My Most Precious Human

Dominique grabbed my hand and dragged me to the side of the room. Some nobles left in a hurry, trying to avoid being accidental casualties in the duel of those who appeared to be the strongest among all vampires.

"If the Duke challenges me, then I will accept. After I win, I will take your marked one, fuck her until the breaks, and then drain her to the last drop of her blood," Aryan grinned viciously while licking his lips. Sariel gritted his teeth. His fury instantly made him pull out his deadly claws. The hellish fire in his eyes was prepared to burn his enemy to ashes.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The Princess's enraged voice filled the room.

Those who stayed in the room immediately turned their eyes on her. She looked at the bleeding-out on the floor, Duke Orseolo, the crashed wall, and Aryan and Sariel, who were ready to fight to the death. She ran towards Sariel, panic clearly rising in her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled at him, "This is a royal mansion! You are not the king yet! What gives you the right to turn this place into a slaughterhouse?! Some whore?!"

Sariel turned his fiery eyes on her, "Don't provoke me, Elora. Don't cross the line you aren't allowed to cross," he hissed.

Dominique smirked coldly at the Princess, then turned to her brother, "If Princess Elora cares about the royal mansion so much, then how about taking the duel outside?"

"Oh, perhaps Lady Calvet is worried that I will break the wall with your dearest brother's body?" Aryan snickered.

"Are you kidding me? You will be lucky enough to touch him," Dominique glared at him. "You will be the one crashing those walls-"

"No one's going to crash those walls!" Princess Elora burst out.

Aryan burst out laughing, "Very well then. I can fight Duke Calvet anywhere he wants." He turned his arrogant gaze on Sariel.

The Duke glanced indifferently at his opponent, then a corner of Sariel's lips turned up, forming a lopsided smile as he looked at Elora. "Looks like your precious residence will be saved," he said, pointing to the still-whining Duke Orseolo, "all you have to do is call the cleaners to wipe the floor and throw out the crash."

"You had no right! I hold the same title as you!" Duke Orseolo cried out, snarling.

Sariel chuckled, then walked closer to lean over him. "That is the only reason I let you live," he hissed.

The Duke backed away, cringing from his vicious glare, then stood up from the floor, pressing his bleeding, palmless arm against his chest. Sariel clicked his tongue, disgusted by his cowardness, then straightened up and glanced at Aryan.

"Let's get on with it," he tossed as he walked out towards the corridor leading outside the building.

Everyone, including Princess Elora, followed. I tried to catch a glimpse of Sariel's face. He seemed composed and focused, completely unlike the amused and giggling Aryan. I was nervous. As much as I was certain of the strength Sariel possessed, I was also aware that Aryan had drunk some of my blood. If it truly could make vampires more powerful, then Aryan would become stronger than before... The news of the duel quickly caused a sizeable crowd to gather outside the main entrance. Dominique and I stood at the front. The Princess reluctantly joined us and stood next to Dominique. "Didn't know you'd like this kind of show, Your Highness," Dominique chuckled at Elora.

"I have to know if my fiancé stays alive after this, don't I?" she tossed, crossing her arms on her chest.

"I didn't know my brother had a fiancé," Dominique scoffed.

Elora turned towards her with a sly smirk, "I don't think Lady Calvet holds a high enough position to be informed of the royal plans for marriage."

Dominique stretched her mimic muscles into a wry smile while anger lit in her eyes. "Princess Elora seemed to forget that we are no longer in the eighteenth century," she sneered coldly, "no one cares about the bloodline anymore. The only thing that matters is strength."

"Do you want to challenge me for my title, Lady Calvet?" Elora angrily squeezed through her teeth.

Dominique snorted, "I had nothing to gain from claiming your title. The Princess holds no power." "Oh, you're wrong about that," Elora chuckled softly.

Dominique rolled her eyes, trying to ignore her last words and focus on the fight that was about to start. The duel was about to take place in the front yard, which gave enough space to spare accidental damage. Sariel and Aryan stood facing each other at a twenty-foot distance. The gathered crowd was both excited and terrified, moving back from them to avoid becoming a collateral casualty.

My heart was pounding widely, making my breathing unstable. I tried to be confident of Sariel's fighting abilities, but I was horrified. Even the thought that Sariel could become slightly injured seemed unbearable.

Leo stood at the center, gave the signal to start, and quickly moved out of the way. Aryan charged at full speed like a flash. Sariel dodged his attack and pushed him away, making him fly a few feet back before he landed with his hands and feet on the ground. He growled furiously and attacked again, with the same result.

I could barely keep up with their flashing movements, but I wasn't the only one. The gathered crowd stood with their mouths wide open, admiring their powerful strikes.

Aryan attacked more and more savagely, pushing Sariel to the back. I gasped fearfully every time I felt his claws were about to reach Sariel's flesh, yet he managed to dodge them time and time again. I clenched my fists. My whole body was tested, and I was certain that my thundering heart was loudly audible within the crowd. Dominique grabbed my hand and squeezed it hard.

"Relax, Lilith. My brother knows what he is doing. Just enjoy the show," she whispered to my ear.

I forced myself to smile, but her words didn't help me calm down at all. I glimpsed at Leo. A wicked grin was painted all over his face as he was watching his master fight. At first, I was too nervous to understand Sariel's tactic, but as I took a few deep breaths, I realized that he was waiting... He was waiting until his opponent reached his limit. Soon, Aryan's attacks became aimless. He charged forward more and more clumsily. He began to lose his balance, falling to the ground each time his blow couldn't reach Sariel.

Suddenly, Sariel raised his head to look my way and smirked. It was finally his time to attack. He stormed at Aryan at full speed and pierced his claws deep into his chest. Aryan roared painfully but was already too exhausted to push Sariel away or force him to take out the Duke's stabbing claws from his chest. While he struggled, Sariel used his other hand to slash his throat. He gurgled, choking on his blood as the ground beneath his feet painted in red. While he writhed in convulsions, Sariel pulled out the claws from Aryan's chest, making more streams of blood flow from his wounds.

Aryan swayed on his feet. While a human would have been long dead by now, the smaller injuries on Aryan's body had already started to heal. The torn flesh on his neck also began to merge, but I already knew that the bigger the blood loss, the slower the healing processes, and Sariel wasn't about to show any mercy...

He slashed Aryan's throat one more time, this time from the other side. Aryan wheezed, fighting to inhale, but Sariel didn't plan to stop. He struck again and again, tearing Aryan's flesh and cutting the spine. The crowd held their breath, watching the massacre. Finally, Aryan's head detached from the body and fell to the ground, followed by his lifeless corpse.

A wave of gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd. I guess the nobles and their representatives were too terrified to know whether to cheer for the victor or stay silent. One thing was certain: no one would be bold enough to challenge or threaten the future king's position.

Sariel looked down at his cruel accomplishment as he soaked in the blood of his enemy. Then he smirked and walked towards Dominique and me. As he was getting closer, the crowd moved away, fearing him as if they were being approached by a savage beast. I didn't fear him. I smiled while my whole body trembled, and my eyes became teary.

"Good job, brother." A mischievous grin appeared on Dominique's face.

"Thanks, sis," he tossed nonchalantly and locked his eyes on me. "Were you worried about me, love?"

His words made my heart flutter. I stopped thinking about anything else. All that mattered was that Sariel was alive and well. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him close while softly weeping. He embraced me tightly, pressing me against his dirty, bloodied chest.

"You are mine, Lilith, and I am not going to let anyone touch you... ever," he whispered and gently kissed my forehead.