The King Of All Vampire Kings (Book 1) ✔️

| 5|~Sweet Escape~

Claire POV. 
Edited.

One thing is clear: King Nicklaus doesn't approve of Xander's actions, I mean King Xander's actions. I have no right to be calling him by his first name.

Once the crowd of vampires recognizes his voice, they all drop to their knees in submission. The other vampire kings are now present. It is obvious King Nicklaus and Xander—who are having a staredown battle—want to rip each other's throat out.

Fuck, I called him by his first name again. What has gotten into me?

Xander drops the whip to the floor and spits, "Exactly what you should be doing. This piece of shit raped a—"

"There is no law that permits against raping a human," King Nicklaus abruptly cuts him off as his eyes flicker to me.

"There is a crime in raping a human who has not been auctioned off and classified," Xander snaps back.

King Nicklaus raises a hand forward, and Xander falls silent. He walks through the crowd, his gaze smooth and graceful. He is the king of all vampire kings after all. As much as it kills me to admit it, there is no denying the powerful authority that glistens around him. The humans on the stage are frozen in fear.

I look down as his eyes scan through the crowd, not wanting to cause any more attention to myself than I already have.

His voice booms with authority as he commands, "Come, slave."

Without looking, I know he is referring to me. Deciding it is best to not disobey him in front of an audience, I follow his command with ease.

Don't get me wrong, I do have a backbone. However, even the bravest of slaves know when to fall in line.

His voice pops inside my head literally. "Oh really? Coming from the stupid human girl that spat in my face."

Before I can react, his voice continues to say, "Stay calm, human."

And just like that, my body goes limp.

What the hell? That has never happened to me before.

Xander places his stormy gaze upon me, his irritation reflecting clearly in his eyes.

"My loyal subjects, I apologize for my brother's unacceptable behavior. You have all been called here to choose your new slaves. The untouched slaves will be classified and released into the kingdom that could utilize them the most. Choose wisely, as this event only comes once a year," King Nicklaus's booming voice announces.

The crowd of vampires cheers and then continues to shop for humans, completely ignoring the fact that one of their kings has taken a stand for a human.

Wait, did King Nicklaus just call him his brother?

They are brothers. No fucking way. I have not been the best student in vampire history 101, but I'm 100 percent positive that not one of the history books indicates that any of the vampire kings are related.

Xander breaks my train of thought when he releases me from his hold and knocks the scary vampire out with one punch.

"This red-haired human is mine," he declares and snaps his fingers.

Seconds later, some vampire guards come and grab Victoria. She screams as her entire body starts to tremble. I know she's aware of who he is and how he is rumored to be. Little does she know, she is super lucky. Well, as long as he decides not to classify her as a bleeder, she will actually be better off than me.

Lucky tramp.

King Nicklaus startles me when a low, animalistic growl grumbles throughout his chest. He wraps his arms around me and then waves in the guard's direction.