Bound By Blood: The Pureblood Prince

Chapter One

"Welcome to De Vincent Palace. My name is Nicholas Croft. I am the primary caretaker and manager of the staff here. Firstly, you should know that there is no use in attempting an escape. The palace is protected in a very special way. You should also know that the government is aware of our prescence, and consenting of our practices. The police will not help you. Secondly, and listen very carefully: the people who live here are not human. They are vampire. They are not what you have seen in movies or read in books. They are not a strange cult. They are real. If you wish for confirmation, I will be glad to provide that for you.

        "Thirdly, you should know that this palace is now your permanent home. Whatever life you had before, is merely an old dream. Look back at it one last time, say goodbye, move on. Now, lastly, and most importantly: you now belong to Gabriel De Vincent, the Pureblood prince. Your blood is his life source. You are also anything and everything he wants you to be. You live to serve him. Do your job perfectly, and you will live a life that you could not even dream of. Do you understand?"

        I sat there shaking, unable to respond. This is definitely a cult. A cult with money. And power. Everything the man said was spoken with such cold conviction, I believed him. I could feel my head spinning, my heart pounding. My skin was burning with rushing blood. I felt so desperately helpless, with a horrifying feeling. A feeling that sunk deep into me, seething. There was no way out of this. Suddenly, my body felt so light and weak. My eyelids fluttered involuntarily. My body began to collapse in the chair, and I was unconscious.

_________________________________________x_________________________________________

It was a typical Tuesday night for me. Typical since I started school, at least. I sat hunched over on my bed, studying for the fifth solid hour. My eyes began to lose focus on the book in front of me. I glanced up at the clock. Two thirty. I sighed. Pre-Med was everything I dreaded it would be...

        The sound of drunk, shouting frat boys echoed from my open window. I got up, and struggled to shove my dinky dorm window down. But something caught my eye. In the parking lot, behind the dumpster, there was someone lying down. I watched for a moment, waiting for them to move, but they did not. They were probably just passed out drunk, but they might be in trouble. I couldn't just leave them there...

        So I slipped on my shoes and wrapped my thinly-veiled frame in my sweater, and bounded down the stairs. When I opened the door, the cold sobering air hit my face. The loud drunks were gone. The parking lot was silent. I rounded the dumpster. The body was still there, darkened to a silhouette by the shadows. It was not moving. I crossed my arms tightly into myself, and slowly moved closer.

"Excuse me? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" I called.

        I moved closer, praying I wasn't stumbling on a dead body. I could make out the face now. It was a man, in a dark coat and pants. His face was smooth, eyes closed, emotionless. I leaned down to him, reaching to feel his pulse.

        His eyes flashed open, boring into mine sharply. He brought his hand up to my face. I opened my mouth to scream, but something stopped me. And then, only darkness.

_________________________________________x_________________________________________

"Miss? Wake up please, Miss." a small voice called, rousing me.

My eyes fluttered open. They were met with soft, brown ones. A lady, not much older than me, in traditional maid's clothing. She held a damp cloth to my forehead. I dipped away from her and looked down, and realized I was in a bath. I scrambled to cover myself, pushing away from the woman. She wrapped her hands gently around my shoulders.