***
Aria stood uncertainly within the doorway, hesitant as to whether she should enter the sitting room or not. The prince was in there having a quiet conversation with another man, their dark heads bent close together. She knew that she should probably retreat to her room, stay away until this stranger left, but she was curious about this other man. Truth be told, she was also lonely and looking for someone to keep her company, and at present time, her choices were severely limited when it came to company.
Plus, she almost enjoyed the prince’s company now, or at least being around him had been fairly pleasant earlier today.
However, she didn’t feel like now was the right time to make her presence known. She took a step back, intending to retreat into the shadows when Keegan spotted her and came over to greet her. The men’s attention was drawn to her by the wolf. The prince rose to his feet instantly, his hand seized hold of his cane as he turned toward her. The other man remained seated for a moment, shock evident on his features. Then, he leisurely rose also.
“I’m sorry,” Aria apologized, knowing that she should leave. No matter how well the prince treated her, she was a blood slave, and she should know her place. Her place was not to interrupt him when he was in the middle of what had appeared to be a very important conversation. The prince’s mouth compressed into a disapproving line; his knuckles were turning white on his cane. “I didn’t mean to... I’m sorry.”
She stammered the apology out as she took a few steps back. Instinctively, she knew that she had done something wrong, that her safe position within this household had just been shaken. “Wait.” It was not the prince that had spoken, but she froze anyway, her heart raced as the strange vampire studied her keenly. She almost looked to the prince for help, for some sign of reassurance, but she didn’t dare let this stranger think that she may trust, or even like, the prince. No, she knew that now was the time to play the role of being docile and beaten. “Come here,” the stranger commanded.
Aria’s pride pricked, anger shot through her, but she managed to keep her face impassive as she played the role of meek human to the best of her ability. The prince bristled and took a step forward; he placed his cane before him as he folded his hands upon the handle. Aria hesitated, unsure of the situation she had placed herself in, but knowing that she couldn’t refuse. Her owner may be a prince, but under blood slave rules she was not allowed to disobey any vampire, unless they asked things of her that only her owner was allowed to take. Such as her blood or her body, and neither of those things were being asked for now.
Swallowing heavily, she folded her hands before her and moved hesitatingly forward. Though she was often defiant, confident and bold with the prince, she instinctively sensed that those three things had no place here. She kept her eyes downcast, knowing not to look the visitor in the eye as she stopped before them.
The stranger approached her, circling her much like she had seen the packs of wild dogs in the woods circle their prey before attacking. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, hoping for strength and patience to help her get through this awful, humiliating, experience. She had to hold her tongue; she had to remain demure if she was to remain safe. She chanced a glance at the prince, but he remained indifferent as he leaned back on his heels. Though he appeared casual, she could see the tension in his shoulders and the tautness of his solid muscles. She didn’t know what was really going on here, but she sensed that it was more than met the eye.
“Not bad brother, not bad.” Aria couldn’t stop her head from snapping up as the stranger stopped before her. His hair was the same dark color as the prince’s, his features similar, though his nose was somewhat larger and sharper, and his lips thinner. His eyes, unhindered by dark shades, were a deep forest green, and surprisingly beautiful. He was shorter than the prince too, but his shoulders were more imposingly broad as he stepped closer to her. Aria had no choice but to take a step back as he used his height and size to maneuver her. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he pressed closer to her, causing her to retreat another step.
Resentment shot through her, she longed to pull her stake out and drive it straight into his heart. She itched to kill this thing, but revealing her stake now would do nothing for her other than earn her certain death. This was not the time to be reckless, not the time to be foolish. If she was ever going to get a chance at escape she couldn’t blow it by losing her temper now. It didn’t matter how much she aspired to stand up to this imposing, overbearing, pitiless creature, to do so would only cause problems. Especially since, if his looks and words were any indication, he seemed to be a prince in his own right.
Aria had heard rumors that there were four brothers, and two sisters. She’d also heard that there were three brothers and no sisters, or even five brothers and three sisters. The rumors about the royal family had always swirled outside the palace towns, with the rebel camps knowing even less about them. Aria supposed that was the way the royal family liked it, where no one knew anything about them for certain, and they couldn’t be completely pinned down.
She wondered which of the brothers was older, which of them would one day rule the kingdom. She supposed, in her situation, it didn’t make much of a difference.
Her prince remained silent, his indifference causing a small twinge in her chest.
Had she imagined the growing bond between them? Had she simply just chosen to believe that perhaps he may actually be starting to like her? What other reason could there be for taking her on a walk today? Why else would he have been teaching her to read? Had she truly been that gullible?
Of course she had been, she realized. Completely exasperated with herself, she forced her head back down. Of course he cared nothing for her, she was nothing to him, she never had been, and never would be. She had known that he was only toying with her, stringing her along just to make it hurt more in the end, and though he probably was not done playing his game, she most certainly was.
Her fingers clenched, she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and fought to restrain her temper. She was not angry at them, she was not even angry at this whole awful situation, but she was infuriated with herself. She had been a fool to let her guard down, a fool to think she was anything more than a backwoods, disposable girl to them. Except, she was more than that, they just didn’t know it.
Her father was a leader, a ruler in his own right. In her world, she was an outstanding hunter, and a strong warrior. She didn’t have Daniel’s knack for making strategies and creating plans, nor did she have William’s charismatic ability to rouse people to battle, but she was quick and she was strong, and highly adept in using multiple weapons. Yes, she may be a nothing in this world, but in her world she had many different talents and abilities that were highly looked upon. In her world, she was something, she was admired and loved and respected.
And she missed it fiercely. Heat colored her face; suddenly feeling homesick as she remained expressionless beneath this stranger’s cruel perusal of her. She wanted so badly to be free of this room, wanted so badly to take back the last five minutes. She wished she had never come out here, wished that she had been able to slip away before either of them had noticed her.
This was better, she decided, it was much better this way.
She had been spending the last couple of weeks in a kind of suspended dream. She had been trying to deny reality, but now it was staring her in the face and it was just as grueling, and just as cruel as it always had been. She had known food, opulence, and cleanliness here but that was little compared to the respect and unconditional love of her family. She craved that so very badly right now.
“Perhaps, when you are done with her...”
“I do not think so Caleb,” the prince said forcefully.
Caleb’s face twisted into a malicious smile. “You plan on using her until there is nothing left?”
“I have not decided.”
Aria shuddered in horror at the words. She forced herself to keep her head down, she was afr
aid that if she looked at either one of them she would start screaming, and she would never stop. She fought the urge to tell them how awful they were, how wrong and horrendous and cruel their world was. She wanted to scream at them that she didn’t deserve this, that her people didn’t deserve this. She wanted to tell them exactly what she thought of the both of them, but that would only guarantee her death.
She intended to show them that she was more than nothing, that she was something special. To do that she would have to get free of here, she would have to be the first blood slave to ever escape the bonds of their master, and she could do it somehow, she knew she could.
“Leave us.” Aria glanced up quickly, briefly meeting the shaded eyes of her prince. Caleb was still inspecting her as if she were a side of beef, his eyes fixated upon her. She hated the leering gleam in his eyes; it reminded her of the creepy little vampire that had first claimed her. “Now!”
She started at the barked command. The prince had never raised his voice at her. He had been overbearing and pushy when she had first arrived, but he had never yelled at her. Fresh indignation washed through her, she quickly buried it beneath her growing fury and sense of betrayal. She managed a brief nod before turning on her heel; she had to force herself not to run as she hurried from the room. She didn’t want them to suspect just how infuriated she truly was.