The Tyrant's Pet

With the realization that the person who turned him was Abel, another wave of bitter chill ran up Joaquin's spine. All Joaquin could do was stare at Abel blankly while his head buzzed.

Now that Joaquin thought about it, Javier was at his wits' end regarding his research. Every subject Javier turned into a vampire would either turn into a mindless monster or have a short lifespan. But when Abel let himself know, things had gone smoothly for Joaquin; from arms to opium to his research.

Joaquin held his breath as more and more realization struck him like thunder.

"No..." he took a step back whilst shaking his head. "... no. This is not happening."

Abel snorted, glancing at where Dexter was taking his wife. He kept quiet until they left the chapel with the Reverend to find her a room to rest. When he was certain the noises they would make here wouldn't disturb Aries's rest, Abel slowly set his eyes back to Joaquin.

The second their eyes met, the devious smirk plastered on Abel disappeared and it was replaced with a stoic one.

"I had been waiting for this day, Your Majesty," said Abel under his breath and crooked a finger at Joaquin. "Ever since that time from the Reverie — the gathering of monarchs — I had always thought of ways how to torment you."

His pupils dilate as the killing intent hiding beneath the multiple layers in his crimson eyes slowly emerged. "I had many things to tell and ask you, and the first of them is how dare you hurt my wife?"

Perhaps it was the immense fear that forced Joaquin to take a step back instead of coming closer. The alarm bells in his head kept ringing, signaling him to run as far away as possible.

"Get away..." Joaquin mumbled, taking another careful step back. He looked around for help on instinct, but what he saw were pairs of cold eyes from the people present. No one would help him.

"Get away..." he repeated with a shaking voice, setting his eyes back to Abel. "No... this is not how I will fall."

"How cute," Abel hummed and chuckled with his lips closed. "Joaquin, my little vampire, don't be afraid. I won't kill you."

His eyes drooped until they were partially closed. "I'll just hurt you... really bad."

Joaquin's body froze once more, mouth falling open. He shook his head in panic, denying Abel's request to come. However, when Abel frowned, his heart dropped to his stomach. Being killed right now sounded more enticing than being hurt because deep in Joaquin's heart, he could only think of the worse.

"Impressive." Abel rocked his head in satisfaction, seeing Joaquin not moving an inch from his spot.

"This bastard..." Conan, who was irate at Joaquin's defiance, stomped his feet in Joaquin's direction. No one stopped him. The second Joaquin was within his reach, Conan sprawled his arms towards the latter and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

Conan leaned his face over until it was a palm length away from Joaquin's. His eyes were wide, burning with contempt and agitation.

"Didn't you want to become one of us?" his voice deepened, causing Joaquin's knees to tremble. Unlike the fear he felt from Abel, Conan's aura and voice were forcing him to kneel. But alas, Conan's grip on the back of his neck and on his hair stopped him from doing so.

"Then, you should have realized by now who is the person you're disrespecting," he continued through his gritted teeth, revealing his fangs ever so slowly. "The nerve of a lowly turned one such as yourself stands before purebloods. Hah... humans... so greedy as always, but so pathetic."

Conan's eyes blazed even more, angrier than everyone present as if he held a deep grudge against Joaquin. But no one blamed him.

As a pureblooded vampire, Conan was offended by how Joaquin deemed their race as a mere tool for his madness.

"Do you know what happened to people like you who exploit us?" he sneered evilly. "Come, because you'll find out soon why your father wants nothing to do with us."

Everyone watched Conan drag Joaquin to Abel, pushing him to the front until he was standing in Abel's vicinity. If no one knew Joaquin's wicked nature, they would think they were simply ganging up and bullying him like how children do.

But that wasn't the case. Joaquin had it coming.

"No." Joaquin could only repeat that word while shaking his head, darting his shaking eyes between Conan and Abel.

He was scared. He was scared. Those three words kept repeating in his head, giving him this immense will to run away from here. He would rather kill himself than know what these people were planning to do with him.

As Joaquin take careful steps back, Abel stared at him with a bored expression.

"How pathetic," mumbled Abel, a bit disappointed at how Joaquin reacted to fear. Perhaps it was because Joaquin never knew fear, so he didn't know how to handle it.

When Abel raised his hand, his eyebrow quirked. "Ah..." he rocked his head in understanding as if remembering something important.

"It won't be fun without an audience." His lips stretched slightly, whistling weakly, making Joaquin wonder what was that for. The answer came not long after when multiple figures appeared, one after another, until the chapel was crowded.

Looking around, Joaquin's eyes dilated even more, recognizing the royal knight's suit and even the ministers whom Javier successfully turned into vampires.

"Now, that's better." Abel grinned evilly, pleased by the soldiers Joaquin gathered unconsciously for Abel to toy with. "Now, let's begin with the much-awaited trial."

Without a moment's notice, Abel took a gigantic step and extended his arm. He grabbed Joaquin's wrist, almost crushing the latter's bones.

"That's for your rudeness to my wife today," Abel explained, pulling Joaquin's wrist, only to swiftly settle a hand on the back of his head, and then slammed his face into the open crate full of broken porcelain.

"And that is for the recent wounds on her back," Abel seethed, lifting Joaquin's head only to slam it once more against the broken porcelains that impaled into Joaquin's face.

"Ughh..!!!"