Captured

Four

As Lucian led me down the stairs, farther and farther underground than I preferred, I tried to make mental notes of how to get back up to Casper's room without stumbling around the castle, asking people for directions. I noticed as we headed down yet another flight of stairs, more torches lined the walls, giving off a luminescent glow.

Soon enough, I recognized some of the furniture in the halls and suddenly, Lucian stopped, making me almost bump into him. "You might recognize this room - it's Amber's. Your bedroom is connected to hers through the bathroom. Let me show you." His voice was formal, but I involuntarily took a step back. Perhaps it was just natural. He was a vampire...

He opened a large thick wooden door, which creaked loudly as it moved. I scurried inside, not wanting to anger him if I was too slow. I was surprised to see it was relatively nice sized and there was a large bed. I set the box of clothes down on the side table, turning my back to him as I unpacked.

A hand pressed down on my shoulder, sending icy shivers up my spine. Something was yelling at me to move, to call for Amber or Casper, to defend myself. I froze with fear as I felt his lips brush over my neck. His chest rumbled against my back as he chuckled. "Little Shifter," he purred, his voice taunting. My hands trembled delicately as he pressed his mouth to my throat. When I felt something sharp press into my jugular, I lashed out, kicking behind me.

There was a grunt and his grip loosened, the fangs disappearing for now. Before he could regain his hold on me I slipped out of his grasp and bolted for the door. I hadn't even heard it close. My mind was whirling as my small hands pulled at the knob, but it wouldn't budge. "You're a feisty little kitten, aren't you?" he chuckled, though his eyes were blazing with anger from my disobedience.

Whimpering I shook my head, pressing a palm to my mouth. Before I could bolt away like I had before, he pinned me to the wall, holding my wrists in a painful grip above my head. "Here is what's going to happen, Shifter. You see, this wasn't part of the plan. Casper was supposed to kill you - not make you a slave," he spat. "You were supposed to die, and then I would be the King. Not that piece of scum. But because that didn't happen, here is the plan. You see, Casper has a little soft spot for you. He's not going to demand you to feed him right away, but when he does it will kill you. I will be taking from you and in the process poisoning your blood. The more I drink, the more poisonous it gets. But it won't hurt him. Once his fangs touch your blood, his saliva will activate the poison, which will send it to your heart and kill you. He won't even realize it," Lucian hissed in my ear as I listened in horror. I felt him smile against my ear at the thought of my death.

"If you tell him though, you will be tortured. You will be kidnapped and taken out of the territory where he can't find you. The price for his knowledge is death. You will be killed either way. Understood?" Meekly, I nodded. "Good." He patted my cheek harshly. "I think we will have a good time together - no matter how short it will be." With that he sunk his fangs into my throat and I sank into blissful unconsciousness.

~

In the morning I managed to wake up about an hour before I had to work. Last night's memories flooded back to me and I whimpered. I knew I shouldn't have listened to Kyle, I thought as I sat up and rubbed the spot where I was bitten. Surprisingly, my skin felt unmarked. It was smooth and there were no dips where the bite mark would have been. I lit a candle that way I could see my way through my room. The shadows looked like they were reaching out for me, and because of the fear from last night, I shied away from them.

Quickly, I made my way to my dresser and pulled out one of the gray dresses for today. I took my braids out, letting my hair fall in curls to my waist. I didn't bother taking a shower, knowing it would be a hassle to re-braid my hair. The dress slipped over my body and the fabric was soft to the touch. It was a very modest length, for which I was grateful. The dress came down just past my knee.