1 Prologue

The Kingdom of Morroi, 1720

The winter night was taking on its true form, pitch black. The silence made it seem even more tense than it was. None of the nocturnal creatures were at the sound of their voices, even the wind was at a loss for words. Only the cold air enveloped and pierced the skin.

At the foot of the Carpathians, the fifteen round towers surrounding the gigantic castle rose up into the night sky. Surrounded by a solid red stone parapet, the castle was the most imposing structure at the foot of the mountain range stretching from Central to Eastern Europe. Dozens of armored soldiers were seen standing guard on the towers surrounding the castle. They observed the situation inside and outside the parapet of the castle with binoculars only. Far below the soldiers' watchful eyes, inside the castle's dungeon, a man stood upright. His hands in silver-plated chains, his head bowed. His shoulder-length brown hair covered his pale face.

Moments later, the steel vault door opened. Two armored and sword-wielding soldiers stepped in. Behind them, a middle-aged man with gray hair and a crystal-studded black robe followed. The gray-haired man stared intently at the man in chains. The lightning in his eyes conveyed a raging fury burning in his soul. His brown irises darkened. They slowly turned blood red.

"Will you change your mind after this, Vladimir deLioncourt?" His heavy voice was threatening.

"I will not change my stance, Father." The man under pressure named Vladimir raised his face. He glared at the ruler of the Morroi Kingdom without hesitation.

"You are creating a dhampire who threatens our clan's survival, Vlad. Do you want our clan to be wiped out just because you made the mistake of getting involved with this strange human?" the King said angrily.

Vladimir drew his lips together in a grin, revealing his devilish smile. Then he said contemptuously, "You are a leader, a king. King of the vampires. Our clan is the strongest. It's funny that you should fear an unborn dhampire."

"Mind your tongue, Vladimir! You are a born vampire. You are a pure blood vampire. My blood! It will be the end of our nation if your human bride insist on giving birth to a dhampire." The king then turned to one of his guards. "David, bring the woman here!"

The bodyguard named David nodded obediently and left the basement. Vladimir's eyes widened and his perfectly sculpted jaw hardened. He could guess what the king would do to his lover later. Vladimir's fear was confirmed. Moments later, David returned with a woman. David's hand gripped her arm tightly and he almost dragged her inside.

The woman's face was wet with tears. There was fear in her eyes and voice. Her body was shaking. And as David pushed her down to the dust and straw covered floor, she couldn't help but scream.

"Ow!!!" She fell straight onto the haystack.

"My darling!" cried Vladimir. He stared sadly at his beloved for a few moments. Then he glanced at David, trying to warn him.

Even though he didn't say a word, David understood the meaning of the look in Vladimir's eyes. Nevertheless, David remained silent. He could not refuse the king's command.

Vladimir's lover, however, was struggling to get up. Limping, the hem of her white dress brushing the floor, the woman approached Vladimir. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Remember. No matter what happens, I will always love you, my lord."

"Hang in there, my love." Pain pierced Vladimir's chest. His desire to hold and protect her was blocked by the chains.

"You leave me no choice, Vlad." The king suddenly showed his dominance. He moved closer to the lover of his eldest son. The king's gaze swept over her face and ended at something dangling from her neck. He pulled the sapphire pendant in the shape of butterfly wings from her neck until it broke.

In one swift motion, the king picked up a whip that hung on the wall of the room and delivered several lashes to the woman's slender body. The woman moaned in pain.

"Mhina!!! Father, please don't do this! Stop it! Just kill me! Not my Mhina!!!" Vladimir cried. The man continued to struggle, but the friction of his skin against the silver chains that bound his hands caused them to heat and burn.

"Vlad, I love you," the woman said in a voice barely audible to normal humans.

"Mhina, hold on! Father, let Mhina go!" Vladimir shouted.

The king stared at Vladimir. His blood-red eyes signaled that there was no more forgiveness for the forbidden lovers. Angry at his disobedient son, the king dropped his gaze to David.

"Finish this human woman with this!" The king pulled a diamond dagger from his waistband and threw it at David. "I'm sure this woman is no ordinary human. She can destroy our existence."

"No!!!" Vladimir shouted. The man struggled again, ignoring the burning and peeling skin on his wrists.

David raised the dagger the king had given him and plunged it into the woman's chest. The woman moaned. Slowly, her breathing slowed and then stopped.

"Noooo!!! Mhina!!!" Vladimir's scream was deafening, breaking the silence of the night.

"This is the punishment for dissent!" The king turned and walked out.

Vladimir clenched his teeth. His jaw seemed to harden and his blue irises turned red. His anger exploded. "I hate you all!!! I will finish you! You can't hide from me. I will hunt you all down!"