T W E N T Y-F I V E

Five minutes in and Iris was a fidgeting, pacing mess. Sage didn't mention she was out fetching human blood, so it was going to take a lot longer than just a trip to the fridge.

His eyes pealed off of his bedroom door to stare at Kai's when the smallest noise caught his ears. It happened occasionally, small shuffling noises, until he was holding himself back when the door started jiggling.

The lock was on the outside, as it was a rule in the mansion. Kai got his privacy but not the control over it. It was a bit useless considering any vampire in their weakest mind can easily kick down their wooden doors.

When it stopped, his breathing did to. Iris didn't know what was more nerve-racking- the silence or the anticipation. Was he going to break out? Or did he even have the ability to? All his nerves wanted to hijack his common sense and rush over, rip the door open, and comfort the vampire. But he was smarter than that, smart enough to know his 'comfort' would actually be a tease for Kai, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things harder for him. If that meant keeping his distance..so be it.

He vowed to stay still and wait. He was patient through the silence but the ticking of his wall clock, too. Soon, commotion started in the halls. Iris listened to the distraught voices, catching onto vague descriptions-a murder-but not distinct enough to create a story; but he did picture scenes in his mind, and none of them consisted anything other than gore.

Now he was just a sitting duck that had to watch the worst unfold before him.

††

"Well?"

Iris shut his bedroom door after peeking out and peering down the corridor. Whatever news spiked the ruckus in the mansion had calmed down, a minute after it did Sage came back; still reluctant to tell the prince what happened.

"It's clear." Iris informed and turned around but he stayed near the door.

Sage nodded, relieved, and continued staring down at her feet. The atmosphere wasn't awkward, it was almost obstructive. Whatever was hovering between them didn't allow them to speak freely to one another. And that feeling depended knowing it was going to be worse when Kai came to his senses.

"Prince, I'm sorry you had to hear the news from an outside source. I really was going to tell you everything that happened-or as much as I could."

Iris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sage..it's fine. You know I'm not focused on worrying about my village's problem." He glanced at Kai's door and Sage nodded again.

"In the state he's in, I don't think it's safe for you to be around him yet. You see, Kai and I lived off of human blood our whole lives. Converting to animal was really hard on him, but like almost all of us he barely learned to deal with it. Consider it an addiction-they're always curable, right?" Iris nodded,

"Well, there's always something lingering after. Kai has never drunk from a human since he's been here, despite a few others breaking the rules. But you didn't hear that from me. Anyway, drinking from one was considered his relapse. It's even harder to ignore the urge now."

Iris was still slightly confused and a bit in the dark, but he didn't let his ignorance get in the way of seeing the bigger picture.

"One feeding after five years, our blood must be really powerful."

"You don't even know the half of it," Sage chuckled humorlessly and Iris scratched his head.

"And me..must I keep my distance for my safety? Or for his?"

The female vampire looked up with widened features. There was a second of silence, a second of contemplating.

"I want to keep you safe, but I know you'd discard your health without question for Kai's," She smiled half heartily, "and I know he would do the same for you. Which is why we have to do whatever we can to keep him stable." As Sage stood up to once again check on Kai, Iris leaned off his locked door in a slight hurry.

"Wait, isn't giving him human blood now bad for him?"

"It's the only thing giving him the proper amount of energy to heal himself. After this, it's going to be tough, but he'll just have to sweat out the cravings."

"Literally?" He stopped Sage again.

"Vampires like him don't yield to their urges, they fight along side it. A symptom of withdraw is sweating..and shaking and short episodes of unnatural behavior and-" She paused when Iris looked like his head was going to explode, "-and Kai is going to be just fine."

Before she could further reassure him, there was a knock of Iris's door. They shared a glance before the prince walked up to it and opened the door enough to see who was beyond it. When it was his dad's unreadable face he saw first something dropped in his stomach.

While he opened the door more, he placed a hand behind his back and waved at Sage. The vampire flinched and hurried inside Kai's room, quiet and undetected.

"I'm sorry for the havoc, we just got very disturbing news." Arlo looked around Iris's room before his brown eyes focused on his son. "You look unwell, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I-I just..it's a lot to take in."

"I understand that." Again, Arlo searched the room with his gaze. "Where is Kai?"

Iris stopped himself from flinching and gripped his doorknob tighter. He hadn't let his dad and he didn't plan to anytime soon.

"Uh, sleeping." He pointed at the vampire's bedroom door and the King raised his eyebrow curiously. "I know what you're thinking, they never sleep. Yes, well, the guards practiced very hard today and I agree with his lack of energy. I made him stay resting while I stayed up to listen." Iris held his breath after he finished. He would've fell for his own lie. But would his dad. Would the King buy his stall?

Perhaps, but Arlo came with a mission on his mind rather than to check on his son. So even if he bought Iris's lie, he wasn't planning on leaving right away.

"Right..well since the sudden turn of events in out village hasn't occured for over a decade, it's only natural I initial precautions. So I'm ordering an abrupt attendance of all vampires in this mansion in the training hall."

Iris widened his eyes and almost choked from refusing to breathe.

"Oh. W-well I am Kai's alibi. He's cleared."

Arlo shook his head. "Whether he is or isn't, this is not something up for discussion."

"I can go in his place. He should really stay resting."

"Iris, this is a serious matter-"

"I get that dad, but Kai.."

Arlo narrowed his eyes at Iris's hesitation. When his moving mouth didn't produce any sounds, he moved inside the room. Iris stopped him immediately.

"Dad, wait. W-we'll go, just give us ten minutes."

With a final suspicious glance at Kai's door, the King sighed and stepped back from his son.

"Five minutes," He corrected then turned on his heels of his shoes to leave the room.

Iris shut his door and clenched his hands into fists. His heartbeat bruised his ribs as he rushed to Kai's room and didn't think twice about barging in. The pitch dark room burnt with the light flooding in from Iris's room.

From the bed, Sage jumped at the sudden appearance and the body laying next to her curled into a tighter ball. The prince's eyes clouded with sorrow seeing the trembling silhouette of his body guard.

But he shook his away when he retraced his dad's words.

"Did you hear him?" He asked Sage as she gently nudged him out of the room.

"No. What did he say? Was he suspicious?"

"He definitely realized I was stalling, but I don't think he suspects anything about Kai. But because of the murder every vampire has to attend for a counting. Do you think he can tolerate the urge?"

Sage shook her head not to disagree but out of uncertainty. "It's far to early to test his tolerance. He's not in his right mind."

"What does that even mean?"

"It's like his body is alive but his mind has drifted off. It's highly likely he won't remember a thing tomorrow-or by the afternoon."

By the time everything went down, early morning began. The sun didn't appear over the hills but the sky was clearly becoming lighter. And apparently the King didn't care some people were still asleep in the mansion.

"Nothing at all?"

Sage shrugged one shoulder. "Probably not. Why?"

When Iris titled his head slightly,  Sage strongly shook her own at him. "Absolutely not."

"But he won't remember, and it doesn't have to be directly from the source; me."

"Sure, but it won't solve anything, prince."

"Kai's getting what he needs. Not what he wants. Don't you think if he does his urge will feel sufficed?"

Sage licked her lips as she pondered, "You do know there is a definite negative to this." She informed after a pause.

"Yes, but it's far better than death wouldn't you agree?"

So with mutual agreement, blood was drawn.

††

I am SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! What has a been, a week? I truly apologize. Sorry this is a bit short and rushed but I have a reason for that.

I wanted to discuss the time period the story takes place in(it's a random chapter to just now explain it but whatever!)

So, I originally wanted to write a book during somewhat in the medieval times. I always found books like that interesting. However upon writing the first two chapters-not the ones that are currently published-I realized that, that field was far past my experience. I just wasn't used to it and I knew I would flunk the story trying, so I dabbled with both; a modern and older time period.

For example, there are no cars and the equipped weapons are swords and daggers. Yet there are modern showers and kitchens..it's weird I know.

I'm also trying to ancient my language, because duh they didn't like we do now. You don't know how many jokes I missed while doing this.

Anyway..this isn't a vow I'm maintaining a perfect update schedule but I do promise they won't be a month apart or anything as such.

Thank you!!

~Swissy