When Darius knocked on the big wooden door, he half expected Annabelle to open it for him.He was a bit surprised to see a butler, a slave dressed in a smart maroon and gray uniform with distinguished graying hair.When the butler saw who was at the door, he bowed deeply.“Sir Darius!What a pleasure, please enter in!”
Darius whispered to Zane, who still stood off to the side in the darkness. “Such a better welcome this time, so professional.”
“Do you have with you another guest, sir?”The butler looked confused.
Zane stepped forward and looked at the butler matter-of-factly.“Oh!” the butler squeaked, “Your Highness, Sir Emperor, welcome, welcome!Please enter!”The tall, thin butler moved aside in an exaggerated motion and let the two vampires pass him and walk into the foyer.Zane looked up at the chandelier that hung on a long chain from a ceiling two stories up and admired it.It was gold and sparkly and quite impressive.He saw a young slave girl then peek over the edge of the balcony from a door to a room.When she saw them, she retreated very quickly. She was in fact so fast that most of what Zane saw was a flash of pale flaxen hair.
Annabelle had been curious whenever Manual and Elizabeth had visitors.She knew that one day Darius would return for her and her anxiety about it rose each time this new butler, Sal, would answer the door.Darius had said that he would assign her as a personal slave to him, as an addition to another female that worked for him inside of his great quarters. Boy, his quarters of that castle with five hundred rooms must have been huge for him to need two slaves for it.She remembered that night that he had invited her into his room here, just so he could have some company.She remembered how he had bit her, and it wasn’t unpleasant.But, would he change now that she belonged to him? She was the property of another vampire when she had seen him last.Would he now become cruel, no longer keeping his promise that he would purchase her baby that she had been separated from so that they could be together?
When Annabelle peeked through a crack in the door, she could not see much.She thought she had heard the name of the Emperor mentioned, but maybe she was wrong.She knew that as a slave of Darius that she would someday have to meet Zane.That thought nearly made her stomach rumble with worry.
She inched forward and with a rush of anticipation, saw Darius.He had already removed his long leather jacket and was handing it to Sal.He was wearing a black cotton shirt that had three straps with buckles on each wrist.The neckline of it dipped enough where she could see all of his pale neck. His pants were baggy and bedecked with chains and grommets and straps and buckles.His shoes were nearly covered, but she could tell they were also black.Geez, what a surprise.
She inched yet further and her stomach knotted up and she felt her heart suddenly skip a beat when she saw the formidable vampire next to Darius.He looked more powerful than any paintings of him could ever portray.He was tall, slender but built well from what she could tell even though he wore a lot of clothes.He was wearing a long, thick leather jacket and the collar of it stood up behind his head, protecting his neck.It was open down the front and she could see that he was wearing a suede shirt that laced loosely up to his neck. His pants were black leather, his shoes mean, looking ready for battle with the spikes and buckles that adorned them, and from his heavily studded belt hung chains and dark silver pendants that looked rough and mean as well.He had a spiked bracelet around his wrist, and it was irregular, looking like it was used for tearing rather than poking someone.His hair was like pitch, shoulder length with spiked layers and shiny.
Annabelle froze at the sight of Zane.It was enough time for him to look up and catch her staring at him.His eyes were silvery and menacing looking.Oh god! She ducked as fast as she could behind the door again and closed it as quietly as she could.No! NO! He’s going to be along for the journey that I have to go on with Darius. The realization that she would be traveling with Zane frightened her beyond comprehension.
