His Cruel Game, My Cold Revenge

All the vampires stood upright, their eerie red eyes fixed on the ten of us human girls trembling beneath the grand chandelier. It was as if a dozen crimson lanterns had suddenly ignited in the dark, each one burning with hunger, menace and cruelty.

The sand in the hourglass trickled down quickly, we were given only five minutes to run.

But in a castle this vast, its corridors endless, its halls echoing with shadows, how far could we humans possibly flee?

Vampires are born with supernatural senses, especially their sense of smell. No matter how well we concealed ourselves, our scent would lead them straight to us like bloodhounds to a feast.

Worse yet, Oliver had allowed low-ranking vampires to participate in the hunt.

These creatures had no sense of fullness, no restraint. Once they caught their prey, they’d drain them dry.

This wasn’t a game.

It was a massacre dressed as sport.

In the midst of chaos, the old butler couldn't help but plead with Oliver, his voice low and anxious.

“Your Majesty, will you be hunting Miss Serena as well?”

Oliver’s voice was nonchalant, as if the question bored him, “No. I have other filth to deal with. Serena is still my woman. Those bastards daring to covet her. I’ll deal with them myself, one by one.”

The butler let out a quiet sigh of relief. “Then shall we remove Miss Serena from the game? Or would you like me to assign someone to secretly protect her?”

“No need,” Oliver said lazily.

“She bears my mark. As long as she hides and stays out of sight, no one will be able to trace her scent or locate her.”

He paused for a moment and I saw a flicker of guilt flash in his eyes maybe remembering how I had trembled just before the hunt began. But it vanished just as quickly as it came.

“If I hadn’t arrived in time at the forbidden grounds,” he added coldly, “Laura would’ve become the guards’ dinner. This hunt is a small punishment, a lesson for Serena, to let her feel a taste of the fear and helplessness Laura went through. Hopefully, she’ll learn to behave from now on.”

At that very moment, I was stumbling through the castle’s long corridors.

This place, once a home I roamed freely, now felt like a haunted trap. Every door I passed loomed like a gaping abyss, ready to swallow me whole.

The heavy tolling of the clock rang out again, each chime like a death knell.

With no other option, I threw open the nearest door and curled up inside a dusty wardrobe, heart pounding in terror.

Shrill screams pierced the air, closer and closer.

Maybe it was paranoia, but I could swear I smelled blood in the air, even from my hiding place.

Then.

Creak.

The door opened.

I clenched my jaw, shut my eyes, bracing for death.

But the vampire who entered only sniffed the air suspiciously at the threshold then, disappointed, turned and left.

I didn’t know why he hadn’t detected my scent, but if I could hold on just one more minute, the hunt would be over, and I’d survive.

Just as a fragile thread of hope bloomed in my chest but suddenly the wardrobe door was flung open.

Laura’s sweet smile filled my vision and a chill ran down my spine.

“Found you, Serena,” she said softly.

My throat tightened, like an invisible hand had gripped it. I couldn’t make a sound.

Having witnessed Laura’s madness and cruelty firsthand, I feared her far more than any vampire.

Just yesterday, I had warned her, “Oliver said any human who enters the forbidden grounds will die. Don’t go.”

But she had only sneered. “Rules are chains for people like you. I’ll make everyone in this castle see who Oliver truly belongs to.”

Not long after, her terrified screams echoed from within the forbidden zone.

Oliver appeared in a flash, his rage thunderous as he dragged her out.

“Butler,” he had growled, “someone broke the rules. Prepare the castle. Tomorrow, we host a hunting feast!”

Back then, I thought Laura had sealed her doom.

I was wrong.