Cebell's pov

I felt a familiar stomach-twisting feeling. This feeling was way too awful for comfort. I quickly hurdled myself over to the other side of the bed and into the bathroom. My knees slammed onto the tiled floor as I leaned myself over the toilet. I cringed as the acidic substance came up. My eyes watered when I stumbled back a bit. 

I should have never drank that last night. This feeling was horrible. I just wanted to feel a bit more relaxed and calm my nerves. The last few days have been a rollercoaster. A ride that I will never return from. 

I couldn't get those thoughts out of my head. However, another day I was starting to worry about my family. Are they alive? Are they dead? So many questions ran through my head. 

My head started to beat like a drum as I pulled myself off the tiled floor. My limbs started to feel shaky as I made my way over to the sink. I turned on the faucet and splashed the cold liquid on my face. I raised my head ever so slightly and looked into the mirror. Not only did I look like a mess, but I looked like a coward. Forever those memories and decisions will be stained on my hands. There was no way to cleanse this feeling.

My head then darted to the old clock in the bathroom. It said '7:00 PM'. I couldn't help but knit my brows. Have I been sleeping for that long? For three-quarters of a day?

I hope I didn't cause that man too much trouble. Realization suddenly reached its peak. He didn't tell me his name.

My gaze suddenly darted towards the door, and a small knocking sound was heard. I swiftly made my way towards the door and opened it. There, Eric stood at the door holding that same bag that I saw before. But something was different about him?

"There's something we have to do, and I don't think you're going to like it," his voice was coated in suspicion. My eyes looked down at the bag that he was handing me. 

"What do you mean?" My voice was slightly shaken. It was almost as if I had a bad feeling about this. I then accepted the bag from him.

"Get cleaned up and we'll talk in the car," he pulled back from the door. Once his hand left the door handle, I swiftly grasped his wrist. 

"Wait, you haven't even told me your name." 

His blue eyes sauntered over to mine. It was almost as if he was still hesitant. He slowly inhaled then let out a breath.

"Eric. My name is Eric Sullivan." The door slowly closed from there, as I retracted my hand. After that, I wasted no time getting in the shower. Whatever Eric had planned was making me a bit uneasy, but at the same time, I was excited. 

After freshening up a bit, and finding a brand new toothbrush, I felt clean. Countless months without hot water or shaving, made me feel gross. But now, I felt confident, strong, and happy.

I then turned off the knobs and wrapped a towel around my body. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself, I haven't seen a bathroom this fogged up in years. After all, there was no power. 

I made my way into the bedroom and opened the bag. A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I pulled out something. It was a beautiful black dress that sparkled like stars at the bottom. This must have taken him his whole trip to find?! I then noticed that there was more in the bag. My hand grasped onto a pair of heels that are matching to the dress.

Man, Eric is so refined. What did I do to deserve such kindness? It makes me wonder if there were more people like him in the world? He was different from any other man I've been with. He is a gentleman, unlike most men. Eric knew how to take care of a woman. It almost makes me wonder if I am getting pampered? But I am not complaining. He's been the most caring person I've ever met.

After I finally added the last finishing touches to my looks, I made my way into the hallway. Once I entered the living room, I saw Eric sitting on the sofa with his hands interlocking. His head turned ever so slowly in my direction. 

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, as he stood up. 

"Well, don't you look ravishing," he purrs before standing in front of me. My cheeks soon became heated from the complement. I had to admit, Eric knew style.

"Give a spin, I haven't seen the whole dress," he chuckled. I couldn't help but smile as I did a small spin for him. 

"It fits perfectly. Now, I will explain the rest in the car." I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about what he was going to tell me. 

Eric lead me downstairs and out into an alleyway. It was a little bit hard to see at first, but I trusted where he was taking me. 

He took the keys out of his pocket and pointed them at the vehicle. The soft hum of the motor broke the silence, as the bright headlights cracked the darkness in front of me. I carefully made my way over to the car, trying not to trip.

As I was seated in the front passenger seat, Eric soon began to drive. 

"So, what did you want to tell me?" I turned my head towards him, seeing that he kept his eyes on the road.

"It has come to my attention that the doctor I was looking for, has vanished. My investigation has left me with a lead," his eyes took a glance at me before darting back to the road again.

"And what did you find?" I questioned.

"Something gruesome, but I did get a text from an unknown caller," he continued to explain. 

"They've informed me that there was an important party going on." Well. . . Things just got interesting.

"So. . . I'm your date?" I questioned. With a small nod from him, I took that as a 'yes'.

"Just try to stay close, we don't want a blood bath," he gradually turned the wheel, and we continued onto the next street.

"Words coming from a vampire, why do I see it happening?" I asked with a grin.

"Keep talking and we're going to have one when we get back," he chuckled. I couldn't help but chuckle at his joke. I could never picture having a blood bath or getting into a fight involving a lot of blood.

For the longest time, why did I feel whole again? It was like a missing piece of the puzzle. Was I falling for him? 

No.

It would never work. 

The car suddenly came to a halt. Eric shut off the car and within a second, he was helping me out of the car. I forgot that he had special abilities. 

I linked my arm around his, then continued across the street. The outside of the building had a familiar romanesque look to it. Fairly large windows in the front, and ancient, chalky-coloured archways. 

Inside the building and down the vast hallway, there was a ballroom. Lush music from many instruments is played in the background. Violins, to cellos, all instruments played like a coordinated dance.

The ballroom was large, with many vast corinthian beams that stretched across the whole ballroom. Men dressed in their finest of suits and their dates dressed in some of the finest of dresses New York city had to offer.

From the outside edges of the room, a variety of food dishes and alcoholic beverages were served. Several men and women danced in the middle of the room. This was like a fairy tale. It was difficult to see how humanity moved on from such wonderful things.

Inside the ballroom was gorgeous. I don't blame the vampires for hosting a party here, this place is incredible. It was restored from its natural colours.

Eric navigated me through the crowd of people. Each time I bumped into someone I apologized profusely. Once we stopped in a not-very-busy corner of the room, Eric pulled me close to whisper something. 

"Be aware that you are in a room full of vampires. We just have to find our doctor and get out of here. Shouldn't be too hard, just try not to.-" Before Eric could tell me the rest, a loud 'ping' sound echoed through the room. The music stopped and the room became silent. 

A man stood at the entrance of the room with a glass in his hand. I could sense that this man was different. Something about him screamed noble stature.

"Good evening, my fellow nosferatu's," his voice was smooth and well heard from a distance. He turned his head ever so slowly, left and right, to greet the crowd of people. The crowd all of a sudden started to applaud him. There was a specific detail that I missed that was sitting on his head. 

A crown.

A silver one to be exact.

"I hope you're enjoying your evening. But this party is to celebrate the extension of man. As you may have known, two years ago, the sun became black and our race is now at the top of the hierarchy system," I couldn't help but have an uneasy feeling growing in my gut. The extinction of man? The crowd soon started to applaud him once again.

"We will no longer be hiding in the shadows, known as a myth. We will show humanity that we bite back, that we are the dominant species." The crowd started to get louder and louder. Cheers and whistles screamed in the air. 

"Blood will be spilled on the altar, and in a week, we'll make it permanent!" The crowd was now at its loudest. He was sharp, and he knew how to convince the crowd.

"This was all thanks to our vampire prince, Mr. Sullivan." The crowd soon became quiet as my gaze looked up at Eric. His face started to slowly twist in anger. My heart couldn't stop beating. So I've been staying with a vampire prince, this whole time!?

"Without our runaway king, I would have never been able to make this happen. A toast to Mr. Sullivan," he raised a glass as the crowd followed him. But some seemed unsure and didn't bother to raise it.

Everyone soon went back to visiting and enjoying their evening. 

I turned to Eric and saw him slowly cracking. 

"Who was that man? Eric?" I tapped him on the arm as he soon came out of his anger. 

"That man was non-other than, the prince of Chaosium, Ivan Lambert. The bastard who stole my rights to claim my throne. Everyone assumed I was dead from a long trip to New York. Or that is at least what he told my kin," he let out a long sigh as he averted his eyes to the floor. 

"So this party was just to persecute you?" I couldn't help but feel a slight sting in my chest. 

After that, he didn't say a word. I knew we had to try to blend in with the crowd and try not to look shady talking in a corner.

He stood in one area of the room while I stood in the other. In the middle of the room, where all the people were dancing, had taken a small break and switched partners. From afar I saw Eric socializing with some of the guests. He fits in a lot better than I do. It's like I am the black sheep to the flock. 

"I couldn't help but notice you were standing over here alone." Almost jumping out of my skin, I happened to notice a man with dark hair. It seemed to be a dark brown that almost looked black. 

"Oh, yeah. I am not much of a dancer." I sheepishly rubbed my arm. His brown eyes scanned her, almost as if he was reading her like a book. Page, by page, he could sense that she was lying, but he sensed something more. 

"Come. I am sure you'll do fine," he gently took my hand and lead me onto the dance floor where other partners joined in. He seemed to be and confident but calm person. But looks can be deceiving.

When the music started to play again, he lead me with graceful steps. 

"So you're the girl everyone has been talking about? Cebell was it?" he questioned with the upmost respected tone. 

"Yes. How did you know?" I asked as he simply answered with a small smirk. 

"Rumors have begun to spread, a girl that the 'Wild-ones' didn't get at. Lucky," he gave me a spin as we continued in our conversation. 

"Why do you call them 'Wild-ones'?" I asked. His eyes pointed at the ceiling for a second before coming back to mine. It was almost as if he was trying to think of a logical answer.

"There are two kinds of vampires in this world, The Ark of Red, and the Wild-ones. The man that you came in with is a vampire prince. All the people who follow Mr. Sullivan are known as The Ark of Red, an honourable group that is against human colonizing, human food supply, or just killing them off for sport." A sudden question lingered in my mind. 

"Then, if they refuse to drink human blood, what do they eat?"

"Don't get me wrong, they still drink human blood, but they don't kill them like the Wild-ones. They just make a human a bit dizzy, and their thoughts a bit of haze, nothing harmful though." I had to admit, he was a very intelligent man. 

"And the Wild-ones?"

His face then twisted into a disgusted look, it was the true look of hate. 

"They don't care for no one but themselves. The Wild-ones follow Ivan, thinking he is the true king," his eyes suddenly darted in the direction to the left.

"We don't have a lot of time to talk, but listen close," he leaned his head towards my ear. 

"I got a text from Eric the other day saying that you needed some blood work done. Meet me at my clinic, downtown. Just tell Eric and he'll bring you to me." With that, he left in a hurry. It was like he wanted to avoid something or someone. That was until I heard another voice. 

"Unfortunate that he had to leave so soon." I could have sworn I felt the chills creep up my spine. It was almost as if something grim placed its hand on my shoulder. 

My eyes then met golden ones that glowed. Those eyes were alluring and it was almost as if a flame burned in them. They were owned by the man that made the big speech at the beginning of the party. Ivan. 

His skin was pale, and his face looked as if it was sculpted by the gods. High cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. There was a small but noticeable scar on his bottom lip. His hair was dirty blond and combed back nicely. He wore a black suit, but it showed a certain status compared to everyone in the room. 

"It's fine, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders a bit before straightening them a bit. Instead of getting in the way of so many people, we moved off to the side.

"So how is the party treating you?" he asked as he adjusted the cuffs of his suit. His eyes soon wandered around the room, seeing that people are enjoying themselves. Honestly speaking, I was kind of afraid to be here, especially in a room full of blood-thirsty vampires. 

"I am enjoying it immensely, I kinda wished the world was just like the fifteen hundreds. It makes me think of a fantasy of some sort. One that is right in front of me but only as an illusion." My eyes wandered back to his, it made me forget how terrifying his gaze was. 

"Interesting choice of words for a being I do not recognize." My heart suddenly skipped it was almost as if he saw who I was. I was once again reminded that I was in a room full of vampires. Not to mention that I was standing in front of a vampire king.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't help but give him a slight glare. 

"Every vampire in this room is confused at your scent. You have the scent of a vampire, but you have the scent of a human at the same time. It makes me wonder who you really are," his eyes soon locked onto mine.

"I am a vampire just like the rest of you, how do you think I got in here alive?" I lied, hoping he would buy my tone of voice. He stayed in silence for a second before a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. 

"A woman with fire, I like it. I took notice that you came in with that coward." A small chuckle escaped his lips. Okay, I take it back, he's an asshole. 

"He's not a coward. Eric is a brave and honourable man. Something that you'll never have." I tried to keep my voice down to prevent a scene from happening. My blood was starting to boil. This man was nothing more than a prick.

"He has you, doesn't he? Something I won't ever have. You are not his princess, you are your own queen. All you have to do is stand by my side, and see your desires fulfilled." I hated how horrible he was. He had so much untouched potential that is being wasted. He is nothing but a snob. 

"No thank you." I started scanning the room for Eric. Hoping he would save my ass this time. My eyes soon found his, as he was making his way toward me. 

"What is he to you, if I may ask?" Ivan raised an eyebrow. 

"My. . ." I suddenly had an idea without making it seem suspicious. Eric was now a couple of feet away from us. I waited until he approached the two of us. 

"He's my, husband." I turned around and walked to Eric. At the moment of putting me on the spot, I wrapped my arm around Eric's back and placed a hand on his chest. 

"Well, Eric. You never told me you claimed a wife. Unfortinly, I never got the invite, what a shame." I could see that he was guilt-tripping. 

Eric seemed to be a little bit red on his pale cheeks. Gosh! How is this going to look when we get back to the car?!

"Ever since you threw my mother and brother over a cliff, that was strike three. But I decided to come and see you, to see how you were doing," he said with a stern tone.

"And why is that?" Ivan suddenly looks more amused. 

"Your kingdom is crumbling under your feet. I wanted to see how you would run things but looks like I was right. You would destroy this world and run it like a thirteen-year-old." A small smirk curved at the corner of Eric's lips. I've never seen him so firey like this before.

"Eric, you may be right but something doesn't sit right with me."

"Your wife told me that you both are married. But where's the ring?" I could suddenly feel a slight jolt go through my body. He was right. . .  We both never had a ring around our finger. That was until I had another thought. I did have feelings for Eric, and I felt like this was the best time to express them. 

"I don't need diamonds or a ring to show how much I love him. Our love is the ring that will forever bond us." I felt Eric pull me towards him as I leaned in and pecked his cheek. This was wild, and maybe crossing some boundaries, but at least this was working. 

Ivan seemed a bit startled, I think he might have been jealous. Suddenly a woman with red hair approached the three of us. She was the same woman that I saw when I was banished. 

A small smile formed on the corner of Ivan's lips.

"Madeline," Ivan spoke as she wrapped her arms around his arm and pecked him on the cheek. 

"I came to save you from getting into a fight. Not to mention I am kinda tired," she yawned. Her eyes suddenly locked onto mine. Crap.

"Well. . . Looks like Mr. Sullivan picked the right choice," she smiled, then placed a hand out for me to shake. That was my queue to introduce myself. I took hers with a decent, but not too hard grip. 

"Madeline, nice to make your acquaintance." Madeline smiled and shook my hand with a firm grip. It was a bit too firm for my liking. But her style was beautiful. Her hair was nicely curled, a black choker with a moon was wrapped around her neck, and she was wearing a beautiful black and red dress. 

"Cebell, nice to meet you as well, Madeline." 

"Well. . . It was nice seeing you again, Madeline, and Ivan, but we have to leave now." Eric spoke before they both nodded in response. 

"Safe drive!" Madeline called out, as we started walking away. From the distance and out of earshot. . .

"I notice that she was not a vampire. She is human. I can smell it." Madeline's grey eyes flickered with determination. 

"How can you tell?" Ivan asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I am the only werewolf in here, remember," she smiled as he pulled her flush to his body. He leaned his lips close to her ear. 

"If that's true. . ."

"Kill her."