Contract Bound [Old Draft]

CHAPTER NINE

Once he decided to say his final goodbyes to his father, everyone had left except his closest friends. As he stood beside his father's body, just like any other vampire who died, his body became a couple of shades darker and slowly, lines began to spread before his body began to burn, ashes rising to the air all around before vanishing.

Abraham and Niko stepped closer and placed their hand on his shoulders when he dropped to his knees, the pain becoming too much.

No one said anything to him and he was glad. Nothing they said could take his pain away.

As days passed, rumors began to spread like wildfire. Alaric, the son of the vampire Fane had killed, was said to want to fight for the throne, claiming the Queen couldn't rule by herself and that Fane was not fit to be King.

Today, he was heading to meet the council and decided to take the longest path; he didn't look forward to listening to them tell him he had to find a wife and take over the throne.

At a snap of the twig, he stopped. "Evidently, you're not as smart as I thought."

Alaric chuckled before shrugging. "You think too highly of yourself, Fane."

Fane clenched his fingers at his sides, "I should have known the Fae King wasn't working a lone."

"I'm not your enemy."

Fane moved and managed to grab Alaric by the neck and slammed him against the ground, dirt rising all around them. "Why should I believe you! Your father wanted to take the crown—He killed Dante!" Fane let him go and staggered back, a scream tearing from his lips as his skin began to turn a couple of shades lighter.

Alaric messaged his neck. "Seems you need your beloved before that pain consumes you."

"You wanted to challenge me," Fane said, not recognizing his own voice. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm not your enemy, Fane...you need to take that blind fold from your eyes. Long ago, we were friends—"

"That was before your father betrayed mine."

Alaric's eyes flickered scarlet then returned to their normal brown and blue color. He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. "My father made many mistakes, but all he sought was to protect our people."

"He never cared about anyone but himself—He planned to killed my father and start a war."

"Stop being such a fool!" Alaric stepped closer but halted, hissing as he clenched his fists at his sides. "Your enemy is closer than you think." Then, he was gone.

When his skin began to smoke, he started at it, not moving from under the sun. Perhaps, he wanted to end it all.

Alaric was right; he wasn't fit to be king.

He could never be as great as his father was.

"Fane," Elisa said as she jogged to a stop beside him, setting a basket of flowers on the ground. "You're lucky I was returning to the mansion. Why wouldn't you bring your second necklace?"

She wrapped her fingers around the pendant and began to speak in her native language. As the seconds ticked by, his skin stopped smoking and the sections with burns began to heal.

"Fane, I know this is hard on you...but you have to be strong." She hesitated. "Have you seen her?" He began to walk past her. "Stop trying time punish yourself."

He stopped, trying his best to seem unfazed as he faced his friend, one he knew could see right through his facade. "Im not doing such thing."

"I know you well enough to see that you're trying to self destruct." She held his gaze, her eyes enveloping in tears. "Your father's death has hit us all hard..." She stepped closer and placed her hands on his shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze. "If something was to happen to you...I doubt any of us would be able to endure it..."

When his friends appeared, all looking concerned for him, he turned to leave, but halted at the sight of his mother. She stepped closer and cupped his face in her quivering hands.

"Son, showing your pain doesn't make you weak...let it all out." His mother hugged him and finally, he let out all the pain he had tried his best to hide, a pain that threatened to consume him.