The Dark Lord's Redemption

CHAPTER 1: HIS REDEMPTION

The Kingdom of Drazul, 377 years later.

He had his back to the door when someone came knocking, a soft rap and he knew already who it was... Yet Marcus wouldn't stop to cast a glance behind as he beckoned the person to come in.

“Yes?” he said dryly. And then he continued to stare across the evening sky, aware of the guests that trooped into his castle in attendance to his birthday ball.

She opened the door, entered the room walking until she stopped right behind him. “Oh, there you are! I have looked everywhere for you.”

“What do you want?” he demanded at once, his voice icy enough to freeze the oceans beyond.

Eartha smiled. “Your Grace,” she took another step forward until she was standing so close behind him until there was contact between their bodies. She let her fingers run up and down his green velvet ceremonial suit. “It is not such a good thing to keep the guests waiting, Your Grace,” she said.

“Let them wait, Eartha. I'm in no mood for parties as we speak,” he retorted.

“But you invited them?”

“I didn't, you did.”

“Yes, but you didn't cancel the invitation and that's because you like it,” Eartha retorted.

Even though knowing the fate he would suffer, Marcus stretched a hand to the sun and it didn't hesitate to burn him. He flinched and quickly withdrew his hand.

“Stop!” Eartha rushed the hand, moving it away from the sun. “Stop doing this to yourself!”

He snatched his hand. “And stop pretending as if you care!” For the first time, he turned and fixed his burning gaze on her. “If you did, Eartha, you would have saved rather than condemn an innocent child to an everlasting doom.” Marcus lashed between gritted teeth and moved away from her.

He continued and stopped before his dressing table, at least to see how he looked in his new outfit. But the dressing mirror was useless to him. He had no reflection, he had forgotten that.

“Urhh!!” he dashed away from the item and glanced once more at the never-aging woman standing before him. “I want to be left alone,” he declared.

But he noticed a sly smile play the corners of her lips. Eartha moved again and came standing before him. “Your Grace, I did you good.” She tried to touch his chest, seductively and he caught the hand.

“Why not try talking without touching me?” Marcus reprimanded.

As if burnt by his words, she recoiled her hand and smirked. “Pardon me, Your Grace,” she whispered. “As I said, I did you good,” she insisted.

“How? What good?”

“This, the gift of eternity.”

“Oh shut up, Eartha. Shut up. Of what good is this eternity when I can't even face the sun??” he growled. His eyes brewed like magma and some unseen powers that he possessed moved a little the chair of the dressing table. The dressing mirror cracked.

This is the point where anyone who knew the vampire feudal lord will scamper away to safety, but not Eartha. To her, she made him, she watched him become reborn into the monster he is today. And on top of that, she serves the Master.

Marcus was still pissed. The air in the room tightened, blowing a sudden breeze but still hot as inside a furnace. “You should be mad at your father, not me. He was the one who gave you up for sacrifice, not me, I only did my job. Now stop this strange atmosphere and listen to the good news I have for you. Pay attention to my birthday gift for you,” she said.

He did listen to her and made the breeze and high temp go away. “I don't care about any birthday gift,” he said. And this time he headed for the door. But before he would yank that open, she dropped a huge piece and he froze.

“What if I tell you that I've found for you the perfect human blood, that which you've searched for hundreds of years?”

Her words left him turning abruptly and facing her all again. He straightened as he gulped. “I will kill you if you're lying to me now.” He meant every word.

“Well, I'm not lying. Drink my blood and find out if I am, then you can kill me.”

“I told you I will never taste your blood so forget.” He spat. But he covered the space between them. He wanted answers to his redemption. He yearned to know where he could find the human blood, that which held the keys to his salvation.

“Fine.” Eartha rolled her eyes. “Tonight, you will have to decide on a cause, Your Grace. That cause which you hate with a passion. You will have to choose between tasting my blood or making love to me...”

“Never!” Marcus interrupted. He said between gritted teeth. A strand of his long hair dangled before his face giving him a fiery but hot aura. He grabbed her by the arm. “I will never make love to you. I will never drink your blood. Stop dreaming!”

A sardonic smile lit up Earth's countenance. “You really hate me so well.”

“I do.”

“Well, then. I will have to keep to myself this rare human with the special blood. Trust me, you will never find her you can try.” Her words did justice and Marcus trembled though in secret.

“Give me her name and I tell you before this time tomorrow I will be draining the last straw of blood from her veins,” he husked.

“Never. We must have a deal or I will not reveal her name,” Eartha threatened.

“Her name? I see my redemption is in fact a woman,” Marcus said in a sarcastic voice.

“-A girl, not a woman.”

“A girl?” he gasped.

“Yes. She will be seventeen in a few days.”

Marcus moistened his lips. “Seventeen?” he stammered. For a moment, he just stared at the emptiness before him. The confusion expressed in his red eyes confused Eartha.

“Why do you care about their age? I don't understand,” Eartha said.

He said nothing.

“Or are you no longer interested in your salvation? What is this I see in your eyes, pity or what, for yourself or the girl?”

“I feel pity for no one, I will still kill them and drink all their blood when I set my eyes upon them so what pity are you talking about?” He hissed, turning tables.

“Better,” Eartha smiled at the reassurance he had given her.

“Give me her name,” Marcus demanded.

“Never. Not until you have fulfilled my demand. And I'm sorry to tell you this demand just got tougher.”

“Draat!" He hated whenever she gave him conditions, especially in circumstances like this. Marcus reached and raked his hair, untieing them from the rubber band which bonded them behind his head. He appeared even more glorious.

Shuffling past Eartha, he walked this time to the window and stretched a hand again to the sun. This time he held it there while the sun roasted the exposed skin, he tested to see if he could withhold the pain of the sun... Closing his eyes, he gnashed his teeth as the pain increased.

He couldn't take the heat.

Marcus retracted his hand from the sun and faced Eartha again. He reopened his eyes. “Name your price.”

“Make love to me,” she rushed at the opportunity. “Make love to me now and I will tell you who the girl is. I will tell you all that you need to know about her,” Eartha requested, more like a plea.

As for Marcus, for the first time, something like an angry smile lit his tainted lips, it lit his entire expression. And to Eartha's surprise, he began to unbutton his suit. “Consider it done,” he said.

His acceptance sounded too good to be true. She hesitated, not until he crossed over to her and shoved her into the bed behind, not just a bed but his bed. And then, finally attacking his velvet suit, he did the same to the white shirt beneath and in a moment, he stood chest-naked before her.

His eyes fixed on her already patted legs, Marcus came on top of her. It was she who kissed him, pulling him down on top of her. He rushed the whole thing, sending his hand straight to her panties and shifting the lace material on one side. He moved, and in a moment he was buried deep inside her core, stretching it to the very ends and even more with his hardened, sweet length.

His thrust was brutal, but she liked it, after all, she knew he was doing this because he had no choice. Yet Eartha enjoyed every moment.

Somewhere around her c****x, the feudal lord fell into the lust of the moment and he pulled out of her and shot his juices on the mattress. And then he stared Eartha dead in the eyes. “Give me her name now,” he demanded, not hiding his impatience.

Stretching like a satisfied lazy cat, Eartha smiled. “Anna. Her name is Anna Jones of the Dark Moon clan. Her father is the alpha of the pack. Some call her the punisher, some call her the next Queen of Ascencia because I hear the only surviving Prince of Ascencia is planning to propose marriage to her.” Eartha paused and looked at Marcus closely. “It will interest you to know that this Prince of Ascencia is a newborn werewolf, but his strength triples each day. He, together with the Dark moon clan and the entire army of Ascencia will hunt you down if anything dares hurt Anna.”

Marcus was already dressing back into his clothes. “I don't intend to start a war, I just want the girl's blood for my salvation.”

“And don't forget, Your Grace, to get her blood means to kill her. And how will you do that without them finding out, they have a Seer, they will find out.” Eartha retorted.

“And I have a Seer, too. And that is you. Do what you can to stop them from finding out who took Anna. But if they do and resort to war, I will give them one.” Marcus finished and exited the room. He headed downstairs to the ballroom and celebrated with a toast at his discovery of the best birthday gift ever... Anna.

He drank from his glass and smiled.