Purebreds and Power

Han yawned as desperate, filthy noises filled his ears. He had finished his lunch and now sat staring at the ceiling. The occasional glass shattered on the floor, but no one moved to clean it up.

Han sighed.

His hand mindlessly stroked the thick hair of the slave seated on the floor beside him. Her head rested on his powerful outer thigh-- her eyes closed.

“This taste, ah, I wish to bottle it.” The elder to Han’s right commented, slurping from his fingers as he wiped his chin. One of Han’s slaves sat up from the tabletop and pulled her thighs together in front of the counselor. The elder placed a gold bauble around her foot resting on his thigh. He patted her calf. “Would you like to come to my home, my dear?”

“Thank you for the offer, Sir, but Master takes good care of us.” The young girl blushed as she chanced a look at Han.

“He should. It’s his grandfather that created your station in life” a voice growled from the end of the table, his hands in his lap. “We took as we pleased back then. But one sly slut decided to put silver in his food and the man went crazy on her bullshit. Now, these whores need to present themselves. Choose their masters. Consent to their submission. As if I need that.” Lord Chamberlain grunted and shuddered as his eyes rolled back in his head. He reached and grabbed his napkin, pulling it down under the table.

Han raised his eyebrow as a slender young man crawled from under the table before sitting himself in Chamberlain’s lap.

“I swear, no one knows their way around a cock better than a man,” the lord smirked before plunging his teeth into the man’s neck.

Seraphina appeared at Han’s side, presenting a tray of blue and yellow bottles in front of her.

“I hope that everyone enjoyed their meals-”

A sharp cry rang out, filling the room. Han’s father, Gideon Kang, held a curvy red-haired woman by the throat. “Teeth!” he bellowed. “Yellow for her!”

“No! No, no, no, Master. Please! It was a mistake. Please!” The woman dropped to her knees and rubbed her palms together in a prayerful position. “Please.”

“Oh, my dear, you know how I love your begging, but I require your full attention at all times. Yellow.”

Sera stepped toward the elder vampire and placed the tray in front of him. Gideon plucked a small bottle from the selection and grabbed onto the young woman’s jaw, prying it open.

“I warned you to know your place. Now drink!”

Gideon plucked the cork from the bottle and poured the yellow contents down the slave’s throat.

Her haunted expression didn’t cause anyone a thought. Her pupils expanded as she sputtered and coughed, finally slumping forward into Gideon’s lap. He used his knee to push the body off of him.

After wiping himself with his napkin, he turned to Sera who had continued to pass out blue bottles. The slaves remaining in the room quickly drank them and dropped into their places beside their masters for the day.

“Sera, be a dear and get this cleaned up, would you? Han, you will need to have James bring me one of yours later.”

“Fine, Father.” Han dragged his hands over his face before continuing. “Can we please cover the rest of the agenda? I grow more bored than I regularly am.”

“We have covered a few of the items: the business accounts, lesser-known species, and traveling vagrants,” Chamberlain began. “But we have yet to cover the ball and alliances.”

“You know very well that I have no desire to discuss either of those subjects, Chamberlain.” Han sighed.

“And that’s exactly why we must, Jun!” Gideon demanded. “You need an heir. We will ensure several candidates are presented to you, and you WILL take one as your bride.”

“Are you still serious about pursuing females outside the coven, Gideon?” Chamberlain scoffed.

“Of course, I believe a vampire will be the best option. A purebred preferably. But at this point, there are so few of us that it is difficult.”

“I understand you are looking for certain ‘advantages’ with this betrothal,” another elder added.

“If my son and by extension my family can prosper from the union, then so be it.”

“You can’t be serious. You would really consider a bear, or a fox, or god-forbid a wolf? You would consciously pursue the amalgamation of your own blood?”

“There are many purebred species with strong blood. Warrior blood. Prestigious blood. There are families as ancient as ours that would bring much to the dowry table. No, I will not snub them and they WILL be at the ball. All of them.”

A collective gasp flooded the room. Almost immediately, the slaves around the room stood and offered their necks to their masters. The taste of their blood served to soothe even the most ferocious beast.

“I leave the details to you then, Father. I know you will force them on me anyway. As for business alliances, those are my own to control.”

“Now, Son-”

“Please don’t ‘Son’ me, Father! My business is my own.”

“Gentlemen, please,” Chamberlain pounded the table. “As the leader of this clan, Han, your business alliances are anything other than your own. This matter of mixed blood requires much discussion. I propose that all members present here today bring forth a marriageable option for Lord Kang. We will consider our options, and a selection will be made.”

“I, for one, will not be putting forth a beast-like shifter. Vile creatures. The lot of them!”

A rumble of agreement followed the elder’s sentiment and the ministers stood from their seats. Looks of disgust lingered on their faces.

One by one, the slaves stood by their masters as Han’s own servants took their places by their guest master’s sides.

The slave kneeling remained, stationary, by Han’s seated side.

“You are dismissed,” Sera directed the kneeling woman as she entered the room.

“But I am Master’s for the day,” the young woman whispered, leaning into Han’s leg and grabbing the lower portion of his pant leg.

The crack across her face left a bright pink mark.

“Ignorant! Your master requires the freshest blood. No slave provides more than one meal to the head of this castle on any day. Consider this your last warning.”

Sera grabbed the young girl by her braid and yanked her to barely standing.

“My apologies, Master.”

“Dismissed.”

When calm finally settled over the dining room, Han pushed himself from the head of the table. He stood and allowed his hands to linger on the carved wood before he slid his chair back into place and began to pace. He shoved his hands into his slacks pockets and jingled the few gold coins he kept there, scuffing his shiny shoes across the marbled floor.

The issue of his marriage had crept up on him over the years-- Vampire women placed continually in his path, until finally Sera found herself in a strategic position, placed there by Minister Chamberlain himself. With his father’s blessing of course.

Each minister had their own agenda on the council. And Han never bothered with it.

Until now.

His beloved, his very powerful werewolf beloved had been found-- Nearly a hundred years after he anticipated finding her.

Her beautiful, rich-brown hair had been tied loosely back that day. Small tendrils framed her face, emphasizing her large, round, deep-set chocolate brown eyes. Her naturally long lashes didn’t need make-up. They stood out on their own. He didn’t miss her toned definition from beneath the man’s tee-shirt she wore-- obviously having just shifted from her wolf-state. Although he wished he could have seen her amazing body, Han cherished the idea that someone cared enough to cover her.

He had eagerly awaited her arrival for marriage. Their union would bring untold blessings to his life. With his true mate, he would easily conceive an heir. Something his kind struggled with as they married for power, instead of how the fates designed. Now he sat on the edge of having her. Having the world at his fingertips and yet, he could not find her. And marrying a werewolf outright would be a challenge, at best.

How could a powerful she-wolf live so close to my castle and not be known to me all this time?

“Sir—”

Han stopped in his tracks and picking his head up, still looking out the window. “Yes, James?”

“It seems your father has arranged a dinner with some powerful families tomorrow night. Shall I offer your home instead?”

“His dinner. His worry. Tell him I will attend, with regrets.”

“Yes, sir.”

“James,” Han turned to face his faithful servant, sliding his foot back and forth in front of him. “Any word?”

“Don’t worry. We have trusted ears and eyes searching. We will find her.”

“I just want to see her. That’s enough for now.”

James stepped forward and placed a hand on Han’s bicep, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I know, sir.”

The tip-tap across the marble floor caused James to pull away, and Han to clear his throat.

“That will be enough, James.”

“By your leave, sir.”

“What can I help you with this evening, Sera?”

“Your father told me of the dinner tomorrow evening. I wanted to know if you need help selecting your attire.”

“Really?”

“Well, yes. Of course—”

“Don’t be dense, Sera. It’s unbecoming.”

“Well, I thought, since it’s a casual affair at your father’s home, that you might change things up—”

“Sera. My attire is none of your concern.”

“Yes, sir. By your leave.”

---

Han sat with his arms and legs crossed on the dark leather seats. Wordless silence shrouded the car like death. Only an occasional huff signaled the presence of a passenger. The dark night held ominous energy-- The normal sounds of the typical creatures absent with Han’sarrival. The expansive brick home had never felt welcoming, even in Han’s youth.

Han exited the sleek car in typical grandeur. The normal pleasantries put aside for the moment, the chauffeur froze in a deep bow beside the limousine after having opened the door. His eyes remained fixated on the red carpet, savoring the pounding of his still-beating, human heart.

Raucous laughter greeted Han as the opulent wooden front doors parted for him. Han recognized many of the party-goers without a second glance. The different smells in the room, however, had his mouth salivating. Rarely did vampires spend time with other supernatural creatures. Shifter blood called to their savage desires and only the most composed of the dark creatures could control their thirst around them.

Han had only enjoyed the taste of a werewolf a few times. Sadly, he drank them dry of their offerings in one serving.

“Han!” Gideon greeted them. A giant, bearded, tan man stood beside Han’s pale father, alongside a younger man and woman. “Let me introduce you to Arthur Geand. He owns the woods in the northwest. This is his son Liam and daughter Adorna."

“It’s a pleasure,” they said in unison as they tilted their heads down.

“The pleasure is mine.”

“As it should be!” Han heard Chamberlain bellow from across the room before the strong scent of lavender and pine hit his nose.

“Excuse me.” Without further thought, Han followed the smell. He adjusted his sleeves and cufflinks after rubbing his fingertip over his eyebrows.

Just past Chamerberlain’s shoulder, he saw her.

His beloved.

After well over a century, the other half of his heart and soul now stood feet away.

Very close to another werewolf.

The same one from the forest.

Smiling a beautifully toothy smile.

Han interrupted Chamberlain mid-sentence by clearing his throat.

“Ah, my liege.” Chamberlain held his hand out in the direction of his guests. “May I present to you Alpha Dax Aurus and his chosen mate, Miss Lilly Whiteshadow.”