Chapter 1 – Checkmate of Silent Night

Prologue

I am lost.

I am tired.

I am hungry.

I have been defeated.

No, defeat I do not accept. Exhaustion and hunger are acceptable, but defeat? Absolutely not. I will regain what I have lost and do my family proud. Determination is an extraordinary thing.

Meeting with various creatures from other lands who experienced a similar fate as my own left me rejuvenated. They had been the rightful rulers of their kingdoms, yet for some reason or another, they’d been overthrown and banished. Just when I thought all was lost, there they were, sitting around a campfire and laughing. At the time, I had nothing to laugh about and thought about going my own way. But curiosity got the best of me. I had to know what made them so happy.

My kind is the most feared species on earth, and the last thing I wanted to do was to scare them away, so I proceeded with caution and waited before I made my presence known. I waited and listened. I recognized each creature as they talked of how a member of their species had overthrown their kingdom. It was exactly what had happened to me. Knowing they had gone through what I had, I knew I would be welcomed and not feared, but I could not help but think:

What is happening in the world? How can all these kingdoms be overthrown and in disarray?

And I was right. They greeted me with open arms and welcomed me into their inner circle. Each of them had made plans to go back to their kingdoms and win back their rightful place. They were a force of strong, determined women, and now, I am proud to say I am one of them.

I am the rightful ruler of the vampires who walk the earth. We refer to our kingdom as the Blood Empire. Some may think vampires are not real, but we are. We are a rare group of vampires who live among the humans. We need blood-animal, human, or our own-and a psychic energy from our donors to survive. The real vampire community, like the legendary figure we emulate, knows no boundaries. We are everywhere. There is only one governing coven, mine, and we are located in New Orleans. That is where I was born and raised, and as the daughter of the oldest living elder, I am the leader of the Blood Empire. Or, well… I was. Our empire was once a peaceful and harmonious species that lived peacefully among the humans-until Claus Devlin came back.

My name is Serena Valentine, and my ancestors are from the line of first vampires. We are the true and rightful descendants of Lilith, the vampire queen. For thousands of years, we’ve possessed many powers that reign far above the commonly known. Families of royal blood are called Regalis. The Devlin Coven is second to my own and, until recently, have always known their place.

While most vampires are nocturnal and are more active at night, my family can enjoy both the day and the night. It’s one of many things that makes us special and different from the rest. Every vampire longs to be a day-walker, but only my family is born with the natural ability to walk in the sun. We could, if we wished, reward good behavior and gift a common vampire the ability to be a day-walker. Sometimes the gift is permanent, but other times, it can be temporary. More importantly, we can revoke our gift at any time.

For our covens to endure, we must procreate with humans. By doing this, it enables us to bear children instead of turning a human, which allows us to raise them without strange prejudices.

Our children share both vampire and human traits until they are twenty-one. At that time, they stop growing physically and are presented with a choice. They can choose to be human or vampire. If they choose vampire, they must drink the blood from a member of one of the Regalis families. If they do not, they will lose their vampire abilities and become mortal.

Being members of the two eldest vampire families, Claus and I grew up together. He was destined to be the male vampire I would drink from to remove my humanity. He was also destined to be my lifelong partner.

When I turned twenty-one, my transformation ceremony took place. In front of our entire coven, Claus and I were on display as my father presided over us. “Serena, it is time to make your choice,” he said sternly. “What do you wish, to live as a mere mortal or a supreme being and leader of our coven?”

“I choose vampire, the most supreme being on earth,” I replied. There was never a question of what I would do. I still love being a vampire and only wished then and now to serve our coven the best I can.

My father smiled at me, and pride shone in his eyes. It never bothered him that I was a daughter. Many elders whished for a son, but not my father. He cherished me, trained me, and had always been proud of the woman I became. I would not let him down. “Do you choose Claus for your mate?”

“I do.”

My father turned toward Claus. “And do you, Claus Devlin, accept Serena and the role you will have at her side when I step down?”

He hesitated, and I was too na?ve then to take it as a sign. “Yes, I do,” he finally replied, accepting me as his mate, and my father gifted him with the ability to be a day-walker.

“I now command you, Serena, to drink from Claus and fill your body with the blood of everlasting life.”

Claus then bit into his wrist, and I salivated as the blood dripped from him and the heavenly aroma filled my nostrils. He held his wrist to my mouth, and instinctively, I bared my fangs, latched on, and sucked. I had spent the last twenty-one years drinking blood and eating human food to survive. The blood was always warm but had a coppery, metallic-like taste that at times I did not find appealing. Sometimes, depending on the physiology of the human from which I drank, there would be slight differences, but for the most part, it was always the same.

Until the day I first drank from Claus.

When the first drops of blood slid down my throat, euphoria washed over me like I had never experienced before. I felt energized and reborn. I felt stronger too, like his blood gave me strength I could not acquire on my own. The metallic and copper taste disappeared and I tasted something sweet, fruity, and enticing. I hung on to him like a starved child and wanted to drain him dry. I wanted it all, and I could not stop until my father had to step in.

From that day on, I wanted more, but from no other. It had to be Claus. I didn’t know if it was love or lust, but I did know-without any doubt in my mind-he was the one.

Claus and I were inseparable afterward, living in our carefree world and drinking from each other. We were a perfect match, and I spent many of those days dreaming of ruling over our coven with Claus at my side-until my dreams became a nightmare.

Claus was strong and demanding, two traits I loved most about him. He had special powers of his own, but they never compared to those I possessed. I was always the superior being. Perhaps I got too confident in my superiority and it allowed Claus to get the upper hand, but perhaps not. I’m sure I will never know, but I can say one thing: I will never take my powers for granted again.

Claus and I both came from strong families, but his was always one step behind mine. I loved him then, and sadly, I believe I love him now. I know he still cares for me too, although I am unsure if it is love. Because of Claus’s dominant nature, our only problem was he could not accept that the day would come when I became the governing elder, and he would have to stand at my side. Because he was the male, he believed he should have been destined for the power and he wanted the crown, even though it was never anything his family would have been awarded-unless our entire line was non-existent. He believed a woman could not rule his beloved empire.

I always thought it would be something he would get over once he experienced it firsthand, but he had another belief that was completely unacceptable. He believed the humans were a threat to our kind and insisted they be enslaved.

There are many misconceptions about the vampire-human relationship, but first and foremost, we cherish humans. We do not kill them. They are donors and an integral part of our support system. We rely on them for food, and in turn, we are vowed to protect the human race.

Claus, however, felt they had too much control over us, our survival, and our mortality. He wanted them under our control, readily available for feeding and procreating on our terms. He wanted to destroy everything the vampires had worked for over the past thousand years. When he publicly voiced his opinions, it was looked upon as treason, and he was charged with crimes against the governing elders. My father had him banished from the empire, and I lost the only man I ever loved.

Several years later, after my father passed the rule to me, Claus returned with a vengeance. He was hurt and angry and lashed out at anyone he believed had a hand in his banishment, including me. He killed both my parents by beheading them, the only way to truly kill a vampire. We call it the true death. He made the entire coven watch, including me. He came with a mission: overthrow me and my rule, banish or kill me, and take over the coven. He had devised an army of enslaved humans, and they wreaked havoc on my family and our people. In one fell swoop, he destroyed the relationships we had built with the human race. I lost my family and my coven and then I was banished from my home.

After two long months, I met the creatures in the forest.

Like I said, determination is an extraordinary thing.

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