THE MEETING

CHAPTER THREE

"Where is Franco?" King Vlad asked his other son Leon

"If I have to watch my brother all day I won't get any work done father, I have no idea where he is."

"We have to find him, we don't want him going off and getting someone killed again after we had only just explained to a distraught mother why her daughter won't be coming home form the palace."

"He is probably off looking for his next prey to put all of his hatred of mother on, you know Franco.

"Unfortunately I do, summon your brother Vicktor and have him send out a search party headed by him to the nearby villages, I need an eye on your brother at all times"

"Yes father, I would do that right away,"

"Where is your brother anyway? I haven't seen him in a while"

"Where he always is father, chasing and charming women."

King Vlad shook his head in wonder, his three sons had a bit of him in them. While Leon was cool headed and worried all the time about the future and the kingdom, vicktor with just one eye giving him the look of a rake was always after women, charming the skirts off them at any given opportunity although he did not even need the pursuit when he could just compel them to sleep with him. Franco on the other hand was one he could not quite put his finger on, he was both scared and in awe of his young son who commanded fear wherever he went by just walking into a room. The prophesy the witch talked about was the only thing that was keeping him from immediately executing her for crossing the boundaries of his kingdom years ago, he knew witches were all deceitful but he also knew she spoke the truth as his son Franco could not be killed, they had tried.

King Vlad walked back to his room in great despair, his household was falling apart right before his eyes.

He could remember vividly when Franco was born and how his wife had suffered with his birth, he had been beside her suffering with her as she tried to bring him into the world before finally giving up the ghost. He could remember that his son had not cried but instead stared up at him with mismatched eyes. The vampyres of his lineage often grew their fangs at the age of six but Franco had been born with his and from a very young age he had had a great taste of blood just like the vampyres of the scriptures, the ones who had eaten directly from the tree of life that had brought about the strongest generation of Vampyres ever seen. When Franco began walking he was the liveliest boy in the palace and he Vlad had felt guilty over his assessment of the young boy. Even when he began retreating into his shell due to the harsh treatment of his brothers, he had failed to notice until it was too late and he had become the villain he was. Vlad had himself to blame for everything that Franco had become and everything he had done, he could hardly believe that this was going to be his fate.

As he walked he totally ignored the greetings of the maids in the hallway, they watched him stagger and shook their head in pity. How the mighty had fallen, they thought in their hearts for they could remember how mighty the king used to be, they could remember how ruthless and forgiving he was to his foes and friends. He now appeared as an empty shell of himself, cannot die and yet cannot fully live and they were sure this was as a result of his youngest son Franco, the psychopath that killed at will and whenever the mood struck him. They tried their best to stay out of his path and in return he went outside the palace to hunt for red haired girls to kill, it was a shame really how no one could stop him instead they all watched him kill and kill again.

....

Franco walked stealthily in the bushes eyeing his prey with mismatched eyes, she was a beautiful one and he could not wait to sink his fangs into her neck and taste her, her blood dripping down his lips.

She did not notice his presence just as he knew she would not as she was looking around with a scroll in her hand.

Franco crouched in the shrubs licking his lips and watching her look around, he wondered what she was doing far away from the village. Her red hair glistened in the sun, it was almost blinding and when she dropped the scroll to fix a loosened strand of hair into its clasp, he felt his stomach clench at that sudden movement

"Are you done watching me?" The girl called out after successfully replacing her hair in the clasp.

Franco did not move an inch pretty sure she was not talking to him.

"I know you are hiding there, come on out. I have very good ears and I can hear you breathe although it was very difficult, you don't breathe like humans do." She turned facing the direction he was hiding.

Franco stood from where he was crouched and stretched before walking to where she stood holding the scroll.

"I smell witch on you"

"You are right, I am a witch and what you are is a stalker."

"Excuse me?"

"You were watching me so I assumed you are a stalker, is that how you prey on young girls? How you catch your fun?"

"You have no idea how I catch my fun young lady" Franco said smiling at her whilst eyeing her

"Your eyes are very beautiful, how did it happen?"

"Beautiful? Some people consider it scary to say the least, I am often called a demon."

"Now who would call a young boy such as yourself a demon."

"Young boy? I am one hundred and fourteen years old." Franco said indignantly

"One hundred and fourteen? Whom are you trying to trick?" The girl laughed effortlessly.

Franco fangs began growing of their own accord

"Look at me" he compelled her

She turned and looked over at him and then noticed his fangs

"You are a Vampyre" Alaska breathed unevenly.

"I am and you are coming with me."

With that he knocked her out and carried her on his shoulders, smiling as he did so. He had just found his perfect prey