The Vampire King’s Captive

BRAN

Bran’s shoulders tightened as the witch came closer, that bloody raven still resting on her shoulder and staring at Bran through its beady little eyes. He would never admit it out loud, but the bird freaked him out.

He tensed when she placed her hand on his chest. She flattened her palm as her face took on an odd look of concentration, then she lifted her hand slowly and Bran felt as though something was being forced out of his chest with a string.

His back arched with the force of it, disturbing his injuries and causing a stitch to loosen. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain.

Suddenly, his back hit the bed and the sensation stopped. He took a shaky breath and it was a while before he could calm his heart and force his eyes open-no matter how adamant they were on remaining closed.

“What just happened?” Corey asked, pushing off the wall.

“That,” the witch pointed at Bran, slightly breathless. “Is something I’ve never seen before, all right.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s been hexed.” She delivered bluntly, taking a step back from Bran, pausing to stare at him in confusion, before turning and walking back to where she’d been standing before.

He’d been hexed.

Fucking hexed.

Of all things…

Bran had never been hexed before. He’d heard of it before, had even seen it happen to several friends of his when he was younger but they were all harmless hexes.

One time, his friend had been hexed to make fart sounds with his mouth whenever he attempted to talk to a girl he was attracted to and it had been fun to watch. Never something so serious.

Something so dangerous.

Who could have done this to him?

“Hexed? How?” Corey voiced out Bran’s confusion.

“Yes. They’ve put a spell on him that would make his injuries not heal. A mortality spell.” The witch explained. “Basically, he’s an immortal with the mortality spell and it’s what’s stopping his injuries from healing.”

“Fuck.” Corey rubbed a hand over his mouth, his expression angry and frustrated as he ran his eyes over Bran’s form.

“We could do that, but we have more important things to focus on right now.” The witch’s lips pursed. “Question. Who put the hex on him?”

“I have no idea,” Corey sighed, lifting a brow at Bran. “Do you?”

Bran thought long and hard, racking his head as he thought about the activities of the past week. Nothing. He went farther back to the activities of the past month but still nothing.

He hadn’t had a meeting with a sorceress or witch, other than the witch standing in front of him and Maria, whose powers were bound and only he had the key.

He shook his head at Corey, ignoring the pain that shot up his neck from that movement.

“He doesn’t know who did it to him.” Corey sighed again and went over to the wall to lean on it, facing the witch. “Can you help?”

The witch swept her eyes over Bran. “I wish I could, but I can’t.” She sighed, showing the first signs of genuine concern for the first time since Bran had met her. “Potions and portals, I can do. But hexes? No. Not to mention hexes as powerful as this one.” Turning to Corey, she said, “There’s a witch, Ari. She does hexes and also undoes them.”

Bran perked up at that and he noticed Corey did too.

“How do we get her here?”

“She would have been able to help as at two days ago, but right now? Not possible.” Bran was just about to ask why when she explained. “A vampire fed off a witch yesterday, almost draining her completely and also parting with precious secrets. So the witches have been banned from working for vampires in the meantime. If I’d known that it was actually you who needed my services and not the demon, I wouldn’t have come.”

Shit, Bran thought.

As soon as he got back on his feet, he was going to kill the fucking vampire.

If he got back on his feet because chances of that happening were dwindling by the minute.

Corey rubbed at his eyes, weighed down by tiredness. The man had been of so much help to Bran and Bran couldn’t be more grateful. “Is there no help for him at all?”

The witch mulled on her lower lip and the action reminded Bran of Maria.

He forced thoughts of her out of his mind. Not now.

“I think you should get the oracle here. I believe she’ll be able to help.” She said eventually. “And you better do that fast because if his situation gets any worse, he could die. He’s exactly like a mortal now and those wounds would easily kill one.”

Her raven scwaked suddenly, making all the hairs on Bran’s body stand at attention.

“Shush, love,” she calmed the bird, but it’s eyes were jumping around, ten times freakier than they usually were. “Now, as I was saying-”

“Get the oracle here, I heard you the first time.” A voice piped in and all of them in the room turned, surprised by the new familiar voice.

The oracle stood in a corner, her eyes locked on Bran.

“How did you get here?” Corey gritted out.

Fuck knows how he was taking this whole freak show. Bran would be equally freaked out if he physically could.

“I believe the witch said you needed me, and naturally, I came.”

“But how did you know? She’s still right here.”

“Ah,” the witch smiled, petting her raven absently. “This must be what my pet sensed. The oracle hears everything and now that she’s here, I’m going to leave. She’s who you need.”

“You should leave,” the oracle said, finally turning to the witch. “You risk your head just by being here, but don’t worry, your people would never find out about this.”

The witch’s smile widened at the oracle. “Many many thanks.” Then she turned to Corey. “Until next time, Corey.” Then she blew a kiss at Bran before turning, flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking out of the room with her raven.

Then, and only then, did the oracle turn to face Bran. “You think you need me.”

“Yes,” Corey said quickly. “We believe Bran has been hexed-”

The door creaked open and all their heads flew in that direction, thinking that the witch had come back in, but it wasn’t her.

Maria took one step into the room and stopped, staring at them with wide, terrified eyes.

Bran’s heart clenched with longing at the sight of her beautiful face, framed by her long black hair that cascaded down past her shoulders.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She was wearing a beautiful bright gown that ended at her knees and fuck, she looked so bloody beautiful, Bran wished he could walk over to her and kiss the hell out of those parted lips. “As I said before,” the oracle continued, but Bran couldn’t for the life of him, pull his eyes away from Maria to look at her. “I’m not the one you need. She is.”

That had Bran turning to the oracle so fast, he almost snapped his neck.