C3 Milking Cow

No one said no to the prince.

The only satisfaction I felt from the entire situation was the moment I saw the disturbed look on Zia’s face as I gathered my belongings and stepped into the sleek, black car the prince had sent for me. I hadn’t any idea what was so special about my blood—nor was I prepared to join the concubines in his palace, but I was grateful for the prince for one reason alone: he had proven everyone wrong.

I was not a weak, filthy Daywalker. I was the vampire the prince had chosen. I was the one who would be living in the palace from now on.

The ride was lonely without a soul to speak to, but all was forgotten when I laid my eyes on Silver City. The tall, bustling oasis in the distance, with iron gates and men guarding the entrances in uniforms. The driver held out a gloved hand and provided a sort of ID to the guard at the gate, who promptly ordered the tall iron walls open to allow us in.

I was fascinated by the city—the bright lights, the billboards, the clustered traffic, even so late at night. I saw women in tall heals—some clearly vampires, and some humans simply out to enjoy the evening. I wondered if my mother was among them.

“This is amicable land,” the driver said over his shoulder. “You aren’t to harm humans within these walls. Blood is sold at every corner store and gas station in drink bags.”

Not really an issue. Being that I was half human, I could still survive on cheap pizza and carbonated sodas. It was one of the only perks to being a Daywalker, besides my resistance to the sun. I could still enjoy the occasional cupcake without vomiting up a stomach full of blood the way Purebloods did.

“When we arrive, you’ll be taken directly inside for a medical evaluation. Then you’re to be bathed and dressed and sent promptly to the prince.”

The driver did not turn back to look at me, but rather watched me in the rear-view mirror, behind the dark shades of his sunglasses.

When we arrived at the palace, I was stunned by the clear water mote that surrounded the ample stone castle in the distance. They crossed a second set of gates and the driver stopped beside a fleet of matching cars, nearly identical to his own. He exited his seat, rounded the car, and opened my door. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the tall, beautiful lattices and the lush rose garden surrounding the building.

Inside, it was much more modern than I expected. The floors sheened in exuberance, the walls covered in flickering candle sconces. Even the wallpaper was a lovely gilded shimmer of gold and silver.

I arrived at a room with the word “DOCTOR” on the plaque of the door, and the driver ushered me silently inside.

Within the room, an old man hunched over a set of blood vials, straightening out when he heard us enter. He removed a large set of glasses from his face and smiled. I noted that there wasn’t a single fang in his mouth. A human? There were simple humans living among the Bloodprince?

“Welcome,” he said. “I’m Doctor Al, Prince Sabien’s trusted practitioner. Have a seat, I’d like to take a sample of your blood.”

I did as I was told, climbing atop the white table and holding out my arm for a shot, the same way I recalled as a child. The needle that slid into my veins felt icy, a slight burning as blood was drawn. I didn’t mind it all that much. Doctor Al spent a long while gazing into his microscope, evaluating the sample he’d taken.

“Lovely,” he said. “Oh, it’s lovely. Yes, you’ll do quite well.”

“What?” I asked. “What will I do quite well?”

“You see, the prince needs a blood donor on hand, and you’re exactly the retainer we were looking for. You have a good cell count—everything is wonderful. I’m sure the prince will feast heartily tonight.”

I felt my fingers go to ice. “What? You mean to say I’m acting as the prince’s blood supply?”

“No one told you?” said the doctor. His mustache danced as he smiled. “You see, you’re the perfect specimen. You can provide blood the same way a human would—but due to the half-vampire nature of you, you shouldn’t see any negative side-effects to the feedings like humans do. At the very most, you’ll find yourself lethargic now and then. And so long as he times his meals well enough, the prince can continue feeding on you to his heart’s content.”

To his heart’s content? I felt a little queasy at his enthusiasm. What about my heart?

Suddenly, my heart was palpitating through my ribs. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t act as a blood bag for the prince. I had not trained for three years, day and night, breaking my body and mind just so I could live in the palace as the prince’s little milking cow.

But…my mother.

“Well, this is very exciting news!” said the doctor. “Exciting indeed. Gerald, take her in for her bathing session with the consorts, won’t you?”

Hesitantly, I followed the driver out of the room and to a chamber. Inside of it, giggles bubbled the air, and as I turned the corner, five beautiful woman fluttered to me in awe, gawking at my hair and nails and even touching me in places that made me jerk away uncomfortably. They were vampires, the lot of them—but some of the most stunning ones I’d ever seen. Women who were surely chosen from schools just like mine, purely for their looks.

“She has nice nails.”

“Her backside could be bigger.”

“She smells a bit odd, doesn’t she?”

“Ladies,” the driver interrupted their chatter. “She’s due with the prince any moment now. Please get her bathed and changed for feeding.”

The girls circled me like wolves, touching and touching, tearing the clothes from my body, examining the skin beneath. They giggled as they moved around me, untying my hair and wiping the makeup from my face with a wet cloth.

“The prince doesn’t like makeup. He prefers natural beauty,” explained one.

Another removed my bra, giggling as Lily crossed her arms over her chest with a gasp. “You are a little flat, but he won’t mind.”

“Are you a virgin?” one whispered in my ear, her soft fingers running up my thigh.

“Enough!” I shouted, stumbling away from them and cowering uncomfortably. “Yes, I am! What does it matter?”

They looked to one another and exploded in a fit of laughter. “We were all virgins too before he chose us.”

“Virgins!” balked another. “We were all humans before he chose us.”

“You were?” I asked. “But you’re all…so pretty.”

The girls smiled to one another. “What exactly are you here for?” one of them asked.

“I—I don’t know,” I admitted. “He said…he needs my blood?”

There was a sudden uprise of whispers among them. Then one of the women gently clasped my cheek in her hand. “There is something you must know about the prince,” she said. Her long nails tickled lightly down the side of my neck, and in my ear, the woman whispered, “Once he sinks his teeth into you, you can’t resist him any longer.”