My Most Precious Human

I was standing on the threshold of my chamber, motionless. I could hear Sophia's screams as she was being dragged by the guards through the corridor. When they were further away, I looked at my hand. My fist was clenched to the point where my nails were stabbed into the flesh of my palm. My whole body trembled. Was it because of the rush of adrenalin I felt? Or was it because I had done something ruthless for the first time in my life?

The pondering over my state of mind was interrupted by the clapping sound of someone's hands. I turned, searching for the source of the sound, and saw a man coming my way. As he was closer, I realized I had seen him before. He was at the coronation, standing near the podium. I remembered him because he was the only one glaring at Elora. Now, he was coming my way, grinning beamingly and clapping his hands. His blue eyes were glowing and locked on me. I gazed at him, puzzled.

"Bravo!" he exclaimed, "you've only been at the palace for a day and you've managed to sentence to death Elora's favorite maid! Well done!" He burst out laughing.

I couldn't help but notice him clenching his teeth at the name Elora. I guess I was right before; he certainly wasn't fond of the new queen. I looked him up and down. His complexion was pale, but he wasn't quite giving me the vampire vibe.

"Who are you?" I narrowed my eyes, looking at him suspiciously.

He stopped laughing and formed a beaming grin again, "I'm Kanan, or I should say... Prince Kanan. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Lilith."

My lips curled up in a wicked smirk. That was something I wasn't expecting.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Highness." I bowed down.

He snorted and patted me on the shoulder. "No need for stupid formalities." He invited himself into my room, then turned his head, looking for me to join him.

Curiously, I walked inside and closed the door. "So... what brings the Prince into my humble chamber?"

"Boredom, curiosity... I needed some entertainment, and you didn't disappoint me." He eyed me with amusement, then sat down by the table.

"Do you think that your sister's little scheme was funny?" I gritted my teeth.

He picked up one of the bloodied pieces of the plate that was still on the table. "No. But I assumed that this dumb bitch would try to prove her superiority in the lowest of ways. Idiotic plan, poor delivery... I guess they got what they deserved," he said in a nonchalant tone.

"They?" I asked, sitting next to him by the table.

"My sister and Sophia. I've always despised that conceited wench-of-a-maid and her arrogant belief that she was superior because she had more vampire blood in her. It pleases me that she is finally going to die," he stated, painting a wicked smirk on his face.

"If she really is trusted by Elora's maid, then she might not be punished. I bet the Queen will say a word in her favor." I sighed, predicting the not-so-good outcome.

Kanan burst out laughing. "You don't know my sister, do you? She would never stand up for anyone. She's the worst self-centered whore I know."

"Oh... you truly don't like your sister, do you?" I commented sarcastically.

"What gave me away?" he grinned slyly at me.

I smiled back at him. I had to say I had already started to like him. I could use the saying about the enemy of my enemy being my friend, but the truth was that something about him felt good, something more than his hatred for Elora.

"By the way, you are a human, right? So how come you could win against someone as strong as Sophia? I mean, I have seen her fight against a well-built mix-breed, and he didn't stand a chance." He gave me a curious glance.

I didn't know how to answer him. I didn't know what had happened. I assumed it might have been one of the changes in me, my new super-genes acting up, but telling someone who had barely met that I was in the middle of transforming into who knows what didn't sound like a good idea.

"I... was trained by a werewolf since I was a kid." I smiled nervously, hoping he would buy that.

He looked me up and down. "You don't look like you I-love-workout type," he chuckled.

"I fought with wolves... or more like tried to escape from the wolves most of the time. I didn't learn to kill them with my strength, but to survive." A wry smile formed on my face.

"So you escaped from the wolves to get yourself into a much bigger mess?" Without a doubt, this was a rhetorical question.

I smirked at his sarcastic remark. "I think the mess would have been bearable if it weren't for your precious sister and her lust for power."

"Believe me, she is merely one of your problems," he snorted.

I didn't like the sound of his words. "What do you mean?" I asked while the smile vanished from my face.

He leaned closer, blinking his long dark lashes. "Let's make a deal. I can move around the palace, and I know much more than my sister would want me to. I can help you gain supporters among semi-nobles and powerful half-breeds."

"What will you gain from it?" I inquired suspiciously.

"When you gain a stronger position, you can protect me from assassination attempts." He shrugged.

I raised my eyebrows, "Your sister wants to kill you?"

"Of course!" He burst out into laughter, equally cold and bitter. "She wanted me dead even before I was born. She couldn't raise any suspicions, so she couldn't just shoot my human mother, but she tried to poison her on multiple occasions. She finally succeeded when my mother was in her ninth month of pregnancy. She died, but I survived."

It sounded as if our lives were equally messed up.

"What about your father? Did he know it was Elora's doing?"

"Yes, he imprisoned her for five years, but he loved his daughter too much to punish her as she deserved. After she was released, I was under my father's protection, so she couldn't touch me, but now..." The bitterness in his smile said it all.

I guessed I had no reason not to believe him, and it sounded like we had a lot in common. I hated depending solely on Sariel and constantly being a damsel in distress waiting for him to rescue me. Kanan's proposal seemed reasonable. I could use the support from others. I knew that my authority would increase along with the number of powerful backers. At that moment, I had one, the King, and that could have been insufficient to live in peace... or to stay alive.

My lips formed a cunning smile as I gazed at Kanan with confidence. "Fine. Let's ally."