S E V E N T Y-F O U R

Annesa cried out when she ripped the piece of wood out of her shoulder. The end that was jabbed into her skin was pointy, so Kai could only assume the piece belonged to the small wooden fence that was caging in rose bushes along the wall. The tips were shaped like an arrow.

The second the piece of wood hit the floor, so did her body.

She cried out again as Kai stabbed the dagger into her other shoulder. The stab wasn't enough to kill her, but it would certainly cause a lot of agony, and temporarily paralyze her.

"What did you do!?" Kai glanced behind him, staring at the dead body with wide eyes. "What did you do..."

Annesa gripped Kai's wrist, piercing her nails into his skin. He twisted the dagger, making her scream.

"She deserved it!" she cried, tears pooling in her eyes. "She deserved it!"

"You deserve death! After all the suffering you caused!"

Annesa turned her head, coughing out blood. "You would never understand, Kai! You lived a good free life, didn't you! You weren't in captivity, you weren't punished every day, you didn't have a care in the world!"

Kai pressed the dagger deeper into her shoulder, the ambers zipped and flung around. The veins in her neck already started turning black.

"Humans are poison. They always will be. But so are vampires. So are you!"

"I've done nothing–"

Annesa burst into laughter. Her tears rolled down her cheeks and blood slid down her jaw.

"You know, I thought you were playing dumb the first time we met here. But it turns out you really don't remember."

Kai's grip on the dagger tightened. "What?"

"Kai and Sage, the two peas in a pod. The nomadic duo who raised havoc among the humans: wrecking banquets, killing mercilessly, saving vampires in need. Oh, but wait! One of those are a lie. You didn't care about anyone but yourself back then. You–"

"I never asked to be titled a "hero". They were all just rumors. It's not my fault you believed them."

Annesa laughed again. "Don't you remember the first time we met? We were just mutts in the street and here you came so high on your pedestal! They said you helped vampires in need, saved them from captivity-slavery. You know what you did!? Do you know?!" She started laughing once more.

Kai clenched his jaw, his body shaking with anger.

"You laughed at us! We asked for your help when you came to our village, and you laughed!"

Annesa kicked her legs, making Kai twist the dagger in deeper. She groaned, the black veins crawling up her cheek.

"You laughed." Her head hit the grass with a soft thump. "I didn't know you'd be here when I chose this kingdom, but words couldn't describe how ecstatic I was when I found out! Because of that, I made sure no one was spared!" She coughed up more blood when she cackled. "I thought we could become friends since you were so ruthless back then. I didn't think you would change so much. But look at you! You're just the king's lapdog!"

Kai tore the dagger out of her shoulder, causing her laughter to falter.

"Shut up!"

"Humans will always be the superior breed as long as you submit to them! A long as you keep treating them like they're so high and mighty! Well, they can go rot in hell!" She screamed, thrashing her body. "You can rot in hell! And Zoe–"

Her words were cut off when the dagger penetrated her stomach.

"They'll.....nev...er accept....you."

Kai pressed the dagger deeper.

"Never." Annesa's clawing hands fell to her sides, and the dried gaze in her eyes came to a halt.

Kai left the dagger in place and sat back, still straddling her waist. He stared down at her lifeless body, his gaze nearly just as dead as hers, and exhaled the shaky truth.

"I know..."

A dead leaf crunched behind him.

"Hm. She always was one to hold grudges."

Kai widened his eyes, heart skipping a beat as he whipped around.

"Z...Zoe?!"

"Yes?" Zoe had her hands on her neck while she bent it side to side, then rolled it until there was a pop.

"You–" Kai looked from Annesa to where Zoe's body was laying, to Annesa, then back up to Zoe. "You're..."

Zoe blinked down at Kai for a few seconds before chuckling. "Come on, Kai, didn't I tell you we can reattach our heads? Decapitation doesn't kill us, remember? Besides, she forgot to bleed me out first."

Kai got off of Annesa, pulling the dagger out of her stomach while he stood. He wiped the blood on his pants while gazing down at Annesa.

"Or maybe she did it on purpose."

Zoe followed his vacant stare. She didn't admit it out loud, but she thought the same thing. She was going to laugh at the idea, deny it with a playful comment when she was suddenly pressed against Kai's chest. She tensed when his arms loosely wrapped around her shoulders.

"Don't. Say. Anything," he warned, his deep voice easily making its way to her ears.

Zoe chuckled and wrapped her arms around Kai in return.

"Sorry for worrying you," she teased, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Shut up."

"Oh, let me guess, you were only worried because Iris would've been worried."

"I said don't say anything."

Zoe grinned and leaned back. Kai had his head turned, but under the hazy moonlight, Zoe caught a glimpse of the pink shade under his eyes. She chuckled again.

"I believe this is the start of something great!"

Kai opened his mouth, most likely about to complain, but closed it as something melancholy came over him. He backed away from Zoe and looked down.

"You were with her..weren't you?" he said, pinching the skin between his thumb and index finger. "Back then?"

Zoe gazed down with a small smile. "I was. But I didn't get mad like Annesa did. I understood they were rumors because I didn't think someone so free like yourself would bother rescuing helpless vampires and risk your freedom. Though, laughing at us was a bit unnecessary."

Kai looked down in shame and rubbed his arm. "It's far too late for an apology, but–"

"Don't waste your breath." Zoe patted his shoulder. "Why apologize for something you purposely did? Besides, that was over a century ago. Unlike Annesa, I forgot about it. I don't plan on using it against you like she wanted to do."

"Still..."

"Kai, really, it's fine. You want to make it up to me? Drop it. I'd rather not remember the incident anyway."

Kai's hesitation was still visible in his expression, but he nodded in respect to Zoe's wish. He always knew his past would come back and bite him in the future. He was glad it didn't do as much damage as he expected.

"Are you really okay with how everything turned out?" he asked, changing the subject as he glanced over in Annesa's direction. "Did you ever plan on helping her?"

"I didn't want to kill her," Zoe said truthfully, "but I didn't hesitate when she refused negotiation. Honestly, I don't believe humans and vampires will ever coincide, and us Vamps just give them another reason to hate the entire species. We're just one more thing that they'll come to fear because they didn't take the time to understand first."  Zoe looked away from Annesa with a smile. "But it's okay. We'll make do with the changes. Hopefully, anyway."

Kai studied Zoe's injuries thoughtfully. "You know, you're way of thinking is rather similar to Iris's."

"Maybe that's why we hit it off so well."

"Don't say it like that."

"I'm kidding!" Zoe stretched her arms above her head. "I know what you two are, what you two have. Nothing will ever get in between you guys. That much is for certain."

Kai relaxed at her words and looked up. The moon was venturing out from behind the clouds because, in the east, the sun was starting the rise. Above the horizon, through the thick cluster of threes, the first flicker of light began to appear.

"Thank you....and I'm sorry."

Zoe shook her head, smiled, and let out an exhausted sigh.

"You never listen to you?" She turned towards the gate. "Don't thank me yet."

"No, and what more must you do?"

"Oh, no I've done all I needed. I just want you to thank me in front of Iris."

Kai looked down and started marching passed Zoe. "You ruined the mood."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She chased after him with a laugh. "Come back!"

***

It took nearly half a year to clean up the destruction Annesa and her Vamps caused. Even though the villages were wrecked and the people were a mess, Vridora held onto its reputation. Not only was it resilient against the attack, but its natural beauty remained.

Spring came quick, dressing the bare arms of the trees in green leaves, the ground with a beautiful assortment of flowers, and blossoms–cherry and peach–scattered the streets.

The sky stayed cerulean and the sun continued to shine, basking everything gold in the morning, and honey in the evening. Smiles returned, and chattering replaced the silence that once loomed awhile in the villages. Stores opened up and houses were built stronger.

The war's progression stopped in Vridora, but the fighting didn't cease until a few months later when Zoe's Vamps took out the rest of Annesa's in the other kingdoms. Her victory became a widespread topic, and it all traced back to Vridora somehow.

She returned the kingdom she took over to its rightful owner and apologized profoundly. With the help of Iris and his dad, they managed to ease the king's anger and help him understand the importance of Zoe's invasion. The two agreed to an alliance and Zoe and her followers were thankfully let off the hook.

After everything calmed down, Arlo gave a more professional speech to the people, which was carried to every neighboring kingdom.

"Vridora is stronger," Arlo said. Though, many shot back to say Vridora was always stronger.

As for Iris, he was bedridden for a month. His severe headaches and loss of memory easily led to a concussion. His bruises worsened after the day of the battle and even clenching his fingers hurt because two were broken, and his ankle was twisted; though, thankfully not broken or sprained.

Kai recovered with him. His bruises weren't as bad, but he had a broken rib and the body aches were painful.

They stayed in Iris's room together and possibly shared more things in that one month than they did in a year.

Kai did a lot of explaining and talked about things that were not only important but things he always wanted to tell Iris and never got around to say. For example, his ring.

They were laying on the bed, Kai on his back and Iris sitting against the backboard. Iris was playing with Kai's fingers and the question popped in his head.

"My dad gave it to me," Kai answered, rubbing his finger over the silver ring. "We were being chased from our home and he suddenly stopped me to give it to me. He told me to keep running, so I did. I never saw him after that." Kai gazed at the ring as if its reflective surface was playing his memories, and he couldn't look away. "So no, it's not a past engagement ring."

Iris cleared his throat, causing Kai to chuckle.

"I woke up in the woods a few days later. I was too scared to leave, so I ended up staying there for maybe a month before finally moving on. I was only a kid but I couldn't tell you what age. I searched for another village and found myself in another kingdom, a coastal one. It was kind of poor, so a ragged-looking kid like me fit right in. Truthfully, I only left because animal blood was cutting it anymore."

Suddenly, a smile etched its way onto Kai's lips.

"That's where I met Sage. She yelled at me for invading her 'turf' and I had no right killing anyone. We bickered quite a lot, but eventually, our similarities brought us together. We left the kingdom after a few years, we were teenagers then. We went everywhere together, fought alongside each other, survived together. It was just her and I, no rules and no laws."

Iris ran his fingers through Kai's hair as he listened. "Sounds like you had fun back then."

"It was great. I had the luxury of being free. Sometimes–no–I flaunted my freedom too much, and a lot of times in a negative way."

Alongside the good, Kai also shared the bad parts of his past.

"I wasn't a good person," Kai explained, shame filling his eyes. "I did a lot of bad things, and often blamed humans for my actions. I knew what I was doing was wrong, so it wasn't like I thought I was doing the right thing. No...I just did what I wanted with little remorse. I was awful, really."

He then explained what Annesa said to him the night of the attack. Iris simply listened while he petted Kai's hair.

"I wanted to make up for what I did in the past. That's why I agreed to come here when the king found Sage and I. I wanted to fight but for the greater good. It was also the first time I visited a kingdom that was somewhat kind to vampires. I guess you could say I was too intrigued to leave."

Iris processed all of Kai's words. Listening to him talk for as long as he did was something he naturally cherished, but he was more grateful to have learned the past he was always so eager and curious about, so tempted to know. Kai had been a mystery from day one. It made Iris smile knowing he got to uncover him.

He patted his thigh, which Kai shuffled on the bed to lay his head on. One of his legs hung off the bed while the other was bent.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to stay. I'm glad you decided to put your past behind you to seek a better future. I don't know what I would've done without you."

Kai took one of Iris's hands and brought it to his lips. "Me, too. I'm so happy I met you." He pressed a long kiss on the back of Iris's hand. "I love you."

Kai never missed the chance to whisper those three words. He never thought he'd get the opportunity to.

Iris leaned down. "I love you, too."

He also never thought he'd heard those words directed towards himself.

Kai grinned ear to ear when Iris leaned back. "You know, according to my knowledge, I do remember saying I'll take you wherever you want to go one day. Do you remember that? Now that everything's over, and once we heal completely, perhaps you'll let me fulfill my promise."

Iris matched his grin. "Will you really take me anywhere?"

"I am a man of my word. Wherever my love's heart desires to go, we go."

"Ugh, you're so corny."

"But you love it," Kai sang out.

Iris shook his head, a laugh ripping past his lips. "Unfortunately."

"Rude."

Iris leaned down again. "Of course I love it. I love you, which means I love everything that comes with you–the good and the bad."

"And you call me corny..."

Iris smiled and pecked Kai's nose. "But, do you love it?"

Kai caressed the back of Iris's head and pulled him down. "Definitely." And he kissed him again.

After their one month recovery, it took another two for Arlo to allow Kai to fulfill his promise; under a certain condition, however. Not only did those two months consist of Iris begging his dad to let him go, but Iris was also stalling to ensure Vridora was on a steady track of recovering.

The first time to left the mansion, he was bombarded with smiles and grins, soft hugs, and an abundance of gifts. It wasn't overwhelming but he didn't think he deserved such a heartwarming welcome and so many presents. Iris would've been content with just a thankful smile; but nevertheless, he appreciated everyone's gratitude, and expressed his own the best he could.

Despite everything, he was still an asocial prince. But he was very pleased with the progress he's made.

Amilea was hardly talked about during the recovery. Arlo mentioned her betrayal in his speech, and the people were furious. He left out her cause of death, figuring it was best to have everyone believe the Vamps were the culprit. Many controversies and theories floated around, but not a single soul in the mansion was taken aback. A few even made it into the newspapers, which did spark some surprise. Most thought the king would censor the rumors, but he let them drift. Arlo knew they would collect dust at some point and fade away, so he found no harm in the rumors.

There were even one or two regarding Iris and Kai and their "heartwarming companionship".

Iris scoffed at the description when Sage told it to him.

"One of these days I'm going to grab you and kiss you in front of everyone," he said to Kai with blunt determination.

The three of them were sitting in the willow tree garden eating snacks in the afternoon. Originally it was just Iris and Kai, but Sage joined them after returning from the villages.

"You have to do that when you get married," Sage pointed out. "You can do that then."

Iris hummed while he took a bite of his cookie. "Kai, when do you want to get married?"

The vampire paused from eating an orange slice. "Married?"

"Don't you want to get married?"

"We can't get married."

"Sure we can."

"It's against the law."

"When I become king we can."

"We can't."

Iris lowered his cookie. "You don't want to marry me, is that it?"

Sage looked between the two with a wide smile. She grinned at Iris's reaction and chuckled at the redness on Kai's cheeks.

"I–I mean...of course I want to marry you, but-"

"Then we're getting married when I become king." Iris held his chin high when he looked away.

Kai stuttered but he knew it was useless to try and rebuttal. Sage was laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach, which caused her to fall off the bench and then slammed her fist into the ground. Kai had never glared at her more fiercely.

"It's not funny!" he roared, heat blasting from his cheeks. He whipped his glare towards Iris when he snorted.

"Kai, you're–you're adorable."

"I hate both of you so much right now."

Sage pushed herself up, hands fanning her eyes that held tears. She was still snickering under her breath, which made Kai's eyes twitch. Iris rolled his own and dusted crumbs off his fingers.

While Sage occupied herself with catching her breath and calming down, Iris ever so casually stood up to plop himself down in Kai's lap. Since the bench had no back to it, Iris sat with his legs stretched out, swinging them once. He smirked at how pink Kai's cheeks got.

Despite the slight bashful reaction, Kai's arms moved automatically, wrapping around Iris's waist to keep him close. The heat of his palms was felt through Iris's shirt, pressing against his back, and Kai could feel the warmth of Iris's palms on his chest.

"I can't wait to marry you," Iris said, speaking just above a whisper. Admiration seeped out of his eyes as he gazed around Kai's face, already excited to claim someone as amazing and handsome as him. He was going to show him off every chance he got, fearlessly and with pride.

Kai let out a small groan, eyes slightly squeezing shut. "My heart seriously can't handle this..."

Iris threw his head back and laughed. He cupped Kai's face and smiled widely.

"Kai, never again will there be a day when you feel unwanted because the amount of love I'm going to give you will be overwhelming."

"What...what's with that–"

"It's a warning."

"A warning." Kai chuckled softly and looked down. "I suppose I should start getting used to it then."

"Wise choice. I have a lot of pent-up love ready to give."

Kai cupped the nape of Iris's neck and pulled him close until their lips met. "As do I. Glad to see we're in the same boat."

Iris grinned into the kiss. He pulled back but before he could say anything, both of them turned their heads at the sound of a sniffle.

Sage was still sitting on the ground, rubbing her eyes and stifling a sob.

"Uh, Sage?"

"Hm?" Sage didn't look up.

"Why are you crying?"

She sniffed again, this time looking up with wide, glossy eyes. "It's just–you two are so cute!" she cried and viciously wiped her eyes. "I'm totally a third-wheel right now. I don't feel worthy witnessing such a perfect couple!"

Kai rolled his eyes, muttering "give me a break" under his breath while Iris chuckled at Sage's reaction.

"If it means anything at all, I was very envious of you and Lily."

"Really?" Suddenly, all of Sage's tears dried up like water in a desert.

Iris nodded. "I envied how you managed to be in a taboo relationship. I didn't think I had a chance. You two are also very compatible, you make a great couple."

By the time Iris finished, Sage was holding her head up high, a confident smile on her face. Tear stains were still on her cheeks, but no more fell from her eyes. She went on to describe how well she thought her and Lilly worked together and while Iris listened (partly), Kai was annoyed that their moment was soiled.

But not completely ruined.

Kai raised his eyebrows when Iris forced his head to turn. He relaxed when they kissed, even though it was brief.

"One thing is for certain," Iris spoke when he leaned back. "Whatever may come, we'll experience it together. I won't let you go through anything alone, and I know you'll be by my side as well. We'll do it together."

"Together," Kai repeated.

"Always."

"I do like the sound of that!" Sage chirped, earning a scoff from Kai and a cheerful smile from Iris.

Together. They will experience their ups and downs together. They'll be fearless together, scared together, brave together, vulnerable together. For Iris and Kai, they'll have meals together, sleep together, joke around together, and rule together. Alongside one another, they will thrive.

Kai was about to brush back Iris's rogue strands of hair but smiled when the breeze did it for him. The wind caused the trees to wave, limbs splitting, and the sun beamed through. Individual beacons shot down, painting shaded sections gold. Iris glowed when one ribbon of sunlight draped over him. Kai found it foolish to be surprised at his beauty; Iris always wore the sun nicely.

Seeing the prince like this, bright and radiant, made the vampire, for once, especially excited for the future.

"Yes." Kai smiled widely and kissed his prince. "Always."

Iris and Kai will continue to grow stronger individually, but they'll do it while beside each other. They'd see it no other way.

***

Well...Iris and Kai's wild and crazy story has finally come to an end.

Or has it?