Crimson Heir

Chapter One

Shifting slightly in place, I sat uneasy as the velveteen walls and gold-lined furniture faced my way. Walls as tall as city buildings with ceilings spread out farther than pools. The hallways were dimly lit with oil-use lanterns. Their illuminated amber color swallows up the red hues and creates a gorgeous aura. Directly in front of me were two guards who stood tall and steady, almost appearing to be statuesque and lifeless. Their armor is gray toned with dark red crests over their hearts, and their swords they held between their stances were black smithed with what looked like hieroglyphics. They guarded one of the biggest two-doored rooms in the estate that I was invited to. Behind those dark oak doors was a man - no, a monster - inhuman and named the Dark Beholder, King of Varna, The Dracula. Yet, he wasn't like the one in the books, he was something else, someone more feared.

But here I was, sitting on one of the leather benches with just a nightgown slip that could barely cover the ivory skin that protruded from the unfit sheer clothing. I felt like I would bust from the thin white cloth like the Hulk would, leaving nothing but real imagination before these guards or him. That scared me the most was being so vulnerable before him, looking more than a snack but a meal that'd last him days or even weeks if he let me live as long. My heart skipped a beat and it knocked breath from my lungs just thinking about it.

One of the doorknobs creaked slightly as the door was opened by the guard. I didn't even notice it had moved as my thoughts started traveling somewhere else. "Stand up and enter, wisely," the voice was a man's voice. Wasn't surprised in the least as the armor was thin in the chest area.

My leg felt heavy as I uncrossed it from my other knee and my skin left the pinkish swell from sitting so long. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to walk fine. I stood up and adjusted the silky gown, flattening it along my curves so it would cover my legs better. Unconsciously, I fidgeted with my long locks of navy-blue hair, coiling the messy and dragged-out curls. I hadn't slept in what felt like three days as I've been held captive here in the Helsing Estate. It wasn't my fault either, it was my brother's fault that I was taken captive and I hold a grudge on him that he escaped but I didn't. I may have a better chance at leaving here with my soul still attached to my body. Unlike him, he wouldn't want a man's blood. Or maybe he would...

"Hurry up, he's impatient," the other guard said, his voice thick like honey but sturn and cutting. It snapped me from my lingering conversation to myself as I walked more hurriedly and stepped three paces inside the room. The door slammed shut, startling me and causing me to flinch. The cold breeze hit me as it was colder here than the hallway.

Walls, not as tall, and the ceiling not as vast, the room was dark and eerie. Barely any light could pass through the window at the farthest wall as moonlight danced in the room sporadically against all gold and glass. There was tons of furniture around in the oversized room. I could make out a desk or two, some couches and stools. To the right was a bar too. A bar in a bedroom? This man was ill - yet I couldn't speak for myself.

"Don't move." I dared to even breathe as he sounded close, like as if he was directly-

"I said, don't move."

"Y-yes sir?" I questioned myself more if I should call him that. The gruff sound from his throat didn't help me figure out if I was in the wrong. But I kept still as best as I could. Expecting a touch, or a jump scare, I anticipated something, anything.

"Tell me your name, age, and why you are here," he said as his voice drifted away to a nearby seat. His figure was shadowed by the light. My jaw loosened as I tried to calculate how tall he really was. "Now or God help me refrain from another body stack tonight," he spoke more aggressively and short-tempered.