The King Of All Vampire Kings (Book 1) ✔️

|41| ~Putting Together Two && Two~

Nicklaus POV.
Unedited.

We arrive at the Northern Forest just after midnight. We should have arrived hours ago, but those bloody beasts used pure, undiluted silver smoke bombs. It didn't affect our strength, but it did slow us down.

We can't afford to be at our weakest, so we decided to find another way around. I'm actually surprised that those dogs are using silver against us. Werewolves usually stay away from it because silver is the one thing that can kill them with the exception of a trueborn vampire or ripping out their heart. That just proves that Xander's theory is correct: We don't know anything about their world.

That's a huge weakness.

This marks forty-eight hours without her. All I can think about is getting her back to safety. I miss her so bad it hurts. This experience would be a lot more tasteful if I had marked my beloved. I would have been able to locate her instantly. My stupidity and blindness may cause Claire her life.

"What's bothering you, brother?" asks Xander, as we make our way through the forest. His eyes scan the trees for any signs of threats. My brother is a skilled fighter. He usually focuses on killing off the trueborn hunters, but he still is extremely skillful to fight against many other species, including werewolves.

"Claire will be fine, little brother. Try not to worry so much."

"How can I not?" I ask him, searching the trees as well and then scooping the grounds for any trails.

If I had controlled my inner monster, Claire would be in the safety of my arms. Now I may lose my beloved forever.

"This is my fault. "

"We both know that's not true, Nicklaus. You would have sent her away the moment you sensed danger. Your first instinct will forever be to protect your beloved. Some things are just out of your control, no matter how powerful you are."

I don't feel powerful.

"Besides, you can't control blood lust. We both know what that can do to you. I'll advise you to claim Claire the moment we get her back."

I'm not going through blood lust. My word of wisdom has officially lost its touch.

"I'm not experiencing blood lust, idiot," I hiss.

When vampires have a taste of their true beloved's blood for the first time, some of them go through blood lust, which is extremely rare but is not unheard of.

A vampire experiencing blood lust will become completely enraged, blinded with jealousy, and unable to control themselves at times. Some say that the older the vampire, the more severe the lust is. This would be extremely bad in my case. Not only am I an older vampire, but I'm also extremely powerful. If I can't control myself, then there's no telling what will happen. My monster is vicious and bloodthirsty enough.

"First, you almost ended Claire's life from the first bite," Xander tells me instead of asking. "Then, you almost killed Azazel for touching her. Not that I blame you of course, but I must point out that he is a representative from a respected vampire house. You could have started an inner species war."

"That's exactly why you stopped me from harming him at the auction. Am I right?" he asks, not allowing me to answer. "Lastly, you nearly drained a slave, just for looking at Claire. So, don't tell me that I'm the one being idiotic because it's obvious I'm quite the opposite. You're in denial," he states, stopping me right in my tracks.

I take a moment to think about Xander's observation. He has a valid point. Well, he has three, but he is missing a key factor.

"Claire has not accepted our bond. She doesn't even know who she is to me."