The King Of All Vampire Kings (Book 1) ✔️

|16|~Beauty Bias~

Edited.
Claire POV.

The moment I slam the door, my tears flow freely down my face, without an ounce of shame. I hate this, every part of this. I should be long gone, deceased, and free of judgment or blame.

I did everything in my power to make sure of it, breaking every rule, believing that my disobedience was enough for them to sentence me to certain death. How foolish of me to believe that a human could have little power over their own future?

I don't understand how or why I became his chosen. Just thinking about the vampire king that forced this life onto me made my heart ache with another round of pain. I sink onto the floor and pull my sweater over the top of my knees. The sweater he provided, the one a killer brought to the dungeon for me, and of course, I accepted it without any complaint.

I'm so selfish. I suddenly feel totally disgusted with myself. I quickly pull the sweater over my head with no hesitation, foolishly believing that removing the king's blood gift, will provide me with some sort of dignity. It doesn't. I'm a monster. I may even be more monstrous than him. I accepted his stuff without a second thought, even though it was a sweater to keep me warm in that horrid dungeon he put me in. I even felt attracted to him before and after he killed that poor human girl. I betrayed my species.

They have every right to judge me. I would do the same exact thing if I was in their shoes, forming my own biased opinion of another girl who was picked to be his chosen. So how can I judge them?

Suddenly Mecca comes to mind, and I can't help but wonder how she is doing. I have only been free an hour or so, but one hour in the dungeon can feel like a lifetime. Mecca has to be the most bizarre creature I have ever encountered, but I still care about her. I have to find a way to see her again.

Maybe Xander will help me despite their differences. I forgot to ask him why they hate each other so much anyway.

The door opens, forcing my thoughts away.

A soft voice queries, "What are you doing in here?"

Quickly wiping my tears away, I bring myself to look at the person who questions me. I'm thrown off guard when my eyes are met by the soft brown eyes of the pet of King Nicklaus's beloved. 

At least I think she's still her pet.

Most pets are typically chained and dragged around, but this girl is now polished and groomed like a chosen. Her posture is straight, and her head is held high. She's trained in the art of beauty just like her friends, the she-devil bitches. The only question that remains is, How did she manage to learn how to play the role so soon? I couldn't have possibly been incarcerated that long, could I?

I stand to my feet, refusing to look weaker than I already feel. I can see her now, running back to Jasmine and Victoria, laughing about my moment of weakness. This is a dangerous world. Even if you're dealing with a human, you must show no fear. There's a time and place for everything, and this is not the time to break down.

"I was just leaving. No need to be a bitch about it," I snap.

Being standoffish is better than being approachable. It's better this way, and it's not like she doesn't already have her mind made up about me anyway.

I brush past her, not bothering to waste any more of my time staring into her judgmental eyes.

"You know, being a chosen is way easier when you have at least one friend."

Her words stop me right in my tracks.

"Friend?"

How could one word sound so foreign as it rolled off my tongue?