[Warning: Adult content, language, and sensitive material.]
Rays of the early sunrise peeked through the sheer curtains of Tyler's large balcony window. Inside Alpha Tyler's privately owned mansion, where he and his clan mostly lived, Tyler relaxed naked in bed while fiddling with his cell phone. Far beside him, with a cold space between them, a naked vampiress rested her head on a fluffy pillow. With her back turned away from Tyler, she faced the balcony, pretending to be asleep.
After pleasing his sexual needs all night, she wasn't in the mood for a morning round of pleasure. Hours prior to last night, Tyler had requested for her younger sister, but she refused to cooperate. To spare her sister from facing Tyler's punishment, she volunteered to be with him last night instead. This way, her sister wouldn't have to satisfy him this time around.
Both sisters were enslaved courtesans since neither of them could bear any offspring to benefit Tyler's Coven. As a result, they were primarily used for entertaining the mateless vampires in Tyler's clan.
Long ago, Tyler's Coven, known as the Young Coven, defeated their Coven, and most of the females were taken captive by Tyler's Royal family. At the time, Tyler specifically chose both non-royal sisters to add them to his collection of courtesans. Most of the time, Tyler typically collected females who couldn't bear vamp babies, as he had no interest in them producing him offspring, when his selected concubines birthed him more than enough heirs.
As she reflected on her miserable life, a naked warm body pressed against her backside, and the thin, white sheet was the only covering she had around her body.
"You're so quiet," Tyler's hot breath tickled her ear.
From over the sheet, he draped his arm around her slender body, pulling her closer to his extending bulge.
"I'm thinking about getting a shower," she softly replied, completely ignoring his attempt to seduce her into another round of pleasure.
Tender kisses trailed along the side of her neck as she closed her eyes, while Tyler pampered her with affection. Though she remained still as can be, without moving a smidge, her heart throbbed painfully in her chest, and her throat felt raw when she swallowed. When Tyler tenderly traced his fingers down her thigh, her body tensed as his touch inched closer to her most intimate area.
"Use my shower. As a reward, you can relax for the entire day," Tyler gently whispered into her ear.
Good behavior and satisfaction came with rewards. Tyler didn't deny any of his enslaved females what they desired most. Jewelry, dresses, or anything he owned was shared or received with the courtesans who exhibited good behavior, and obeyed as he said. Extra rewards were granted for allowing the vampiresses to visit their families or even their daughters, as they weren't always allowed to raise them if the father was an enemy of his Coven.
Anytime the Young Coven defeated their enemies, the sons of their enemies were detained like their fathers, while all the females became their slaves. No matter their age, enemy vampires weren't commonly kept under Tyler's Royal family unless they wanted male minions. Otherwise, they bred themselves sons and daughters with the enslaved breeders to keep the Coven balanced and powerful.
Upon his offer, Tyler's fingers stopped wedging to get between her legs, and she exhaled in relief, feeling his hand retreat from her impure treasure. Her heart steadied, sensing the warmth of his body heat recede from hers. She was about to sit up, but then a chilly draft swept in, followed by a buzzing sound as the door closed with a dull thud. Her body stiffened as Tyler noticed a loud swarm of bees had entered his bedroom uninvited, without knocking first.
"You failed again," a commanding voice emitted from the cacophonous, cloudy cluster of bees.
Unresponsive, Tyler annoyingly eyed the loud buzzing bees as they swarmed around a chair before coalescing into a silhouette, seated at his round table. Clad in a black trench coat, leather pants, and spiked boots, a vampire emerged from the midst.
"Victoria is still alive," Zaid Landlock, the Alpha vampire with a striking black and exotic blue mohawk, remarked casually, reclining back into the chair.
"Would it kill you to knock?" Tyler rolled his eyes, retrieving his black trousers from the floor.
Never once had Zaid, his best friend, ever respected giving him an ounce of privacy. Known as a Slither species, Zaid was a Royal from the Landlock Coven. Their grandfathers, who were also their Headmasters, had a longstanding friendship that made Zaid, Tyler, and their Covens practically family.
"Would it kill you to kill Victoria?" Zaid purposely mocked him, as a crooked grin curled his lips. "Ditch the whore and come chat with me."
The vampiress held her tongue, refraining from a rude retort she wished to aim at Zaid. On any other day, she would rather deal with Tyler than Zaid. Between the two of them, Tyler was oddly more sensible.
"I'd rather stay in bed with my whore over talking to you," Tyler grumbled, pulling on his pants beneath the sheet before joining Zaid at the circular table.
Frustrated at the thought, Zaid asked, "How did Victoria survive hypothermia?"
"She must have a lucky rabbit's foot on her," Tyler grumbled, relaxing in the opposite seat from Zaid.
He remained unsure of how she kept surviving everything he had done to her.
"Why didn't you defeat Ryder?" Zaid simply questioned him. "You allowed him to save her."
Tyler explained, "My grandfather strictly warned me to adhere to the Vampire Covenant's codes of warfare. I can't defy my Headmaster's orders. You know I don't need Levi's Coven on my back."
"We're going to war with them regardless," Zaid persisted, catching a glimpse of the vampiress moving in the bed.
She sat up, wrapping the sheet around her nude body, and walked into the bathroom without so much of a glance at them, while they watched her.
Resuming the conversation, Tyler tried explaining after she shut the door, "Unlike you, my Coven has too many human infants in cradles. Levi and Kai will kill them if I cross the Vampire Covenant rules about—"
"Yes, I understand that!" Zaid waved his hand, cutting in. "Granted humans are legally allowed to kill another granted human according to our Vampire Oath, but still, you could've snapped Ryder's neck and restrained his clan."
Growing more edgy, Tyler growled, "If you can do a better job than me, send another serpent to eat her, or tell Skylar to send another flock of crows to do the job!"
Zaid cracked up laughing, which only made Tyler more annoyed.
"Skylar was an idiot to think a bunch of measly birds would do the job. To say the least, my serpent almost killed her until she was saved. But no worries, I have a new plan in mind," Zaid hinted as the glint in his eyes grew more mischievous, yet slightly deranged.
Tyler squinted his eyes. "And what sort of crazy idea did you come up with now?" he asked straightforwardly, wishing to get to the point.
"Get dressed," Zaid grinned evilly. "I'll introduce you to Betsy, my newest pet."