I refused to show my emotions on the outside, so I stiffened my spine and started to open the door to the gardens when Sister Marjie stopped me by grabbing my hand.

“Let me go outside first to speak with him, I’ll let you know when to come out, alright?” She patted my cheek and quickly shut the door behind her as she left me with the other Sisters.

I carefully pressed my ear to the door to try to listen in on the conversation but everything was muffled from the heavy oak door. I huffed in irritation and began pacing in front of the door until there was a soft knock on the other side.

I stepped to the side where the door opens and Sister Marjie cracks the door with a soft smile on her face. “Come, he wishes to meet you.”

I frowned at her smile, not understanding why she looked that way. She should have fear in her eyes, anger, something. Anything at this point besides a smile. I quickly nodded at her and she opened the door wider to let me pass. I continued walking as I heard whispering behind me but I paid it no mind as I took in the sights before me.

There were at least ten vampires surrounding the garden area, all with red eyes staring at me as I stepped further into the garden. I swallowed my fear down and glared at each of them, to let them know I was not afraid of any of them. I heard a dark chuckle to my right and my head snapped in that direction. I inhaled sharply as the piercing light gray eyes staring back at me. He was taller and more broad than I anticipated. He wore a dark blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his forearms were defined as well. The veins seemed to protrude from his skin. His hair was a dark brown that was slicked back. He reminded me of the story I read not too long ago about the gangsters from back in the day, during the time of black and white movies and tv. I watched him closely with a slight tilt in my head, regarding him as he did the same to me. His black hair was brushed back from his face and his jaw clenched. Since he was a vampire, especially the King of them, I’m sure he could hear my heart beat thumping painfully inside my chest. His nostrils flared and I assumed he could smell it as well, which to me was a bit disturbing. As he took in my scent, I watched his gray eyes become a light red in color before returning back to normal.

I glanced to my left and glared at the other vampires for a moment before turning my back on them and facing the King with my hands folded in front of my dress. The King regarded me with an eyebrow raised at my direct insult to his men and my lip twitched in response. I watched a ghost of a smile forming before it quickly disappeared behind an indifferent mask. The men behind me growled low in their throats and their King silenced them with a glance before returning his gaze back to me.

“Raven.” The King addressed me. His voice was dark and full of secret promises that I never wished to find out. My body however, had a mind of its own as the hair on my arms rose with the goose bumps along my arms, creating a trail down my back. I felt like prey when he stated my name. The way he said it made it sound like a sin.

I tilted my head in acknowledgment. He smirked. “Come closer, so we may speak a little more privately.” He glanced over my shoulder to Sister Marjie, I’m sure was still standing at the door watching us both like a hawk.

I looked at her for a brief moment and when I saw her nod her head towards me, I faced the King once more and walked over to stand in front of him. I kept my eyes trained on him as I stepped closer. I stopped when I stood at least 3 feet in front of him and kept my breathing calm and measured to slow my racing heart before it beat out of my chest and into his hand.

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“As you well know, Raven, I am the King of vampires. And I do believe that you had no idea of our existence until the other night, the night of your birthday I presume?” He asked me, keeping his eyes trained on mine.

I nodded slightly, keeping my mouth shut. I did not want to say anything that would anger him so he wouldn’t have a reason to kill me. So I thought it best to keep quiet.

“I see. So you have no idea as to what you are, let alone who you are?” I frowned in response but nodded my head again.

He nodded and rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression, glancing away from me. He nodded again before looking back to me again and stuck his hand out. “I’m King Warrick. My apologies for not introducing myself sooner.”

I looked down at his outstretched hand and raised an eyebrow at him. I sighed and slid my small hand in his. Fire erupted through my veins from our contact and I felt myself being tugged closer. I let out a sharp gasp in surprise at the feeling. A haze began to take over my eyes and I tried to blink it away but everything became fuzzy, including the King standing in front of me. I felt an arm wrap around my waist before I was gently carried to sit on the bench under the willow tree where I was just a couple nights ago, when I saw my first vampire.

As the King released me, the haze lifted from my eyes and I blinked them rapidly as I tried to calm my breathing. I looked down at my hand, half expecting it to be burned but it wasn’t. Nothing happened to me.

I frowned and looked up in question at the King.

His eyes showed the disbelief I didn’t quite understand and out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. When I glanced behind him to see Sister Marjie being held by a vampire.

The anger I felt earlier rose within me, hotter than before. “Let her go.” I said in a voice I didn’t recognize.

When the vampire who held Sister Marjie didn’t so much as flinch at what I said, I stood from my seat on the bench with a slight sway and started stalking over towards him with my fists clenched. I didn’t see the look Sister Marjie was giving me as I stalked over to where they stood. I felt lighter than I ever have before. The anger pulsing inside me. It was different than any other time I had felt true frustration. I felt the King’s presence more than doubled now since something had changed within me at the sight of my adoptive mother being held captive. I stopped right in front of the vampire who dared to touch Sister Marjie and glared up at him. My fingernails dug into the palm of my hands as I fought to keep control.

“I said. Let. Her. Go.” I said quietly.

He ignored me completely and I clenched my jaw as more anger flooded my system. He was looking at his King for an answer. I grasped his jaw in my hand and made him look me in the eye. His red gaze grew brighter with rage at the sudden disrespect I gave him and he let her go, shoving her away and she collapsed onto the ground. That’s when I lost it.

A red haze blanketed my vision and I growled low in my chest. I lunged for him and he wasn’t nearly as prepared as he thought he was when I grabbed him by his throat with my left hand and shoved my hand into his rib cage, ripping his heart out of his chest. Blood seeped from his lips while his body slowly turned from a pale white to a light gray, black veins sprouted up his neck before he suddenly burst into ash.

The red haze dissolved from my eyes as I looked down at the heart in the palm of my hand, I dropped whatever was left when it collapsed into ash and lifted my hand again to watch as the black tips dissolved into my natural skin. The black claws shifted back into my fingernails, they were still red from the blood and had a gray tinge to them from the ash. I gasped from disbelief and looked at Sister Marjie as my body began to tremble from shock.

“Sister…” My hands began to tremble from the shock of what just happened and I felt more than seeing the King approach my side and I looked at him.

“There you are. Nice to finally meet you, Raven.” His grin held pure joy at what I just committed against his own people. His fangs had lengthened and it made me tremble all the more for an entirely different reason. There was a pink hue to his irises like the red was trying to bleed through but he was fighting against it. I was almost curious as to why he would but at the present moment I didn’t give it a second thought.