Chapter 16

16 Psychopath

Anastasia tried throwing her arms and legs to escape from the clutch of that irate vampire. She was also screaming the names of the vampires that she knew would come to her rescue, “Zenon... Caspian... Help!”

However, her action provoked that vampire even more. He tightened his grip around her waist and spoke like a rabid animal, “Nobody is going to hear your feeble screams and come to your rescue, Princess. Nobody cares about a few missing humans. So shut your damned mouth already.”

But the Princess screamed even louder, “Zenon... Ze-”

That vampire clasped Anastasia’s mouth with his ice-cold palm and muffled her voice.

Tilla was helplessly looking around for something that she could use to beat that vampire with. And Anastasia kept on elbowing that vampire again and again.

That crazy vampire chuckled maniacally seeing the Princess still struggling to get away from him. And he whispered in her ear, “Your elbows are doing nothing more than tickling me. So be a doll and let me savor your taste now.”

Immediately after saying that, that vampire made Anastasia tilt her neck. He bared his fangs and was ready to dig them in the Princess’ neck.

In all that commotion, he didn’t realize that Tilla had picked up a decorative rock from the side and was sneaking from behind him.

Before he could bite Anastasia, Tilla raised that rock above her head and hit that vampire right at the back of his head.

.....

However, all it did was anger that vampire more than he already was. He rolled his eyes and curled his upper lips in irritation. And he sneered, “That... was rather foolish, fair maiden!”

His mind snapped because of that hindrance from Tilla so he pushed the Princess aside and swiftly turned to face Tilla.

“Princess!” Tilla screamed in panic seeing the Princess tumble to the ground and threw the rock away. She was about to rush towards the Princess but before she could move a muscle, that vampire grabbed her by her hair.

He jerked her head backward and growled, “Your foolish action is now going to cost you your life, dear. You are going to be the sacrificial goat instead.”

Tilla watched in horror as he elongated his fangs and leaned in.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Within a split second, Tilla felt excruciating pain in her neck. And in the next second, she could feel her blood being drained out of her body. She wanted to push the vampire away and run but her body refused to move a hair as though she had been paralyzed.

“Let me go! Please...” For the first few seconds, Tilla feebly begged for that vampire to stop.

But soon, she felt her heart getting colder and her head getting lighter by the second. Her breathing was slowing down and she felt that her end was very near.

The happy memories that she and the Princess had together began to flash in front of her eyes like moving pictures. She also recalled the Queen asking her to take care of Anastasia. A drop of tear rolled down her cheek as her gaze fell on the stunned Princess.

Anastasia was still on the ground, helplessly watching Tilla getting bitten and silently shedding tears.

And with the last bit of her strength, Tilla screamed to her best friend whom she had sworn to protect, “Anna, run!” She saw the Princess shaking her head while clasping her mouth with her palm. So she mouthed, “Please... run...”

Anastasia clenched her fists and pushed herself up from the ground. She almost instantly dropped down again because her legs were refusing to listen to her. But still, she forced herself up hoping to run towards the ballroom and call for help.

The Princess dragged her feet towards where the sound of music was coming from.

However, that vampire had no intention of letting the Princess escape from his clutch. He dropped Tilla to the ground and left her to die. And he caught up to Anastasia before she could even take a couple of steps.

He grabbed Anastasia by her shoulder and whispered, “I told you I wasn’t going to let you go before I taste your blood.”

That vampire circled the shaken Princess and stood in front of her. He stared right into Anastasia’s soul while licking Tilla’s blood that was smeared all over his mouth. “Your friend’s blood was quite tasty.”

“Now let me taste yours. I will compare and let you know whose blood tasted sweeter.” He gave a wicked smile to Anastasia and pushed the hair away from her neck. He then parted his lips to show the protruded fangs.

Anastasia’s vision was already blurry because of all the tears that were filling the rims of her eyes. But she could tell what he was going to do. She tightly shut her eyes and gripped her gown.

She held her breath when she felt the shadow of that vampire covering her face. ‘I’m sorry father, mother. I couldn’t keep my promise. Sorry!’ she thought and was ready to accept her death.

However, it looked like death just liked to tease her time and again by getting too close to her.

“How dare you touch my wife?”

She felt a gust of wind hitting her face and when she opened them, she saw Caspian standing in front of her instead of that vampire. She looked around to see that mad vampire hanging on one of the branches of the oak tree.

Caspian gently held Anastasia by her shoulders and asked while looking all over her body, “Wife, are you okay? Did he hurt you somewhere?”

Before Anastasia could bring herself to answer his question, Caspian found several bruises on her elbows that she got from hitting that vampire and falling to the ground.

And his fury knew no bounds.

Caspian instantly flew to grab that vampire by his neck. He flew higher and higher while holding that perpetrator and screamed with madness, “Who gave you the right to lay your hands on my wife? You thought I would let this matter slide?”

He threw that vampire to the ground with great force, so much so that a crater was formed right in the middle of that beautiful garden.

That psychopath coughed up some blood that he had just drank and tried to get up.

Before that vampire could get up and run away, Caspian flew down and straddled him.

He ferociously grabbed that man’s collar and snarled at him, “You are going to pay for what you did! I’ll execute you right here and now! But before that, I’m going to break each and every bone in your body, wait for it to heal, and break it all over again.”

That vampire was still showing no signs of remorse and was glaring back at Caspian in a mocking way.

Caspian gritted his teeth and instantly bare his claws. He punctured holes on those filthy palms that touched his wife. Then he grabbed one of his hands and broke it as if his hand was nothing more but a twig.

“Aaaaaahhhhh...” the criminal screamed at the top of his lungs but after a few seconds, he began to chuckle and provoked Caspian even more, “Are you even worthy to be called our King? Trying to kill another vampire for trying to prey on a mere human?”

Now Caspian was fuming even more. He retracted his claws and clenched his fists. “She is no mere human! She is my wife!”

Caspian immediately started to throw a barrage of punches right on that psychopath’s face. But he was smirking even when his lips had started to bleed.

Caspian was outraged to see that unchanging attitude. “You still have the guts to smirk? I’m going to wipe that smirk off of your face. Hell, I’m going to wipe your whole face off of your bones.”

Caspian kept on beating that vampire mercilessly until Zenon and Vincent came rushing to the scene.

Vincent saw that Tilla was lying unconscious close by. Her neck was still bleeding profusely. So he immediately picked her up from the ground and disappeared into the night.

Zenon stopped the King and said, “Your Majesty, I will take care of this man.” He glanced at the Princess who had turned into a weeping statue and added, “I think the Princess needs you the most right now.”

Caspian gave one final punch right on that man’s nose and spit on him before getting up.

He rushed to his wife’s side and wiped her tears with the sleeve of his shirt. He then wrapped Anastasia in his warm embrace and consolingly whispered to his hysterical wife, “Anastasia, it’s okay now. Don’t cry.”

But that just made her cry even louder. All of her pent-up emotions came bursting out of her.

For the first time after centuries, Caspian felt very protective of someone other than himself. He felt his heart aching hearing her wail like that.

Caspian gently stroked her ginger hair and kept on consoling her, “I’m here now. You are safe. I’m sorry that I was late. I promise I will never leave your side again. I’m sorry!”

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Anastasia was barely hanging on to her consciousness by a thread. And the moment she felt that she was in safe hands, her weak heart gave up and she blacked out.