a Goddess among Men

White hot pain and strange eyes

Ice surrounds me jolting me out of my dreamless sleep. Crying out in surprise I sit up straight, choking and gasping for air. The heavy leather collar around my neck pulls me back down to the stone floor keeping me in my cell. Panting I look up at my assailant and see that it is no other than Landau smiling down at me.

"Hi there, little song bird, were ya sleeping?" His deep voice reverberates through my chest making me wince in fear.

Whimpering I move away from him and to the end of the chain ripping open my slowly healing wounds. Growling slightly he grabs me by my hair and bites into his finger causing it to bleed a little. The smell of his blood hits me and a burning pain that had, for the most part, stayed dormant flares again making me cry out. My fangs immediately elongate as he moves his finger closer and lets a single drop fall onto the lock attached to my collar. The lock clicks open and he pulls me to my feet and out of the small cell. Dante lay still asleep on the floor, it had to be daylight out.

"L-lan-dau. Wh-where are you ta-aking me?" My voice cracks and I have to control myself to keep from giving in to my blood lust.

"You will know soon, little song bird." He laughs and drags me up the stairs and out of the cellar into a dimly lit hallway.

My shorter legs try to keep up with his long ones as he pulls me causing me to stumble and rush. Wincing with every step I walk as fast as I can, blood starts to trickle down my thighs from my injuries. My body is so heavy, my eyes start to flutter closed. A warm cotton feeling wraps itself around my mind numbing me. I am so tired. My vision starts to tip and blur my world spinning like a kaleidoscope.

I feel myself falling, my eyes start to close before I can even see the ground come up to meet me. I don't feel the sharp pain of my body hitting the ground. Strange, I should have collapsed by now. A strong repugnant smell reaches my foggy brain and I feel a strange tingling warmth envelop me. My body bounces up and down with the steady beat of feet upon stone.

"Poor little bird." Landau's voice rumbles in my chest and against my side, was he carrying me?

A door squeaks open and I fight to open my eyes to no avail. The smell of blood reaches me and my throat starts to burn white hot reminding me of my unsated hunger. A soft rapid heart beat reaches my ears making my fangs elongate and a small moan to escape my lips.

"What happened Landau? I told you to wake her and bring her to me. Does she look awake?" Verin's voice growls close to my head as the smell of blood moves closer and my right side starts to get a tingling feeling.

"I did M'lord, she passed out on the way here." Landau states carefully as I am lifted away from his chest and placed on something soft.

Feet shuffle and come closer to me as the men move around me, the smell of blood never leaving my mind. The small rapid heartbeat flutters faster as it draws closer to me, it's life blood calling out to me making me groan in want. A cold hand slides over my bare leg making me want to squirm away, a small sobbing drifts into my mind.

"Wake up, my little rose, I have a present for you." Verin whispers in my ear startling me into trying to open my heavy eyes.

Slowly and very reluctantly my eyes decide to drift open and look at the scene around me. A black canopy hangs above my head attached to four large pillars that jut up from the bed frame. Verin stands to my right looking down at me expectantly, his face not far from mine. Behind him stands Landau, his shirt clean white shirt splashed with my blood reminding me how hungry I was. In his hand is a leather leash that leads to a young boy, two thin lines of blood run down from his neck under a thick collar and down his bare chest.