A Twisted Anthology: A Twisted Design Book

The Prince and the Princess Part 2

After making my way around the room and stopping to talk with a few people, I found a half dozen good targets who were presenting throat. I licked my lips as I considered them all over another glass of champagne. They were scattered around the room.

Five women and one man who were what I needed. They were all children of Felix’s broodmates. Those of us who were children of the originals all had different eye colors from our sires, except Felix. Often, broods would have the same eye colors, but some, like Talia and Marius, had different colors, it was just part of their sire’s spectrum. All of our children had the same eye color as us.

Seeing this mix of colors reminded me of all the vampires we’d lost over the years. Only Felix, Marius, Talia, and I remained. All that was left of the children of the originals.

-

The first vampires came from humans who were being attacked by dark spirits often. The darker the night, the more they were attacked. These humans revered the sun and the moon, because they were what kept the spirits at bay.

One night, the son of the leader of the group was killed by the dark spirits. His soul was ripped from his body to join the spirits in their torment of others. A mysterious witch appeared that night. She worked a spell on the young man at the request of the people.

She prayed to the moon goddess to bring him back to his body and give him life again. She called to the spirits, requesting they return him. For three days and nights, she refused food, water, and sleep.

On the third night, his eyes opened. His irises were white and glowed. He drank the blood of the witch, killing her. His hunger over took him and he killed most of the people he’d considered family and friends without knowing who they were.

The witch came back to her body. Her irises were completely black. They became lovers, keeping the humans as cattle to feed on. They conceived a set of triplets in their first year together. The first dhampyrs. One with white eyes, one with black eyes, and one with gold eyes.

The first two vampires weren’t considered the originals, though, their children were. They were the ones who worked to learn where and how they fit into the world. They learned about the ways they needed and were related to humans, while their parents just fed without caring.

When the first two vampires had been dead for thirty years, their minds came back. They realized what they had done. Neither was a bad person in life. They were sick with grief about what they’d done. They decided to meet the sun together in remorse for what they did.

Their children were there to watch them die their final death. They didn’t waste any time leaving their home. The children traveled the world. They died together, at one thousand years old, and woke as full vampires.

My sire was called Dark. His eyes were black. It’s where Asmodeus got his eye color from. He wasn’t my broodmate, though. Azz was much younger than me.

His sire was my broodmate. We used to get into so much trouble. She was my partner in crime. Until we were five thousand years old.

I avoided her children ever since then, and her until her final death. I want nothing to do with them. But, the descendants of Sun were in attendance at this party, so I’d lower myself to be here.

They were hard to find. Sun didn’t make many children, unlike her brothers, Dark and Moon. Felix was the only one of Sun’s children still living. Just like I was the only one of Dark’s children.

Talia and Marius both belonged to Moon. He was the only one of the triplets who would change his name regularly. Moon went through phases…. I didn’t intend that to sound like a pun, it was just how he was. Dark changed his name once before his death, because he didn’t want to be associated with dark magic. Sun used her name her whole life.

These are just the names the words of old translate into now. Their true names are lost to time and memory. When they left us, we decided they would be known to all other vampires as their last known names, but the four of us would call them the translations of their first names. I took great pleasure in calling Dark by the name he used when he changed me.

The children of the originals always got together on the Winter Solstice. It was the origin of the celebrations all vampires had. They liked seeing us and hearing about our lives and exploits. Like real parents.

We would join our sires in their home. They all lived together for the entirety of their second lives. Only their children were allowed there. None of our children were permitted.

As the centuries passed, the numbers dwindled. When there were only a handful of us left, our sires decided they didn’t want to live in this world anymore. We have no idea how long they went between losing their parents and learning how to make other vampires.

It wasn’t like time mattered to them in the same way it did humans or other supernaturals. They were ancient by the time I was sired. They looked older, but not decrepit. It was their eyes. They had such tired eyes.

I didn’t understand it when I was younger, but, now, I felt it deeply. The only thing that kept me going was this night. Every year. This was what I looked forward to.

Now, the council was housed in their old home. We’d fixed and replaced so many things, there was almost nothing of the original structure, but it was the home of our sires. It made us feel close to them to be there.

-

One of the women, a brunette with silver eyes, was cautiously making her way over to me. Normally, I was the one to approach them. This was a nice change.

She smiled at me and I nodded to her. This made her more confident in her approach. I stopped a waiter with a tray and put my, now empty, glass on it in exchange for two more glasses.

As the woman got close, I handed her a glass. She accepted it graciously. I hadn’t had a silver in a while. It would be a little bit of a treat.

“I’m Star.” She told me, giving me her hand.

I accepted it and kissed the back of it. “A beautiful name. You are as mesmerizing as your namesake.” I purred.

If she could have blushed, I think she would have. It was obvious she was overwhelmed by my charm and attention. I was happy it ended up working out so well. I would’ve hated to have people see me chasing after a man.

We made small talk. I kept complimenting her and she kept stumbling and stuttering. She would glance over from time to time. I saw a group of other vampire women encouraging her.

Either they were her friends, or they wanted to see her get rejected by me. She wasn’t very old. Maybe one hundred. Practically fresh out of the nest.

Vampires under a certain age were often in awe of High Council members as more than just powerful vampires. They saw us as celebrities or heroes of some sort.

In a way, it was charming. In another, it was tedious. She was flustered and trying to seem like she wasn’t. Poor thing. She wasn’t even flirting like a normal vampire.

“What brings you to New York?” Star asked.

“I randomly go to large cities around the solstice. Then I find parties I’m not invited to and pick one to attend. Surely you know this much about me.”

“Oh, I mean, I thought you were here on business, not that you did this on purpose.” She giggled nervously.

“I take time off from the solstice to the new year. I like to find someplace with an active night life and see what it has to offer.” I replied.

“I could show you around, if you like. I grew up here and just moved back ten years ago. It really changed from how it was when I was human.”

“Perhaps. Let’s see how the night goes. I might select you to be my companion for my stay. Would you like that, little Star?” I purred, reaching out to stroke her neck with the back of my index finger.

She shivered and looked back at the other women. They were definitely friends. They looked excited for her. That was refreshing. It was such an interesting change from how most vampires were.

After a while, I looked at the clock. It was nearly eleven. I needed to get her back to my hotel and into bed by midnight. Another woman approached as I was just about to take Star back with me.

This one had deep blue eyes. They were so dark, they almost looked black. It was one of Dark’s other descendants. Star smiled at her, but the other woman just smirked and dismissed her, turning all her attention to me.

She licked her lips and traced a hand down over her neck. She had a lot of confidence. Obviously old enough to see me as a powerful vampire, but not one to be overly reverent of.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you, Master Phoebe.” She said seductively.

“We’ve met?” I asked with a bored tone.

I knew who she was. She’d hung all over me at a party for her sire something like a hundred years ago. I could barely remember the time, just the annoyance I felt at this woman. She flirted heavily with Marius, Felix, and Talia. When they made certain she knew they weren’t interested, she turned her attention to me.

All I really remembered was the irritation, her name, and the calculating look in her eye. This woman was after power and would do whatever she could to get it. Like most vampires, it made her easily forgettable.

Marisol looked offended. “Yes! About two hundred years ago. We spent an evening talking and flirting together, but you ended up having to leave the party we were at abruptly. You told me we’d pick up where we left off the next time we met. I believe where we left off was you inviting me to spend the rest of the night with you, alone.”

“Ah. I see.”

Sadly, I was far more memorable to people than they were to me. I remembered each of the men and women I’d taken back to my rooms on solstice nights, but they were important to me. She was not.

“Why don’t we head back to your hotel? I’m older, and definitely more experienced, than that girl. I can make sure you don’t forget me again.” She replied, putting back on her seductive tone.

Star had started moving away slowly. I reached out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close to me. Her hand rested on my chest, right above my breast.

“I’ve chosen my partner for the evening. Thank you for your interest, maybe next time.” I smiled.

“Her?” Marisol scoffed.

“Me?” Star echoed.

I turned my head to Star and looked into her eyes. “I find her sweetness… refreshing. Would you like to come back with me, beautiful little Star? I can promise you a night neither of us will forget.”

“Y-yes, Master Phoebe. Thank you.” She said softly.

“Good evening, Marisol.” I smiled as I guided Star toward the coat check.

Marisol looked shocked, then angry. She probably thought I forgot her name as well. Now, it would seem to her as if I was lying when I said I didn’t remember her. Ah, well, I suppose that’s her problem to sort.

Star and I turned in our tickets and waited for our items. I put my gloves back on while we waited and she smiled nervously. After I put my hat back on and tucked my cane under my arm again, I put out my other arm for Star. She wrapped her arms around it and hugged it to her.

This would give her a lot more power than any other vampire her age had. She would be well-known, not just in town, but all over. No matter where she went, she’d have the strength of my favor behind her.