Beast of the Damned #2

*Chapter One*

~ KINLEY ~

Slithering dread fills the space between each footfall as a chill electrifies the air sending a tremble through the earth that reaches all the way to Hades. The steady beat of armor breaches my chest, each clank and clack an arrow piercing me with nervous anticipation. The Army of the Damned is close by—an army of beasts who soaked the earth in a ruby-red swell that ushered us into this new era.

"We shouldn't be out here." Adalynn pulls the cloak's hood further over her face.

Since I was little, I've heard rumors about how feral the warrior bloodline is and how the firstborn that rose are ten times more vicious and bloodthirsty. The vampires in Valderanna have taken to calling the army of the firstborn the Warriors of the Damned, for only the beast who bears black veins and devil black eyes can control them.

"This is exactly where we should be." I grab Adalynn's arm and tug her along.

The streets are crowded; ready to celebrate the return of the warriors who have fought tirelessly to establish order in the chaos that followed the day the humans learned they were not alone. The war lasted a hundred years, and now the Prince of Darkness's reign is complete. Day has become night as all light has fallen, immersing every soul that lives in the shadow of the Dark Prince's glory.

The fall of light was only possible because of him—the Beast of the Damned. My gut clenches at the thought of seeing Tristan Darkos again. I've seen his father, Thron, a few times, yet I've only ever seen Tristan once.

I'm always ordered to stay in my chambers whenever the Warriors of the Damned are here in vast numbers. We've been told it isn't safe for us to be out with them around, which is probably why Adalynn's uneasy. Massarra aren't allowed outside castle grounds, yet how can I not come out to see the legendary army comprised of vampires who once called the Underworld their home? The Warriors of the Damned have dined with their creator. How many other beings can make that same claim?

"I think this is close enough. If the Prince finds out we are out here, he'll be angry." Adalynn clenches the gray cloak tighter to her willowy frame.

"We can't see anything from back here. We need to push our way to the front." Anticipation builds in me, the hair on my arms rising as the air becomes charged with the raw power radiating off the army approaching the village outside castle grounds.

Human slaves mostly occupy this village, but today the village is full of vampires who have traveled far for this monumental occasion. The last pocket of human resistance has been subdued. Every spec of soil that encompasses this earth belongs to the Prince. Humans know their place now, under the heel of the vampirie.

"I don't think we should be...Whoa." Adalynn stops talking, her objection to my pulling her to the front of the crowd halted by the sight of warriors dressed in black armor with the serpent crest filling the road as far as the eye can see.

There has to be ten thousand at least. I know many of them have been stationed in different places throughout the globe to help keep things running smoothly. I didn't think so many would be returning. It's a breathtaking view to see the Warriors of the Damned, not just from the sheer unity of them as they move together like they are one, but to stand in the presence of the world's most powerful army.

"Kinley." Adalynn tugs on my arm while I scan the warriors looking for signs of Tristan. I thought he'd be at the front, leading his soldiers, yet he isn't. He's nowhere to be seen.

"Kinley." Adalynn keeps yanking on my arm.

"What?" I snap, irritated as I went to a lot of trouble to make it out here for nothing.