HUNTED Chapter 176 – The Vampire King: Part One

[ The Vampire King ]

Gabriel sat elegantly on his black leather sofa, one arm spread out on the back of the furniture while the other held onto a tumbler of blood. He grimaced; he usually drank straight from the source, not only because it was fresh but because drinking from anything other than a human body reminded him of his time in the hunter’s compound. But as of late, his impulse to drain everyone, including vampires, was too high. He would end up destroying his empire if he wasn’t careful.

He sipped from his glass, lost in thought, waiting for his servant, Vince, to arrive.

“Gabriel.”

He turned his head to the side and glanced behind him; Vince stood there, bowing. He straightened up, revealing his tall height and lean body in his navy waistcoat and trousers. His brown hair slicked back, his sharp jawline clean-shaven, and brown eyes ringed in red to show Vince was the average vampire. Many years ago, the king’s crest used to be stitched into the servant’s highly expensive uniform, but Gabriel grew bored over the centuries of seeing it.

“Do you have them?” Gabriel inquired.

“They are in the dungeon as you requested, sire,” Vince replied formally, clasping his hands together behind his back.

Gabriel jumped up and placed his drink on the sleek black coffee table, “Marvellous.” He walked towards the gold vintage-looking elevator at the far end of the room and stepped in. Placing his hands in his pockets, he started to whistle a light and cheerful tune, a tune that made Vince cringe, knowing too well that the king was anything but in a happy mood, and the song he was whistling only meant blood would be spilt.

The elevator stopped at the basement floor, and Gabriel stepped out and walked down the cold, dark hallway with small lights near the floor, lighting up their path. His steps were the only sounds made in the overly quiet dungeon. He could smell their fear as he approached the glass wall where the two beaten men were sniffing on the ground. There was no need for security; they knew where they were being held and who they angered.

He input the code needed to open the metal door and stepped into the light grey cell; the floors and walls were still pristine with a cheap bed on the side. Gabriel stepped closer to the men who were too scared to look at him, their bodies were trembling, and their foreheads started to sweat.

“Look. At. Me.” Gabriel snapped. His voice was low and icy; he didn’t need to use compulsion for them to instantly look at him. He could see the fear behind their eyes.

Good.

“You deem it okay to touch what is mine?” Gabriel stared down at the two men on their knees before him. They didn’t answer his rhetorical question and instead were grovelling for their lives. It made him angrier.

“Pathetic. I want to end your pathetic lives, I could.. in one motion, but how else would you learn a lesson?” He spread his hands out before dropping them by his sides, his face hardening with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“Vince, remove Rory’s fangs and this one..” He tilted his head to the side, “Chop off his hand. Keep them here for three months with no blood.” He squatted down, so he was at their level, “And when you are released.. I expect you not to kill any humans but act rationally. Vince will provide any blood before you leave here. If I hear you have so much as LOOKED in her direction again, I will personally torture you.”

He straightened up after the man next to Rory peed himself. Pathetic, indeed. He turned on the spot and nodded at Vince.

“Your highness,” Vince bowed. Gabriel walked away from the pleas and grovelling for him to be merciful. It made his mood darken, and the vampire decided if he stayed there longer, he would go back on his word, and he would gladly take their lives.

He travelled back up the elevator and opened the golden gate, stepping back into his private room, only to stop and raise an eyebrow when he saw another one of his henchmen standing in the room. Gabriel could never remember the name of him, but he was annoying him by fidgeting with his hands. Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “What is it?” His voice startled the vampire, and he looked up to the vampire king, who now stood directly in front of him.

“There seems to be trouble at the bar, your highness,” He replied anxiously.

“So? Deal with it..” Gabriel flicked his wrist and walked away from him, going back to his drink to calm his chaotic energy.

“The thing is.. it’s werewolves.”

Gabriel turned around, his brows drawing together at this revelation. He walked past the guard and went to the security room on the other end of his luxurious lounge. The king leaned towards the screens and watched as a group fought with his people. He couldn’t quite see them from the angle of the cameras, but a certain she-wolf stood out to him.

“There are four of them. HOW is it possible for ten vampires not to take down four of them?” His voice was dangerously low, his hands tightening on the edges of the table, causing the wood to splinter and crack from his strength.

There were bodies of vampires surrounding the she-wolf, either dead or on the ground in agony. She was powerful and fast; if she wasn’t making a nuisance in his club, he would applaud her. He tilted his head to the side. There was something about her that seemed familiar making him watch her elegant yet violent movements closely. But as soon as her black wig was taken off, Gabriel shot out of his chair and entered the bar within seconds.

The she-wolf snapped the neck of a vampire, and he dropped to the ground, revealing the face of someone he was not expecting. The white hair, stunning features, crystal-blue eyes, Amelia. No, it was Aila.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” He roared.