’d show him what was funny. Because I hadn’t come all this way and killed so many people to drink bitter, tainted blood. I was going to have my feast, and I was going to do it right.

  Which meant I had no more time to waste on this drunken, bumbling idiot.

  So I growled at him and snapped his neck, dropping his corpse to the floor before continuing on my way.

  TWELVE

  When I re-entered the street, lights were starting to go on in some of the buildings. But the sun was still out—it was far too early for anyone to rise.

  I must have created enough noise to stir the humans.

  I couldn’t have them wandering around and finding me while I fed. As I’d discovered in the first building—the laundry facility—I was vulnerable while feeding. I’d known to pull away from my meal back then because those women had started screaming. If they’d been stealthier, they could have staked me in the back while I’d been lost in the pleasure of drinking blood, killing me in an instant.

  I’d been lucky that time, but I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

  The only thing more important than drinking blood was staying alive.

  I ran to the end of the road and turned the corner to the edge of the village, finding a cabin next to a chicken coop. It was perfect—far enough away from the section that had started to wake that I could feed undisturbed.

  This time I did it right, killing all of the people inside with one fell swoop and leaving one of them alive to feed from. Her blood was perfect—as sweet as expected—and I only let go once I’d drained her dry.

  But it wasn’t enough. I was still hungry. I needed more.

  There was another cabin next door, so I barged inside it and did the same thing there.

  I’d just dropped the corpse to the floor when terrified eyes peeked out from the crawlspace above. They belonged to a young boy who looked no older than twelve. I must have been so consumed in my urge to feed that I hadn’t thought to check the overhead space. I’d just assumed it was empty.

  Now it held one more human whose blood was mine for the taking.

  I couldn’t believe I’d missed him earlier. His blood smelled pure—cleaner than any of the others. Perhaps it was because he was a child.

  I launched myself up to the crawlspace, licking my lips as I stalked toward him. This was going to be tasty.

  “Vampires are supposed to protect us.” The boy held his hands up and backed away, his eyes wide in terror. “Not hurt us.”

  But I wasn’t listening to him. All I could hear was the thumping of his heart as it pumped his blood through his veins. His scent was so intoxicating that I was already imagining how delicious it would taste the moment it touched my tongue.

  I jumped on him and sank my fangs into his neck, thrilled to find that his blood tasted as good as it smelled. If there was a delicacy amongst blood, child’s blood was surely it.

  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish drinking from him before a needle pricked my neck, injecting me with so much wormwood that I passed out on the spot.

  THIRTEEN

  I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart racing as I jolted awake.

  I was back in my bed in the palace. A woman stood over me—thin, with brown hair and average features. She wore a long necklace with a green gemstone, the color standing out against her all-black outfit.

  She pulled something away—a needle—and placed it on the nightstand.

  “Who are you?” I sat up in bed, wiping cold sweat off my forehead. “What did you do to me?”

  “My name is Camelia,” she said. “I’m the witch of the Vale.”

  I knew all about the existence of witches—I’d read about them in the library. There weren’t many witches left, especially strong ones. Most of them had been killed in the Great Supernatural War in the early twentieth century.

  The Vale only had six witches. One main witch to maintain the boundary—the strongest witch in the kingdom—and five lesser strength witches in case something happened to the main witch. All of the witches in the Vale were female, as Laila didn’t want them breeding without her consent.

  “You maintain the boundary around the kingdom,” I assumed, since she’d called herself the witch of the Vale. “And you act as Laila’s second in command.”

  “I’ve heard you’ve been quite the eager student.” She tilted her head, sizing me up. “Impressive.”

  “What did you give me?” I glanced at the empty needle, not wanting to dance around my original question. I felt different than I had yesterday—fuller—and I assumed it was thanks to whatever she’d shot me up with.

  “An antidote to the wormwood you received in the village.” She fiddled with the needle and smiled, as if proud of what it had contained. “You did a good job compelling those guards. Laila was impressed—no new vampire has ever mastered compulsion so quickly. But of course, everywhere in the kingdom is equipped with alarm systems—even the human village. You didn’t think you were going to get away with that stunt without getting caught, did you?”

  “What?” I sat up straighter, surprised again by how satiated I felt. My body ached because of the wormwood—it felt like my muscles had been shredded to pieces and then stitched back together—but for the first time in a long time
, I wasn’t dying of thirst.

  I hadn’t felt so full since Laila had supplied me with all of those humans to feed from right after I was turned.

  “Do you remember what happened last night?” Camelia raised an eyebrow, and she scooted closer when she apparently realized that no, I didn’t remember. “When suffering extreme bloodlust, it can take a while for the memories of what the vampire did during their haze to return.” She spoke faster, clearly excited by this fact. “You went on quite the spree—it was the worst we’ve ever seen. If you need assistance remembering, I can do my best to help you out…”

  Her mention of “bloodlust” and a “spree” slowly brought the memories to the surface, and I stared blankly at the wall as I remembered the horrific things I’d done while the majority of the kingdom had been sleeping.

  From the moment I’d gotten a whiff of the human blood from the village, it was like something had taken over my soul, possessing me. Making me attack those humans in their sleep in a desperate hunt for their blood.

  I didn’t want to believe it. How could I have done such awful things?

  Except that it had been me. Every last second of it. It was all my fault.

  I hadn’t been possessed by anything except my own bloodlust.

  That bloodlust would always be a part of me. A demon lurking in the back of my mind, urging me to kill.

  I was going to go to Hell for this. And I damned well deserved it.

  “Why am I still alive?” I rubbed the back of my neck where I’d been shot with wormwood last night. “By the rules of the Vale, Laila should have killed me already.”

  I wanted her to kill me. I had no right to live after taking so many lives.

  “Laila is giving you a second chance,” Camelia said.

  “What?” In what I’d read so far about the Vale, no vampire who’d lost control of his or her bloodlust had ever been given a second chance. If you lost control, you were killed. That was the rule. “Why?”