Marked by the Vampire Prince: I’m His Mate, Not His Baby Maker!

Lyra's POV

Would it work? Was the impact strong enough to knock—whatever he is? I silently prayed to any god out there that it would make this monster faint. Otherwise, I would face dire consequences than losing my virginity. 

But for a brief moment, seeing him motionless for a second, I would have thought I would be a goner if he chose to tear me apart.

But as his red pupils rolled above his eyes, blood dripping from the wounded part, he slowly yet dramatically dropped on the bed. 

I moved my feet aside as soon as his whole muscular body fell next to me. My heart was beating so fast and my whole fingers trembled after I threw the shattered lampshade away.

"Holy fucking shit…" My lips slowly curved into a smile as I sighed in relief.

I had just knocked down a superior being!

I fixed myself to look proper, grabbed the backpack with the food I took earlier and stared at him lying unconsciously on bed.

I studied him for a brief moment, acknowledging he had the most beautiful face I'd seen.

I studied him for a brief moment, at first, confusion and anger but later on, I acknowledged his beauty. 

I'd never seen such a handsome face before. Dark, messy hair that perfectly fit his chiseled face and he had long eyelashes while he slept so peacefully. His voice earlier was domineering that I bet women often fawned over his deep, baritone voice. 

Subtle movements of his chest gave me another sigh of relief. I committed a lot of crimes but murdering wasn't one of them.

Well, a high being wouldn't die over a mere strike on the head, right? They had regenerative or whatever abilities that could heal by themselves so I wouldn't be in prison anytime soon.

However, I would be dead if I stayed longer and he might wake up soon. 

I gave one last look at his face as I sighed.

"Such a waste of beauty," I muttered. "I wonder if you're a handsome orc? Or a centaur. You can't be a vampire, right?" I chuckled to myself. "Well, I won't wait to see and find out."

But God, my pussy was freezing without any underwear, damn him! Panties were now worth $500!

Hmm, I did a quick body search and grabbed his wallet. No ID inside and just a bunch of credit cards that wouldn't work in Slumber Hound. 

…But I could see 10 grand. Not much but it worked for me to survive from eating canned food for a month!

As I pocketed the money, I closed the door, leaving this strange handsome creature in his luxurious VIP room.

"Goodbye, you handsome asshole."

=======

I trudged the back alleys in silence, climbing up from the unguarded walls and heading straight back to Slumber Hound City.

My bag was heavier, thanks to the food I acquired. But the weight of my sore legs felt heavier than what I carried. 

Looking around, I could tell it was already three in the morning.

Slumber Hound was always quiet at this hour. Not peaceful. Just… exhausted.

When I passed by the bulletin board filled with wanted posters, I grimaced, staring at the portrait of my younger self when I was sixteen. I tore the wanted poster and crumpled it.

Hopefully, those bounty hunters thought I was killed across the border. I was getting sick and tired of being chased all the time. 

As I headed farther away from the Red Light District, I tilted my head back and stared upward out of habit.

No stars. No sky. Just the low, metallic underbelly of the city's upper levels—blackened pipes, rusted steel beams, a flickering maintenance light blinking like a dying firefly.

This was my ceiling. My stars. My everyday view.

No matter how far I walked, this ugly sky never changed.

When I reached home, it was reeked with spoiled food, rat feces, and decaying bodies of animals. 

After all, it was next to the dumpster.

The room I rented was in the basement of a run-down factory. The owner, Mr. Berns, provided me that space after I helped him fix that broken TV once. 

It wasn't that luxurious, I mean, it is cramped and had a grease stench each morning but well, it was my home. It was what I called my sanctuary from the chaos of my life. 

When I headed to the basement bulkhead, the door burst open and a small figure tackled my legs.

"Lyra!" 

And more hugs from other tiny figures. I chuckle, staring at the children. "How did you guys get to my place? Don't tell me, you little brats lock-picked my door?" I grinned while ruffling Randy's messy hair.

"You taught us how!" They all grinned with mischief. I looked at the four orphan street kids—Randy, Amy, Cassidy, and Paul. Kids who had no homes but they decided to hang out at the factory because the owner was nice.

"Did you bring us some souvenirs?" Amy beamed.

"No, you dumb-dumb! Lyra wasn't on vacation! She has work!" Cassidy, the smart-ass she was, said while punching Amy's arm.

"Aw! Lyra! She hit me!" I didn't need to say anything as the two girls started having a cat fight. 

"Hey, hey! Knock it off, you two!" I scowled. "And Cassidy, who says I didn't bring anything, hmm?" I grinned before showing my bag. Their eyes grew wide.

"Oh! Is that pasta?!"

"Roast turkey? I only see 'em on TV!"

"A-and why are there berries?" They all laughed.

"Actually, forget the berries, they're...err...not good for ya." I recalled that man's earlier words and decided to throw them away. 

Cassidy asked with clear skepticism. "Lyra, why are they all mushed together inside your bag?"

"Err…the r-restaurant ran out of containers so I just put them all inside." I chuckled before ruffling her hair. "So, let's watch some movies while we feast!"

They all chimed in, entering my already cramped room. Inside the room had all the worn-out Golden Era movie posters I had found from the dumpster—from The Good Fellas, Breakfast With Tiffany and many more.

The era I wished I was born instead of the current world we lived in where humans barely even know art.

Soon, we ate the fancy food while watching a film of Sound of Music. I used a carton box as my makeshift projecter and taped the circular glass on its hole. The theater troupe taught me these DIY stuff and they always came in handy. 

"Lyra?" Cassidy muttered as she leaned on my shoulder. "Have you ever seen the sky before? Was it…always blue?" She stared at Maria singing the iconic music at a scenic mountain meadow. The mountains were vast, the sky was blue with soft large clouds scattered around. 

Maria felt free in this film—so alive and full of life.

"No, never. Remember, just like you, I was also born here," I answered with a soft smile. 

"Do you think we will see the sky one day?"

'I don't know.' I didn't want to say we would one day. I've learned from childhood not to give false hope to children growing up in Slumber Hound.

"Maybe when you grow older, you will." Yet, despite my principles, I wanted to at least give Cassidy some hope for her future.

She giggled. "I'll be an actress so I can perform in Hollywood one day. I'll bring you to see the sky, Lyra." 

I chuckled at her innocence. "You will, Cassidy. I believe you."

Seeing these kids with their innocent laughter while enjoying the simplest things like eating turkey for the first time, I wished for a life far from these walls, a life where we could see the sky everyday like those in the movies.

But for now, I was satisfied with what we have now—enjoying a musical movie while eating some stolen food.