CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT: ALL THIS FOR YOUR DAMN PRIDE?

"When will the naming ceremony be held?" Elena asked as the nurse helped her position the baby’s mouth on her breast. She had wanted to feed both children at the same time but even after she had eaten and regained some strength, she was still not allowed to. In fact, pumping of milk wasn’t allowed too. Her body was still adapting to motherhood.

"They’d drain your completely, your majesty." the nurse in her mid-forties had said.

Eden was fed first since he started crying before Edna out of hunger. The minute her nipple landed in his mouth, the little boy began sucking. Fast.

Damien sat beside her the whole time holding Edna that was still very much asleep, oblivious of what was going on around her. He refrained from provoking her to tears by small touches but dropped small, feathery kisses here and there on her face.

The girl was just so small and innocent. He began to see what Elena was talking about. Looking down at her now, he wasn’t so anxious anymore. This was his child and he’d spoil her rotten.

"How hungry must you be my little cutie." Elena said in a tiny voice as she watched Eden feed from her. Truth be told, her breasts throbbed painfully particularly the nipple he was currently scorching for milk. Damien had noticed that he had been drinking non-stop from her for ten minutes now.

That wasn’t normal. Could it be...?

It didn’t take long before she began to feel exhausted, tired. Damien immediately called the midwife who was getting nappies ready for the twins.

"It’s just as I feared." the woman said dreadfully, staring at the baby whose mouth was latched onto her breast.

Damien looked at her with a small frown.

"You mean..."

"He’s hungry for blood your majesty,not milk. That’s why he’s drinking so much of it; to quench it."

"Shouldn’t that happen in the first few months after birth and not immediately.?

"It should your highness but it seems something changed when he was in the womb."

She directed her gaze back to Elena. "Maybe the queen’s abilities have something to do with it."

Damien frowned harder. "She’s not a vampire."he said sternly, emphasizing on every word.

The midwife who had witnessed the birth of Damien and Cassian, took the baby from his mother’s limp body. The nipple fell out of his mouth, instantly resulting into loud screams of protests.

For a baby, he sure has the voice. Even for a vampire one.

"He needs blood or else he’ll get it from the source."

Damien got up instantly, turning to the woman.

"Come with me."

"Take care of the queen while I’m gone."

"Yes madam." the younger nurses responded.

By the time they returned, Elena had already fallen asleep with Edna in her arms. The nurses told her that the queen had insisted on feeding her daughter when she woke up. Thankfully, she didn’t mindlessly drink her mother dry.

"Her highness needs to rest and undergo some maternity procedures. If you may, your grace."

Damien took that as an invitation for his exit. He strode towards the door, stopping at the entrance, glancing at his sleeping wife then walking out of the insanely large and luxurious room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damien stood by the window, the afternoon light spilling across a tastefully expensive office that stretched several feet in every direction. A month had passed since the twins’ birth and their naming ceremony. Since he was still agile, they had not crown either child as the next heir to the throne.

It wasn’t like there was a direct rule in Zerathane that a girl couldn’t lead.

No

There was

But it was the unspoken rule. The rule of thumb.

It doesn’t matter whether a male child is born last after millions of girl children. As long as he is male and fit to rule in all ramifications, then he is made the heir. It is only in a situation where there is no male child or he doesn’t satisfy all requirements that a female is given the throne.

On scrutiny and probation till the male come back to his "senses."

Damien couldn’t change that law mostly because it wasn’t in the constitution of the country. It was more of a tradition than a legalized legation. Even if he could, the power of checks and balances possessed by the court would greatly condemn him. Still, he was a supreme leader.

They were just advisers. Nothing more, nothing less.

With that power, he didn’t want to lose the legitimacy of his people and court men.

Damien stood by the window in a tastefully expensive office that spanned several feet. The room was furnished with plush, luscious couches and chairs from Qing, and a gleaming mahogany desk carved with intricate dragon motifs that screamed of both royalty and masculine danger.

Velvet drapes of midnight blue framed the high arched windows, their golden tassels catching the afternoon light like threads of fire. The air was thick with the scent of burning cedar and aged wine: rich, intoxicating, and commanding respect.

He stood there in silence, his tall, broad frame outlined against the light filtering in through the glass panes. His dark hair, slicked, tousled yet regal, shimmered faintly with bronze under the shimmering lights.

Power radiated off him quietly, lethal, the kind that made even the bravest hesitate before meeting his eyes.

He wore a loose shirt that clung to his sculpted form, emphasizing the hard planes of his chest and the lean muscle beneath. The dragon mark that crept up his neck and disappeared beneath his collar was visible even from afar on his body.

Ever since he started his reign, Zerathane had experienced peace.

He should be happy about it.

But it was quite the opposite.

Cassian was locked up and the dragons who were once viewed as threats were now great friends with them so why was was he scared?

During the torture sessions with Cassian, Because he obviously had to put that dick in his place, Cassian had kept saying that it wasn’t over yet.

He didn’t take much notice of it until when Lucian started saying the same thing.

That serpentine bastard. Whose side was he on?

He had claimed that he fought against the rogues, even calling on Lio as a witness.

Damien didn’t buy it. He knew his brothers too well to fall for such cheap trick. Lucian would always choose his own head no matter how shameless he appeared doing it.

So he tortured him...hard.

He had used The rack, Thumbscrews, Brazen bull.

But nothing. He was willing to go this far for—

No

This was Lucian. If anything, he was trying to save his own head. That meant he knew something greater would hit him if he didn’t suck it up.

Just what was it?!

The one that eventually broke him was the Eclipsefang.

That single weapon that could tie down the worst of Vampires with a single swing.

Damien stood before him, all warmth deserted from his eyes. He could never show this side of him to his dear wife.

He didn’t want her to see the monster he could be.

"Where is Xavriel, Lucian." he said, his deep voice echoing off the stone walls.

Damien never thought to resort to this measure especially on Lucian. He was an ass alright but compared to Cassian, he had a bit more patience with him.

"Fuck off you loser." Lucian cursed under his breath. His head hung tiredly from his neck with his face swollen and his entire body battered from the harsh punishments.

Damien stared at him darkly. Just how much would he cover up for that idiot?

"This is your last—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lucian spat on his face. Blood mixed with mucus stained his left jaw before dripping down his neck.

Damien wipes it away calmly.

Then reset his brain with a thundering whip of the Eclipsefang.

The whip lashed around his head terribly and by the time Damien withdrew it, long, angry lines had formed on his head.

Half a chunk of his golden hair burnt off upon impact and his face resembled that of a forgotten manhole.

Lucian screamed, yelled, howled, cried, thrashing about painfully on the electric chair he was strapped to. Still, Damien didn’t even blink an eye.

Compared to what he had done to Cassian, he should offer a burnt offering of gratitude for his own punishment.

Damien roughly grabbed the half chunk of his golden hair that remained on his head and forces his distorted face up.

"Just kill me." he muttered.

"Just kill me already!" he screamed painfully at him. The veins on his forehead throbbed seriously beneath his skin. Anyone that saw him would ostracize Damien for being crueller than Satan himself.

But he didn’t care. He wanted answers and if he couldn’t cooperate with him, then he was in for more.

"Don’t be anymore foolish than this, Lucian. I won’t give you the coffin you’re so desperate for. Tell me where Xavriel is and I just might spare you a few years."

Lucian pursed his broken lips, his eyes bulging out of its socket as he stared at his brother.

"Why not try his kingdom you dumbass."

"I already did. He put a fake duplicate of himself as king." Damien replied, unfazed by the insult.

"Don’t make this harder for yourself, Lucian. This is all Cassian’s doing but if you keep covering up for him then I have no other choice than to give you your share."

"I don’t freaking know you demon! Cassian is the one behind all this! That bloody John doesn’t tell me shit about his plans!" Lucian screamed out severe pain.

Damien scoffed hard at him. It was just so unbelievably ridiculous.

"No one’s coming. Do you want to be tortured for the rest of your life?"

Lucian thrashed wildly on the wooden chair. Damien had started started the chair he was strapped to.

Electricity can do nothing to pure blooded vampires even the normal ones. When it is dangerous is when the Eclipsefang is used on the person repeatedly. Royal or not, no being in earth or hell can stand the deadly strength of the whip that’s why it was forbidden in all kingdoms.

For some reasons, it fell into the hands of Damien.

The vampire whose body it’s being used on would lose every ounce of strength within him and there was a very good chance his abilities would be corrupted as well if the whip is used for a longer duration.

"I said I don’t freaking know where he is you bastard!"

It was too much.

He had already lost his dignity; the only thing that made Lucian Lucian.

What else could Cassian do to him?

Damien wrapped the whip over his hand once again, taking a step back as the engine whirred. He lifted his hand in the same moment the electricity shot into him.

Wrong answer.