Prince Darrius

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“So where are you taking me today?” I ask Darrius as we walk down a hall way on a lower level that I haven’t been to before. This was my second day here. I had one more day to escape. After that, Darrius would try to turn me and I’d die in the process. 

“I want you to meet my younger brother,” he says, “He’s sick,” I give him a funny look. 

“But if he is a vampire, he can’t get sick,” I point out. Darrius glares at me with his dark blue glossy eyes and I can’t but help think that when he does that it is both scary and sexy. Jeez, Jennifer, get it together. He was the villain. I needed to escape! Not think about how hot Darrius was. 

“You’re parent’s poison that they invented, kills vampires quickly. My brother got a small whiff of it, hardly any, yet he will die soon. He only has maybe a week left,” Darrius explains, a dark sadness hidden in his eyes. I want to say I’m sorry that my parents did that to his brother. But I stop myself. Darrius had lied to me when he said my parents were dead. So I had to still act like they were still gone.

“What’s his name?” I ask.

“Johnathan,” he says, “He is one of the good vampires,” I sigh in response.

“I don’t understand what you mean when you say some vampires are good and some bad. How can your brother be good, and you claim to be bad?” I ask.

“I don’t kill with remorse. My brother does,” he explains, like it is obvious. We reach the room his brother is staying in and Darrius motions for me to enter first. I do so and see a bedroom much like my guest room. On the bed is a vampire, lying under the blankets with a cool rag on his forehead. There is a woman beside his bed, talking to him quietly. When she turns to face me I nearly gasp …then stop myself.

It was the same woman who gave me the note from my mum. She looks at me for a moment then her gaze springs to Darrius.

“What have you brought us here?” She asks, “Lunch?” She flashes her fangs in a smile and Darrius scowls.

“No, Claudia, she’s the girl we held as a hostage two days ago, remember? Her name is Jennifer,” I walk with Darrius to the end of the bed and my gaze is transfixed on his brother, who is closing his eyes in pain, his face flushed. 

He has the same hair as Darrius. He looked a little younger, his frame more heavily built. I get a shock when he opens his eyes and they flash a brilliant green. That was definitely a defining feature of the two brothers. 

“I know who she is,” Claudia snaps at Darrius, “I was joking, you are too serious Darrius,” I smile at her and then gaze back at Johnathan.

“Why is she here?” Johnathan croaks out to Darrius. Darrius runs a hand through my hair and I stiffen.

“This little girl,” he says in his silky smooth voice “Is born to be a vampire hunter and I’m going to turn her into one of us,” When he tries to run his hand through my hair again, I slap his hand away and glare.

“I’m not a freaking pet,” I say, “Don’t do that,” I take a step away from him and closer to Claudia. He narrows his eyes at me.

“This is Johnathan, Jennifer,” Darrius begins, ignoring my outburst, “He advocates not killing humans when we feed on them. He also advocates more feeding rooms, rather than vampires stalking strangers. He is an example of a good vampire,” Darrius says this seriously and his voice tightens when he adds, “He won’t last long if we don’t find a cure for the poison your parent’s made.”

“The girl is not her parents, she didn’t do this to him,” Claudia says, “Don’t be so hard on her. It’s clear you’ve already scared the living daylights out of her enough. Did you sleep, Jennifer? It looks like you didn’t,” I smile at Claudia, liking this vampire already. She also knew my mum was alive, maybe I could get her alone later on.

“No, I didn’t sleep very well,” I agree, “I don’t sleep well in different environments. Are you his girlfriend?” I ask, motioning between her and Johnathan. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes, so I already guessed they weren’t related. She nods, then gazes at her boyfriend with sorrow. She knew she didn’t have much time left to be with him. 

“We don’t know what the poison is, no one does,” she says quietly. Darrius looks at me with an annoyed glare, like he expects me to open my mouth and say I know the cure!

And then it hits me, a plan to escape!

“Darrius,” I say quickly, “I think I have an idea.” 

“Mmm?” he asks, interested, like he also saw a light bulb go bright suddenly in my head.

“I think I might be able to find a cure,” I say, “My parent’s had journals. Maybe the answer is hidden in them? However I might have to ask my uncle Jeff if the answer isn’t in the journals. My parents spent a lot of time with him, so maybe he knows what the poison is and therefore a cure as well?”

“Would you really do this for us?” Claudia pipes in before Darrius can respond. I nod.

“Yes,” I nod quickly again.

“How do I know you truly want to help my brother?” Darrius asks suspiciously.

“You said you wanted to prove to me some vampires are good. I think… I think I’m starting to see what you mean.”

“I’ll take you to your house, tonight then,” Darrius says, and I shake my head.

“No,” I say, “I have to go alone. The chances are the journals are with my uncle now. He is probably in on this whole vampire hunter thing with my parents. If you come along, and my uncle knows you are there, or is suspicious about it, he won’t tell me anything about the poison, would he? I have to tell him I escaped, and then he’ll open up to me,” I pray Darrius sees some reason to what I am saying. He stays silent, thinking for a while. 

“If I let you go and you don’t come back…” he begins darkly.

“I know, I know,” I say impatiently, “You’ll catch me and turn me without hesitation. I’ll come back, I promise,” I look at Claudia when I say this and she looks at me with hope.

“I have to go ask the King about this first,” Darrius says, stalking his way out of the room, leaving me with Claudia and Johnathan.

“I’ll try my best to help him,” I tell her. Because you helped me and my mum.

“Thank you, Jennifer,” she says sincerely.

I’d help her and Johnathan, I’d tell the cure to Darrius, but I wouldn’t be coming back here again.