A Shade Darker ✔️

{Chapter Four}

Cobblestone Hallways

June 4th, 2017

Ashley

I'm lead by my king's hand down the hallway and all the way to the end where a door is our only way out. Maybe this could provide some knowledge for my escape. If it somehow led to the outside world then I could memorize the path and escape later.

Liz opens the door and my heart clenched when my hope is shirt down quickly. More hallways, but with windows. It's night still and it make me wonder if they ever experience morning here. There's trees outside surrounding everything for miles to see. No glimpse of anything but greenhouses and other vampires walking around.

All of it is unsettling, nerve racking.

We're lead outside and everything is hot and claustrophobic feeling. Every pair of eyes is set on me. Liz announces that the king has chosen his mistress, that I am to become the new Queen of the colony.

I look at my king and want to ask him a million questions, slap him in the face and scream at him until his eardrums bleed. I want to know who the he decided that in a matter of minute without knowing anything about me, I was to be the new Queen of this vampire colony in the middle of the woods.

My king grasps my hand tighter, seeking like he wants to get away from all the pair of eyes like I do. Most clap, other tend back to their business.

As Liz starts to follow us, Mike king stops walking and turns his head to her.

"I wish to speak with my mistress alone, sister. After I am done with her you may come take her away to prepare her for our wedding" I catch the corner of my king's lips twitch. Either he is holding back from sucking my blood, or he is uncomfortable with all of this like I am.

Liz slowly retreats away along with our guard. Nervousness creeps into my throat as my king looks up at a tree house hundreds of feet above us.

He lets go of my hand and wraps an arm around my waist.

"How are we going to get up there?" I ask, my answer only met by him tightening his arms around me and leaping off the ground.

A scream stays in my throat as I feel like I'm falling. My hair whips around us and I watch the ground drift farther away.

He lands on the deck of the tree house and loosens his grip on me, allowing me to stumble away. My heart beats with the thrill I just felt as I try to appear calm. The less my king thought I wasn't scared of him the better.

His eyes bore into me and he walks forward. I stand my ground and let him approach me, although I wasn't entirely sure I couldn't trust him to start sucking my blood.

Now alone with my king, I'm the first to speak.

"Do I only refer to you as 'my king'? You do have a name don't you?" As if taken back by my brave words, he stares at me with electric blue eyes and pale complexion.

"I do say you are very different than my sister described. She told me she would bring women of beauty and poise to my feet. Not those of beauty and attitude. Your bravery I must respect, Ashley. But do not forget who you belong to. I could suck your blood dry and kill you in less than a minute" I raise an eyebrow and cross my arms.

The fear was beginning to subside again. I didn't believe his words.

"My dear King, I merely asked of your name. It's not my fault your sister didn't obey orders, but I find it wrong to be taking random girls and using them to your liking. This is simply wrong! And if you were going to kill me by sucking my blood then you would've ignored my words in the courtyard. You chose me to be yours and that is but yet your fault" I talk like him, trying to get my message through his thick skull.

My king may have been powerful and capable of murder, but that did not mean he was smart.

He steps towards me.

"I have awaken two hundred years later only to see that our women have become more and more ignorant by the century" He brushes past me, his vibe cooling me and making me shiver.

Two hundred years? How old was this dude? He looked my age.

"Once again, my king. I ask of your name" He looks over his shoulder at me, his electric eyes making deadly sparks in my gut.

"I am Mike. Your ruler and soon to be husband" I sit on the edge of a plus couch.

"And why must I marry you? Your sister said nothing of a marriage proposal. Only that I was to be your mistress" He turns, finally giving me answers.

"I have awoken to be announced as your king this morning. I am the most powerful male in our colony and I must choose a woman to marry. The king cannot go without a queen, it is simply against the rules. Before I awoke I was merely a prince, mostly equal in status to everyone else. I chose new women everyday. Today was different. I will stick with one woman for the rest of my days..." His eyes bore into mine and he almost look desperate. For the first time I can see emotion in these dull vampire's eyes. Why were his so different?

"That woman is now you. The duties of our colony will rest on your shoulders in just a few short hours. We will learn to rule together. We will live a happy life..." Yet his words don't sound confident and strong. They do not sound happy and pleased with his decision.

He turns and walks away. A man walks into the room and I recognize him as the one who cut my lips with his claws. I shudder and almost run.

But I find myself restricted again as Liz loops her arm through mine and leads me out of the room. How long had she been there? Listening to everything? So far She seemed to be the only one to me. If she was so willing to help...maybe I could take the chance of asking her how to get out of here. Maybe she would help, but I also feared that in doing that, I would be risking my own life.