Darkness's Child

Chapter Four

###A/N Sorry it's so short. I was gonna write more but my battery is going###

This chapter is dedicated to Theeyelessfox for the suggestion of this quote;

Freedom is not just being free, but being open minded, yet strong willed.

Espérer POV
A guttural scream of agony rips through the night. I flinch, and curl into a tighter ball. Master is angry tonight, and when master is angry, slaves die. Painfully.

He enters the room, and walks towards me, roughly grabbing my hair and ripping my head brutally to the side. I can't help but flinch as he sinks his fangs into my neck, greedily lapping at my rich, crimson blood.

He kicks me into a corner when he is done, then thinks better of it, pulling me out in order to beat me, first with his fists and boots, then with a vicious barbed whip that he keeps especially for me. I try to relax my body, as he slashes my prone from again and again. Every time I flinch, he will beat me for twice as long until I fear for my life.

He smiles, slow and vicious. 'Tomorrow, I have a new torture for you...'

Vladimir POV
That shifter girl... Such a rare breed. Shame to kill her, really. But absolutely necessary. I think I'll draw out the suffering as long as possible. So, no more food for her, starting from tomorrow.

And that basement hasn't been used in a while.

Kieran POV
The key to my plans was the joining of that tribe to the Alliance. Rare, and weak when they are children, but once they have found their mate? Unstoppable, a match for fifty, a hundred vampires.
And now, their peace envoy lost, the tribal leaders only daughter no less, and ten of my best wolves and eagles brutally murdered. I hope those Hares were right about that rogue vampire, otherwise we're destroyed.

The Alliance, and all hope for freeing humans and shifters from slavery to those... leeches.

###Three months later###
Espérer POV

The shackles on my arms rub blisters onto my wrists. I shift, trying to get more comfortable. Master walks in, and I flinch as he hits me across the face, breaking the already bruised skin. I try not to cry- the salt water hurts. The cold steel wall I'm chained to drains the heat from my tired skin.

Master walks towards me, and after a moment's hesitation, rips into my neck, draining my blood. I slump, trying to ignore the agony.
As he pulls away, the phone in his pocket buzzes. I sigh in relief as he is called away for three days to an important business meeting.

As he leaves the basement, I return to my secret task. I rub the edge of the shackle against the wall, gradually sharpening it. One more day should do it, then... Well, then I can die on my own terms, not the Masters.

I yank on the chain, hoping for more slack to work with. And again. The third pull results in an ominous creaking... And the chain snaps. Surprised, I pull on the other arm, releasing that one, too. Now I have the metal bands, but only three or four inches of chain on each wrist.

I scan the cell, grabbing a hoodie that Master left here and pull it on. No weapons, but if I'm quiet I should be fine.

I escape with more difficulty than I had hoped, but less than expected. I slipped into the forest, and this was my situation:
No food
Only underwear and a hoodie
Wearing barnacles
No idea where to go, who to trust, or what species I was.
Oh yeah, and lost.

I knew I was a shifter, but I didn't know how to shift. I was probably a rogue wolf before I was captured.

I fell asleep under a bush, as far away as possible from Master's house. No, not master. I would refer to him as that vampire, if I had to.