Chapter One
Azurdee woke up just as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. The last rays of sunshine painted her beautiful native island in brilliant oranges and fiery reds.
Most citizens were only now getting up to start their day. Their pale skin and blood red eyes were not accustomed to the brightness of the sun. Those who were less sensitive ventured onto the streets, shielding their eyes from the dying sunlight.
Luckily for Azurdee, her room was protected by heavy, blackout curtains.
Some didn’t have such luxuries.
Those of the lower class were already out of bed and headed for work. Some were already slaving away in coal mines or working in the capital’s various construction sights. Others farmed the animals that served as blood donors. Most drank sheep’s blood, but the elite had the privilege of ’dining’ on pureblood stags that roamed freely on the island’s mountainous coast.
Members of the elite often belittled the lesser vampires for their undersized fangs and their inability to control their bloodlust. There were even rumors of aristocrats keeping members of lower class clans as pleasure slaves.
But those, of course, were nothing more than that - rumors.
Azurdee groaned as she turned her pillow over to the cool side, but there was no cool side anymore. She whipped the covers off her body, feeling inexplicably hot which was unusual for a high-bred vampire of the Hallowed clan. Beads of sweat formed on her temples, running down her cheeks, causing her lovely golden locks to become moist.
Finally, she opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.
Today was the day.
Today she turned twenty-one.
It was a milestone in every vampire’s life, especially for an elite like herself.
She groaned.
Her mother planned the ceremony for almost six months, ranting about it over and over again until Azurdee thought she would go insane.
There was a knock on the door.
“Azurdee, dear, are you awake? We must prepare you to meet your soon to be husband! You mustn’t keep him waiting.”
Azurdee bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything profane.
It was a vampire tradition for members of the elite to marry someone from a similar standing through an arranged marriage. Parents gleefully found the best mate for their offspring, ensuring that the bloodline remained pure. All her life, Azurdee had been prepared for this moment, learning all about manners, etiquette, and the art of appearances.
“Azurdee, dear, you must get up.” Her mother knocked louder. She wiggled the doorknob, but Azurdee had locked it before going to bed that morning. “Azurdee, open this door this instant!” Her mother was starting to lose her temper, her voice rising.
She was always losing her temper.
Sighing, she rolled out of bed and unlocked the door.
“Oh! Good! You’re awake!”
Azurdee just stared blankly at her mother. It was still way too early in the night for her to have the patience for her mother’s antics. “Must we do this now?”
“Absolutely! We have to do your hair, your makeup and get you dressed. You wouldn’t want to meet your future husband looking as you do now, would you? It would be a disgrace to the family!”
Azurdee rolled her eyes in the gloom of the room. “Fine.”
Quickly, her mother grabbed her hand and dragged her out of her bedchamber. Azurdee struggled to keep up, her body still sluggish from the lack of sleep.
She had spent most of the day worrying about her coming of age ceremony. For twenty-one years, she had been kept a virgin so she could be offered to the best possible suitor. It was the tradition of her people, and yet, it didn’t feel right.
Shouldn’t she have the right to marry whoever she’d like? Why did her parents have to decide for her?
“I’ve got Juniper ready to do your hair. And then Margareta is going to handle your makeup. Make sure you don’t touch your face too much once she puts it on.”
“Mother. There’s no need to bother the servants with all this, I can do my own hair and makeup.”
“Nonsense. No daughter of mine will do such a thing. The servants are here for a reason, dear. Let them do their job.”
Azaria continued to drag her daughter through the complex maze of corridors that weaved through their luxurious estate. As they did so, they passed a few servants, all of whom were busy cleaning the guest bedrooms, even though no one had used them in years.
The Hallowed clan was once the most powerful vampire clan on the island, but lately, they were losing power to the Vigils, ever since the patriarch’s oldest son took the crown.
Still, they were considered nobles and Azurdee’s mother would stop at nothing to make sure it stayed that way.
They reached a large, marble archway. “You’re having a bath first.”
A couple of servant girls were already waiting, their eyes bent low, knowing better than to make eye contact with their superiors. “Take good care of her.” Her mother whispered, a hint of threat laced within her words.
Everyone in the estate knew never to cross Azaria.
Before Azurdee could utter a word, she was already being whisked toward the large bath. It was filled to the brim with near-scalding water.
“How are you, Miss Azurdee?” One of the attendants asked, trying to be polite.
“Look, when my mother is not with us, there’s no need for you to be so stiff. I won’t report you.” She reached out to touch the young girl’s arm, but she shied away, as if afraid.
The servant couldn’t be older than sixteen and already, she was put to work, no doubt helping her family escape the clutches of poverty that victimized so many lesser vampires.
Azurdee frowned. She hated the disparity between classes. But, what could she do? As long as her mother remained in authority, she was just as powerless as any of the lower-class vampires. She had no say in what she wore, what she did, or even who she married. She was just a pawn expected to play her part and preserve the family name.
She was really getting sick of it.
But what was she supposed to do?
The servants scrubbed her body, running their sponges along her wide hips, large bosom, and thick thighs. Their touch was purely professional, focused on getting her clean, and making sure her otherwise pale flesh appeared pink and full of life.
Azurdee sighed. She had been naked in front of plenty of women. It was almost expected of her. Yet, a man had never laid eyes on her naked body.
Sometimes, she wondered what it would feel like to have a man touch her, to caress her flesh. Some nights, she even yearned for it, her body quivering with desire.
As much as her mother tried to prevent it, she was well-aware of what sex was. Early on in her teenage years, she had gotten her hands on some forbidden literature, reading it in the sunlight that crept through her window while everyone else in the manor slept.
Those books had sparked her sexual libido from a rather young age. She pictured herself in similar situations, her hands pinned above her head, kisses all over her large breasts, hands gripping her hips as the man’s cock rammed in and out of her, harder and harder, rocking the bed.
“Miss? Are you okay?” One of the servants asked when Azurdee had unconsciously moaned in reaction to her fantasy.
She blushed, nodding her head. “Yes, I’m fine.” Feeling embarrassed, she tried to get out of the bath, but the servants placed their hands firmly on her shoulders, keeping her inside the warm water.
“We’re not done yet.” One girl explained as another poured in a bright red liquid, turning the water crimson.
A blood bath.
“Is this really necessary?”
“Miss Azaria insisted that you receive the full treatment today.”
Azurdee knew she would never be able to dissuade the servants from following her mother’s orders. They would be much too afraid. With no other choice, she allowed them to do their work as they rubbed precious oils into her body and massaged her supple flesh.
“How does that feel, Miss?” They asked as they helped her out of the tub and toward the vanity. One servant held out the dress she would wear.
“Fine,” Azurdee answered as they wrapped a corset around her now dry body, pulling it as tight as it would go. It felt like her lungs were being crushed by the infernal contraption. “T-Too tight.”
The servants did not heed her remark, but only tightened the corset further, trying to taper her waistline.
Azurdee was unlike most vampire women. While others were thin and boney, she had always been naturally thick. For years, her mother had tried to put her through diets, to get her to lose weight, but it had never worked.
Mostly because Azurdee never wanted them to work. When her mother practically starved her, she would sneak into the kitchen and steal leftovers, enjoying them in the privacy and comfort of her room.
She honestly didn’t mind her bigger size. In fact, she thought it looked rather good. As she got older, she noticed the stares men paid her on the streets, their eyes lingering for far too long on her large bosom or round, voluptuous rump. It only inspired her to display her size with further confidence. To flaunt her stuff, as she liked to say.
But, as the orchestrator of today’s event, her mother would never allow her to meet her future husband without at least attempting to slim her down a couple of sizes first.
By the time the servants were done with her, Azurdee had been squeezed into a traditional gown reserved for such occasions. The crimson fabric was made of high-quality silk. Fine thread was used to embroider the hem with scenes from their paradise-like home. Native birds and bright white stags crept up the skirt.
The bodice was left plain to keep from competing with the jeweled neckline. As Azurdee ran her fingers across it, she wondered what she looked like. She leaned over the bath where the water was slowly draining away. Faintly, she glimpsed at her own reflection before the servants grabbed her arms and turned her toward the vanity.
The mirror there was purely decorative as none of the vampires could appear on the reflective surface. Still, Azurdee stared at it as brushes and curlers tortured her hair.
Why was she even going through with this?
It wasn’t fair.
She didn’t even know the man she was supposed to be marrying. She didn’t even know his name.
How, then, was she supposed to love him? To be his wife?
“Look up.”
Azurdee complied, allowing the servants to do her eye makeup. Once that was done, they decorated her hair with crimson roses from the estate’s garden.
“Is she almost done? He has arrived.” Azaria peeked her head into the bath and instantly, all the servants straightened their posture and bowed their heads.
“Y-Yes…” The head servant stammered, wringing her fingers together.
Azurdee noticed her fear and frowned. She hated how much control her mother had over these young girls. It was no secret what she did to them behind closed doors when they dared to break one of her many rules.
“Great!” She waltzed inside, approaching her daughter, a bright smile on her face, her large fangs making an appearance. They were huge, almost triple the size of a regular vampire.
The servants trembled.
“Oh, don’t you just look lovely!” Azaria helped her daughter to her feet, her dark red eyes twinkling with satisfaction. “Fredrick will fall head over heels when he lays eyes on you.”
“Oh… is that his name?” Azurdee mumbled under her breath.
“Look here, Azurdee, you’ve been dragging your feet all month. Don’t think I didn’t notice. But I will not allow you to assume this bleak disposition around him. So, I expect a smile and the utmost politeness when you’re in his presence, do you hear me, young lady?”
“Yes, mother.”