The Vampire Prince's Toxic Consort (bxb)

Chapter 8 The Classes of Vampires

Lucius was still shaking when Dorian took him back to their room and put him on the couch. His heart was thumping frantically, and no matter how hard he tried to breathe, the air refused to stay in his lungs.

"Look at me." Dorian's authoritative command pulled him back to his presence. Lucius focused his wild eyes on the vampire's unreadable countenance.

Dorian stared into his eyes and his soul. An indomitable beam of power pierced Lucius's chaotic mind and transmuted into a cool mist of calmness, gingerly encompassing his thoughts like a shroud of protection. The panic subsided quickly, and Lucius was finally able to breathe again.

Every inch of his body was in blazing pain, and his left cheek was swollen from the blow. Dorian tilted Lucius's chin and looked at the two terrible bites on his neck. His frown deepened.

"I will call a physician to check on you."

"No!" Lucius finally spoke, "I don't want them!"

"Your wounds need to be treated, or they may get infected."

"Just...just give me some time..." Lucius struggled to take a long deep breath, "I just want to be alone for a moment, and then I will be fine...alright?"

Dorian studied him for a while and nodded. He stood up as if about to leave.

"Don't go!" Lucius shouted in alarm.

Dorian looked at him in perplex, "I thought you wanted to be alone?"

"Except for you, obviously!"Lucius's voice broke a little. He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to collect his composure, "can you...can you just stay with me for a sec?"

Dorian raised one side of his eyebrows but turned back and sat next to Lucius. He didn't say anything, and he wasn't particularly nice to Lucius, but his presence strangely calmed Lucius's nerves.

"Why were you there?" Dorian suddenly inquired.

Just one question, and it strangely got on Lucius's nerves again. He snapped, "Are you seriously going to blame this on me?"

"Your guards should have stopped you from going anywhere near that party."

"I didn't want them to follow. I want to be alone for just a few moments!" Lucius retorted, "am I your consort or a prisoner?!"

"So you lost them on purpose?" Dorian squinted his eyes, "You haven't answered my question. What were you doing there?"

"I lost my direction after I came out of the labyrinth."

Lucius knew Dorian didn't believe him, which was probably judicious on his part. But still, shouldn't his "husband" show more sympathy rather than interrogating him right away after he was almost violated and killed.

"This will happen again, you know." Lucius turned his face away from the crown prince, trying not to let the vulnerable emotions engulf him, "if you want to divorce me, may as well just do it now and get it over with. I'm sure you can find a proper excuse."

"Who said I want to divorce you?"Dorian frowned.

"Everyone."Lucius scoffed coldly, "they have already been planning which slave house I should go. "

"Don't be ridiculous! You were well protected. If you just do as you told and don't do stupid things like you did today, no one could have harmed you."

"And why was it so easy for me to lose your guard?" Lucius pressed on, "why was your insubordinate brother so eager to defile your consort without qualm or hesitation? You never appear in public with me. Never even came to see me or try to introduce me to the court. You lived your normal life pretending that I didn't exist. I'm a human. A slave or livestock in vampires' eyes. You don't need to divorce me. All you need to do to get rid of me is give people the idea that you don't want me anymore, and they will rip me apart."