NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64: The Vampire Queen
Warlock Ch 64. The Vampire Queen
'What's happening to me?' Damian thought, his mind still reeling from everything that had happened. He shouldn't have known how to make Fenrith return to him like that. Cassius had given him a simple order, and his body just… responded. It was as if his body knew what to do, even though he was still a novice. That realization sent a shiver through him.
He flicked his gaze to Cassius, wanting to ask more, to get some answers, but the stoic look on Cassius's face told him this wasn't the time. Whatever questions Damian had, Cassius wasn't in the mood to answer them. At least not right now. 'Typical,' Damian thought. If he asked, Cassius would probably just tell him to figure it out on his own.
They walked in silence as the shadow servant led them toward the entrance hall. The name "Mrs. Bloodrose" kept echoing in Damian's mind. He'd never heard of her before, but Cassius's reaction to her arrival told him everything he needed to know. This woman was important, and probably not someone Cassius wanted to deal with right now.
Once they reached the hall, Damian saw her—the woman who could only be Mrs. Bloodrose.
She was tall, her posture graceful and commanding. Her long, deep red hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of blood, and her eyes—crimson, sharp, predatory—were locked onto Cassius the moment he stepped into view. She wore a sleek, crimson dress that seemed to shimmer in the dim light, with intricate black lace running along the sleeves, adding a dangerous elegance to her appearance.
Damian's breath caught in his throat. 'She's a vampire!'
There was no mistaking it. Her aura screamed power. His instincts screamed at him to stay on guard.
Cassius, however, didn't seem fazed at all. He didn't break stride as he approached her, his voice devoid of warmth. "Mrs. Bloodrose," he greeted curtly, his tone flat and business-like.
Her lips curled into a slow, almost mocking smile, but her eyes remained cold, calculating. "Cassius," she said smoothly, her voice carrying a seductive undertone, though there was an edge to it that Damian didn't like. "You should stop calling me that. My husband died long ago."
She turned her attention to Damian, her gaze lingering on him in a way that made his skin crawl. "And who are you, human?"
Damian glanced at Cassius, unsure if he was supposed to speak. Cassius gave him a small nod, indicating it was okay for him to introduce himself.
Damian extended his hand toward her, doing his best to appear confident, though his stomach was tied in knots. "Damian. I'm Cassius's apprentice."
"Apprentice, huh," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stared at his outstretched hand. For a moment, it looked like she wasn't going to take it. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, she grasped his hand, her fingers cold and firm. "Interesting… I thought Cassius had no interest in taking on apprentices."
Damian tried not to shudder at her touch. Her grip was deceptively strong, and the way her eyes flickered as their hands touched made him uneasy. There was something... off about her, something dangerous.
"Victoria Bloodrose," she said, introducing herself with a smirk that faded slightly once she touched his hand. Damian quickly withdrew his own hand, unsure of what he had just felt in that brief moment of contact.
"What brings you here?" Cassius asked, his tone clearly indicating he wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
Her smile widened, though her eyes remained cold. "That's not a very polite way to greet a lady, Cassius. At least offer me a seat and a cup of blood tea before we get down to business."
Blood tea was a common drink for vampires, but despite the name, there wasn't any actual blood in it.
Cassius, however, was not amused. He sighed, his expression flat, clearly not in the mood for games. "We're not here to play host, Victoria. If you have a business, say it. Otherwise, leave."
Victoria's eyes flashed with amusement as she sauntered further into the room, completely ignoring Cassius's irritation. Her movements were slow and deliberate. There was a quiet menace in the way she carried herself, like a predator calmly stalking its prey.
"Oh, but I do have business," she said, her voice smooth as silk. She glanced at Damian, her crimson eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she studied him. "It's about the vampire faction."
Damian's heart skipped a beat. 'Vampire faction?' He had always thought the world was divided into three factions—Good, Evil, and Neutral. That's what Evelyn and Cassius had explained to him. It was simple, easy to understand. But now, with Victoria standing before them, talking about the vampire faction, it became clear there was more to this world than he had ever imagined.
Cassius remained silent for a moment, his gaze unreadable as he looked at Victoria. The tension in the room thickened as Damian's mind raced, trying to piece together what this all meant.
"The vampire faction?" Cassius finally said, his tone calm but sharp. "Why would that concern me?"
Victoria's smile widened, her crimson eyes gleaming with an unsettling mixture of amusement and something else Damian couldn't quite place. "Because things are changing. The balance of power is shifting, and certain factions are becoming... restless."
Cassius narrowed his eyes slightly. "I don't care about your internal politics, Victoria. Whatever is happening in the vampire faction is your problem, not mine."
Victoria chuckled softly, her voice like silk, but there was a dark undertone to it that made Damian uneasy. "Oh, Cassius, you're as cold as ever. But this time, you can't just brush it off. The vampire faction is looking for allies... or enemies."
Damian's pulse quickened.
"Some of the higher-ups in the vampire faction detected something recently. A powerful force, something awakening. It came from Haven City." She let the name hang for a moment before adding, "But not from here... but from the Nullis' world." Nullis—that was what the supernatural community called humans with no connection to magic or the supernatural. It was derived from "null," meaning devoid of magic or connection.