Triggers for mild gore and hunting of animals for food.
"I say we lock him up and chop parts off until the king agrees to make amends for the way he has wronged us."
"Why so wasteful? We should drain the man of most of his blood and send him back half dead. We need revenge."
Regina rolled her eyes as she sat back in her chair whilst listening to her council. Their ideas were appallingly bad, almost as horrendous as her sister's suggestions. "We are not injuring the prince, and we certainly aren't drinking from him. He is going to be important to our cause."
"Right you are, your majesty," Mal nodded.
"His highness will be essential to repairing the rift between our kingdoms…"
"You mean stopping them from murdering us? We are the wronged party here, not them," one of the elderly council members huffed.
The Queen agreed. They certainly were the injured party. Despite their species, they weren't the killers in this situation. The humans were the ones doing the killing. "Yes, I know that, but if we act rashly, I'm sure that both Sherwood and Misthaven would be quick to come for us. We would be foolish to assume that they aren't aware of our location. As much as it sickens me to say it, we are outnumbered by them. We might be stronger in our physical abilities, but they are large in numbers."
The council nodded their heads in agreement, and she was appeased that they weren't shouting out against her as they sometimes did. It probably helped that she had sent Zelena away. The last thing she needed was her sister starting an uprising; it wouldn't end well for the redhead should she do so. Her strength was much inferior to Regina's, and though she wouldn't enjoy it, she would do what was necessary to protect her people and their coven.
"I have spoken to the prince over nourishment, and he seemed amicable to the idea of an updated peace treaty between our kingdoms."
"Yes, but the prince isn't the king, your majesty. He can't make us any promises."
"You do have a point, though I wish to continue talking with him on the matter. It seems he wants to listen, and a willing ear is better than a deaf one."
Regina looked around at her council members to try and gauge how they were feeling about the developments. She strongly hoped that she wouldn't have any issues with them over her plans, this had to go smoothly, and she hoped they would all agree. For the most part, they seemed to be agreeable. Quite frankly, the majority of their ideas had been ones she knew couldn't be put into action; they were unfeasible and dangerous. As the leader of the coven, she would not put her people at risk.
"We do not need to rush this. Trust me, I want vengeance as much as you all do," she snarled, flashing her fangs as she spoke. She stood from her chair, resting her hands on the marble table in front of her. "I want to make them pay for the pain they have caused our people. I would love to sink my teeth into their necks and make them feel even an inch of the horror our coven have. However, this is not the way we deal with things. Unless we want them to come for us. If we did those things, if we attacked them, they would come for us, and I worry that we wouldn't prevail."
"The younglings are growing restless, your majesty," Jefferson groaned as he leant back in his chair.
"This I understand, but we cannot afford to be restless, not now. Restlessness is foolish. Restlessness causes lives to be lost." She knew that there was much unrest amongst the younger members of the coven, those who hadn't seen the same bloodshed and carnage the more seasoned of their kind had. Those who had been around under the reign of her mother had seen these horrors first hand. They had seen their people be slaughtered in battle. This would not happen again; she wouldn't let it. "Am I needed to talk to the younglings to ensure they understand?" she asked, her tone grave.
"I don't think that will be necessary. I will convey the message."
"Very well. Are there any other matters which need bringing to my attention before I adjourn this meeting?" When no one else spoke up, she felt intense relief. Council meetings weren't her idea of a good time, so she would be thankful to get out. "No? You are all dismissed. Thank you for your time and service." She nodded her head at her council and, swishing her cape behind her, walked straight out of the door.
Regina manifested her energy and appeared outside the chambers she had allocated to the prince. She had felt something pulling at her during the meeting, some kind of tether had been tugging at her. It was a strange feeling, one that she hadn't ever felt before. A hunger arose within her, not just one driving her to feed, but one that was demanding sexual gratification. It was a thirst like none she had felt before; it felt almost as though she were starving despite having fed less than a few hours prior.
Growling to herself, she pulled away from the chamber, hurrying in the opposite direction. She couldn't be near him in this state. It wasn't safe for either of them. The trust she had worked so hard on building with herself had slipped away. She didn't trust herself to be around the prince. Her teeth ached, and the glands in her neck were burning.
The Queen stumbled into the kitchens where she had found her sister earlier. Animal blood wasn't going to go anywhere near to stopping the burning feeling inside. She hurried to the place she knew the stash her sister often drank from resided. Reluctantly, she uncorked the bottle and took a long drink. It had been a long time since she'd had the taste of human blood; she wasn't used to the effects it had on her body.
Closing her eyes, she placed the bottle down, pushing it far away from her. This wasn't good. She didn't know what was wrong with her. It had been years since she had felt this way, an age since she had been pushed to the edge. Having a human in her castle was making her feel almost feral. The scary thing was she was probably the most composed of all those who resided within its walls.
The prince should be safe in his rooms; she had ensured that there was a protection charm placed on the door. No one who wished him harm would be able to enter. She hoped that it would also work on her should she get carried away. No. That couldn't happen; she wouldn't allow herself to succumb to it any further.
Regina needed to find Mal and talk to her about all this. She needed to know if the rest of her coven were being affected by the human's presence. If so, she might have to consider moving him to another location. Wiping her mouth unceremoniously, she abandoned the half-empty bottle and stormed from the kitchens.
It didn't take her long to locate Mal, and when she did, the look the blonde sent her way was concerning indeed. "Regina. What the hell?"
"What?"
"You have a little," the woman gestured to her face, passing her a handkerchief.
The brunette took it from her and ran it over her blood-stained mouth, "sorry. I got a little hungry and…"
"He's affecting you, isn't he."
"Who?"
"I think you know who, but seeing as you're being dense. The Prince."
"Is it not affecting you?" Regina whispered as the pair moved out of the corridor, away from any prying ears. They made their way to Regina's chambers, making sure the door was closed behind them. "Mal."
"No, it's no different to being around any other human."
Regina furrowed her eyebrows as she began to pace the floor, biting down on her bottom lip and accidentally piercing it with her fangs which still felt like they were burning. "I think I've locked myself away in here too long."
"What are you talking about?"
"I feel like I can't breathe."
"Okay, calm down. You're starting to hyperventilate."
"I don't hyperventilate!" she snapped.
"No, this is new," Mal sighed. She grabbed Regina's hands and pulled her to sit down, studying her closely. "Your eyes are dilated."
"There's something not right. I don't feel right at all."
"I think you've burnt yourself out that's all. You haven't had a proper feed. You need to go on a hunt."
"I don't…"
"Come on. You used to love coming with me. It'll be like old times."
She hadn't been on a hunt in a long time; she was always too busy to join the hunting parties. The sound of it now did sound appealing. She needed to get away from the castle, away from his scent. "Let's go."
Regina ran in a way she hadn't in years, zipping through the trees as she made chase, moving faster than any normal animal. It was exhilarating, feeling the wind through her dark hair as she closed in on the creature she had been hunting. She was close and had been about to pounce when the rabbit dove into a hole at the base of a tree, escaping her grasp.
She came to a stop, slamming her fist against the bark as she leant her head against the tree. How had she allowed it to escape? She should have pursued it faster, given it no way of slipping her from her grasp.
"Lost your edge, your majesty?" Mal chuckled as she appeared by her side, a sizable creature in her hands. She had ended its life in an instant, causing it no pain before sinking her teeth in and drinking her fill.
The Queen glared at her friend. Mal was right though, she had certainly lost some of her edge. A decade ago, her prey wouldn't have stood a chance. "Just a little rusty," she shrugged. She wasn't weak; she still trained every day, but running long distances and taking part in the hunt wasn't something she was used to anymore. "I'm sure I will have the next one."
"Speaking of the next one, I think I hear your next target."
Regina glanced up, her eyes darkening as she attuned her senses to be able to find the animal Mal had been referring to. In an instant, she was gone. This time she would not fail in her pursuit.
The pair returned to the castle just as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. The hunt had managed to sate Regina's hunger for the time being. How long it would last, she wasn't sure. It wasn't until they reached the palace she realised that they had left without saying a word. No one had been informed of their whereabouts, and more importantly, no one had been left in charge. Luckily it seemed no one had noticed their absence.
Regina dropped her cloak over the rack and proceed to the throne room. As soon as she had re-entered her castle, the smell of the prince had seduced her. This was not normal. She had met many humans, spent time in their company, and none of them had this effect on her. He was different, and she wanted to know why. "Can you smell that?" she asked, looking at her friend who was hot on her heels.
"I can't smell anything, not unless I try to."
Regina had taken many years to train herself, schooling herself to be unaffected by humans. This human, however, was breaking past all of that, and it was dangerous. It didn't make sense why none of the others were feeling the effects of his presence.
"Would you like me to wake the prince?"
"He's already awake," the Queen quipped, inhaling deeply, "and he's been snooping."
She disappeared from the throne room at lightning speed, stopping directly behind the man who, in that very moment, was stood in her bed chambers. "Looking for something?" she asked, her voice dripping with malice. He was tainting her room with his scent, and she couldn't help but be affected by it.
He jumped at her words, clearly not expecting her to be there. He turned around to look at her, his hair was messy from sleep, and she could tell that he had not been awake long. "No. Something just seemed to be calling to me from here. I don't…" She moved even closer to him, stopping mere millimetres away. He looked scared of her for a moment before something shifted in his gaze.
Regina couldn't stop herself from leaning in, inhaling deeply at his neck, listening to the blood rushing in his veins. It was picking up speed, his heart beating quicker from her proximity. "You smell," she growled, not letting him know that it was a good smell, one that made her want to shove him on her bed and ride him into the mattress. Then maybe after their climax, have a little sample of the blue blood running through his veins.
"As do you, your majesty."
She pulled back, eyeing him curiously. When she looked at his face, his eyes widened, and for the first time since she met him, he took a step back from her, looking genuinely afraid of her. "What?"
"Your eyes."
"What about them?" she breathed, her voice husky as she tried so desperately to reign herself in. This was not normal. She was going to have to consult the elders. It should not be happening. She blinked, looking away for him for a second before meeting his eyes once again.
"They changed."
Fuck. She was done for. Without another word, she vanished from the bed-chamber, leaving Robin behind wondering what the hell was going on.
