Vampire Knights
by Simone Beatrix
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book without purchasing it, please go to amazon.com and purchase a copy for yourself. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright 2012 Simone Beatrix
All likenesses and locations are fictional, any similarities to real places or people, dead or alive are purely coincidental.
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It had been one month since Amadeus had saved Colette from two marauding vampires, and Quincy was sick of hearing about it. Everywhere he went he was asked if he had heard the news, and when he informed the gossipers that he personally knew Amadeus all they did was grill him for more information: “What does he look like,” “Is he handsome,” “Could you give him a note for me?” It was grating. The answer was obvious enough, Amadeus was gorgeous, with chiseled pecs and perfectly sculpted abs. Quincy had lusted after him for quite some time, but he knew he would never return his affections. He was happy for Amadeus’s turn of luck with bedding the King’s daughter, and Quincy had turned his attention to another life-long friend: Hugh. Hugh was a glorious knight under Leon’s rule, known throughout the land for his immense bravery and cunning. Everything thought of him as a roguish charmer. Quincy knew he had to be his.
After the attack on his castle, King Leon had decided to take matters into his own hands and dispatched a small party of knights to go attack the threat head on. Quincy, along with Hugh and another knight were on their way to where Leon believed the nest was located to finally exterminate the vampiric infestation once and for all.
Quincy rode his horse second in line, the two rugged knights flanked him, one to the front, and one to the back; also on horses.
“Hugh are we close to reaching our destination?” Quincy asked. They had been riding for a good two hours at this point, and were a couple of miles outside of Leon’s lands. Hugh, the knight riding in front of him pulled out the map that had been guiding them thus far. Quincy was secretly grateful for the opportunity to join Hugh on another expedition. As they rode on, he found his thoughts drifting to Hugh’s chiseled body, and he was eager to try and impress him. He hoped Hugh might share his hunger for him, but also knew he had to uphold the knight’s honor. However, ever since Amadeus had successfully flouted the duties of the knight with Leon’s daughter, Colette, he was beginning to let loosen a little in his ‘devotion.’ Hugh eyed the map carefully, “Should be coming up soon.” He scanned the sky ahead of them, distant mountains peppered the horizon as innocent clouds drifted soundlessly overhead.
“Good. My horse is getting tired.” Lewis groaned, “I’m itching to kill some more vampires.” Quincy shrugged at Lewis.
“I heard that the feral ones in the forests are weaker than the masterminds we might be facing today. We should prepare ourselves for quite a fight.” Quincy commented.
“Regardless,” Hugh said, “We’ve got a mission to carry out — on our honor.” Quincy had always loved the sound of Hugh’s voice, it felt like rich velvet to his ears. He sighed quietly to himself as he rode on, staring deep into Hugh’s armored back, wishing it weren’t armored.
“I don’t understand why Leon only sent three knights to ‘squash this insurrection’ anyway.” Lewis said, “it seems like a suicide mission.”
“I would advise you to not question the King’s orders. The other knights have to protect their jurisdictions. We aren’t even sure if this is the right location for the hive.” Hugh breathed, “It would be dangerous to his subjects to send his entire battalion on a wild goose chase.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Lewis said, yawning.
Soon they stopped off at Hugh’s command near a hill. They climbed off their horses and stretched their legs, tired from wearing heavy plate and sitting at the same time. Hugh gestured up the hill into the thicket, “Up there. That’s what the map says.” He pointed at it as if he were making a point, and before Lewis and Quincy could get a peek, quickly folded it up and pocketed it. “Let’s go.”
The trio arrived at the maw of the enormous cave. Although it was daylight outside, the inside was coated in blackness, and each of the knights were nervous for their own reasons. Quincy in particular, hated vampires, but for much deeper reasons than the others. He had watched a vampire feed on his mother when he was a small boy, and that was one of the reasons he had become a knight — revenge. Quincy knew that Hugh had a personal resentment for vampires as well, but he wasn’t entirely sure what it was. As for Lewis, he just liked killing things.
Pulling a torch out of a bag, Hugh lit it and used it to fend off the darkness inside the cave. He gestured for Lewis and Quincy to follow behind him, and they drew their swords as they did. Huddled close together, they penetrated the darkness of the nest. Hugh gripped the torch tightly, whitening his knuckles as they headed around a blind corner.
“Quincy,” Hugh spoke softly in the darkness, the torch lighting his arm and face, “grab my arm and have Lewis grab yours so we do not get separated. It would surely be the death of us in here.” Quincy eagerly reached forward and grabbed Hugh’s chain-mailed bicep, his heart fluttered with a surge of both adrenaline and denied passion.
Hugh walked forward, his plate armor lightly clinking against itself as each of his steady feet took hold of the rocky ground beneath him. Lewis was trailing behind Quincy, his grip noticeably looser on Quincy’s arm than Quincy’s grip was on Hugh’s.
“You’re not scared are you Quincy?” Hugh muttered, keeping his head forward as he maneuvered around a small boulder in his path.
“You aren’t?” Quincy said, darting his vision around the cave, squinting to try and see anything.