No Guilt

"Now which hand did you touch her with that day?"

Don Sam gulped through his gritted teeth as the pain of knives twisting on the back of his palm intensified. He did not understand why His Grace had asked that question, but Don Sam doubted this was going to go in his favour. He cursed himself for trying to eye what belonged to Vincent that night.

It wasn't any unknown fact that the Mafia King was a very picky man, so he was never seen meddling in worldly affairs at the parties. But that night was different.

Vincent had openly asked to dance with Prudence, and Don Sam wanted to see how she would feel in his arms as well. After all, it was not every day that anyone got to hold in their arms what was held by the Mafia King. Don Sam had not just missed the chance but also had his ego trampled and now he was caught up in a troublesome situation. "His Grace, I don't know what you are talking about," Don Sam pleaded with his eyes but it resulted in Vincent twisting the knives and them further into his flesh.

"I don't like things to be dragged out, you know that," Vincent said in a bored tone. Don Sam knew how much he had messed up. He did not expect the Mafia King to treasure someone this lowly.

Prudence, who stood right behind Vincent, witnessed the blood and there was a moment where she felt nauseation.

Never had she imagined her nightmare would be true but in an opposite way. It wasn't her that was getting punished but Don Sam. Somewhere, she felt relieved that she was not being dragged in through this. The worst would be Vincent and Don Sam teaming together to get revenge on Prudence. For her, unexpectedly, Vincent had chosen to side with her and bring her justice, which she never asked for.

Don Sam looked at Prudence and then back at Vincent, the dread in his eyes as well as how much he despised Prudence was quite evident. "His Grace, please forgive me-"

"I asked which hand did you touch her with?" Vincent did not wait for Don Sam to finish his apologies.

Don Sam really did not know what to do at this point. He knew Vincent very well and the temper which went noticed clearly in his crimson eyes. There was a part of Don Sam who wanted to attack Vincent, but the other prominent part of his heart warned him to tell the truth. "I-It was t-the l-left hand, His Grace," Don Sam could not consider the grave he had dug for himself with those words. He knew very well what was coming next and he regretted even talking in the first place.

The next second, a big scream resounded through the entire room, startling the maids standing outside. In the blink of an eye, Vincent had ripped Don Sam's left arm out of his body.

Don Sam continued to scream as the blood gushed from the open wound.

His other hand was still pinned to the table and though Don Sam was a vampire, he couldn't grow back his entire arm even if he tried. It was better he apologised now before his life was at stake, "His Grace, I deeply apologies for the felony I have made." Don Sam pressed his forehead on the table, not wanting to look the King in his eyes. Vincent's eyes, though calm, they shone with mirth.

Prudence was still trying to process what had just happened. Her legs had started to shake because of the blood she saw which dripped from Don Sam's ripped out shoulder.

"Pry tell me," Vincent's cold voice resounded in the air, "what made you think you can hold in your hand that which belonged to me?"

Don Sam shook his head while his temple was still on the table in apology. Although he had thought it would have been great during the dining party, right now he regretted every decision he took that day. "I would never think about taking what belongs to His Grace," Don Sam retorted as quickly as he could. Even though at the end of the day he was the one who suffered at the party, he still was ready to accept everything as his own fault. Vincent Dominick's aura compelled people to do that.

Prudence clenched her skirt and took a few steps back as the stream of blood from the ripped arm slowly flowed towards her foot.

She did not understand at this moment who she should side with. Vincent was being cruel, and this was the first time Prudence had seen Vincent not just threaten, but also inflict such inhumane damage on someone. Even though she didn't want to, there was a part of her that pitied Don Sam right now. But Prudence did not open her mouth in front of Vincent.

Don Sam gulped as his shoulder started to shiver and the loss of blood ignited thirst inside him. The worst thing for a bleeding vampire was the presence of a human in the same room.

"His Grace," Don Sam spoke through his now pale lips, "I'd never again bat my lashes at what is yours-"

"Then why are your fangs out, Sam?" Vincent leaned in to whisper near Don Sam's ear and it had Don Sam widen his eyes. He closed his panting mouth and let his uncontrolled fangs dig into the inside of his cheek. It was the dumbest method to control thirst, but Don Sam hoped it would save him from Vincent's wrath. After all, the only human in this room was Prudence.

Don Sam had some sip and opened his mouth to talk when some of his own blood spilt from his mouth, "His Grace, please forgive me I couldn't control them."

There was a small smile that appeared on Vincent's lips, and it wouldn't be wrong to call it a devil's evil smile. Vincent stared at Don Sam for a few more seconds and how the vampire was turning paler with the open wound and no blood to heal him. He leaned closer to Don Sam and whispered, "You must be hungry, Sam. Do you wish to take a bite from her? I wouldn't mind if it's just one sip."

Prudence dragged in a sharp breath and internally asked Vincent how could he do that. But looking at it now, she realised her dream might come true.

Don Sam, on the other hand, could not figure out whether the Mafia King was joking or actually being serious. It would be of utmost help if Vincent was being serious but Don Sam knew there was some catch here, "His Grace, please let me have my maid come here for a while."

It was a dying moment for Don Sam. He would be as good as dead if all the blood from his body were to replenish through the open wound.

Though his veins had slowly started to close in, his body was turning weaker and weaker with every passing moment. Prudence was already finding it hard to digest the sight in front of her and was already being offered as food.

"Aren't you hungry Sam?" Vincent casually leaned back in his chair, "we have a human in this room. What are your thoughts about it?"

At this point in time, Don Sam could not hold it as his fangs started to bare again, "His Grace, I need food..." Don Sam restrained from saying anything more than necessary which would cause him more problems than what he was already diving in.

"Well, I have given you permission now, haven't I?" Vincent narrowed his eyes at the fangs of Don Sam.

It was utterly infuriating for Vincent about how the vampire sitting in front of him was daring enough to bare his fangs in front of Vincent. Especially when Prudence was the one standing in this room. Vincent waited patiently for the moment and the minute Don Sam raised his head, his red eyes locked in on Prudence unconsciously. A predator needed prey and there was a live human with a fresh beating heart standing in front of him right now. This small thirst did not go unnoticed by Vincent's crimson eyes.

It made him clench his jaw before Vincent moved forward to grab the fangs which Don Sam had bared and, with all his force, Vincent pulled them out.

"How dare you even look at her," Vincent said as he got up from his chair and walked behind Don Sam.

The pain had not settled with Don Sam still groaning and screaming from ripping off his fangs when Vincent Grabbed his head. "His Grace!" Don Sam's eyes went wide, and he was hardly able to say anything with the amount of pain and blood pouring into his mouth from the ripped fangs. "His Grace, I apologise please forgive-"

Before his words could finish, Vincent had ripped Don Sam's head from his body as his body convoluted for a second before falling limp.

In the dead of the silence, Prudence screamed her lungs out looking at the gore which took place in front of her. It was never what she had wished to see, and even though it was expected of Vincent, this was the first time for Prudence to see Vincent acting to his instincts. Vincent's cold eyes quickly shifted to Prudence, and the blood which had splattered on his face made him look more dangerous. There was not a hint of guilt on Vincent's face for what he did.