Page 108 of Theoden
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MICHAEL AND DONOVAN
Nearly three centuries had passed since I sired Bruce, my second son. I was starting to get the urge to increase my family and have another son. I was sure both Marco and Bruce wanted a little brother. One to train, nurture, and of course, fuck. Both of them were powerful and obedient. They worked well together as enforcers in not just my district, but in others. They served Ara’s kingdom and through my reputation, and their own, they were feared and respected by other vampires.
Of course, Nolan and Miguel didn’t take kindly to my sons being enforcers for all of the districts, but it had been Ara’s decree and they had no say. It was a status elevation for my House as my sons only answered to me. Titus and Karim didn’t seem to care one way or the other. As Lords, they upheld Ara’s decree. Karim was a bit more indulgent than Titus, who was stricter. So, my sons had found themselves patrolling Karim and Miguel’s districts the most. All in all, I was a proud Father.
Moving on, Ara had recently sent me a notice that he wanted what he called “delicacies.” Human slaves from foreign lands. He had made arrangements for me and one of my children to travel to England to search for humans to bring home. England was home to Vampire Queen Elsa, who also controlled Ireland as well. So, I had safe passage into England to carry out Ara’s orders.
I couldn’t fly because I had to bring back people, so it took months to finally reach the shores of England and I had to pay my respects to the Queen to thank her for her generosity. There was civil unrest among the people there, which wasn’t uncommon. Everywhere in the world seemed to have some friction of a sort. Humans were never satisfied nor fair, it would seem, which was why they were always at war.
None of that concerned me, of course. I cared little for their petty squabbles. I only wanted to finish the task at hand and if I were fortunate, I might find a human worthy of my blood to sire. I was hopeful, as the last child I had sired had come from this country.
“Want me to go ahead and start searching for humans, Father, while you greet the Queen?” Bruce asked.
It was a meager task, really, gathering slaves and one I didn’t particularly care to do. I had left Marco in charge of my territory as I knew he would be able to carry himself well in my absence and protect the kingdom. Having Bruce with me was particularly important, because this was his home. Though I spoke the English language, I was unfamiliar with the lands.
“Wait in the carriage, I should not be too long,” I said, just as our carriage came to a halt outside of a beautiful stone castle that stood four stories tall. The landscaping around it was magnificent with topiaries, rose bushes, statues, and ponds. There were four guards, vampires, standing at the entrance, their eyes watching me closely as I climbed out of the carriage.
I walked up to them. “I am here to greet your Queen. She is expecting me,” I told them.
One nodded, then asked me to follow him and he led me inside to the dining room where the Queen was hosting what looked to be a dinner party with six other vampires. Four males and two females in addition to the Queen herself, and all were dressed in the highest of modern English fashion.
The guard made my announcement and the Queen smiled. She was quite beautiful with her blonde hair pinned up in two lovely buns. Her plump lips were painted rouge, as were her pale cheeks. She looked at me with bright blue eyes that seemed to read me as one would read a book and I wondered if she’d broken past my mental walls to look into my thoughts. She was dressed as all wealthy women dressed during this time, which looked a bit uncomfortable in my opinion. The women back home didn’t don as much fabric as these European women did.
It was interesting to see the fashions change over the years, and with each turn of the trends, I had to adjust as well. Getting back to the Queen. Her gown covered every inch of her all the way up to the frilly, laced collar around her neck. I would admit that the castle was drafty, but for a vampire, that held no consequence. However, for humans, I supposed it did, and they were the main authority on the ever-evolving fashion trends.
“Very pleased to meet your acquaintance, Your Highness,” I said with a bow at the waist.
“Yes, Lord Théoden, please join us.” She gestured to an empty seat between two male vampires.
I bowed my head respectively. “Your Highness, my apologies, but I will not be staying long. I simply wanted to extend my gratitude and the gratitude of my King for your generosity.”
“Nonsense, you must be famished after your long travels, young Théoden… please…” Again, she gestured to the chair and I tried hard not to bristle at the fact that she had called meyoung. I was eight centuries old at this point in my life.
I realized that I couldn’t refuse, and I smiled as I took the seat she wanted me to. There were two humans tied to the table, naked and terrified. Their bodies had been dressed with garnishes of parsley, fruit, and tomatoes. None of which we could eat as vampires, so it was purely aesthetic.
Queen Elsa looked at me. “I do wish Ara could have joined you. It’s been so long since we’ve spoken face-to-face.”
“He does regret not being able to see you, Your Highness.”
“He tells me that you are quite remarkable,” she said.
A few of the vampires at the table murmured to each other and the topic was me, of course, and just what made me remarkable and if the rumors they’d heard were true.
“Your clothing is… peculiar,” one of the male vampires said. “Hardly remarkable.”
I smiled at him. “We all dress in the fashions of our time and of our lands. Mine is very hot and lighter clothing is the standard.” I was wearing a very nice silk, cream-colored sherwani, red trousers, and gold shoes. I donned a thick cloak I had purchased when I arrived in England, but I refused to wear the men’s fashions of tight breeches and puffed up doublets.
“I’ve heard the people from your lands are quite savage,” one of the female vampires stated.
“Humans are savage everywhere, wouldn’t you agree?” I asked.
She gave me a patronizing smile, then turned away. Fucking snobs, apparently vampires were not immune.
“So, Théoden, are the rumors of you controlling fire what makes you so remarkable?” the Queen asked.
I held up my palm, because I knew where this was going. I conjured a small ball of fire to their collective gasps. The two vampires sitting beside me both leaned farther away from me as they gazed at the fire swirling in my palm with awe and fear. I moved the ball from one had to the other, juggling it until I extinguished it.
