Kitten in the Wolf's Den

Prologue: Lost Little Orphanage

~Unknown P.O.V.~

I carried the child protectively in my arms. I could smell her alluring sweet-scented blood. Her soft fleshy skin emitted a gentle tropical aroma; like the ocean. But her blood was the real aromatic temptation for me. I could hardly resist her sugary strawberry deliciousness. So pure, so innocent. Untouched by flaws. This child; this infant would be the death of me. I could already sense it. Even though I wanted to sink my teeth in her tender little neck, I knew I could not. After all, she is still just a baby. However, in just a few years, I will be able to sample her sweet, pure and delectable flavor as it dances along my taste buds. What is 18 more years when you've already lived over a hundred centuries?

Her gentle mews and squeals filled my ears as I held her tightly against my chest. She looked up into my blue flaming eyes with no fear or hesitation. She certainly was one of a kind. This is why she must be mine. She will be mine. Just a little longer, just a little older. Her tiny fingers fisted into my long platinum blonde hair, tugging it down. I chuckled, staring down at her with a look of admiration. f**k, she's beautiful. Absolute perfection. Breathtaking. She would make an excellent royal.

"How would you like that, duckling? Will you be my princess?" I asked her while c*****g an eyebrow. She cooed back at me in response, making me laugh. "Well, let us just see what my father has to say about it. Huh, mica marea?" She once again answered with her cute little squeals.

In just a few short minutes, I arrived outside the castle belonging to my father and our clan. Ezekiel and Xavier stood guard in front of the entrance. Their eyes landed on me and they immediately bowed their heads in respect. Ezekiel is a few years younger than me. My younger sister fell in love with the man on sight, and for a few years she used Zeke as her living blood bag. After she grew tired of the taste of his blood, I made her turn him, and trained him to be a guard for my clan. He is a handsome young man with orange-red eyes, dark brown permed hair, pale skin, and a strong build. Zeke is one of my most trusted soldiers, and that is why he is the one who helps me train the new turned vampires.

Xavier, for instance, is one of our freshest recruits. His eyes are still scarlet red because of his uncontrollable blood-lust, his long wavy hair is an auburn red color, pale skin tone, and a lean muscular build. I found him outside a human village. His life was dangling from a thin strand after a group of vargulfs attacked his village and left him to die. He would have died if I had not found him. Luckily, I was on my way back to my castle after I feasted on one of my many mistresses. That was only a few months ago, and he is still learning to control his hunger. Zeke was put on task today to be Xavier's personal trainer, so that when his blood-lust is tamed he can be free to stand guard by himself one day.

I nodded my head back towards them to pay my respects. They may not be royalty like myself, but I believe everyone is deserving of respect as long as they have earned it. "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Your majesty, is everything all right?" Zeke greeted me back before his eyes landed on the child in my arms. "Is...Is she a hu-."

"Human!" Xavier hissed suddenly as he too shifted his attention to the human baby. His scarlet eyes began to glow, showing his blood-lust. Before he had the chance to lunge at the child, Zeke ran to him and snapped his neck with ease.

Zeke sighed, looking down at the unconscious vampire before looking back at me. "Sorry, my prince. I will deal with him. You go on ahead."

I smiled back at him, resisting the urge to put him in his place. Nobody is allowed to give me permission or tell me what to do. I am their prince and their future king. Not the other way around. The child squealed at me as she grabbed onto my long hair again, forcing my attention on her. She was a very clever girl. I took a deep breath to control my anger and slowly released it before speaking. "Thank you, Ezekiel. Be sure to find a replacement guard before leaving your post."

"Of course, your majesty!" he acknowledged respectfully. His head bowed low as I walked past him and he did not move from his position until I disappeared through the main gates.

Once inside, I readjusted the child in my arms and glided through the many corridors and up the many flights of stairs. The infant's iridescent blue orbs gazed wondrously around as I carried her towards my father's formal office. The one place he spends the entirety of the day until he returns to his private chambers for the night. The man is rather fit for not doing anything except sitting in front of his desk and sleeping in his bed. You would think he would be either overweight or underweight, but he has kept himself in good form. After my mother died from a werewolf attack, he hardly moved from those two locations. He barely visits my sister and I, using me to attend all the important nobility meetings. That is unless they specifically requested his presence.

The child's squealing once again snatched my attention from my thoughts. She cooed up at me, suckling her small magenta-pink lips in the air. I chuckled, gazing down at her, and found myself transfixed in those deep ocean eyes of hers. She let out a few soft whimpers as tiny tears began streaming down her face. My heightened hearing picked up the sound of her tummy softly rumbling. Poor thing, she's starving.

I quickly reached my father's office door and lifted my arm, softly knocking against it. "Father, it is Typhon. May I enter?"

"Dear lord, what is all the ruckus!" He grumbled from inside the room. I heard his heavy boots stomping across the wooden floor as he approached from the other side. Then he yanked the door open and stood frozen in his spot. His dark burgundy eyes staring down at the infant. What is so shocking about me holding a child? Why is everyone reacting like that? Sigh.

I grinned up at him as I adjusted the baby again, this time holding her in the air with my hands under her armpits. "I found this little human in a cave. She was all alone and crying." I informed him. The baby screamed at the sight of my father and I quickly pulled her back into my chest. "Hey! Shh, shh, duckling. Everything is alright. I will not let him hurt you." I cooed at her. She sniffled a few more times before calming down. I must be getting good at this parenting thing. Too bad I did not want to be her father. Although, I would not mind being her daddy in a few years. Wink!

My father glared down at me with disappointment reflecting in his dark burgundy eyes. "Why did you bring her here? No, scratch that! Why is she still alive? Humans are only good for food, soldiers, or the occasional screw. She is too young to be the latter two, which means she should be your food.”

"She is too young to be proper food. You know this." I glared back at him and stepped into his office, walking over to the lounge situated against the back wall. I sunk down onto the leather seat and placed my finger in the infant’s mouth. She started sucking on my finger as if it were her mother's breast, making a smile appear on my face. I lifted my head back up to look at my father, who turned around to frown at me. "Besides, father, I have plans for her future. She will be my queen when she becomes of age."

His frown deepened as he slammed his office door shut before he stomped over to me. "What are you going to do with her before then, Typhon? You have duties and responsibilities. You can't raise this child yourself, especially not for 18 years!" He shouted at me as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I nodded my head in agreement. "Of course I know that, father. I am not an i***t. I have arranged plans to drop her off at the human orphanage tomorrow morning."

"You will do so tonight, son. She needs to be fed and we do not carry baby formula or breast milk."

I chuckled, shaking my head at him. "They are closed for the night, father. She must stay here for the night. I will feed her my blood. That should be sufficient to satiate her tummy for the time being." My eyes drifted back down to the child as she nibbled on my finger with her tender gums. I pulled my finger from her mouth before using one of my nails to slice into my finger just deep enough to bleed. Then I stuck the injured finger back into her mouth. Her eyes widened at first as she tasted my blood on her tongue, but she soon closed her lips around my finger, drinking the blood that leaked out of it. "There, see." I smiled in satisfaction before looking back at my father's face.

His burgundy eyes were lit up with the bright flames of his inner rage. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into the flesh of his palms, which caused blood to drop onto the floor. He looked pissed. Outraged even. More than ever before. I curled an eyebrow up at him in question. "Do you not realize what you did, son?" He hissed at me, baring his sharp fangs. "YOU ARE ROYALTY!" He roared, turning to punch his fist through the wall. The concrete and plaster crumbled to the floor with a loud bang, causing the child to flinch in my arms. I stroked the side of her delicate little face and she soon relaxed, going back to sucking on my finger.

"I know that. She will be fine, father. I plan to keep an eye on her throughout her life. Eventually, she will come to live with us. Maybe in 16 years if she wants. I will be there to feed her my blood on every full moon. She will not die." I responded calmly.

When a royal vampire feeds a human their blood, it causes consequences. The human will not be turned into a vampire, but they will grow weaker with time if they are not continuously fed the royal vampire's blood. On all full moons, those humans become incredibly weak, and if they are not fed the royal vampire's blood, their death is certain. It has been many years since a human has been fed a royal vampire's blood. My sister and I were the last to do so, and those humans were Ezekiel and Xavier. Before that, it was my uncle who fed his blood to my aunt before he turned her after she gave birth to my cousins.

Royal vampires' blood is the only kind that can turn a human into a full-fledged vampire. Other vampires do not have the ability because turned vampires are human-vampire hybrids. The key differences are that hybrid vampires are the weakest and can be killed in many different ways; full-fledged vampires are stronger and faster than hybrid vampires and can be killed only by wooden stakes to the heart, ripping out their hearts, or burning their bodies. Finally, royal vampires are the strongest and fastest of them all. We are the only vampires that are born instead of created, and we possess rare abilities. The only way for us to be killed is by having our hearts ripped out of our chests. Last vampire fact. Royal vampires are the only ones that can impregnate humans. That is how we are born. Both hybrid and full-fledged vampires are unable to procreate.

My father sighed out loud, taking me out of my thoughts. He ran his hand down the side of his face and rubbed his chin as his forehead creased in thought. "If she is to be your queen, then you must keep her alive. That means also making sure she is not killed after each time you feed her, or else she will become one of us and will not be able to produce any of your heirs."

I grinned up at him, relaxing my shoulders after being tense while awaiting his response. "I understand, father. I promise to take care of her. Thank you for trusting me." I told him.

"Do not let me down, son. Now take her to your room, get some rest, and be sure to drop her off at the orphanage in the morning."

"Yes, father."

I stood up immediately and pried my finger from the child's mouth. Her eyelids were closed, lips parted, and soft snores escaped her little body. Her tiny belly was satisfied after filling up with my blood, and she was now asleep. My smile stretched further across my lips, if that were even possible, as I carried her to my private chambers. I walked towards my large four-poster bed and carefully placed her down on top of the dark red silk sheets. She stirred slightly from the movement but quickly settled back down.

I walked through my closet and dug through my clothes, pulling out a clean pair of boxers and basketball shorts, slipping them on after stripping off my current clothes. Once dressed in fresh clothing, I exited the closet and walked over to my huge bed and laid down beside the sleeping child. I rolled onto my side and glanced over at the baby girl. She was tiny. Smaller than any other infant human I have ever seen. Her eyelashes were perfectly long and resting against her delicate cheeks. Her short wavy hair was a beautiful light honey brown color. I lifted my hand and gently patted her head, feeling the softness of her hair. Her warm ivory skin felt smooth and velvety under my fingertips as I gently stroked her tiny face. Her little magenta pink lips lifted into an adorable smile as my touch tickled her, making me chuckle. She really is a sight for sore eyes.

Eventually, I fell into a deep sleep after spending over an hour engraving all of her features into my memory. I was careful not to leave anything out. Even checking her tiny belly button and discovering she definitely has an innie. Every inch of her innocent little body is now etched into my memory under lock and key. This way I will never forget what she looked like on this day. The first day I had her in my arms.

My eyelids peeled open the next morning rather earlier than I am used to. When I fully woke up, I realized the reason for my early awakening. My little duckling was wailing and screaming her head off beside me. I sniffed the air and gagged at the smell of baby poop reeking from her dirty diaper. Damn, my blood must have definitely filled her little belly last night. I laughed and hopped off my bed, running to my door. One of the maids noticed me peeking my head out of my room and, after asking for her help, she ran and grabbed a fresh diaper for me. Our maids were human, so it made sense that she had diapers. She came back and after politely asking her, she giggled and changed the dirty diaper for me. It is not that I did not want to, I just did not know how. My father was right, I did not have the time nor the skills to care for a baby.

I thanked the maid and took the smiling infant from her arms before she scurried out of my chambers. Once she was gone, I closed the door and walked over to my connected lounging room and took a seat on one of the long sofas. I looked down at the little girl and she smiled at me. "Look who is feeling better, duckling." I cooed at her, holding her against my chest. "Are you hungry, little one? Here you go." I smiled as I cut my finger open and stuck it in her mouth. She fed on my blood, just like the night before, and I relaxed back on the sofa as I let her fill her belly again.

"I have to give you up today, duckling." I spoke to her in a soft whisper as she watched my face, continuing to suck my blood from my finger. "I do not want to, but it will be best for you. You need baby formula and someone who can fully devote all their time to taking care of you. I promise to come visit you though and, soon, you will come to live with me here. You will be mine, duckling." I heaved a heavy sigh, feeling a tear slip from my eye.

Her little face puckered up as tiny tears leaked from her iridescent sapphire blue eyes. The wet tears made them look even more like bright shiny crystals. After she finished sucking my blood out of my finger, I pulled it out of her mouth and lifted her up to lay her on my chest, rubbing gentle circles on her back. I whispered sweet nothings in her ear and even sang a few lullabies to her until she fell back asleep. Finally, I left my private chambers and carried her out of the castle as carefully and quietly as I could.

Outside, there was a black Mercedes-Benz E-Class already parked and waiting for us. I carried the child over to the backseat behind the passenger's side and opened the corresponding door. Whoever brought it here had already placed the infant carrier and secured it to the seat. I gently placed the baby into it and buckled the straps, making sure to be careful not to pinch her skin. Her eyes peeled open for a second before they closed once again. I smiled as I shut her door and then jogged around to the drivers' side. After climbing inside the vehicle, sitting in the driver's seat and shutting the door, I twisted the key in the ignition. The engine purred to life and, finally, I pulled out of the long driveway onto the road, flying towards the nearest human town.

It took a little over an hour but we finally reached our destination. I pulled the car into the orphanage's parking lot and parked it near the front entrance. The baby peeled her eyes open and I heard her soft coos as she started looking around the car. A sad smile formed on my lips as I turned the car off and exited the vehicle before jogging over to her side. Then I carefully unbuckled her straps and lifted her off of the seat. She smiled up at me and snuggled into my chest. I sighed, looking down at her before carrying her into the orphanage where a petite ginger woman sat behind a desk.

Her head lifted up and a large smile stretched across her lips as she saw us enter. "Hello! Welcome to the Lost Little Orphanage for underage girls." She greeted me, hopping up from her chair and walking around her desk. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she took a second to examine my appearance and her smile grew even wider. She definitely appreciated my good looks. "My name is Abigail, and who are you?"

I smirked down at her while freeing one of my arms to stick out my hand. The young woman boldly accepted my handshake and squeezed my hand as she shook it. "Typhon. Lovely to meet you, Miss Abigail." I greeted her back.

Her eyes lingered on my body for a second as we dropped our hands. Then, as if remembering her job, she shifted her gaze to the baby in my arms that was cradled against my chest. "And who is this adorable cutie?" She asked me.

My eyes widened in shock as the realization dawned on me. I have not given her a name yet. Duckling is definitely not a suitable name for a future queen. I took a moment to examine the baby's features again and found myself getting lost in her beautiful oceanic irises that gleamed like sapphire gems. Then it came to me. A name that I read in a book once that meant ‘of the sea’ would be perfect for her. A genuine broad smile formed on my lips, as I announced, "Marcelline Sapphire. Her name is Marcelline. The last name can be decided by the adopted parents."

Abigail stepped closer to me and outstretched her arms. I gazed down one last time at my little duckling and placed a tender kiss on her soft forehead before I handed her over to Abigail. She cradled Marcelline carefully against her chest and smiled up at me. "Marcelline Sapphire it is."

Then, after she handed me some paperwork and I filled it out, I turned to exit the door. Before stepping outside, I looked back one last time as a single tear slid down my cheek and called out, "Goodbye, Marcelline. I will miss you, duckling." Finally, I spun on my heels and left her behind.