Chapter 3 – Virtue and Honour

Kosta had never wanted to strike Serena like he had in the Great Hall. She was so close, so tantalisingly close, all that virgin blood, he may have saved her life by his actions and he came to the realisation later he had. He remembered his mouth going dry, and his head and veins aching for fresh blood and with her neck bared like that, her jugular was so tempting. He paced angrily in his quarters after smashing his hand against a wall until it was a bloody pulp. Depressed, Kosta watched as the hand slowly healed as his mind wandered off to a time long past when he was mortal.

Thoughts of his butchered family, a wife and two young children. One son and one daughter. Milan at seven was the eldest, and Ilyana, four. The family had heard of Dracula, also known as Vlad The Impaler but foolishly paid little heed until one fateful day, Vlad and his men paid a visit to the farm. Kosta had been working in the barn when he heard shouts and cries coming from the main house. Alarmed he raced toward the house only to be confronted and seized by Vlads men.

"Get your hands off me!", growled Kosta as he was dragged toward the main house. He even managed to break free and deliver a blow to a man nearby, but was promptly overpowered and thrashed...

The vampire overseer cried out involuntarily and suppressed the dreaded memory by sheer force of will. His eyes glowed a vampiric blue and blood and water streamed down his face. Tear-drops of rage and grief, raw after ten years.

"Kosta? Are you ready?", a voice asked through the locked door of his quarters. The overseer turned his face, now contorted into an evil mask of insanity and savagery. His eyes blazed and his lips were pulled back from fully elongated fangs. Kosta stormed toward the door and opened it to reveal, Kraven, a young vampire with shoulder length black hair and Raphaelic looks who had recently joined the ranks of guards. Kraven was one of the cruellest guards despite his youth, but even he stepped back in fear at the older vampire's expression.

"Yes, let's go!", Kosta shoved past him without ceremony, eager to get on with the night ahead.

Serena lay in her cell still sobbing wondering what on earth had caused Kosta to act so brutally toward her after she had sworn to comply with his wishes and quite willingly. Eventually she fell into a dreamless sleep which frightened her all the more because she always dreamt. There had been potential suitors, but none interested her. Only one person, interested her and he was so near, but so distant – himself a slave of darkness and brutality. In her sleep she murmured his name.

"Kosta. Kosssstaaaa", she whispered.

An hour later her cell door was opened and she was instantly alert. Two vampire guards stood before her and Kosta was one of them. The other was a tall bald headed negro who radiated an air of kindness ,held a bowl of delicious smelling soup made from potatoes flavoured with herbs. Serena felt her saliva begin to flow and her face took on an eager expression – she hadn't realised how hungry she was until now. In fact she was ravenous.

"Kahn, you can leave now! You've got lycans and slaves to oversee!", Kosta's voice was cold. Reluctantly, Kahn handed his superior the bowl and left the cell leaving the two alone. Kosta remained where he was for second before moving toward her. Instinctively Serena backed away until her back came up against the wall. Her eyes darted rapidly between Kosta's face and the bowl in his hands. The vampire advanced, his face unreadable. When he was mere inches from her he extended his foot and pressed it into her groin enjoying her squirming. His heavy boot rubbed slowly at first, gradually quickening rhythm as his excitement intensified. Serena elevated her head skyward, aroused, silencing that internal voice that protested. The overseer suddenly ceased rubbing and he kicked her lightly forcing her to look at him.

"You've worked very hard for his reward", he said indicating the bowl of soup he held in his right hand "and now I should like to see you eat it! Slowly, sexily" Kneeling down closely he passed the bowl to her and stayed in that position as she started to eat; his hand stroking her face, fingers probing and caressing her mouth.

"So beautiful!", is voice was low and guttural, as he continued to stroke and pet her a few moments more before pulling her against him. Their faces touched and Serena was forced to place the bowl of soup beside her in anticipation of kissing him. Serena lifted her face waiting, savouring the moment – alas the kiss she longed for did not come. Instead he reached for the bowl which was still warm and handed it to her.

"Finish your meal!" he commanded. Obediently she continued with the meal "You'll need your strength for the night's work. You're in the work-pits!"

Nervously she glanced at him " pits?"

Kosta seized her wrists and squeezed, not to actually hurt her, but to convey a serious message that he was capable of doing so.

"Yes, so I give you fair warning, and I would strongly suggest you take my advice because I don't give second chances", to further demonstrate his intentions, Kosta rose to his full height and withdrew the whip that hung suspended on his armoured vest. Pressing it against her face still curled up.

"I didn't intend to slap you quite so hard earlier"

"Then why did you?"

With a snarl, Kosta dragged the girl to her feet with one hand; with the other, he grabbed a clump full of her hair and she screamed in agony "Would you prefer I drained you? I was hungry, and the fact that your blood would taste delightful to me. Fortunately", he released her violently "I fed soon after"

Serena realised Kosta was apologising in his own awkward way. Overseers did not generally beg forgiveness from slaves – and vampires did not deign to humiliate themselves grovelling to humans. Tears welled in her eyes. Sinking to her knees, her arms outstretched toward him, it was she who begged his pardon aloud.

"Forgive me, my lord, I meant no disrespect", in a softer voice "you saved my life again..it seems"

A few moments passed, and Kosta lifted Serena to her feet, gently this time. Both remembered the bowl, which was lying on the ground at her feet. Kosta frowned as he sighted it. Kicking it over with one foot he was relieved to see it empty. Serena's heart beat wildly in her chest as Kosta drew her into his embrace. She let the tears come again, her shoulders heaving as she cried into the security of his armoured chest. The vampire was lost in his own tortured thoughts as he held years ago, he had failed his wife and children – and the punishment was witnessing their horrid deaths by impalement – he would not fail this beauty. Hell was surely his destiny. He had resigned himself to that long ago. He was determined in the meantime to reap the rewards in this life. Vlad had taken his reason for living– Viktor had granted him immortality. He embraced her for a few moments, petting her hair as she sobbed.

"Oh, Kosta!", she sobbed and raised her tear stained face to him. His armoured hands tenderly wiped stray tears from her cheeks then disengaged from her "We must go now!" Kosta's demeanour had changed – ever the ruthlessly efficient overseer. The next few hours passed agonisingly slowly for the slaves. The cold bit at them as they toiled in the work pits with inadequate tools so close to the lycans the vampires reserved the cruellest treatment for.

Still Serena discovered Kosta had favoured her by assigning her near the warmth of the blacksmith workspace. The blacksmith was a lycan named Lucian. Serena thought him handsome and found it difficult to imagine him transforming into something as vicious as a werewolf, the stuff of nightmares. Serena was responsible for assisting him by fetching his tools. Lucian requested she even tend his fellow's injuries and she complied willingly enough. From her work area, Serena sadly scanned the pits seeking Kosta but finding no sign of the handsome tortured vampire. To stop the tears overwhelming her, Serena analysed Lucian. Tall, he was young (for an immortal), with shoulder length hair and beard; his physique was excellent. Idly she wondered if he had someone special when Kosta came into view. Her heart began to beat wildly. He was walking amongst the slaves menacingly and randomly whipping lycans here and there. When Kosta spotted her, he stopped and gazed at her – then something frightening happened. Lucian's eyes met the eyes of his vampire enemy. Kosta's eyes began to glow and his face transformed into something almost satanic. His lips twisted and fangs elongated. A second later, Kosta had Lucian bailed up against a wall of the locksmith's hut, the whip handle jammed under the lycan's chin.

"Watch your step, dog!"

Lucian's eyes never left Kosta's and he wrenched the armoured hand away from his chin "I'm not looking for trouble, Kosta!"

The overseer's lips drew back from his teeth in a ferocious snarl "You will address me as My Lord", and struck him across the face. Enraged, the vampire looked around him and finally gazed at Serena, who watched him sadly.

"You!", he pointed the whip threateningly at her, as if their moment of intimacy never occurred "get back to work, or I'll have the flesh torn from your back!"

Serena studied Kosta's face steadily for a moment then continued working, or rather pretending to. Her fingers traced the swords on Lucian's workbench, hoping that Kosta didn't approach her in his current mood. Lucian met Kosta's steely stare with his own and the human/lycan watched as Kosta moved on slowly.

Several days passed. Serena did not have any contact with Kosta, but instead was assigned to serve in the Corvinus Castle. The work was easy. Her duties mainly consisted of polishing goblets for the vampire aristocrats. Hours passed without incident until Soren and several vampire guards burst in and seized Serena along with three other young women and dragged them to places unknown.

To Be Continued